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Scientists identify gene encoding hormone to treat heart diseases

Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IMCB) have identified a gene encoding a hormone that could potentially be used as a therapeutic molecule to treat heart diseases.

9 Dec 2013

Janssen reports positive pivotal Phase 2 study data of siltuximab for Multicentric Castleman's Disease

Janssen Research & Development, LLC today announced positive results from a pivotal Phase 2 global registration study (MCD2001) suggesting siltuximab, an investigational compound, along with best supportive care, exhibited statistically significant efficacy and a tolerable safety profile compared with placebo and BSC in treating patients with the rare disorder Multicentric Castleman's Disease who are HIV-negative and human herpes virus 8-negative.

8 Dec 2013

PKM2 protein controls mitosis, saving cancer cells from death and promoting brain tumor growth

Researchers have caught a protein they previously implicated in a variety of cancer-promoting roles performing a vital function in cell division, survival and development of brain tumors.

8 Dec 2013

Study explains important link between ED and development of coronary artery disease

Erectile dysfunction is caused by the inability of the artery that supplies blood to the penis to expand and contract properly. The study of this mechanism has led to a new understanding of the important link between ED and the development of coronary artery disease, and to new strategies for prevention and treatment, as described in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

7 Dec 2013

Novel device may simplify monitoring of patients' response to treatment for ovarian cancer

A microchip-based device developed by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators may greatly simplify the monitoring of patients' response to treatment for ovarian cancer - the most lethal form of gynecologic cancer - and certain other malignancies.

6 Dec 2013

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals signs license agreement with University of Toronto for novel anti-KIT antibodies

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, today announced the Company has signed a license agreement with the University of Toronto for novel anti-KIT receptor tyrosine kinase antibodies identified in the laboratories of Dr. Sachdev Sidhu at the University of Toronto and the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Schlessinger of Yale University.

6 Dec 2013

New research finds that H7N9 still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans

Avian influenza virus H7N9, which killed several dozen people in China earlier this year, has not yet acquired the changes needed to infect humans easily, according to a new study by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute. In contrast to some initial studies that had suggested that H7N9 poses an imminent risk of a global pandemic, the new research found, based on analyses of virus samples from the Chinese outbreak, that H7N9 is still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans.

6 Dec 2013

Researchers illuminate inner workings of enzymes placed inside the outer envelopes of cells

For what is believed to be the first time, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have illuminated the inner workings of an important class of enzymes located inside the outer envelopes of cells. Much to their surprise, they report, these protein cutters, called rhomboid proteases, are entirely different than nearly every other type of enzyme studied, showing no attraction to the proteins they cut and being extremely slow in making their cuts.

6 Dec 2013

Study uncovers novel mechanism by which glioblastoma evades targeted therapies

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered an entirely novel mechanism by which glioblastoma, the most common kind of brain cancer, evades targeted therapies. Published in the current issue of the journal Science, the paper describes how GBM tumor cells essentially hide the signaling molecule targeted by such therapies, adding a layer of complexity to current models of drug resistance in cancer.

6 Dec 2013

New project aims to reduce animal testing for drug development

Researchers at the University of East Anglia are launching a new project to develop methods which could one-day decrease the use of rats and mice in pharmaceutical testing.

6 Dec 2013

Scientists test affected human nerve cells to foretell efficacy of Alzheimer drugs

Why do certain Alzheimer medications work in animal models but not in clinical trials in humans? A research team from the University of Bonn and the biomedical enterprise LIFE & BRAIN GmbH has been able to show that results of established test methods with animal models and cell lines used up until now can hardly be translated to the processes in the human brain. Drug testing should therefore be conducted with human nerve cells, conclude the scientists.

6 Dec 2013

Innovative DNA engineering technique discovers potential functions hidden within bacterial genomes

A group of University of Illinois researchers, led by Centennial Chair Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Huimin Zhao, has demonstrated the use of an innovative DNA engineering technique to discover potentially valuable functions hidden within bacterial genomes.

6 Dec 2013

Researchers update extensive toxicology database to track information about drugs toxic effects

Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. Pharmaceutical drugs are known for their potential side effects, and an important aspect of personalized medicine is to tailor therapies to individuals to reduce the chances of adverse events.

6 Dec 2013

Study reports new links between brain cell activity and choices where two options have equal appeal

Life presents us with choices all the time: salad or pizza for lunch? Tea or coffee afterward? How we make these everyday decisions has been a topic of great interest to economists, who have devised theories about how we assign values to our options and use those values to make decisions.

6 Dec 2013

Understanding biochemical mechanisms associated with memory formation

A discovery by a research team led by Dr. Ryohei Yasuda at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience has significantly advanced basic understanding of biochemical mechanisms associated with how memories are formed.

6 Dec 2013

Researchers discover biological mechanism that allows brain tumor cells to escape from drugs

Researchers from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a biological mechanism that allows brain tumor cells to escape from the drugs designed to target them, resulting in drug resistance. The study was published in the December 5, 2013 online issue of Science.

6 Dec 2013

Scientists receive 2013 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for advancements in field of neuroscience

For discoveries about how the brain calculates and remembers where it is—which could be part of the foundation of memory—Columbia University will award the 2013 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize to Edvard I. Moser, PhD, and May-Britt Moser, PhD, of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway, and John Michael O'Keefe, PhD, of University College London in the UK.

6 Dec 2013

Combination drug therapy does not work well in clinical trials for cancer patients, say researchers

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered that combination drug therapy didn't work well in clinical trials for cancer patients because one drug was making the other drug ineffective.

6 Dec 2013

Johns Hopkins researchers discover some cases of scleroderma likely to be initiated by cancer

The Scleroderma Research Foundation today reported that researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have discovered that some cases of scleroderma are likely to have been initiated by cancer.

6 Dec 2013

Researchers produce erythrocyte progenitor cells by transducing two genes into iPS and ES cells

By transducing two genes (c-MYC and BCL-XL) into iPS cells and ES cells, a Kyoto University research team led by Prof. Koji Eto at CiRA has succeeded in producing erythrocyte progenitor cells with almost unlimited ability to replicate in vitro, which they then differentiated successfully into mature erythrocytes. Although these erythrocytes consisted mostly of fetal-type hemoglobin, they were confirmed to have oxygen-carrying capacity and to have circulatory capacity following transfusion into mice.

6 Dec 2013

B Cell News and Research

Scientists identify gene encoding hormone to treat heart diseases

Janssen reports positive pivotal Phase 2 study data of siltuximab for Multicentric Castleman's Disease

PKM2 protein controls mitosis, saving cancer cells from death and promoting brain tumor growth

Study explains important link between ED and development of coronary artery disease

Novel device may simplify monitoring of patients' response to treatment for ovarian cancer

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals signs license agreement with University of Toronto for novel anti-KIT antibodies

New research finds that H7N9 still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans

Researchers illuminate inner workings of enzymes placed inside the outer envelopes of cells

Study uncovers novel mechanism by which glioblastoma evades targeted therapies

New project aims to reduce animal testing for drug development

Scientists test affected human nerve cells to foretell efficacy of Alzheimer drugs

Innovative DNA engineering technique discovers potential functions hidden within bacterial genomes

Researchers update extensive toxicology database to track information about drugs toxic effects

Study reports new links between brain cell activity and choices where two options have equal appeal

Understanding biochemical mechanisms associated with memory formation

Researchers discover biological mechanism that allows brain tumor cells to escape from drugs

Scientists receive 2013 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for advancements in field of neuroscience

Combination drug therapy does not work well in clinical trials for cancer patients, say researchers

Johns Hopkins researchers discover some cases of scleroderma likely to be initiated by cancer

Researchers produce erythrocyte progenitor cells by transducing two genes into iPS and ES cells

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