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Maxygen initiates Phase I study to evaluate CTLA4-Ig therapeutic for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Maxygen, a biotechnology company focused on the development of improved protein drugs, today announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical study to evaluate a next-generation CTLA4-Ig therapeutic that is being developed by Perseid Therapeutics LLC, Maxygen's majority-owned subsidiary, in collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc. for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and potentially other autoimmune indications.

31 Jan 2011

Alexion announces acquisition of Taligen Therapeutics

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, announced that it has acquired Taligen Therapeutics, a privately held development-stage biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Mass.

31 Jan 2011

GE Capital provides capital to XDx to help increase commercialization of AlloMap molecular diagnostic test

GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services announced today that it has provided, as sole lender, a $12.5 million senior secured multi-draw term loan facility to XDx, Inc. The financing provides XDx with working capital to expand the commercialization of its FDA-cleared, innovative, noninvasive AlloMap molecular diagnostic test and pursue the development of other gene expression-based tests for autoimmune diseases including lupus.

29 Jan 2011

XDx establishes $12.5 million multi-draw term loan facility with GE Capital

XDx, a San Francisco-based molecular diagnostics company focused on non-invasive gene expression-based tests for the monitoring of organ transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases, announced today that it has established a $12.5 million senior secured multi-draw term loan facility with GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services.

28 Jan 2011

Prototype drug halts GVHD in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation

A prototype drug already shown to hold promise for treating autoimmune disorders like lupus, arthritis and psoriasis halts established graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation, research at the University of Michigan and the University of Florida shows.

28 Jan 2011

Study suggests newborn diagnosis can improve survival in SCID patients

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency occurs in just one out of every 50,000 to 100,000 births in the United States, yet it is the most serious primary immunodeficiency disorder. A study published today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology, demonstrates that babies with SCID who are diagnosed at birth and receive a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, which is the transplantation of blood-forming stem cells, have significantly improved survival.

28 Jan 2011

Cardiac stem cell therapy can rebuild damaged heart in children

Visionaries in the field of cardiac therapeutics have long looked to the future when a damaged heart could be rebuilt or repaired by using one's own heart cells. A study published in the February issue of Circulation, a scientific journal of the American Heart Association, shows that heart stem cells from children with congenital heart disease were able to rebuild the damaged heart in the laboratory.

27 Jan 2011

Survival following transplant surgery for liver cancer not impacted by HIV-positive status

French researchers determined that infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) impaired results of transplant surgery for liver cancer, with more HIV infected patients dropping off the transplantation wait list. The team found that overall survival and recurrence-free survival was not impacted following liver transplantation in patients with controlled HIV disease.

25 Jan 2011

Male celebrities admit to undergoing hair restoration surgery

An interesting statistic: more than half of hair loss sufferers would be more inclined to consider having a hair transplant if celebrities or public figures were more open about hair restoration surgery, and men are more likely to be influenced than women.

25 Jan 2011

FDA approves IDE Supplement for third patient allotment in HeartWare Ventricular Assist System ADVANCE trial

HeartWare International, Inc., a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies that are revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an IDE Supplement that allows HeartWare to enroll a third allotment, of 94 additional patients, in its "ADVANCE" bridge-to-transplant clinical trial under a Continued Access Protocol (CAP).

25 Jan 2011

American Red Cross urges all eligible donors to donate blood

Severe winter weather throughout much of the eastern half of the United States in recent weeks has already caused the cancellation of more than 14,000 blood and platelet donations through the American Red Cross. With more winter weather and a possible coastal storm predicted, the Red Cross is urging all eligible blood donors to help boost its blood supply back up to sufficient levels.

25 Jan 2011

NHLBI, HeartWare award $13.3M to study benefits of heart devices for heart failure

The University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center and the University of Pittsburgh have been awarded $13.3 million to explore the potential benefits of heart devices for the large and growing group of Americans with heart failure.

24 Jan 2011

Raptor completes enrollment in DR Cysteamine Phase 3 clinical trial in cystinosis

Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp., today announced it has completed enrollment in its Phase 3 clinical trial of its proprietary delayed-release oral formulation of cysteamine bitartrate ("DR Cysteamine") in patients with nephropathic cystinosis ("cystinosis").

24 Jan 2011

How genetic abnormalities transform normal cells into leukemic cells

Cancer scientists led by Dr. John Dick at the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI) and collaborators at St Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis) have found that defective genes and the individual leukemia cells that carry them are organized in a more complex way than previously thought.

21 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 21, 2011

Today's headlines highlight the House GOP's plans to advance the "replace" part of their strategy to reverse the health overhaul.

21 Jan 2011

Scientist receives RO1 research grant to improve blood, marrow transplantation in myeloma patients

Thea Friedman, M.D., associate scientist and director of oncology basic research at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center was recently awarded a National Cancer Institutes of Health-National Cancer Institute RO1 research grant to improve allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation for multiple myeloma patients.

21 Jan 2011

New study reports success of growing human liver cells on resorbable scaffolds

A new study reports on the success of growing human liver cells on resorbable scaffolds made from material similar to surgical sutures. Researchers suggest that this liver tissue could be used in place of donor organs during liver transplantation or during the bridge period until a suitable donor is available for patients with acute liver failure.

21 Jan 2011

Transplant News and Research

Maxygen initiates Phase I study to evaluate CTLA4-Ig therapeutic for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Alexion announces acquisition of Taligen Therapeutics

GE Capital provides capital to XDx to help increase commercialization of AlloMap molecular diagnostic test

XDx establishes $12.5 million multi-draw term loan facility with GE Capital

Prototype drug halts GVHD in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation

Study suggests newborn diagnosis can improve survival in SCID patients

Cardiac stem cell therapy can rebuild damaged heart in children

Survival following transplant surgery for liver cancer not impacted by HIV-positive status

Male celebrities admit to undergoing hair restoration surgery

FDA approves IDE Supplement for third patient allotment in HeartWare Ventricular Assist System ADVANCE trial

American Red Cross urges all eligible donors to donate blood

NHLBI, HeartWare award $13.3M to study benefits of heart devices for heart failure

Raptor completes enrollment in DR Cysteamine Phase 3 clinical trial in cystinosis

How genetic abnormalities transform normal cells into leukemic cells

First Edition: January 21, 2011

Scientist receives RO1 research grant to improve blood, marrow transplantation in myeloma patients

New study reports success of growing human liver cells on resorbable scaffolds

Successful larynx transplant for Californian woman

Genzyme to expand Geel facility to support growth of Myozyme and Lumizyme for Pompe disease

Damaged alpha-synuclein proteins can spread in a 'prion-like' manner: Study

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (2nd Edition) eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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