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Penn researchers reverse cognitive decline in fruit flies with Alzheimer's gene mutation

Investigators have found that fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) males -- in which the activity of an Alzheimer's disease protein is reduced by 50 percent -- show impairments in learning and memory as they age. What's more, the researchers were able to prevent the age-related deficits by treating the flies with drugs such as lithium, or by genetic manipulations that reduced nerve-cell signaling.

16 Jul 2010

Study results to help researchers better understand cancer genetics, improve treatment regimens

The largest study to correlate genetics with response to cancer drugs releases its first results today. The researchers behind the study, based at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, describe in this initial dataset the responses of 350 cancer samples to 18 anticancer therapeutics.

16 Jul 2010

DNA copying error in autism sufferers discovered

Rubicon winner Dalila Pinto discovered a copying error in the DNA of trial subjects who suffered from autism or a similar condition. Some segments of their DNA were copied either once too often or missed out of the copying process. This is a highly promising result from the world's largest investigation into autism. The top journal Nature placed the results online on 9 June.

16 Jul 2010

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for CDG

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered the gene mutation responsible for a condition in which eye and brain development is severely disrupted in affected infants.

16 Jul 2010

The Children's Hospital, UCH to jointly establish new center for advanced maternal fetal medicine

The Children's Hospital and the University of Colorado Hospital have finalized an agreement to jointly establish a center for advanced maternal fetal medicine offering state-of-the-art care for high-risk pregnant women and their babies. The two leading academic medical centers have individually provided such services for more than three decades, and by building on already existing adult and pediatric expertise, they together will be able to provide unparalleled care and treatment for the region's most at-risk moms and babies.

16 Jul 2010

Essential nutrient in eggs may reduce risk of infant heart defects

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a choline-deficient diet is associated with increased risk for heart defects during prenatal development. Choline is an essential nutrient required for normal cell activity, healthy brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and transportation of nutrients throughout the body.

16 Jul 2010

Columbia scientists discover new way to alleviate chronic pain

Columbia scientists working to combat injury-related depression, substance abuse and suicide due to unremitting, persistent pain may have discovered a new way of treating that pain: a powerful analgesic dubbed N60 that leads to neither tolerance nor addiction.

16 Jul 2010

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

"Early treatment for HIV cuts patients' risk of death by about 75 percent," according to a study conducted in Haiti and published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. The study also demonstrated that "early antiretroviral treatment reduces the likelihood of tuberculosis, a leading cause of death among HIV patients, by 50 percent," the news service writes (Aquino, 7/14).

16 Jul 2010

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

Immune system cells called macrophages spring into action to surround and destroy threats such as viruses or cancer cells. But sometimes the would-be protective response leads to persistent inflammation, which, in turn, can cause disease.Scientists don't know exactly how macrophages cross the line from being good cops to bad cops, but researchers at the University of Florida recently unearthed several clues about the mechanisms involved. Through the lens of two inflammation-related diseases, HIV and rheumatoid arthritis, they identified changes in specific proteins linked to the action of macrophages, white blood cells that are key to the body's natural defenses.

16 Jul 2010

Elusys, Lonza partner for commercial production of Anthim antibody for inhaled anthrax treatment

Elusys Therapeutics and Lonza today announced an agreement for the scale-up and commercial production of Anthim, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody in late-stage development for the treatment of inhaled anthrax. Under the new contract, Lonza will provide process scale-up, technology transfer, validation, and commercial manufacturing at one of its facilities in the USA. The manufacturing process for Anthim was optimized for full scale production by Lonza under a separate agreement announced in 2009.

16 Jul 2010

QR Pharma to present positive clinical data from mechanism of action study in MCI at ICAD 2010

QR Pharma, Inc., a developer of novel drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), is presenting a poster today on positive clinical data from its recent mechanism of action study in mild cognitive impaired (MCI) patients at the International Congress on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2010).

15 Jul 2010

Shrink Nanotechnologies files patent applications for CellAlign advanced tissue engineering technology

Shrink Nanotechnologies, Inc., an innovative nanotechnology company developing products and licensing opportunities in the solar energy production, medical diagnostics and sensors and biotechnology research and development tools businesses, announced today that certain patent applications related to its advanced tissue engineering technology platform, CellAlign™, have been filed.

15 Jul 2010

Ligand Pharmaceuticals announces launch of redesigned Web site

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announces the launch of its completely redesigned Web site: www.ligand.com. The new Web site is designed as a comprehensive resource for investors, prospective corporate partners and the life science community to learn more about Ligand's business model, robust pipeline, high-profile partnerships and innovative technology.

15 Jul 2010

Cryo-Cell second-quarter consolidated revenues decrease to $4.3 million

Cryo-Cell International, Inc., one of the world's largest and most established family cord blood banks, today announced results for the second quarter ended May 31, 2010. Consolidated revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 were $4.3 million compared to $4.7 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2009.

15 Jul 2010

NIH awards MacroGenics $9.8 million grant for three projects

MacroGenics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company that develops immunotherapeutics to treat autoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases, today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the company three new grants representing total funding of $9.8 million.

15 Jul 2010

Cigarette smoking affects entire networks of gene interaction: Research

The effects of smoking cigarettes on gene activity have been investigated in the largest study of its kind. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medical Genomics studied white blood cells taken from 1,240 people to identify 323 unique genes whose expression levels were significantly correlated with smoking behavior.

15 Jul 2010

Activities of TAT fully consolidated into Geron

Geron Corporation today announced that the activities of TA Therapeutics, its joint venture with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, are being fully consolidated into Geron.

15 Jul 2010

Plexxikon announces promising preclinical data of PLX3397

Plexxikon Inc. today announced promising preclinical data from in vivo Alzheimer's Disease studies demonstrating a dramatic reduction in activated microglia in the brains of very old (22 months) 3xTG-AD mice, a triple transgenic model for Alzheimer's Disease. This reduction of activated microglia led to significantly improved learning in the treated group.

15 Jul 2010

Scientists comment on two clinical trials that use Rituximab to treat small-vessel vasculitis

Two UNC School of Medicine faculty authored an editorial in the July 15, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine commenting on results from two clinical trials using the drug Rituximab to treat small-vessel vasculitis, a rare autoimmune disease.

15 Jul 2010

Medical standard of care triggers biological responses in brain that can fuel tumor cell survival: Researchers

The medical standard of care - comprised of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy - for the most common form of brain cancer triggers a number of biological responses that may actually feed the energy metabolism that supports the disease, according to Boston College researchers writing in the journal Lancet Oncology.

15 Jul 2010

Cell News and Research

Penn researchers reverse cognitive decline in fruit flies with Alzheimer's gene mutation

Study results to help researchers better understand cancer genetics, improve treatment regimens

DNA copying error in autism sufferers discovered

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for CDG

The Children's Hospital, UCH to jointly establish new center for advanced maternal fetal medicine

Essential nutrient in eggs may reduce risk of infant heart defects

Columbia scientists discover new way to alleviate chronic pain

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

Elusys, Lonza partner for commercial production of Anthim antibody for inhaled anthrax treatment

QR Pharma to present positive clinical data from mechanism of action study in MCI at ICAD 2010

Shrink Nanotechnologies files patent applications for CellAlign advanced tissue engineering technology

Ligand Pharmaceuticals announces launch of redesigned Web site

Cryo-Cell second-quarter consolidated revenues decrease to $4.3 million

NIH awards MacroGenics $9.8 million grant for three projects

Cigarette smoking affects entire networks of gene interaction: Research

Activities of TAT fully consolidated into Geron

Plexxikon announces promising preclinical data of PLX3397

Scientists comment on two clinical trials that use Rituximab to treat small-vessel vasculitis

Medical standard of care triggers biological responses in brain that can fuel tumor cell survival: Researchers

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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