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Combo therapy restores T cell numbers in HIV-infected individuals

White blood cells known as CD4+ T cells are the main target of HIV.

16 Mar 2009

Catching the common cold virus: researchers coming down with the rhinovirus genome

A new study by Brigham Young University researchers on the virus behind nearly half of all cold infections explains how and where evolution occurs in the rhinovirus genome and what this means for possible vaccines.

16 Mar 2009

HIV/AIDS in Haiti - progress made, challenges remain

There is "some good news" in the fight against HIV in the Americas, Cesar Chelala -- an international public health consultant -- writes in a Miami Herald opinion piece, adding that "most surprisingly, it's coming from Haiti, one of the countries hardest hit by the epidemic." Chelala writes that United Nations data show that about 2.2% of Haiti's population -- or 120,000 people -- are living with HIV/AIDS and that AIDS-related deaths in the country have decreased in recent years.

16 Mar 2009

U.N. member states agree to drug control policy

United Nations member states on Thursday agreed to a 10-year renewal of their anti-drug policy amid criticism that the strategy has contributed to the spread of HIV, Reuters reports.

16 Mar 2009

Immune cells play surprising role in cystic fibrosis lung damage

Immune cells once thought to be innocent bystanders in cystic fibrosis may hold the key to stopping patients' fatal lung disease.

16 Mar 2009

Proteomics study shows that genes involved in invertebrate longevity have surprising parallels in humans

Prolexys Pharmaceuticals has announced the publication of the discovery of genes that are likely to have a role in the aging process of humans.

15 Mar 2009

Potential pathway for drug intervention

A newly identified molecular pathway that directs stem cells to produce glial cells yields insights into the neurobiology of Down's syndrome and a number of central nervous system disorders characterized by too many glial cells, according to a recent study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

15 Mar 2009

Genetic mechanism in mole rats can be targeted in cancer research

"When we understand how the subterranean mole rat developed these mechanisms for survival, we may be able to understand why they are so destructive in humans," Prof. Aaron Avivi of the University of Haifa said.

15 Mar 2009

Cellular discovery may lead to targeted treatment for rare form of anemia

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified the specific biological mechanisms believed to lead to a rare and incurable blood disease known as Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA).

15 Mar 2009

Alzheimer's disease therapeutic prevents long-term damage from TBI in pre-clinical studies

A class of Alzheimer's disease drugs currently studied in clinical trials appears to reduce damage caused by traumatic brain injury in animals, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center report in an upcoming advance online publication of Nature Medicine.

15 Mar 2009

A model of melanoma generates hope for the use of targeted therapies

Researchers have developed a new mouse model that allows them to replicate normal pigment cells at the earliest stages of conversion to malignant skin cancer in humans.

12 Mar 2009

Schering-Plough's investigational oral thrombin receptor antagonist meets primary endpoint in a newly published study

Results of a Schering-Plough Corporation Phase II trial of SCH 530348, a novel oral thrombin receptor antagonist (TRA), were published today in The Lancet and demonstrated that the investigational antiplatelet compound met its primary endpoints of safety and tolerability.

12 Mar 2009

Patients who wake up with stroke may be candidates for clot-busters

Giving clot-busting drugs to patients who wake up with stroke symptoms appears to be as safe as giving it to those in the recommended three-hour window, according to researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

12 Mar 2009

Seniors with 1 type of heart failure may receive little or no benefit from drugs

People over 80 years of age suffering from a certain type of heart failure do not appear to benefit from most commonly prescribed heart medications, according to a study conducted at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and published in the March 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

12 Mar 2009

New drug derived from magnolia trees proves safe, tolerable in preventing blood clots

A new drug derived from magnolia trees appears to be able to uncouple two important functions of thrombin in blood clot formation and may offer a way to better control the potentially dangerous complications of bleeding and clot formation during procedures to open blocked coronary arteries, say researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).

12 Mar 2009

Discovery may lead to immunosuppressant drugs that have fewer adverse side effects

Immunosuppressive treatment is necessary to prevent rejection of an organ after transplant and has great potential for treating chronic inflammatory diseases.

12 Mar 2009

Cells get two chances, not just one, to fix their mistakes

Cells have two chances to fix the same mistake in their protein-making process instead of just one - a so-called proofreading step - that had previously been identified, according to new research.

12 Mar 2009

Biothera receives approval to launch two lung cancer trials

German regulatory authorities have granted approval to Biothera to conduct two open label, multicenter, randomized Phase II clinical trials studying Imprime PGGÂ® administered in combination with monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the company announced today.

12 Mar 2009

Better health and prosperity in Europe via improved clinical research

Improved patient-oriented research in Europe will benefit European citizens and the European medical industry and facilitate the transfer of scientific discoveries from the laboratory bench to the bedside. For Europe and for the rest of the world this effort will be of great importance for the quality of life of individuals and the wellbeing of society as a whole.

12 Mar 2009

Protein 'magnet' uncovers clue to cancer cell spread

The destruction of a protein 'magnet' could lead to cancer cells breaking away from a tumour and spreading around the body, according to a study in Molecular Cell today (Thursday).

12 Mar 2009