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Hope for heterotopic ossificiation

A recent United States Army study found that excessive bone growth, also known as heterotopic ossificiation (HO), affects up to 70 percent of soldiers who are severely wounded during combat. A much smaller percentage of the civilian population also suffers from HO following trauma or invasive surgery. The excessive bone forms within muscles and other tissues causing severe pain, reduced mobility and even local paralysis if untreated.

24 Sep 2009

BREVAGen test offers precise breast cancer risk assessment

Perlegen Sciences, which develops genetic tests that correlate genetic variation to disease risk and drug response, announced today that its BREVAGen™ breast cancer risk stratification test is now clinically available in select U.S. markets. Perlegen plans to add sales areas to make the test available nationwide over the next few months.

24 Sep 2009

Hsp-27 protein helps identify aggressive prostate cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have discovered a molecular 'flag' that predicts survival from prostate cancer at diagnosis, reveals a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

24 Sep 2009

Magnetic nanoworms and nanocrystals deliver siRNA to tumors

Small pieces of nucleic acid known as short interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, can turn off the production of specific proteins, a property that makes them one of the more promising new classes of anticancer drugs in development. Indeed, at least two siRNA-based anticancer therapies, both delivered to tumors in nanoparticles, have begun human clinical trials.

23 Sep 2009

The ThermoDox and MR-HIFU program shows great promise for treating life-threatening cancers

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI) and Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: CLSN) today announced that their joint research program to evaluate ThermoDox® in combination with MR-HIFU (Magnetic Resonance guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) as a combination therapy to non-invasively treat difficult cancers has successfully completed the feasibility stage.

23 Sep 2009

Four percent annual growth for chronic pain drug market

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the chronic pain drug market will experience modest four percent annual growth from 2008 to 2018 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan. Although the market will increase over the next decade, generic erosion will constrain sales of key branded agents such as Johnson & Johnson's Topamax (topiramate) and Pfizer's Celebrex (celecoxib).

23 Sep 2009

Comparing U.S. health insurance to other developed nations: Some surprises

USA Today reports on "how other developed countries provide and pay for health care compared with the U.S. system, based on the most recent information available." For example, they report that "Germany requires people making less than about $70,000 a year to have health insurance, which is operated by more than 200 competing, non-profit insurance companies."

23 Sep 2009

New drug test promises to yield quick and effective response for cancer therapy

A group of scientists from Hamburg may have taken a big step towards more effective cancer drug development, Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 [1], heard today (Wednesday 23 September). Dr Ilona Schonn, Director of Cell Culture Research at Indivumed GmbH, told the conference that they had developed a preclinical drug test platform that would enable researchers to analyse tumour tissue for individual patient drug responses on the molecular level.

23 Sep 2009

Second annual study of FDA drug review released

PAREXEL Consulting, a business unit of PAREXEL International (Nasdaq: PRXL) and a leading global life sciences consultancy serving the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries, today released its second annual study on the state of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug review process.

From Parexel 23 Sep 2009

Researchers make significant advances in the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma

Researchers have made significant advances in the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma - one of the most difficult cancers to treat successfully once it has started to spread - according to a study to be presented at Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 - ESMO 34, in Berlin on Thursday.

23 Sep 2009

ESMO recognises outstanding achievements of leading cancer specialists

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has recognized the outstanding achievements of three leading cancer specialists with its three prestigious annual awards: the 2009 ESMO Award, Hamilton Fairley Award and ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award.

23 Sep 2009

UBC acquires Gigamoto Technology Partners to implement risk management programs

United BioSource Corporation (UBC) today announced the acquisition of Gigamoto Technology Partners, Inc. (Gigamoto), a Pennsylvania-based software development company providing leading-edge technology solutions in support of drug safety and risk management programs for the life sciences industry.

23 Sep 2009

Advancements in the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma

23 Sep 2009

OPKO Health to raise $30 million through private placement

OPKO Health, Inc. (NYSE Amex:OPK) today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to raise an aggregate of $30 million in a private placement transaction.

23 Sep 2009

Drugs blocking the effects of ACh may prevent cancer

By seeing what substances and molecules affect the development of our diseases, we can develop drugs that prevent or cure diseases. In her dissertation at Kalmar University in Sweden, Ann Novotny has found that the signal molecule acetylcholine (ACh) is important for the progress of cancer of the large intestine and colon, knowledge that is important to factor in when developing drugs that block the effects of Ach on tumor cells.

23 Sep 2009

Drug trial for OSI-906 begins

TGen Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare today announced the start of a clinical trial for a drug designed to combat adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare but deadly cancer that attacks the adrenal glands.

23 Sep 2009

Bio-Path Holdings to develop liposome tumor targeting technology

Bio-Path Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: BPTH), a publicly traded biotechnology company with drug development operations in Houston, Texas, announced today the Company has executed an exclusive license with The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to develop liposome tumor targeting technology. Bio-Path is currently developing a neutral-lipid based liposome delivery technology for nucleic acid cancer drugs (including antisense and siRNA molecules).

23 Sep 2009

Researching the causes of Alzheimer's disease

The standard explanation for what causes Alzheimer's is known as the amyloid hypothesis, which posits that the disease results from of an accumulation of the peptide amyloid beta, the toxic protein fragments that deposit in the brain and become the sticky plaques that have defined Alzheimer's for more than 100 years.

23 Sep 2009

Family dinners can make a difference in children's lives

Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana; more than one and a half times likelier to use alcohol; and twice as likely to expect to try drugs in the future, according to The Importance of Family Dinners V, a new report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

23 Sep 2009

Computational model representing brain activity in cocaine users

About 2 million Americans currently use cocaine for its temporary side-effects of euphoria, which have contributed to making it one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs in the country. Cocaine addiction, which can cause severe biological and behavioral problems, is very difficult to overcome. Now, University of Missouri researchers Ashwin Mohan and Sandeep Pendyam, doctoral students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, are utilizing computational models to study how the brain's chemicals and synaptic mechanisms, or connections between neurons, react to cocaine addiction and what this could mean for future therapies.

23 Sep 2009