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Positive results from preclinical EP-302 program presented at AACR 2010

Drug discovery and development company Esperance Pharmaceuticals today presented positive results from their preclinical EP-302 program that support the initiation of IND enabling studies. EP-302 is a targeted membrane-disrupting peptide designed to selectively kill cells that express nucleolin on their surface. Nucleolin is a protein that is over-expressed in a wide range of cancers and tumor endothelial cells.

22 Apr 2010

PharmaMar presents new trials with Yondelis, Zalypsis and Irvalec anti-tumor drugs at 101st AACR meeting

PharmaMar, a biopharmaceutical company owned by Grupo Zeltia (ZEL.MC), presented six new trials with marine-based anti-tumor drugs Yondelis(R), Zalypsis(R) and Irvalec(R) at the American Association for Cancer Research's (AACR) 101st Annual Meeting, held in Washington, D.C. from April 17-21.

22 Apr 2010

Researchers discover subunits of GABAB receptors in central nervous system

In the latest issue of the renowned scientific journal "Nature" researchers from the universities of Freiburg and Basel report on their discovery of previously unknown subunits of the GABAB receptors in the central nervous system. GABAB receptors are transmembrane proteins in nerve cells which are of fundamental significance for the functioning of the brain and have great therapeutical and pharmaceutical importance.

21 Apr 2010

Researchers identify potential drug target for treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the University of Illinois have identified a potential drug target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a receptor that is embedded in the membrane of neurons and other cells.

21 Apr 2010

First case of treating cystic fibrosis and Crohn's disease with infliximab

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-threatening autosomal recessive disease in Caucasian children; it has an incidence of 1 case in every 2500 children born alive. CF involves an anomalous function of the exocrine glands, caused by a mutation of a gene (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, CFTR) located on chromosome 7, which codes for a protein involved in ion transport through the cell membrane.

20 Apr 2010

IGF-IR plays role in proliferation and motility of pancreatic cancer cell lines: Research

Insulin-like growth factor-I is upregulated in human pancreatic cancer tissues but is not expressed in surrounding non-cancerous tissues. Serum level of IGF-I is elevated in pancreatic cancer patients. Histological analysis has shown that IGF-I receptor is positive in the membrane of pancreatic cancer tissues.

20 Apr 2010

Researchers reveal new switch to Salmonella bacteria: Science

A new switch that enables Salmonella bacteria to sabotage host cells is revealed in a study published today in the journal Science.

19 Apr 2010

New therapeutic approach for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers from Universit- Laval's Faculty of Medicine and the CHUQ Research Center have proven that it is possible to repair the defective gene responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

16 Apr 2010

Study on primary cilia formation may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies

A team of scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a network of genes that initiate and manage cilia formation. Although scientists have known about cilia for decades, only recently have they discovered their role in disease. This new discovery, which may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies, will appear in the April 15 edition of Nature.

16 Apr 2010

Persisting red, itchy, watery eyes in children may be signs of serious conditions

When a child develops red, watery eyes, it could be just allergies - or it may be the sign of a more serious eye condition, according to a leading pediatric ophthalmologist.

12 Apr 2010

Accumulation of mutated protein may explain damaging cellular behavior in Huntington's disease

In a step towards a possible treatment for Huntington's disease, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown for the first time that the accumulation of a mutated protein may explain damaging cellular behavior in Huntington's disease. Their research is described in the April 11 online edition of Nature Neuroscience.

12 Apr 2010

Study suggests new ways to improve anti-cancer chemotherapies

A study released this week suggests that anti-cancer chemotherapies which use nanoparticles to deliver drugs deep inside tumor tissue will be more effective if the particles are positively electrically charged because they are taken up to a greater extent by proliferating cells, according to a team of chemists and chemical engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

12 Apr 2010

Researchers document the beneficial health effects of omega-3 fatty acids

The health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are widely proven. But how can these nutrients be absorbed most effectively into the body? And do they have any potentially negative effects? Norwegian researchers are seeking answers to these questions.

8 Apr 2010

Phase II clinical trial of Avastin and Tarceva in patients with glioblastoma multiforme

Patients suffering from recently diagnosed malignant brain tumors called glioblastoma multiforme or a rare variant called gliosarcoma may be eligible to participate in a Phase II clinical trial at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center that combines two innovative drugs.

8 Apr 2010

Defective protein responsible for SCA5 disease cuts synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons

The neurodegenerative disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5) damages nerve cells in two ways. University of Minnesota researchers now report that the defective protein responsible for the disease cuts the number of synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons.

7 Apr 2010

Some therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause cell death: UCSD

Some current therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause further neural degeneration and cell death, according to a breakthrough discovery by UC San Diego researchers. By combining three dimensional computer simulations with high resolution atomic force microscopy membrane protein and cell imaging, electrical recording and various cellular assays, UCSD nano-biophysicist Ratnesh Lal and his colleagues investigated the structure and function of truncated peptides, known as nonamyloidgenic peptides, formed by some Alzheimer's drug candidates.

5 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

A nanometer-scale probe designed to slip into a cell wall and fuse with it could offer researchers a portal for extended eavesdropping on the inner electrical activity of individual cells.

2 Apr 2010

Protein vaccines for needle-free immunization through the skin

Most immunizations currently involve an injection in the arm. In the future, vaccination may be accomplished without the unpleasant jab of a needle: a team led by Victor C. Yang at the University of Michigan (USA) has developed a method by which vaccines can pass directly through the skin without a needle. As the researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, merely linking a special short peptide molecule to the vaccine, which can then be administered in the form of a patch, will do the job.

1 Apr 2010

Role of membrane cholesterol in late keratinocyte differentiation analyzed

In a recent study initiated by Beiersdorf AG, Florian Spörl and colleagues evaluated the use of Roche Applied Science's xCELLigence System as a viable system to monitor not only cholesterol extraction and repletion but also cholesterol reorganization in human keratinocytes in real time. The xCELLigence System offers a novel approach to non-invasive long-term observation of membrane cholesterol dynamics in primary human keratinocytes.

1 Apr 2010

Ascent Therapeutics is now Anchor Therapeutics

Ascent Therapeutics announced today that it has adopted a new name — Anchor Therapeutics. Anchor Therapeutics reflects the Company's core technology and its commitment to building solid, dependable value for patients, partners and investors via its proprietary platform technology.

30 Mar 2010

Membrane News and Research

Positive results from preclinical EP-302 program presented at AACR 2010

PharmaMar presents new trials with Yondelis, Zalypsis and Irvalec anti-tumor drugs at 101st AACR meeting

Researchers discover subunits of GABAB receptors in central nervous system

Researchers identify potential drug target for treatment of Alzheimer's disease

First case of treating cystic fibrosis and Crohn's disease with infliximab

IGF-IR plays role in proliferation and motility of pancreatic cancer cell lines: Research

Researchers reveal new switch to Salmonella bacteria: Science

New therapeutic approach for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Study on primary cilia formation may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies

Persisting red, itchy, watery eyes in children may be signs of serious conditions

Accumulation of mutated protein may explain damaging cellular behavior in Huntington's disease

Study suggests new ways to improve anti-cancer chemotherapies

Researchers document the beneficial health effects of omega-3 fatty acids

Phase II clinical trial of Avastin and Tarceva in patients with glioblastoma multiforme

Defective protein responsible for SCA5 disease cuts synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons

Some therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause cell death: UCSD

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

Protein vaccines for needle-free immunization through the skin

Role of membrane cholesterol in late keratinocyte differentiation analyzed

Ascent Therapeutics is now Anchor Therapeutics

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