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Study reveals key role of melatonin receptor in sleep regulation

A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University has made a major breakthrough by unraveling the inner workings of melatonin, also known as the "sleep hormone."

14 Dec 2011

New substance can replace nucleoside thymidine in DNA biosynthesis

Interactions of biological macromolecules are the central bases of living systems. Biological macromolecules are synthesized in living cells by linking many small molecules together. Naturally occurring macromolecules include genetic materials (DNA) and proteins. A detailed understanding of the synthesis of these macromolecules in whole animals is a basic requirement for understanding biological systems, and for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

14 Dec 2011

Aethlon Hemopurifier can capture Nef protein exosomes linked with HIV

Aethlon Medical, Inc., the pioneer in developing therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease and cancer, announced today that researchers have discovered that the Aethlon Hemopurifier is able to capture particles known as Nef protein exosomes, which contribute to the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

14 Dec 2011

Researchers identify interactive pathway that regulates cancer metastasis

Finding ways to counteract or disrupt the invasive nature of cancer cells, called "metastasis," has been a long-term goal of cancer researchers. Now, researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have identified an interactive pathway that regulates metastases in some cancers that may be vulnerable to chemical targeting in order to prevent cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth.

14 Dec 2011

ImmusanT secures $20M in Series A financing

ImmusanT, Inc. announced today it has raised $20 million in Series A financing from Vatera Healthcare Partners LLC to advance development of the biotechnology company's immunotherapeutic vaccine Nexvax2, companion diagnostic and monitoring tool for celiac disease.

14 Dec 2011

Mandatory screening helps identify more athletes with SCT

In response to a lawsuit after a college football player died from complications due to sickle cell trait (SCT) during a workout, the NCAA implemented mandatory SCT screening of all Division I student-athletes.

14 Dec 2011

Vorinostat in addition to chemotherapy drugs improves remission rates in AML patients

Adding a drug that activates genes to frontline combination therapy for acute myeloid leukemia resulted in an 85 percent remission rate after initial treatment, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

14 Dec 2011

Matrix protein tenascin C regulates astrocyte development

How astrocytes, certain cells of the nervous system, are generated was largely unknown up to now. Bochum's researchers have now investigated what influence the cell environment, known as the extracellular matrix, has on this process.

13 Dec 2011

Scientists identify gene mutation behind Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a gene mutation that underlies the vast majority of cases of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, a rare form of lymphoma that has eluded all previous efforts to find a genetic cause.

13 Dec 2011

DNA sequencing identifies new altered genes that drive CLL

The most comprehensive search to date of DNA abnormalities in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has unearthed several new altered genes that drive this common blood cancer, a finding that could potentially help doctors predict whether an individual patient's disease will progress rapidly or remain indolent for years, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute.

13 Dec 2011

Scientists identify A2bAR as possible new therapeutic target against atherosclerosis

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified for the first time the A2b adenosine receptor (A2bAR) as a possible new therapeutic target against atherosclerosis resulting from a diet high in fat and cholesterol.

13 Dec 2011

Research describes advantages of new vaccine adjuvant

New research from the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Leadbetter at the Trudeau Institute may lead to a whole new class of vaccines. Dr. Leadbetter's lab has discovered new properties of a potential vaccine adjuvant that suggest it could be useful for enhancing protection against a number of different infections.

13 Dec 2011

Acurian, Onconova sign Clinical Trial Liaison Services agreement

Acurian, Inc., a leading, full-service provider of global patient recruitment and retention solutions, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Onconova Therapeutics, Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company located in Newtown, PA and Pennington, NJ.

13 Dec 2011

Study demonstrates that bone marrow and PBSC result in similar patient survival

Patients who receive a blood stem cell transplant from a donor outside of their family to treat leukemia and other blood diseases are more likely to have graft failure but less likely to experience graft-versus-host disease if the transplanted blood cells come directly from a donor's bone marrow, rather than from circulating peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), according to new research.

13 Dec 2011

Incyte announces further analyses from Jakafi Phase III trial on myelofibrosis

Incyte Corporation today announced that further analyses from the global, pivotal Phase III clinical program of Jakafi (ruxolitinib or INC424) are being presented at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.

13 Dec 2011

Researchers discover how bloodstream malaria infection manipulates immune system

University of Iowa researchers and colleagues have discovered how malaria manipulates the immune system to allow the parasite to persist in the bloodstream. By rescuing this immune system pathway, the research team was able to cure mice of bloodstream malaria infections.

13 Dec 2011

Scientists discover how intestinal tract influences B cells to prevent infection

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found an explanation for how the intestinal tract influences a key component of the immune system to prevent infection, offering a potential clue to the cause of autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

13 Dec 2011

WPI to develop smart phone app for foot ulcers, advanced diabetes

An interdisciplinary research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received a $1.2 million award from the National Science Foundation to develop a smart phone application that will help people with advanced diabetes and foot ulcers better manage their disease.

13 Dec 2011

'Twinning' team approach improves pediatric lymphoma outcomes

In an African county lacking any specialists in children's cancers, a team approach that "twins" Rwandan physicians with Boston-based pediatric oncologists has shown it can deliver expert, curative care to young patients stricken with lymphoma.

13 Dec 2011

Combination of bortezomib and panobinostat shows promise against advanced MM

When the targeted drug bortezomib stops working in patients with advanced multiple myeloma, the patients survive only an average of five months longer. But a phase 2 clinical trial has shown that pairing bortezomib with an experimental drug, panobinostat, may be a promising new treatment for such patients, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers say.

13 Dec 2011