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Gene therapy restores movement in children bedridden with AADC

Using gene transfer techniques pioneered by University of Florida faculty, Taiwanese doctors have restored some movement in four children bedridden with a rare, life-threatening neurological disease.

17 May 2012

Increasing Use of Smart Pumps to help drive down “Never Events”

Increased focus on providing optimum patient care in the most cost efficient way is fuelling demand for intelligent infusion devices termed “Smart Pumps.” A report from InMedica, a division of IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc. (NYSE:IHS)), on the global market for infusion pumps found that, despite market saturation in the developed countries, demand for advanced technology is being maintained; infusion pump suppliers must offer technically advanced products at competitive prices to maintain market share.

17 May 2012

CCH, BGU launch collaboration to address lack of pediatric-specific medical devices

A collaboration to address the lack of medical devices designed specifically for children is being launched by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCH) in Ohio and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beer-Sheva, Israel. The goal is to improve health outcomes for children by ensuring device design that is customized to meet childrens' unique physiological differences and medical needs.

17 May 2012

High-throughput sequencing can detect early signs of leukemia relapse

A study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that a next-generation, high-speed DNA-decoding technology called high-throughput sequencing can detect the earliest signs of potential relapse in nearly twice the number of leukemia patients as compared to flow cytometry, the current gold standard for detecting minimal residual disease.

17 May 2012

Updated results from Amgen’s blinatumomab Phase 2 study on ALL

Amgen today announced updated results from a Phase 2 study that showed treatment with blinatumomab (AMG 103) helped achieve a high-rate of complete response (CR) in 72 percent of adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated in the study.

17 May 2012

Chinese sFDA approves Baxter's ADVATE to treat hemophilia A

Baxter International Inc. today announced the approval of ADVATE [Recombinant Human Coagulation Factor VIII for injection] for the control and prophylaxis of bleeding episodes in individuals with hemophilia A (congenital factor VIII deficiency) in China by the State Food and Drug Administration.

From Baxter International Inc. 17 May 2012

Biologists engineer algae to produce potential candidates for malarial vaccine

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have succeeded in engineering algae to produce potential candidates for a vaccine that would prevent transmission of the parasite that causes malaria, an achievement that could pave the way for the development of an inexpensive way to protect billions of people from one of the world's most prevalent and debilitating diseases. Initial proof-of-principle experiments suggest that such a vaccine could prevent malaria transmission.

17 May 2012

Linkam Scientific temperature controlled warm stages chosen for sperm motility in human fertility testing

Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments, have been chosen by an NHS Fertility clinic as suppliers of a controlled warm stage to perform routine semen analysis at body temperature.

From Linkam Scientific Instruments 16 May 2012

NeuroSigma Subsidiary sees potential for Thin-Film Nitinol in next-generation flow-diverting stents for treating intracranial aneurysms

NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, today announced that its majority-owned subsidiary, NSVascular, Inc. (NSV), acquired a portfolio of patents and related trade secrets covering the fabrication of Thin-Film Nitinol (TFN) from TiNi Alloy Company, including U.S. Patent No. 6,746,890 entitled “Three Dimensional Thin Film Devices and Methods of Fabrication,” an important piece of the portfolio covering the production of three-dimensional TFN constructs.

16 May 2012

First patient included in the phase II study of Amphinex® in head and neck cancer patients

PCI Biotech (PCIB) the Norwegian biopharmaceutical company, reported today that the first patient has been included in the phase II study of Amphinex in combination with the cytotoxic agent bleomycin in head and neck cancer patients, called the ENHANCE study. The first patient was included at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany. NCT is a joint project of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg and Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Aid).

16 May 2012

Diabetes may affect 53.1M Americans by 2025: Study

The Diabetes 2025 Model for the U.S. projects a continuous and dramatic increase in the diabetes epidemic and makes it possible to estimate the potential effects of society-wide changes in lifestyle and healthcare delivery systems.

16 May 2012

Positive data from Theraclone Sciences’ TCN-032 Phase 1 trial on influenza A infection

Theraclone Sciences, Inc., a therapeutic antibody discovery and development company, today announced positive top-line data from its Phase 1 trial of TCN-032, a broadly protective, fully human monoclonal antibody, being developed for the treatment of influenza A infections.

16 May 2012

Juventas begins enrollment in JVS-100 Phase IIa study for Rutherford Class 4 or 5 CLI

Juventas Therapeutics, a privately-held, clinical-stage company developing novel regenerative therapies for treatment of cardiovascular disease, is pleased to report that it is actively enrolling patients in a placebo-controlled, randomized double-blinded Phase IIa study evaluating the safety and efficacy for JVS-100 in patients with Rutherford Class 4 or 5 critical limb ischemia.

16 May 2012

Significant breakthrough in understanding the cause of bile duct cancer

A team of international scientists has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the cause of bile duct cancer, a deadly type of liver cancer. By identifying several new genes frequently mutated in bile duct cancers, researchers are paving the way for better understanding of how bile duct cancers develop. Their discovery is published online in Nature Genetics.

15 May 2012

CHDI, KineMed partner to investigate turnover rates of huntingtin protein

KineMed, Inc. and CHDI Foundation, Inc. announced today a collaboration to use KineMed's isotopic labeling and dynamic proteomics platform to investigate the turnover rates of huntingtin protein, a mutant form of which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD).

15 May 2012

Biogen Idec announces availability of two new AVONEX dosing innovations for MS

Biogen Idec announced that two new dosing innovations designed to help patients receiving once-a-week AVONEX (interferon beta-1a) for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are now available in U.S. pharmacies.

15 May 2012

Menarini, Furiex enter license agreement to commercialize Priligy

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Menarini Group today announced that they have entered into a license agreement by which Furiex will license to Menarini rights to commercialize Priligy in Europe, most of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

15 May 2012

HyStem-C effective in transplantation of heart muscle-derived cells for heart disease

BioTime, Inc. announced today the publication of a scientific paper demonstrating the effectiveness of HyStem-C in the transplantation of heart muscle-derived cells in an animal model of heart disease.

14 May 2012

Groundbreaking biohybrid device to control acute inflammation to prevent sepsis

The body's natural inflammatory response is an essential reaction to injury and infection. When acute inflammation escalates out of control, such as in sepsis, it causes nearly 10% of deaths in the U.S. and more than $17 billion in healthcare costs each year. A group of researchers have developed a groundbreaking biohybrid device that can control acute inflammation to prevent sepsis and other related life-threatening complications, as described in an article in the inaugural issue of Disruptive Science and Technology.

14 May 2012

Researchers barcode different strains of influenza virus and HRSV

Dr Julian Hiscox and Dr John Barr of the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences are working with the Health Protection Agency Porton (HPA) to build a bank of molecular signatures that will help identify the severity of virus infection from characteristic changes seen in cells. Currently the team is barcoding different strains of influenza virus and human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) - a virus associated with the onset of asthma in young children.

14 May 2012