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Amgen seeks marketing approval of Repatha (evolocumab) in Japan for treatment of high cholesterol

Amgen today announced that an application seeking marketing approval of Repatha (evolocumab) for the treatment of high cholesterol has been submitted for review to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan.

21 Mar 2015

Mutations in hair keratins increase risk for dental defects, caries

Today at the 93rd General Session and Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research, researcher Olivier Duverger, National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Md., USA, will present a study titled "Hair Keratins as Structural Organic Components of Mature Enamel: The Link Between Hair Disorders and Susceptibility to Dental Caries."

20 Mar 2015

Cambridge scientists successfully create 'mini-lungs' to study cystic fibrosis

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have successfully created 'mini-lungs' using stem cells derived from skin cells of patients with cystic fibrosis, and have shown that these can be used to test potential new drugs for this debilitating lung disease.

20 Mar 2015

Promising new treatment for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer

European scientists recently discovered a novel therapy to treat a subgroup of patients with hereditary breast/ovarian cancer. Both the EU and the US have approved an accelerated procedure to market this promising new treatment with few side effects.

20 Mar 2015

New triple combination therapy shows promise in controlling advanced melanoma

Results of a new study by UCLA researchers has found that a groundbreaking new triple combination therapy shows promising signs of more effectively controlling advanced melanoma than previous BRAF + MEK inhibitor or BRAF inhibitor + immunotherapy combos alone, and with increased immune response and fewer side effects.

20 Mar 2015

Scientists discover how ALL cells mutate to survive chemotherapy

By genomic sequencing of leukemia cells from relapsed patients at different stages, scientists have discovered key details of how acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells mutate to survive chemotherapy. These mutations enable the cells to proliferate, causing relapse and often death.

20 Mar 2015

PARP inhibitors can be effective in broader group of patients

A pioneering class of drugs that target cancers with mutations in the BRCA breast cancer genes could also work against tumours with another type of genetic fault, a new study suggests.

20 Mar 2015

New technology developed to determine resistance to rabies virus

Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife Research have developed a new technology to determine sensitivity or resistance to rabies virus.

20 Mar 2015

Cumulative genetic risk may underlie many Parkinson’s cases

Genetic risk for Parkinson’s disease may be due as much to multiple genes with small individual effects as to single high-risk genes, research suggests.

19 Mar 2015

UVA researcher identifies potential therapeutic target for myotonic muscular dystrophy

A doctor who was one of the discoverers of the gene responsible for myotonic muscular dystrophy has now identified a therapeutic that could modify progression of muscle damage and muscle dysfunction associated with the disease - issues that cause patients significant disability and deterioration in quality of life.

19 Mar 2015

New method of testing deadly pathogen could help combat cystic fibrosis

A new method of testing the most common cause of life-threatening infection in people with cystic fibrosis could improve efforts to study and combat the illness.

18 Mar 2015

DNA sequence determines flexibility, stability of DNA package inside microscopic cell

To pack two meters of DNA into a microscopic cell, the string of genetic information must be wound extremely carefully into chromosomes. Surprisingly the DNA's sequence causes it to be coiled and uncoiled much like a yoyo, scientists reported in Cell.

18 Mar 2015

Scientists identify how mRNA deciphers critical information within genetic code

Case Western Reserve scientists have discovered that speed matters when it comes to how messenger RNA (mRNA) deciphers critical information within the genetic code — the complex chain of instructions critical to sustaining life. The investigators' findings, which appear in the March 12 journal Cell, give scientists critical new information in determining how best to engage cells to treat illness — and, ultimately, keep them from emerging in the first place.

18 Mar 2015

Anesthetics interfere with certain proteins in excitatory neurons that transmit signals

Anesthetics have been used in surgical procedures for more than 150 years, but the mechanisms by which inhaled anesthesia actually work are poorly understood. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have discovered that anesthetics bind to and interfere with certain proteins in excitatory neurons, which are necessary for these neurons to transmit signals involved in anesthesia and the perception of pain.

18 Mar 2015

Penn researchers find evidence of new culprit in colon cancer

Colon cancer is a heavily studied disease -- and for good reason. It is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and its numbers are on the rise, from 500,00 deaths in 1990 to 700,000 in 2010.

17 Mar 2015

Study: Cancer drug may help reduce bleeding in HHT patients

A cancer drug that helps keep tumors from growing blood vessels may help patients with a rare genetic condition in which malformed vessels increase their risk for bleeding and anemia.

17 Mar 2015

Ludwig researchers establish proof of concept for new approach to drug design

Exploring the fundamental mechanism by which a cell-surface receptor transmits its signal, an international team of Ludwig researchers and their colleagues has established proof of concept for an entirely new approach to drug design. They report that a class of synthetic molecules known as diabodies can, from outside the cell, latch onto a target receptor and manipulate it in such a manner as to induce distinct and varying effects within cells and tissues.

17 Mar 2015

TSRI scientists confirm ribosome assembly as new target for anti-cancer drugs

Ribosomes, ancient molecular machines that produce proteins in cells, are required for cell growth in all organisms, accomplishing strikingly complex tasks with apparent ease. But defects in the assembly process and its regulation can lead to serious biological problems, including cancer.

17 Mar 2015

Combination of anti-Nodal and DTIC therapy can produce anti-cancer effects

Metastatic melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer deaths in the United States; once melanoma has spread (metastasized), life expectancy for patients can be dramatically shortened.

13 Mar 2015

Kalorama Information: Budding market for digital PCR reached 175 million in 2014

Kalorama Information estimated the budding market for digital PCR reached 175 million in 2014. The market research publisher said companies will be looking to provide products to increase research and diagnostics in diseases like cancer and neurological disorders.

13 Mar 2015