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Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment.

17 Dec 2010

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota praises fix of orphan drug discount under 340B program

Families who were facing the prospect of huge increases in the cost of life-saving drugs for their children can breath easier thanks to a new law that will preserve discounts on specialized, so-called "orphan drugs."

17 Dec 2010

Pediatric cancer researchers study medulloblastoma for new treatment

Pediatric cancer researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia contributed important expertise to a new landmark study of medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor typically found in children.

17 Dec 2010

U.S., South Africa sign PEPFAR partnership agreement

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane on Tuesday signed a "partnership agreement that will guide efforts on fighting HIV/AIDS in the African nation," Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports (Wessels, 12/15).

17 Dec 2010

FDA approves Neuralstem's IND to initiate NSI-189 Phase Ia safety trial in major depression

Neuralstem, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a Phase Ia safety trial to test NSI-189, its first small molecule compound, in major depression. NSI-189 is a proprietary new chemical entity discovered by Neuralstem that stimulates new neuron growth in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is believed to be involved in depression and other diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.

17 Dec 2010

FDA recommends removal of breast cancer indication from Avastin label

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that the agency is recommending removing the breast cancer indication from the label for Avastin (bevacizumab) because the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective for that use.

17 Dec 2010

Study: Natural high hemoglobin levels safe for kidney disease patients on dialysis

Naturally occurring high hemoglobin levels are safe for kidney disease patients on dialysis, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

17 Dec 2010

Genetic breakthrough in lung cancer

For the study the team studied samples of lung tumors and nearby healthy lung tissue from 30 patients and examined the samples for the presence of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) associated with 48 known genes for molecules called nuclear hormone receptors. Then they compared the active genes with patient outcomes and found that the expression of genes for certain nuclear hormone receptors helped predict patient survival.

16 Dec 2010

HIV patient cured!

German researchers working with stem cell therapy have claimed they have cured an American patient with HIV and leukemia. Experts are wary of accepting the development at its face value and caution that there is a need for further research. Dr David Scadden, a co-director of the Harvard University Stem Cell Institute added, “Cured is a strong word. But this is very encouraging… from all indications, there was no residual virus… It’s as good an outcome as one could hope for.”

16 Dec 2010

Discovery Labs awarded NIH Fast Track SBIR grant for developing aerosolized KL4 surfactant for RDS

Discovery Laboratories, Inc. today announced that the Company has been awarded Phase I of a Fast Track Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the development of the Company's program for aerosolizing KL4 surfactant for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

16 Dec 2010

Amarin completes patient randomization in AMR101 Phase 3 trial in patients with high triglyceride levels

Amarin Corporation plc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cardiovascular disease, today reported the completion of patient randomization for its ANCHOR trial, a pivotal Phase 3 trial of AMR101. The Company indicated that it anticipates reporting top-line results from this trial in Q2 2011.

16 Dec 2010

PCSBI issues 18 recommendations in emerging field of synthetic biology

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues today released its first report-a wide-ranging review of the emerging field of synthetic biology-issuing 18 recommendations including a call for coordinated federal oversight of scientists working in both large institutions and smaller settings.

16 Dec 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim's selection of development candidate triggers € 6.5 million milestone payment to Orexo

Orexo AB and Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that Boehringer Ingelheim has selected a development candidate resulting from the worldwide exclusive research, development and commercialisation agreement which Boehringer Ingelheim had signed in November 2005 with Biolipox, a Swedish research-based pharmaceutical company acquired by Orexo in October 2007.

16 Dec 2010

Study describes CC3/TIP30 protein regulate metabolic adaptation of tumor cells to glucose limitation

Bionovo, today announced the publication of a study entitled "CC3/TIP30 regulates metabolic adaptation of tumor cells to glucose limitation" in the journal Cell Cycle.

16 Dec 2010

Systematic study on protein-protein interfaces explain "promiscuous" phenomena of its binding

Interactions between proteins are at the heart of cellular processes, and those interactions depend on the interfaces where the direct physical contact occurs. A new study published this week suggests that there may be roughly a thousand structurally-distinct protein-protein interfaces - and that their structures depend largely on the simple physics of the proteins.

16 Dec 2010

New finding sheds light on how HIV eludes treatment by mutating

The virus that causes AIDS is chameleon-like in its replication. As HIV copies itself in humans, it constantly mutates into forms that can evade even the best cocktail of current therapies. Understanding exactly how HIV cells change as they reproduce is key to developing better tests and treatments for patients.

16 Dec 2010

Synthetic derivative of curry spice can be effective neuroprotective for stroke and TBI

A synthetic derivative of the curry spice turmeric, made by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, dramatically improves the behavioral and molecular deficits seen in animal models of ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury.

16 Dec 2010

Ocera completes two studies of OCR-002 in patients with hyperammonemia, hepatic encephalopathy

Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has completed two studies evaluating the safety and pharmacokinetics of OCR-002 (ornithine phenylacetate) which includes healthy volunteers and patients with liver cirrhosis. OCR-002 recently received Orphan Drug status and Fast Track designation by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hyperammonemia (excessive ammonia levels) and resultant Hepatic encephalopathy.

16 Dec 2010

AmoyDx receives SFDA approval for its EGFR and BRAF mutations detection kits

Amoy Diagnostics announced today that its EGFR and BRAF mutation detection kits received market approval from China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). The SFDA is the competent authority for regulating drugs and in vitro diagnostics in mainland China. The approval allows AmoyDx to market the EGFR and BRAF tests for clinical use in China.

15 Dec 2010

Clinical Investigation – ground-breaking new launch from Future Science

In recognition of the methodology, progress and outcome of clinical trials, Future Science has announced the launch of the definitive title Clinical Investigation. The journal is the latest addition to the Future Science’s collection of titles addressing those areas that most impact our daily lives (available at www.future-science.com). Future Science is part of London-based Future Science Group.

15 Dec 2010

Drugs News and Research

Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota praises fix of orphan drug discount under 340B program

Pediatric cancer researchers study medulloblastoma for new treatment

U.S., South Africa sign PEPFAR partnership agreement

FDA approves Neuralstem's IND to initiate NSI-189 Phase Ia safety trial in major depression

FDA recommends removal of breast cancer indication from Avastin label

Study: Natural high hemoglobin levels safe for kidney disease patients on dialysis

Genetic breakthrough in lung cancer

HIV patient cured!

Discovery Labs awarded NIH Fast Track SBIR grant for developing aerosolized KL4 surfactant for RDS

Amarin completes patient randomization in AMR101 Phase 3 trial in patients with high triglyceride levels

PCSBI issues 18 recommendations in emerging field of synthetic biology

Boehringer Ingelheim's selection of development candidate triggers € 6.5 million milestone payment to Orexo

Study describes CC3/TIP30 protein regulate metabolic adaptation of tumor cells to glucose limitation

Systematic study on protein-protein interfaces explain "promiscuous" phenomena of its binding

New finding sheds light on how HIV eludes treatment by mutating

Synthetic derivative of curry spice can be effective neuroprotective for stroke and TBI

Ocera completes two studies of OCR-002 in patients with hyperammonemia, hepatic encephalopathy

AmoyDx receives SFDA approval for its EGFR and BRAF mutations detection kits

Clinical Investigation – ground-breaking new launch from Future Science

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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