Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

IGF1 plays key role in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

There are numerous specialized growth factors that are responsible for cells of different tissues of our body to divide and differentiate when needed. These hormone-like factors bind to matching receptors on the surface of their target cells and thus give order for the cell to divide. However, a single genetic alteration can be sufficient for the whole system to get out of control.

24 Aug 2011

New advances in genomics, molecular diagnostics to be showcased at CAP 2011 meeting

The latest developments in molecular diagnostics, personalized medicine, and genetics testing will be featured topics when more than 1,000 pathologists gather at the Gaylord Texan on September 11 – 14 for the annual scientific meeting of the College of American Pathologists.

24 Aug 2011

Johns Hopkins establishes Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine with Commonwealth Foundation gift

A $30 million gift from the Commonwealth Foundation for Cancer Research has enabled the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center to establish a Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine. The gift from the Richmond, VA- based foundation, will be used to support research and the development of new technologies that pinpoint the novel genetic characteristics of each patient's cancer.

22 Aug 2011

Modified Ecstasy could be effective against cancer: Study

Researchers from Birmingham University have designed a drug similar to the illicit drug Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) that could be used to treat leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma after making it 100 times more effective at suppressing growth.

22 Aug 2011

Uppsala University to lead new advanced cancer study

Several prominent cancer researchers are now joining forces in an advanced new cancer study. The goal is to understand which tumors will be difficult to treat and to find out why certain cancer drugs lose their effect after a period of use.

19 Aug 2011

EMA accepts Merck and ARIAD's MAA for ridaforolimus to treat metastatic bone sarcomas

Merck, known outside the United States and Canada as MSD, and ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has completed its administrative validation process for the regulatory application for ridaforolimus, an investigational oral mTOR inhibitor developed for the treatment of metastatic soft-tissue or bone sarcomas in patients who had a favorable response to chemotherapy.

18 Aug 2011

New leukemia drug in early clinical testing offers some clues for better treatment

While testing a new drug designed to treat chronic leukemia, researchers at Cleveland Clinic discovered new markers that could identify which patients would receive maximum benefit from the treatment.

18 Aug 2011

Premera, Cord Blood America partner to offer discount on stem cell collection services

Cord Blood America, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Premera Blue Cross, a leading health plan provider with operations in Mountlake Terrace, Seattle and Spokane, Washington, and Anchorage, Alaska, and more than 1.4 million members, to store umbilical cord blood at a discounted rate consistent with other Blue Cross licensee contracts.

18 Aug 2011

Clinical trials to evaluate and validate infrastructure of P-medicine consortium

Retrospective and prospective clinical trials will be run to evaluate and validate the infrastructure of the P-medicine consortium, announced a poster at the recent 3rd symposium of the Worldwide Innovative Networking in Personalized Cancer Medicine, held in Paris 6-8 July, 2011.

18 Aug 2011

EMA accepts Pfizer's regulatory submissions of two investigational cancer drugs for review

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted Pfizer's regulatory submissions for review of two investigational compounds - crizotinib, an oral first-in-class anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with previously treated ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and bosutinib for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase.

18 Aug 2011

Emergent commences TRU-016 Phase 1b/2 combination trial in relapsed indolent NHL

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 1b/2 study (16011) of TRU-016 in combination with rituximab and bendamustine for patients with relapsed indolent non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphomas, including follicular lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma.

17 Aug 2011

Clinical trial to assess 6MP drug in women with advanced breast or ovarian cancer

A CANCER RESEARCH UK-funded trial of a new drug for patients with advanced breast or ovarian cancer due to inherited gene faults has been launched at the Oxford Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) at the University of Oxford.

17 Aug 2011

New research: Blood stem cells can be involved in pathogenesis of CLL

New research suggests that blood stem cells can be involved in the generation of leukemia, even when the leukemia is caused by the abnormal proliferation of mature cells. The study, published by Cell Press in the August 16th issue of the journal Cancer Cell, may guide future strategies aimed at identifying therapeutic targets for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

17 Aug 2011

FDA clears Inhibikase IkT-001 Phase II trial to treat JCV infection in multiple sclerosis patients

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc., an emerging leader in infectious disease, announced today that it has received FDA clearance to commence a Phase II proof-of-concept trial for its lead compound IkT-001. IkT-001, a host-directed kinase inhibitor, is intended to clear JC polyomavirus (JCV) infection, the causative agent of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML).

17 Aug 2011

Zinc lozenges might reduce duration of common cold episodes by 40%

Depending on the total dosage of zinc and the composition of lozenges, zinc lozenges may shorten the duration of common cold episodes by up to 40%, says Dr. Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki.

16 Aug 2011

Stellacure to open umbilical cord blood stem cell company in Jordan

Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells to families nationwide and internationally, today announced that Stellacure, GmbH, its stem cell company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, has entered into an agreement with a licensee in Jordan to open an umbilical cord blood stem cell company in that Middle East nation.

16 Aug 2011

Scientists demonstrate how Modified Citrus Pectin enhances immune function

Groundbreaking research demonstrates the ability of a specific form of Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) to greatly enhance immune function.

16 Aug 2011

G-CSF therapy does not induce chromosomal instability in healthy stem cell donors

According to a study published in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), researchers have reported that administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), a drug that releases stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood, is unlikely to put healthy stem cell donors at risk for later development of abnormalities involving loss or gains of chromosomes that have been linked to hematologic disorders such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia.

12 Aug 2011

La Jolla Institute's new RNAi Center to focus on genetics behind myriad diseases

A major Center that will propel scientific efforts to pinpoint the specific genes involved in causing immune diseases, cancer and other diseases will be opened today at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology.

12 Aug 2011

Gene therapy to combat leukemia

In a medical breakthrough scientists have found that gene therapy could be used to cure leukemia. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania engineered patients' own pathogen-fighting T-cells to target a molecule found on the surface of leukemia cells. These genetically modified T-cells were grown outside of the body and infused back into patients suffering from late-stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which affects the blood and bone marrow and is the most common form of leukemia.

11 Aug 2011

Leukemia News and Research

Further Reading

IGF1 plays key role in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

New advances in genomics, molecular diagnostics to be showcased at CAP 2011 meeting

Johns Hopkins establishes Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine with Commonwealth Foundation gift

Modified Ecstasy could be effective against cancer: Study

Uppsala University to lead new advanced cancer study

EMA accepts Merck and ARIAD's MAA for ridaforolimus to treat metastatic bone sarcomas

New leukemia drug in early clinical testing offers some clues for better treatment

Premera, Cord Blood America partner to offer discount on stem cell collection services

Clinical trials to evaluate and validate infrastructure of P-medicine consortium

EMA accepts Pfizer's regulatory submissions of two investigational cancer drugs for review

Emergent commences TRU-016 Phase 1b/2 combination trial in relapsed indolent NHL

Clinical trial to assess 6MP drug in women with advanced breast or ovarian cancer

New research: Blood stem cells can be involved in pathogenesis of CLL

FDA clears Inhibikase IkT-001 Phase II trial to treat JCV infection in multiple sclerosis patients

Zinc lozenges might reduce duration of common cold episodes by 40%

Stellacure to open umbilical cord blood stem cell company in Jordan

Scientists demonstrate how Modified Citrus Pectin enhances immune function

G-CSF therapy does not induce chromosomal instability in healthy stem cell donors

La Jolla Institute's new RNAi Center to focus on genetics behind myriad diseases

Gene therapy to combat leukemia

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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