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ImmunoCellular develops ICT-107 cell-based vaccine for GBM treatment

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies, today announced that it has developed an innovative method for manufacturing the company's lead product candidate, ICT-107, a dendritic cell-based vaccine for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

13 Oct 2010

TearLab receives patent for non-invasive tear collection platform

TearLab Corporation today announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent No. 7,810,380, entitled "Systems and methods for collecting tear film and measuring tear film osmolarity." This patent provides the company with broad and blocking intellectual property regarding the measurement of genetic and protein biomarkers within the tear film.

13 Oct 2010

New York Stem Cell Foundation names first six NYSCF Investigators

In an expansion of its ongoing effort to promote the next generation of stem cell scientists, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) today named the first six NYSCF Investigators. Each of the NYSCF-Robertson and NYSCF-Helmsley Investigators will receive up to $1.5 million over the next five years to expand their own laboratories, train other scientists and foster innovative high-risk/high reward research to explore the therapeutic potential of stem cells derived from humans and model organisms.

13 Oct 2010

Study finds wide variability in use of blood transfusions for coronary artery bypass graft surgery

A study that includes data on more than 100,000 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery finds that there is wide variability among hospitals in the U.S. on the use of blood transfusions, without a large difference in the rate of death, suggesting that many transfusions may be unnecessary, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA. Another study in this issue of JAMA examines the effect of a restrictive transfusion strategy on outcomes after cardiac surgery.

13 Oct 2010

Food allergies are becoming more common in U.S. children

The scary reality is that food allergies are becoming more and more common in the United States. In the last 10 years there has been an 18 percent increase in children with food allergies. In fact, one in 22 children has a food allergy. That means most likely there is at least one child in each classroom with a food allergy. Halloween parties and trick or treating are just a few of the end of fall activities that can heighten the danger for kids with food allergies.

13 Oct 2010

Hospitalizations and associated costs with peripheral artery disease increase as condition progresses

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive and costly disease, but remains under-diagnosed and under treated. While current PAD treatments are effective at clearing artery blockages in the lower leg, high recurrence rates and the subsequent need for repeat procedures are costly. Even after initial procedures to clear blockages in leg arteries, hospitalizations and associated costs in patients with peripheral artery disease increase as the condition progresses, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

13 Oct 2010

Study examines restrictive strategy of RBC transfusion in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery

Use of stricter guidelines for the use of red blood cell transfusions for patients undergoing cardiac surgery was associated similar rates of death and severe illness compared to patients who received more transfusions, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA. Another study in this issue of JAMA examines the variation in the use of blood transfusions for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

13 Oct 2010

Pycnogenol effective in relieving tinnitus symptoms: Study

More than 50 million Americans will experience some degree of tinnitus in their lifetime, according to the American Tinnitus Association. Tinnitus is a hearing condition that causes the constant misperception of sound, including hissing, ringing and rushing noises. A study recently published in Panminerva Medica reveals that Pycnogenol (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract derived from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, is effective in relieving tinnitus symptoms by improving blood flow in the inner ear.

13 Oct 2010

USPTO grants HemoShear patent for human cell-based surrogate systems

HemoShear LLC, a biotechnology research company and leading developer of human cell-based surrogate systems for discovery and assessment of new drug compounds, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted it patent no. 7,811,782 entitled "Use of An In Vitro Hemodynamic Endothelial/Smooth Muscle Cell Co-Culture Model to Identify New Therapeutic Targets for Vascular Disease."

13 Oct 2010

New, longer lasting LVAD implanted in Canadian heart-failure patient

In a Canadian first, the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre used a new kind of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to treat a patient with advanced heart failure. The new device is longer lasting than older generation LVADs and may eliminate the need for a second LVAD - a major drawback with the old technology.

13 Oct 2010

Study demonstrates chitosan/IL-12 is an effective anti-tumor immunotherapy

A new study by a University of Arkansas biomedical engineer and his colleagues at the National Cancer Institute demonstrates further promise for chitosan/interleukin-12 as an effective anti-tumor immunotherapy.

13 Oct 2010

JAMA publishes Probuphine Phase 3 clinical trial data

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that data from its previously completed and announced Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of Probuphine were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

13 Oct 2010

Sirius collaborates with Golden Helix to advance diagnostic pipeline

Sirius Genomics, a developer of companion diagnostics, and Golden Helix, a global leader in genetic analysis solutions, announced today a collaboration under which Golden Helix will apply its expertise and technologies in SNP and copy number variant analysis and predictive modeling to advance development of Sirius' diagnostic pipeline.

13 Oct 2010

Stem cell-enriched autologous fat treatment safe for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery

Since 2003, breast augmentation utilizing stem cells from autologous fat has been developed enabling silicon-free breast reconstruction following cancer surgery. Till now though, it was unclear whether this might reactivate the cancer again. However, University of Pittsburgh researchers led by Prof. Albert Donnenberg have now demonstrated that stem cell-enriched autologous fat is safe even in the presence of inactive tumor cells.

13 Oct 2010

New evidence supports possible link between XMRV and prostate cancer

Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) has been the subject of many studies since its discovery in 2006, but conflicting reports have created an unclear picture of XMRV's role in human disease. In three recent studies published in the November 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online, the evidence supports a possible link between XMRV and prostate cancer but not other links involving chronic fatigue syndrome, HIV infection, or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

13 Oct 2010

Metabolic screening before conception predicts development of diabetes in subsequent pregnancy

Cardio-metabolic risk factors such as high blood sugar and insulin, and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol that are present before pregnancy, predict whether a woman will develop diabetes during a future pregnancy, according to a Kaiser Permanente study in the current issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

13 Oct 2010

Researchers develop new therapy to overcome tissue incompatibility in kidney transplantation

Donor kidneys can be successfully transplanted even if there is strong tissue incompatibility between donor and recipient. An interdisciplinary working group headed by Dr. Christian Morath, senior consultant at the Department of Nephrology at Heidelberg University Hospital (Medical Director: Professor Dr. Martin Zeier) and Professor Dr. Caner S-sal, head of antibody laboratory in the Department of Transplantation Immunology, showed in a study of 34 sensitized high-risk patients that the success rate in these patients was not different from the success rate of patients with a low immunological risk.

13 Oct 2010

Investigators wondering: Fraud, bad medicine or Union manuevering at Calif. hospital chain?

The Los Angeles Times reports that state and federal investigators are trying to determine whether "a serious health problem or multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud" is behind a reported spike in blood poisoning cases at hospitals operated by Prime Healthcare Services, "a Southern California hospital chain known for aggressive billing practices and cost-cutting."

13 Oct 2010

Redesigned version of CTC-Chip effective in capturing rare circulating tumor cells

A redesigned version of the CTC-Chip a microchip-based device for capturing rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) appears to be more effective and should be easier to manufacture than the original. Called the HB-(herringbone) Chip, the new device also may provide more comprehensive and easily accessible data from captured tumor cells.

13 Oct 2010

Akonni receives NIJ grant to develop HCID system for SNP identification

Akonni Biosystems, a molecular diagnostics company that develops, manufactures, and plans to market sophisticated genetic testing devices for diagnosing complex infectious and human diseases, today announced receipt of a nearly $500,000 Phase III Grant from the National Institutes of Justice (NIJ).

13 Oct 2010

Blood News and Research

ImmunoCellular develops ICT-107 cell-based vaccine for GBM treatment

TearLab receives patent for non-invasive tear collection platform

New York Stem Cell Foundation names first six NYSCF Investigators

Study finds wide variability in use of blood transfusions for coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Food allergies are becoming more common in U.S. children

Hospitalizations and associated costs with peripheral artery disease increase as condition progresses

Study examines restrictive strategy of RBC transfusion in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery

Pycnogenol effective in relieving tinnitus symptoms: Study

USPTO grants HemoShear patent for human cell-based surrogate systems

New, longer lasting LVAD implanted in Canadian heart-failure patient

Study demonstrates chitosan/IL-12 is an effective anti-tumor immunotherapy

JAMA publishes Probuphine Phase 3 clinical trial data

Sirius collaborates with Golden Helix to advance diagnostic pipeline

Stem cell-enriched autologous fat treatment safe for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery

New evidence supports possible link between XMRV and prostate cancer

Metabolic screening before conception predicts development of diabetes in subsequent pregnancy

Researchers develop new therapy to overcome tissue incompatibility in kidney transplantation

Investigators wondering: Fraud, bad medicine or Union manuevering at Calif. hospital chain?

Redesigned version of CTC-Chip effective in capturing rare circulating tumor cells

Akonni receives NIJ grant to develop HCID system for SNP identification

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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