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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

PSA test for prostate cancer may confuse: Experts debate its continued use

According to new research the PSA test for prostate cancer does more harm than good. This week, the United States Preventive Services Task Force is expected to announce its recommendation against routine testing for blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, the protein that can be a signal of prostate cancer.

11 Oct 2011

Progenra, Ono enter ubiquitin pathway research collaboration

Progenra, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a research collaboration with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Under the agreement, Progenra will collaborate with Ono to conduct assay development and high throughput screening by using Progenra's proprietary technology on multiple targets in the ubiquitin pathway.

11 Oct 2011

Receptor tyrosine kinases control PI3K signaling in human KRAS mutant colorectal cancers

Some cancers can be effectively treated with drugs inhibiting proteins known as receptor tyrosine kinases, but not those cancers caused by mutations in the KRAS gene. A team of researchers led by Jeffrey Engelman, at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, has now identified a potential way to effectively use receptor tyrosine kinases inhibitors to treat individuals with KRAS mutant colorectal cancers - combine them with inhibitors of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway.

11 Oct 2011

Omeros initiates OMS302 Phase 3 trial in intra-ocular lens replacement surgery

Omeros Corporation today announced that the first patients have been treated in the Company's Phase 3 clinical program evaluating OMS302 in intra-ocular lens replacement surgery.

11 Oct 2011

DARA BioSciences' KRN5500 reduces neuropathic pain in patients with cancer

DARA BioSciences, Inc. today announced the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, an internationally respected, peer-reviewed journal, has published results of a Phase II safety and efficacy study of KRN5500 for the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients with cancer.

11 Oct 2011

World class scientist presents fourth Environmental Microbiology Lecture

World class scientist Professor Willem M. de Vos will explain next Monday how the microbes that are closest to our hearts - gut microbes - could underpin a new way of thinking about human biology. As well as looking at our own genes, we can now include those of our microbes in studies of human health and disease. This is a significant shift in the way we approach human biology.

11 Oct 2011

New mechanism to enhance restoration of blood flow in ischemic diseases

In Nature, VIB-K.U.Leuven researchers describe a new mechanism to enhance the restoration of the blood flow in ischemic diseases, which are among the leading causes of death worldwide.

11 Oct 2011

WTSI announces new technique to reprogramme human cells

Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute today announce a new technique to reprogramme human cells, such as skin cells, into stem cells. Their process increases the efficiency of cell reprogramming by one hundred-fold and generates cells of a higher quality at a faster rate.

11 Oct 2011

Scripps Research receives NIH grant to determine how HCV induces liver cancer

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a $2.2 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to determine how the hepatitis C virus (HCV) induces liver cancer.

11 Oct 2011

Normal Htt protein regulates formation of cellular structures in mouse model of HD

Huntington disease is a devastating neurogenerative disorder that causes a progressive loss of functional capacity and reduced life span. It is an inherited condition caused by a mutant HTT gene. Although this has been known for many years, the functions of the normal Htt protein and the mechanisms by which the mutant protein generated from the mutant HTT gene causes disease are not well understood.

11 Oct 2011

Sirt1 protein enhances skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in calorie-restricted mice

The number of individuals with type 2 diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions. One of the main risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes is resistance of cells in the body (particularly liver, fat, and skeletal muscle cells) to the effects of the hormone insulin.

11 Oct 2011

CXCL12 protein can inhibit metastasis of colon and melanoma cancers

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin have shown that a protein can inhibit metastasis of colon and melanoma cancers. The findings are published in the October 10, 2011 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

11 Oct 2011

Positive results from Biotron's BIT225 Phase 2a trial on HCV

Australian drug development company Biotron Limited has released headline results from its landmark Phase 2a trial of its lead drug candidate, BIT225 in Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients.

11 Oct 2011

FDA clears Cardium's new Excellagen topical gel for diabetic foot ulcers

Cardium Therapeutics announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market and sell the Company's new Excellagen professional-use, sterile, syringe-based advanced wound care product for the management of diabetic foot ulcers and other dermal wounds.

11 Oct 2011

Coridon demonstrates 100% protection using DNA HSV-2 vaccine

DNA vaccine development company Coridon Pty Ltd. today announced that it had successfully completed pre-clinical efficacy testing of its prototype Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) vaccine, with outstanding results. The company will now look to progress the program into clinical studies.

10 Oct 2011

Cardium's Excellagen topical gel for diabetic foot ulcers receives FDA 510(k) clearance

Cardium Therapeutics announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market and sell the Company's new Excellagen™ professional-use, sterile, syringe-based advanced wound care product for the management of diabetic foot ulcers and other dermal wounds.

10 Oct 2011

VGX International, Inovio partner to co-develop SynCon vaccines for hepatitis B and C infections

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of synthetic vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has entered into a product development collaboration agreement with its affiliate, VGX International Inc., to co-develop Inovio's SynCon therapeutic vaccines for hepatitis B and C infections.

10 Oct 2011

Researchers examine effects of antirejection drugs in kidney transplant patients

Modern medicine's ability to save lives through organ transplantation has been revolutionized by the development of drugs that prevent the human body from rejecting the transplanted organ.

10 Oct 2011

New siRNA treatment reduces damaging inflammation in animals models of several disorders

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers - along with collaborators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals - have found a way to block, in an animal model, the damaging inflammation that contributes to many disease conditions.

10 Oct 2011

First successful quantification of membrane lipids in a living cell

Could controlling cell-membrane fat play a key role in turning off disease? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago think so, and a biosensor they've created that measures membrane lipid levels may open up new pathways to disease treatment.

10 Oct 2011