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Nycomed acquires majority stake in Guangdong Techpool Bio-Pharma

Nycomed today announced that it is significantly expanding its presence in China through the acquisition of a majority stake in Guangdong Techpool Bio-Pharma Co., Ltd. (Techpool), a fast-growing Chinese bio-pharmaceutical company based in Guangdong. Techpool, founded in 1993, specialises in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of biologic drugs derived from natural sources.

1 Nov 2010

Researchers are developing new drug for osteoporosis

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered a group of substances in the body that play a key role in controlling bone density, and on this basis they have begun development of a drug for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other bone disorders.

5 Oct 2010

Blood coagulation, antimicrobial defence processes are functionally coupled: Research

The adaptive immune system can recognize and respond specifically to particular infectious agents. But the first line of defence against pathogens is the so-called innate immune system. This system reacts to invaders by initiating unspecific inflammatory responses which attract various types of specialized cells such as neutrophils to the site of the incursion.

4 Aug 2010

VisEn Medical announces launch of two new imaging agents at EMIM 2010

VisEn Medical Inc., a leader in fluorescence in vivo imaging from research through medicine, announced the commercial launch of two new imaging agents -- ProSense® 750 FAST for expanded versatility in imaging cathepsin activity, and Neutrophil Elastase™ 680 FAST, for imaging of inflammatory elastase activity associated with disease progression and therapeutic response. The launch announcements were made at the European Molecular Imaging Meeting (EMIM) 2010 in Warsaw, Poland.

26 May 2010

Response Genetics, GSK sign non-exclusive license agreement for BRAF mutational analysis technology

Response Genetics, Inc., a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, today announced it has signed a non-exclusive license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline ("GSK"). Under the terms of the agreement, GSK gains certain rights to Response Genetics' proprietary PCR analysis technology and diagnostic expertise to assess BRAF gene mutations in human tumor samples. Payments will be made to Response Genetics upon achivement of agreed-to milestones.

12 May 2010

Poster on dual Erk/PI3K inhibitors presented at AACR 2010

Aeterna Zentaris Inc., a late-stage drug development company specialized in oncology and endocrine therapy, today presented a poster on dual Erk/PI3K inhibitors and made an oral presentation on its selective Erk inhibitors, at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

21 Apr 2010

Working of master regulator protein phosphatase 1

Protein phosphorylation is a process by which proteins are flipped from one activation state to another. It is a crucial function for most living beings, since phosphorylation controls nearly every cellular process, including metabolism, gene transcription, cell-cycle progression, cytoskeletal rearrangement and cell movement.

26 Mar 2010

Caddisfly silk and sandcastle worm glue: Potential adhesives during surgery

Like silkworm moths, butterflies and spiders, caddisfly larvae spin silk, but they do so underwater instead on dry land. Now, University of Utah researchers have discovered why the fly's silk is sticky when wet and how that may make it valuable as an adhesive tape during surgery.

1 Mar 2010

USPTO issues new patent for Advaxis' intellectual property portfolio

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued today patent 7,635,479, "Compositions and Methods for Enhancing the Immunogenicity of Antigens,” by Dr. Yvonne Paterson, et al, which is assigned to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and licensed to Advaxis, Incorporated (OTCBB: ADXS).

22 Jan 2010

Work provides new insight into potential therapeutic treatments for cancer diseases

An enzyme that normally helps break down stored fats goes into overdrive in some cancer cells, making them more malignant, according to new findings by a team at The Scripps Research Institute.

13 Jan 2010

Key molecular switch linked to HD identified

Scientists have identified a key molecular switch that may drive the onset of Huntington's disease (HD), an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that leads to severe disruptions in muscle coordination and cognitive function. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, enhances the understanding of HD pathogenesis and may direct new strategies for treating this devastating brain disease.

24 Dec 2009

Bird influenza viruses have a variety of strategies to cross the species barrier

The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus used a new strategy to cross from birds into humans, a warning that it has more than one trick up its sleeve to jump the species barrier and become virulent.

9 Dec 2009

Data from Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 to be presented by Viron Therapeutics at AHA conference

Viron Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of viral protein therapeutics, announced today that the Company's research collaborator, Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Center at the Montreal Heart Institute, will present data from a Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009 conference. The conference will take place in Orlando, Florida from November 14 to 18, 2009.

12 Nov 2009

Sinobiopharma receives certificate for using Gabexate Mesylate as pharmaceutical raw material

Sinobiopharma, Inc. ("Sinobiopharma") (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company received a certificate for the use of Gabexate mesylate as a pharmaceutical raw material (Certificate #2009S01805) from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration ("SFDA").

8 Oct 2009

Misregulation of SPAK protein may contribute to B-cell lymphoma development

A group led by Dr. Michael Teitell at UCLA has demonstrated that misregulation of the protein SPAK may contribute to B-cell lymphoma development. Their report can be found in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

28 Sep 2009

Increasing the half life of proteins to treat diseases such as hepatitis B

Many biopharmaceuticals comprise small proteins that are quickly eliminated from the body. Scientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) combine such small proteins with a kind of molecular balloon that swells and thus prolongs the half-life of the proteins in the body. The TUM spin-off XL-Protein GmbH has now started to further develop this new technology with blockbuster potential.

21 Sep 2009

Enzyme TFIIH kinase found to be involved in epigenetic regulation

For many years scientists have known that the numerous biological functions of an organism are not regulated solely by the DNA sequence of its genes: Superordinate regulatory mechanisms exist that contribute to determining the fate of genes. Although they are not anchored in the DNA, they can even be passed on to subsequent generations to a certain extent. Intensive research in recent years has shown that these mechanisms - bundled under the term epigenetics, are very multifaceted and complex.

17 Jun 2009

Novel approach for treating cognitive impairments

Researchers have been seeking a safe and effective way to treat cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia by enhancing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors. Functional deficits in NMDA receptors may contribute to the underlying neurobiology of this disorder.

9 Jun 2009

Potential new drug blocks pathway of deadliest cancer

Scientists at Cancer Research Technology Ltd (CRT) will present exciting new findings showing that a potent and selective inhibitor of protein kinase D called CRT0066101, inhibits the growth of pancreatic tumours.

20 Apr 2009

E. coli persists against antibiotics through HipA-induced dormancy

Bacteria hunker down and survive antibiotic attack when a protein flips a chemical switch that throws them into a dormant state until treatment abates, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Jan.16 edition of Science.

19 Jan 2009