Cell News and Research

RSS

PolyTherics, Spirogen enter research collaboration to produce novel ADCs for treatment of cancer

PolyTherics Limited, a provider of solutions to enable the development of better biopharmaceuticals, and Spirogen Limited, a leading oncology-focused company developing DNA sequence-targeted agents, announce that they have formed a research collaboration to develop antibody drug conjugates that combine PolyTherics' proprietary site-specific conjugation chemistry with Spirogen's highly potent novel cytotoxic drugs to produce novel ADCs for the treatment of cancer.

2 Apr 2012

Safe method for destroying cancer cells using death cap mushroom poison

The mere thought of an identification error sends a chill down the spine of any mushroom lover: The death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides), which resembles the common white button mushroom, contains one of the most deadly poisons found in nature, α-amanitin.

2 Apr 2012

Rare T follicular helper cells essential for developing antibody responses to infectious agents

The characterisation of a rare immune cell's involvement in antibody production and ability to 'remember' infectious agents could help to improve vaccination and lead to new treatments for immune disorders, say researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

2 Apr 2012

Study sheds light on cellular mechanisms involved in flu resistance

Scientists from the University of Utah School of Medicine have discovered that a mouse protein called IFITM3 contributes to the body's defense against some types of viral infections by binding to an enzyme responsible for regulating the pH of a cell's waste disposal system.

2 Apr 2012

AlloCure closes $25 million Series B venture financing

AlloCure, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the treatment of kidney disease, today announced the closing of a $25 million Series B venture financing.

2 Apr 2012

RainDance introduces new panel for cancer mutation screening

RainDance Technologies, Inc., the Digital Biology company, today announced the worldwide availability of its new panel for cancer mutation screening research using any next-generation sequencing (NGS) system.

2 Apr 2012

Enrollment complete in Oncolytics REOLYSIN combination trial for head and neck cancers

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that it has completed enrollment in the first, 80 patient stage of its Phase III clinical trial examining REOLYSIN in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin in patients with platinum-refractory head and neck cancers (REO 018).

2 Apr 2012

Life Technologies expands TaqMan Mutation Detection Assays

Life Technologies Corporation today announced the expansion to its TaqMan Mutation Detection Assays -- highly sensitive and novel molecular analysis research tools designed to detect an additional 241 of the most common mutations in 21 cancer genes.

2 Apr 2012

Blocking PRC2 protein may help protect against AML

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have identified a candidate drug target for treating acute myeloid leukemia, a white blood cell cancer that proliferates out of control in the bone marrow.

2 Apr 2012

Clinical data for cabozantinib to be presented at ASCO annual meeting

Exelixis, Inc. announced today that its lead compound, cabozantinib, will be the subject of nine separate data presentations at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

2 Apr 2012

Ingenuity iReport for Real-Time PCR optimized for TaqMan Gene Expression Assays

Ingenuity Systems, a leading provider of information and analysis solutions for life science researchers, and Life Technologies Corporation today announced Ingenuity iReport for Real-Time PCR optimized for TaqMan Gene Expression Assays.

2 Apr 2012

Phage therapy can combat Pseudomonas infections in CF patients

Scientists in Cork have identified a novel therapy for the bacteria which cause infections in cystic fibrosis patients.

2 Apr 2012

Therakos introduces Lighting Up Lives campaign for patients with immune diseases

Therakos, Inc., a pioneer in the development of an innovative immune modulation therapy called extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), today launched Lighting Up Lives, a 25-year anniversary campaign and year-long global initiative that honours the lives of patients with serious immune diseases impacted by ECP, as well as the healthcare professionals, caregivers and treatment centres that support them every step of the way.

2 Apr 2012

RT3D may boost effects of two standard chemotherapy drugs in head and neck cancer patients

A naturally-occurring harmless human virus may be able to boost the effects of two standard chemotherapy drugs in some cancer patients, according to early stage trial data published today in Clinical Cancer Research.

2 Apr 2012

Studies use three genes to reprogram fibroblasts into myocytes

The latest research developments to reprogram scar tissue resulting from myocardial infarction (MI) into viable heart muscle cells, were presented at the Frontiers in CardioVascular Biology (FCVB) 2012 meeting, held 30 March to 1 April at the South Kensington Campus of Imperial College in London.

2 Apr 2012

RNA binding motif protein 20 regulates titin splicing

Cardiomyopathy comprises a deterioration of the heart muscle that affects the organ's ability to efficiently pump blood through the body. Previously researchers have tied forms of the disease to the alternative splicing of titin, a giant protein that determines the structure and biomechanical properties of the heart, but the molecular mechanism remained unknown.

2 Apr 2012

Genetic variations could be linked with meconium ileus in CF patients

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers working as part of the International Cystic Fibrosis Consortium have discovered several regions of the genome that may predispose cystic fibrosis (CF) patients to develop an intestinal blockage while still in the uterus.

2 Apr 2012

Survivin protein could be a useful tool in understanding pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer kills more than 40,000 people every year, and among cancers it's particularly insidious. For 80 percent of patients, the disease is already so advanced at the time of diagnosis that treatment is unlikely to provide significantly life-extending benefits. For patients diagnosed with localized pancreatic cancer, the five-year survival rate remains barely above 20 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute.

2 Apr 2012

WCMC receives SU2C-PCF Prostate Dream Team Translational Cancer Research Grant

An international team of investigators from centers in the United States and the United Kingdom, including Weill Cornell Medical College, have been awarded a grant for $10 million over a three-year period to study the molecular underpinnings of metastatic prostate cancer while creating a comprehensive testing system to optimize personalized treatments.

2 Apr 2012

Bruker acquires SkyScan

Bruker Corporation today announced that it has acquired all of the shares of SkyScan N.V., a scientific instruments company located near Antwerp, Belgium. Financial details were not disclosed. For the remainder for 2012, the acquisition of SkyScan is expected to add approximately $13 million to Bruker's revenue and to be accretive to EPS by about $0.01.

2 Apr 2012