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Researchers influence activity of nerve cells with laser light

Unlike conventional methods, with the so-called optogenetics, the researchers are able to target one cell type. "We are now going to use this method to find out exactly what goes wrong in the nerve cells in movement disorders such as ataxias", said Prof. Dr. Stefan Herlitze.

21 Jul 2011

Research: Substance P appears to trigger formation of extraskeletal bone

For hundreds of thousands of people, injuring a muscle through an accident like falling off a bike or having surgery can result in a strange and serious complication. Their muscles start growing bones.

21 Jul 2011

Promising results from phase I study of Genentech's GDC-0941 for advanced breast cancer

A new drug targeting the PI3K gene in patients with advanced breast cancer shows promising results in an early phase I investigational study conducted at Virginia G. Piper Cancer at Scottsdale Healthcare, according to a presentation by oncologist Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

21 Jul 2011

Common cancer drug alleviates symptoms associated with schizophrenia

Researchers have revealed the molecular pathway that is affected during the onset of schizophrenia and successfully alleviated symptoms of the illness in mice, using a commonly used cancer drug.

21 Jul 2011

Novel vaccine for treating heroin addiction

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a highly successful vaccine against a heroin high and have proven its therapeutic potential in animal models.

21 Jul 2011

SuperGen closes acquisition of Astex

SuperGen, Inc., a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel cancer therapies, announced it has closed the transaction to acquire Astex Therapeutics Limited, a privately held, UK-based biotechnology company developing targeted therapies.

21 Jul 2011

USPTO issues patent for Avila's targeted covalent drugs portfolio

Avila Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing targeted covalent drugs that treat diseases through protein silencing, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent No. 7,982,036, "4,6-Disubstituted Pyrimidines Useful as Kinase Inhibitors."

21 Jul 2011

Pfizer enters definitive merger agreement with Icagen

Pfizer Inc. and Icagen, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Pfizer, which currently owns approximately 11% of Icagen's fully diluted shares, will acquire the remaining 8.3 million shares at a price of $6.00 per share.

21 Jul 2011

FDA approves AstraZeneca's anti-clotting drug Brilinta

The U.S. Food and drug Administration (FDA) has finally approved AstraZeneca's Brilinta blood thinner for patients with acute coronary syndrome - conditions, such as heart attack and angina.

20 Jul 2011

FDA panel votes against novel diabetes drug citing adverse effects

An advisory panel for the US Food and Drugs Administration voted 9-6 that the FDA should not yet approve dapagliflozin, a new type of diabetes drug that makes the body dump sugar and lose weight. Signals of possible liver damage and of breast and bladder cancer worried the experts.

20 Jul 2011

Stopping Aspirin may raise heart attack death risk by 60%: Study

The study results revealed that patients with a history of heart disease who stopped taking a low-dose daily aspirin had a 60% increased risk of having a heart attack over the three-year follow-up, compared with patients who continued the daily aspirin, says study researcher Luis A. Garcia Rodriguez, director of the Spanish Center for Pharmacoepidemiologic Research (CEIFE) in Madrid. The study is published in the British Medical Journal.

20 Jul 2011

Alzheimer’s risk transmitted from mother to offspring: Study report

According to preliminary research adults whose mothers develop late-onset Alzheimer's disease may have an increased risk for the disease, compared with children of dads with late-onset Alzheimer's. The findings were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2011.

20 Jul 2011

New anti-cancer drugs plus chemo for breast cancer shows promise: Study

Melbourne researchers have discovered that some of the most aggressive forms of cancers can be more effectively treated if chemotherapy is combined with a new class of anti-cancer drugs.

20 Jul 2011

Antidepressants ineffective in Alzheimer’s: Study

According to a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday, two antidepressants that are commonly given to Alzheimer's disease patients appear not only to be ineffective but may give side effects such as nausea and drowsiness. Researchers urged doctors to think twice before prescribing these drugs to Alzheimer's patients with depression.

20 Jul 2011

Purdue Pharma develops new online resource for combating prescription drug abuse

A new online resource, RxSafetyMatters.org, is now available to help healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and community organizations combat the illegal diversion and abuse of prescription medications.

20 Jul 2011

VIVUS to present topiramate exposure, birth defect data at IEC

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that on August 31, 2011, during the late breaking poster session at the 29th International Epilepsy Congress in Rome, Italy, Dr. Alison Pack, Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, will present the results of a retrospective study of medical claims data on oral clefts (OC) and major congenital malformations (MCMs) associated with in utero topiramate exposure.

20 Jul 2011

Three-drug regimen more effective for treating H. pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium known to cause peptic ulcers, is also the primary cause of gastric cancer, which is a leading cancer killer globally.

20 Jul 2011

IAS conference opens with push for treatment as prevention

The 6th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention taking place in Rome this week "started optimistically as the hype surrounding the use of antiretroviral treatment to prevent HIV infection gained momentum. But the focus of much discussion … will undoubtedly be on how to transform the recent promising research findings into workable policy," PlusNews reports.

20 Jul 2011

Medco announces new offerings within Advanced Oncology Solutions

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today announced new offerings within its Advanced Oncology Solutions, that include treatment pathways decision support with embedded pharmacogenomic testing and nutrition recommendations for cancer patients.

20 Jul 2011

Chemotherapy combined with anti-cancer agent shows promise for treatment of aggressive breast cancers

Some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer are more vulnerable to chemotherapy when it is combined with a new class of anti-cancer agent, researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have shown.

20 Jul 2011