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Researchers identify existence of precursor cells in early prostate cancers

A team of cancer researchers at the University of California, San Diego has identified the existence of precursor cells in early prostate cancers. These cells are resistant to androgen-deprivation therapy, and may drive the subsequent emergence of recurrent or metastatic prostate cancer.

26 Sep 2013

Targeting cell-division cycle may lead to improved outcomes for patients with medulloblastoma

A new experimental approach to treating a type of brain cancer called medulloblastoma has been developed by researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham).

26 Sep 2013

MGH researchers identify rare gene mutations that appear to cause late-onset AD

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have identified and validated two rare gene mutations that appear to cause the common form of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that strikes after the age of 60.

25 Sep 2013

Study shows how deadly Candida albicans might be rendered harmless

Candida albicans is a double agent: In most of us, it lives peacefully, but for people whose immune systems are compromised by HIV or other severe illnesses, it is frequently deadly. Now a new study from Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical School shows how targeting a specific fungal component might turn the fungus from a lion back into a kitten.

25 Sep 2013

Abbvie, Galapagos Ink Up To $405M CF Collaboration

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24 Sep 2013

Rhythm starts RM-493 clinical trials in obesity patients with genetic deficiency

Rhythm announced today the initiation of the first of a series of clinical trials with RM-493, the company's novel melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) agonist, for the treatment of obesity in individuals with a genetic deficiency in the MC4R pathway.

24 Sep 2013

Researchers discover drug that halts growth of brain tumor cells

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that weeks of treatment with a repurposed FDA-approved drug halted the growth of - and ultimately left no detectable trace of - brain tumor cells taken from adult human patients.

24 Sep 2013

Sodium-potassium pump is pivotal to body's function

The story of the sodium-potassium pump has strong ties to Denmark. In 1997, the Danish scientist Jens Chr. Skou received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery, and over the years, research on the pump has remained a strong focus area at Aarhus University.

23 Sep 2013

Small alteration in a brain gene contributes to risk for anxiety, depression and memory loss

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered why a tiny alteration in a brain gene, found in 20 percent of the population, contributes to the risk for anxiety, depression and memory loss.

20 Sep 2013

Human breast tumors transplant could be valuable tools in search for better treatments

Breast cancer that spreads to other organs is extremely difficult to treat. Doctors can buy patients time, but a cure remains elusive. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that human breast tumors transplanted into mice are excellent models of metastatic cancer and could be valuable tools in the search for better treatments.

20 Sep 2013

Scientists are preparing for possible pandemic spread of new bird flu strain

Scientists at Saint Louis University are preparing for the potential pandemic spread of a new bird flu strain that caused severe disease in China last spring, joining researchers from seven other Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test vaccines to protect against the illness in adults.

20 Sep 2013

Google Eyes Wider Healthcare Footprint With Tech-Focused Calico

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19 Sep 2013

Incidence of MRSA bacterial infection increases among Danes

In 2012, 1,556 Danes were found positive with methicillin-resistant staphylococci - MRSA. This represents an increase of 20% from 2011. In fact, the total number of cases has almost doubled since 2009. MRSA bacteria are resistant to antimicrobial agents that are essential for treatment of treating life-threatening infections in humans.

19 Sep 2013

Blood lipid marker may help predict risk for Parkinson's disease

A genetic mutation, known as GBA, that leads to early onset of Parkinson's disease and severe cognitive impairment (in about 4 to 7 percent of all patients with the disease) also alters how specific lipids, ceramides and glucosylceramides are metabolized. Mayo Clinic researchers have found that Parkinson's patients who do not carry the genetic mutation also have higher levels of these lipids in the blood. Further, those who had Parkinson's and high blood levels were also more likely to have cognitive impairment and dementia.

19 Sep 2013

Overactivity of EGFR protein leads to heightened cancer growth and chemotherapy resistance

Overactivity of a protein that normally cues cells to divide sabotages the body-s natural cellular recycling process, leading to heightened cancer growth and chemotherapy resistance, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

19 Sep 2013

Researchers examine evolutionary selective pressure for MC1R gene among Spaniard and European populations

The proclivity of Spaniards to bask in regions like the Costa del Sol while their northern European counterparts must stay under cover to protect their paler skin or risk skin cancer is due in large part to the pigment producing qualities of the MC1R gene locus.

19 Sep 2013

Scientists prepare to test vaccines to protect against new bird flu strain

Scientists at Group Health Research Institute are preparing for the potential pandemic spread of a new bird flu strain that caused severe disease in China earlier this year, joining researchers from seven other Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units funded by the National Institutes of Health to test vaccines to protect against the illness in adults.

19 Sep 2013

First clinical trials to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease

More than a century ago, Alois Alzheimer, a Bavarian physician, first identified the neurodegenerative brain condition that came to be known as Alzheimer's disease. Finding ways to diagnose and treat this disease has frustrated scientists and clinicians ever since.

19 Sep 2013

OGT to share expertise in NGS assay design through live webinar presentation

Oxford Gene Technology, provider of innovative genetics research and biomarker solutions to advance molecular medicine, will share its expertise in NGS assay design by hosting a live webinar entitled ‘Enhanced bait design strategies that deliver more reliable NGS panel assays’ on 3rd October 2013, at 3:00pm (BST).

From Oxford Gene Technology 19 Sep 2013

Researchers identify likely molecular pathway that causes untreatable neurodegenerative diseases

University of Adelaide researchers have identified a likely molecular pathway that causes a group of untreatable neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease.

19 Sep 2013