Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

Hana Biosciences reports net loss of $5M for fourth quarter 2009

Hana Biosciences Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on strengthening the foundation of cancer care, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009, and provided a corporate update.

26 Mar 2010

CBAI acquires majority stake in stellacure GmbH

Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, announced today that it has acquired 51 percent of stellacure GmbH, the third largest cord blood banking service in Germany.

25 Mar 2010

Portola Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 1 trial of PRT062607 for chronic inflammatory diseases

Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has initiated its first in human Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers of PRT062607, a novel, oral Syk-specific kinase inhibitor in development to treat chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and certain cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In preclinical in vivo models of RA, PRT062607 was shown to reduce inflammation in a dose-dependent manner.

23 Mar 2010

BioSante Pharmaceuticals receives FDA Orphan Drug designation for GVAX AML Vaccine

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive GVAX AML Vaccine results and BioSante’s receipt of Orphan Drug designation from the FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development for GVAX AML Vaccine in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. This Orphan Drug designation is the second GVAX cancer vaccine from BioSante to secure FDA orphan drug designation.

23 Mar 2010

Coalition of international health organizations oppose compensation for bone marrow donors

Voicing concern about the potential impact on patient and donor safety, nine leading international health organizations have formed a coalition to oppose compensating people who provide bone marrow for transplantation.

23 Mar 2010

ChemGenex shares falter as FDA requests more data on new leukemia drug

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Shares fell most in the last 16 years to AUD$0.44 following a concern raised by the US drug regulators – US FDA. The FDA requested on Monday for more uniform clinical test data before they review and consider approval of the company’s new leukemia drug.

23 Mar 2010

Blocking Bak inhibitors can be promising strategy in limiting resistance of cancer to TRAIL

The TRAIL ligand is a promising anticancer agent that preferentially kills tumor cells without apparent damage to healthy cells. Many cancers exhibit resistance to TRAIL, however, thus limiting its therapeutic potential.

23 Mar 2010

FDA's ODAC voted to review T315I mutation prior to approval of OMAPRO

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 7-1 that a validated test to identify the T315I mutation should be reviewed by the FDA prior to approval of OMAPRO™ (omacetaxine mepesuccinate).

23 Mar 2010

$CTI's pixantrone trial for relapsed/refractory aggressive NHL: FDA ODAC finds data inadequate for approval$

CTI's pixantrone trial for relapsed/refractory aggressive NHL: FDA ODAC finds data inadequate for approval

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee panel voted unanimously that clinical trial data was not adequate to support approval of pixantrone for patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

23 Mar 2010

Nodality raises $15.5M to support launch of acute myelogenous leukemia test

Nodality, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of next generation personalized medicine tests in cancer and autoimmune disease, today announced it completed financing in which the company raised $15.5 million.

23 Mar 2010

Asuragen appoints BMD as exclusive distributor of Signature Oncology Products in France

Asuragen, Inc., a leader in the development of molecular diagnostics, announced today the appointment of Biomedical Diagnostics SA, a leading medical diagnostic company in Europe, as its exclusive distributor of Signature® Oncology Products in France. Asuragen’s Signature Oncology Portfolio comprises multiplex assays for the detection of mutations in solid and hematologic malignancies.

22 Mar 2010

EUREKA project develops unique range of antibodies

EUREKA project E! 3424 RECAN has developed a range of unique and highly specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies - the proteins produced in the blood which counteract bacteria, viruses or cancerous cells.

20 Mar 2010

Hercules Technology Growth Capital commits over $52.0M in structured debt financing

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc., the leading specialty finance company providing venture debt and equity to venture capital and private equity-backed technology and life science companies at all stages of development, today announced that it has committed over $52.0 million in structured debt financing to new and existing portfolio companies.

19 Mar 2010

Survey unveils impact of gene regulation on human health

Researchers are only beginning to understand how individual variation in gene regulation can have a lasting impact on one's health and susceptibility to certain diseases. Now, an ambitious survey of the human genome has identified differences in the binding of master regulators called transcription factors to DNA that affect how genes are expressed in different people.

19 Mar 2010

Clarient's Ovotax test may help improve patients’ response to taxane therapy

Clarient, Inc., a premier technology and services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the pharmaceutical industry, today announced that data from a new study shows that Clarient's Ovotax™ assay may effectively predict which ovarian cancer patients will respond favorably to taxane therapy and could, therefore, be spared the potential side effects of this rigorous and sometimes toxic chemotherapy agent.

17 Mar 2010

Cord Blood America produces new edition of Corporate Profile

Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company (http://www.cordblood-america.com ), focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, today announced its has produced a new edition of Corporate Profile, which is used to answer inquiries about the Company from brokers, investors and other interested individuals.

17 Mar 2010

Obama makes a final overhaul pitch in Ohio

With a possible deciding vote on health care overhaul legislation nearing, President Obama traveled Monday to Ohio to make a last-minute plea for political "courage" to pass the legislation, The Washington Post reports. "Making an impassioned pitch in a part of the country where unemployment runs high and insurance coverage is uncertain, Obama said in a speech at a senior center here, 'I don't know about the politics, but I know what's the right thing to do'" (Slevin and Branigin, 3/15).

17 Mar 2010

Key cellular defect in protein synthesis can lead to cancer susceptibility

UCSF researchers have discovered that a key cellular defect that disturbs the production of proteins in human cells can lead to cancer susceptibility. The scientists also found that a new generation of inhibitory drugs offers promise in correcting this defect.

17 Mar 2010

Researchers explore new tools to mitigate risk of radiation exposure

Doctors have a clearer picture than ever before of how much radiation reaches sensitive tissues during routine X-rays and similar imaging, thanks to sophisticated models of the human body being developed at the University of Florida.

17 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 16, 2010

In today's headlines, ongoing efforts by President Obama and Democratic leaders to press and persuade wavering votes in support of health reform take center stage.

16 Mar 2010