B Cell News and Research

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Mice study may provide new insight on human pregnancies

The concept of pregnancy makes no sense-at least not from an immunological point of view. After all, a fetus, carrying half of its father's genome, is biologically distinct from its mother. The fetus is thus made of cells and tissues that are very much not "self"-and not-self is precisely what the immune system is meant to search out and destroy.

2 Jul 2010

Research may provide key to understanding interplay between exercise, aging and neurogenesis

Stem cells in the brain remain dormant until called upon to divide and make more neurons. However, little has been known about the molecular guards that keep them quiet.

2 Jul 2010

Research shows promising targeted therapies for type 2 diabetes patients

Named for the furballs whose astonishing fecundity made them stars in early Star Trek episodes, the tribbles protein, first identified in fruit flies, aids in regulating many cell processes in humans. Joslin Diabetes Center researchers now have identified mechanisms triggered by a variant of the tribbles gene that cause trouble in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells—and that offer a promising target for therapies for people with type 2 diabetes, even if they don't carry that gene variant.

2 Jul 2010

Scientists explain mechanism behind acute myeloid leukemia

New research by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has illuminated in fine detail one of the genetic paths that leads to a particularly aggressive form of leukemia.

2 Jul 2010

Advanced Cancer Therapeutics secures $10M in investments

Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT), a for-profit private company dedicated to bringing new anti-cancer therapies to market, today announced that it has secured $10 million in investments from high net-worth individuals and institutions. This round of investment, which closed six months ahead of the company's year-end goal, will provide ACT additional capital to continue its development and commercialization of potentially lifesaving therapeutics for cancer patients.

2 Jul 2010

Diagnostic Hybrids receives Chinese SFDA approval for D3 Ultra DFA Respiratory Virus Screening and ID Kit

Diagnostic Hybrids, a Quidel Company, received approval from the People's Republic of China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for its D3 Ultra DFA Respiratory Virus Screening and ID Kit. The D3 Ultra DFA Respiratory Virus Screening and ID Kit is a direct fluorescence assay (DFA) that provides rapid, sensitive and specific screening and identification of Influenza A, Influenza B, Parainfluenza 1, 2, & 3, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Adenovirus.

1 Jul 2010

FDA grants Cyclacel's sapacitabine orphan drug designation for AML and MDS

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing oral therapies that target the various phases of cell cycle control for the treatment of cancer and other serious disorders, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to the company's sapacitabine (CYC682) product candidate for the treatment of both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

1 Jul 2010

University College London neurology professor becomes first recipient of Lord Brain Memorial Medal

Andrew Lees, Professor of Neurology at University College London, is to be the first ever recipient of the Lord Brain Memorial Medal - awarded for the scientific contributions he has made to the field of movement disorders within the UK. He will receive the medal following his delivery of the inaugural Lord Brain Memorial Lecture; "Brainwashed by the Black Stuff," at Barts and The London Medical School on June 24, 2010.

1 Jul 2010

Investment report on BioElectronics

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring BioElectronics Corp. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and recent company news that you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

1 Jul 2010

Cell Therapeutics to retire all Notes with maturity in 2010

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has deposited $39.3 million in cash as trust funds with U.S. Bank National Association, as the trustee of the outstanding 4% convertible senior subordinated notes, which is an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire amount due on the Notes, including accrued and unpaid interest.

1 Jul 2010

Lensless cell phone microscope

Cell phones are accumulating a Swiss Army Knife-esqe assortment of capabilities; substituting as cameras, providing internet access, and soon operating as medical labs if Aydogan Ozcan's plans come to fruition. This month's cover article of the journal Lab on a Chip features the latest creation by the Ozcan group, a functioning prototype of a cell phone microscope.

1 Jul 2010

MPIB researcher makes methodical progress in the area of genetic code engineering

Proteins are the main actors in our body: They transport substances, convey messages or carry out vital processes in their role as molecular machines. The "helmsmen of the cell" are composed of amino acids, whose sequence is already defined by the heritable information in every living being. The translation of this information during the production of proteins (protein synthesis) is determined by the genetic code.

1 Jul 2010

USPTO grants Semafore method patent for PI3K inhibitors

Semafore Pharmaceuticals today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued United States Patent Number 7,745,485 entitled "Compositions and methods for identifying agents which modulate PTEN function and PI-3 kinase pathways." This patent covers methods of inhibiting the spread of cancer in patients using phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents.

1 Jul 2010

Individual variants of environmental toxins can affect body's hormone systems: Research

Marianne Kraugerud's doctoral research has led to the discovery that individual variants of the environmental pollutants PCB and PFC can affect several of the body's hormone systems in a more complex way than previously supposed. Humans and animals are constantly exposed to these toxins through the food they eat and the air they breathe. Kraugerud concludes that the impact of these pollutants should be taken into account when carrying out risk appraisals of PCB and PFC.

1 Jul 2010

Nanostructured assemblies for dental application

Scientists are reporting an advance toward the next big treatment revolution in dentistry - the era in which root canal therapy brings diseased teeth back to life, rather than leaving a "non-vital" or dead tooth in the mouth. In a report in the monthly journal ACS Nano, they describe a first-of-its-kind, nano-sized dental film that shows early promise for achieving this long-sought goal.

1 Jul 2010

Researchers uncover potential drug treatment for noise-induced hearing loss

Researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, have discovered that a potent new drug restores hearing after noise-induced hearing loss in rats. The landmark discovery found that injection of an agent called 'ADAC', activates adenosine receptors in cochlear tissues, resulting in recovery of hearing function. The finding paves the way for effective non-surgical therapies to restore hearing loss after noise-induced injury. Dr. Srdjan Vlajkovic and his team's work1 is published in a special edition of Springer's journal Purinergic Signalling, focusing on the inner ear.

1 Jul 2010

Mutations in Siglec-8 gene may play role in asthma: Research

A gene that encodes a protein responsible for determining whether certain immune cells live or die shows subtle differences in some people with asthma, a team led by Johns Hopkins researchers reports in the June European Journal of Human Genetics.

1 Jul 2010

Afinitor more than doubles progression-free survival in advanced pancreatic NET: Study

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that results of a Phase III study show Afinitor® (everolimus) tablets plus best supportive care (BSC) more than doubled progression-free survival, or time without tumor growth, versus placebo plus BSC in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET). The study, RADIANT-3, was presented at the 12th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer and is part of the largest clinical trial program in patients with advanced NET.

1 Jul 2010

Commonly used type of bone marrow stem cell may help treat sepsis, new study suggests

A new study from researchers in Ottawa and Toronto suggests that a commonly used type of bone marrow stem cell may be able to help treat sepsis, a deadly condition that can occur when an infection spreads throughout the body. The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, shows that these cells can triple survival rates in an experimental model of sepsis.

1 Jul 2010

PIKAMAB secures exclusive rights to issued U.S. patent from UABRF

PIKAMAB, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in stratified medicine, announced today that it has secured exclusive rights to an issued U.S. patent (US 6,986,987) from the UAB Research Foundation. This patent pertains to the discovery that the functional polymorphism (Ser/Gly248) in the cytoplasmic domain of Fc alpha receptor determines the proinflammatory potential of serum IgA autoantibodies through cell signaling and production of cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1β in an allele-dependent manner.

1 Jul 2010