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Compugen reports positive results from CGEN-25068 in animal model to treat certain disease conditions

Compugen Ltd. announced today positive animal model results for CGEN-25068, a novel peptide predicted and selected in silico to block a specific protein-protein interaction known to play an important role in various immune-related disease conditions.

8 Mar 2011

EpiCept: Positive outcome from Ceplene Phase III trial in patients with AML

EpiCept Corporation today announced the Company has identified a statistically significant survival benefit in a subgroup of Acute Myeloid Leukemia patients in its previous Phase III trial with Ceplene administered with low-dose interleukin-2.

3 Mar 2011

Study shows beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, announced today the publication of collaborative research in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology entitled, "TGF-beta driven lung fibrosis is macrophage dependent and blocked by Serum amyloid P."

14 Feb 2011

Study reveals beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in TGFβ1-induced lung disease

11 Feb 2011

Scientists unravel mystery about how new tumors in individuals with breast cancer take root

In a discovery that may lead to a new treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bone, a Princeton University research team has unraveled a mystery about how these tumors take root.

4 Feb 2011

Scientists discover breast cancer cells that dodge immune system, promote tumor growth

Scientists discovered a new way breast cancer cells dodge the immune system and promote tumor growth, providing a fresh treatment target in the fight against the disease. While comparable mechanisms to avoid the immune system have been identified in mice with breast and other cancers, the study tested human breast tumor cells, putting researchers closer to understanding how the disease progresses in real patients.

2 Feb 2011

Interferon-alpha associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with SLE

Researchers in China have demonstrated interferon-alpha (IFN-α) is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For the first time, IFN-α priming was shown to promote lipid uptake and foam cell formation—a crucial step in plaque build-up. This activation of the IFN signaling pathway may be linked to the premature atherosclerosis risk in SLE.

27 Jan 2011

Quercetin and resveratrol may play an important role in inflammation and insulin resistance

A study was carried out to examine the extent to which quercetin and trans-resveratrol (RSV) prevented inflammation or insulin resistance in primary cultures of human adipocytes treated with tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a)-an inflammatory cytokine elevated in the plasma and adipose tissue of obese, diabetic individuals. Cultures of human adipocytes were pretreated with quercetin and trans-RSV followed by treatment with TNF-a. Subsequently, gene and protein markers of inflammation and insulin resistance were measured.

24 Dec 2010

MCP-1 protein may contribute to failure of AV fistulas created for vascular access in dialysis patients

A protein implicated in the development of vascular diseases may also contribute to the failure of arteriovenous (AV) fistulas created for vascular access in dialysis patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

23 Dec 2010

Altering balance among immune system cells could hold potential for T2D-associated inflammation treatment

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated that certain T cells require input from monocytes in order to maintain their pro-inflammatory response in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study also showed, for the first time, how a loss in homeostasis in this group of T cells most likely promotes chronic inflammation associated with T2D.

22 Dec 2010

Researchers present definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells destroy human liver

In the latest of a series of related papers, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in Austria and elsewhere, present a new and more definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells form, multiply and eventually destroy the human liver, resulting in cirrhosis. In doing so, the findings upend the standing of a long-presumed marker for multiple fibrotic diseases and reveal the existence of a previously unknown kind of inflammatory white blood cell.

21 Dec 2010

Argos' AGS-004 shows feasibility in in vitro models to generate DC from viremic patients

Argos Therapeutics announced today that its Arcelis HIV immunotherapy, AGS-004, showed feasibility in in vitro models to generate fully functional dendritic cells (DC) from viremic patients.

13 Dec 2010

Consolidation treatment with Y-90 epratuzumab after R-CHOP improves remission in DLBCL lymphoma

Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases, today reported that consolidation treatment with fractionated yttrium-90 (Y-90) labeled epratuzumab, after induction therapy with rituximab and CHOP (R-CHOP) chemotherapy, improved remission status of adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a form of aggressive lymphoma.

7 Dec 2010

Appropriate level of Static Magnetic Field exposure for wound patients needs to be considered

The interest in the biological effects of non-ionizing Electro Magnetic Fields (EMFs) and Static Magnetic Fields (SMFs) on the whole organism, as well on cellular systems, has noticeably increased in recent years in consideration of their increased production (from the generation and transmission of electricity, to domestic appliances and industrial equipment, to telecommunications and broadcasting) and the possible health risk for humans.

4 Dec 2010

Spleen cells may do more harm than good at site of spinal cord injury

The spleen, an organ that helps the body fight infections, might also be a source of the cells that end up doing more harm than good at the site of a spinal cord injury, new research suggests.

18 Nov 2010

Gene transfer reduces and stabilizes plaque and decreases inflammation

A plaque-fighting gene - studied in various forms by researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute for 18 years - has now been transferred intravenously to lab mice bred to model atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) in humans. Studies show the gene transfer reduced and stabilized plaque and decreased inflammation, key factors in cutting the risk of heart disease.

18 Nov 2010

Research suggests targeting spleen may promote healing of spinal cord injury

The spleen, an organ that helps the body fight infections, might also be a source of the cells that end up doing more harm than good at the site of a spinal cord injury, new research suggests.

16 Nov 2010

Elevated levels of MCP-1 found in urine of patients with acute kidney injury

The presence of certain markers in the urine might be a red flag for acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that a simple urine test could help prevent cases of kidney failure.

12 Nov 2010

Scientists identify new way to drive dendritic cells from blood monocytes

Dendritic cells, known to be the prime movers of the body's immune response, are still notoriously difficult to study in humans. Samples, which come primarily from bone marrow or lymphoid tissue, are simply too difficult to obtain. But new research at Rockefeller University has shown scientists a way to study "authentic" dendritic cells from mouse monocytes, which are abundant in the blood, a much more accessible source in humans.

11 Nov 2010

Patient-specific experimental vaccine to prevent recurrence of glioblastoma

Mary Lee's primary care physician is also a family friend. When he walked into the exam room in October 2006 with tears in his eyes, she knew something serious was wrong. But she was shocked to learn she had a brain tumor - and later found out it was the most aggressive malignant type, a glioblastoma multiforme.

14 Oct 2010