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ViroPharma receives orphan drug designation for Maribavir

ViroPharma Incorporated today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation for maribavir for prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia and disease in the populations at-risk.

7 Feb 2007

Bright quantum dots help basic cancer biology studies

Though there is little doubt that nanoscale devices are going to play a critical role in improving cancer detection and treatment over the next five to ten years, nanoparticles are already having a major impact on the way that cancer biologists study the processes that go awry within malignant and metastatic cells.

5 Feb 2007

Antipodean Pharma commences phase 2 trial in hepatitis C

Antipodean Pharmaceuticals has announced it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of its lead compound MitoQ (mitoquinone) to investigate the drug's efficacy to reduce liver damage in patients with raised liver enzymes associated with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

5 Feb 2007

Cancer Research Technology grants Waypharm option to novel platinum agents

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the cancer-focused development and commercialisation company, today announce that Waypharm S.A.S (Waypharm) has secured rights to evaluate Thioplatin a novel hypoxia-responsive platinum-based cancer therapy, from CRT.

5 Feb 2007

Potential new cancer fighting drug found by mistake

Researchers in the United States appear to have almost inadvertently stumbled across what could be a new cancer treatment.

5 Feb 2007

Cellulose sulfate microbicide stopped

A Phase III study of the candidate microbicide cellulose sulfate to prevent HIV transmission in women has been stopped prematurely because of a higher number of HIV infections in the active compared with the placebo group.

31 Jan 2007

FDA approves Neuren's phase 3 Glypromate trial

Neuren Pharmaceuticals has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its investigational new drug application (IND) and authorised the Company to proceed with its Phase 3 trial to prevent cognitive impairment following major cardiac surgery using Glypromate.

30 Jan 2007

Nventa Bio issued U.S patent for heat shock protein fusion to treat influenza

The patent provides coverage for compositions of fusion proteins comprised of an influenza antigen fused to a heat shock protein (Hsp), as well as DNA encoding such fusion proteins and their use in immunotherapy.

30 Jan 2007

Access Pharmaceuticals issued U.S. patent

This patent, entitled "O,O'-Amidomalonato and N,O-Amidomalonato Platinum Complexes" is one of a series of patents and patent applications owned by Access which provides intellectual property protection to ProLindac and related tumor-targeted platinum compounds.

30 Jan 2007

Probing proteins can lead to better understanding of anti-tumor agents

There are a number of naturally occurring chemicals that are used in phototherapy of skin diseases. Hypocrellin A (HA), which can be extracted from a parasitic fungus, has been taken orally as a folk medicine for several centuries in China.

29 Jan 2007

Small molecule targets weak mRNA

A new strategy for fighting cancer aims to make its genes get lost in translation, according to a report in the January 26, 2007, issue of the journal Cell.

28 Jan 2007

Minor mistake in protein production at the cellular level may lead to serious neurological diseases

But exactly how the cell avoids such mistakes has remained unclear until now. Researchers at Ohio State University found the mechanism that prevents such errors, and explain their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

28 Jan 2007

Shire licenses the north American rights for Apricitabine to Avexa

Shire plc has announced that it licensed the North America (U.S. and Canada) rights for the investigational HIV compound, SPD754 (also known as apricitabine), to the Australian biotechnology company Avexa Limited in return for an up-front payment of US$10 million, development and sales related milestones and royalties.

22 Jan 2007

Neuren reports successful NNZ-2566 safety trial results

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd has successfully completed a Phase 1 safety and tolerability trial of its second lead candidate, NNZ-2566, which is being developed to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI).

16 Jan 2007

Biomimetic amplification of nanoparticle homing to tumors

A collaborative, multidisciplinary team of researchers has created nanoparticles that act much like a developing clot to target tumors.

16 Jan 2007

Lung neutrophils produce histamine in significant quantities

In a surprise finding, scientists have discovered that histamine, the inflammatory compound released during allergic reactions that causes runny nose, watery eyes, and wheezing, can be produced in large amounts in the lung by neutrophils, the white blood cells that are the major component of pus.

14 Jan 2007

Blue-green algae may lead to exciting class of anti-cancer drugs

Combining synthetic chemistry techniques with a knowledge of the properties and actions of enzymes, scientists have been able to produce an exciting class of anti-cancer drugs originally isolated from blue-green algae.

10 Jan 2007

Milk eliminates cardiovascular health benefits of tea

Research published on-line in European Heart Journal has found that the protective effect that tea has on the cardiovascular system is totally wiped out by adding milk.

9 Jan 2007

Milk wipes out heart benefits offered by tea

Research published online in the European Heart Journal has found that the protective effect that tea has on the cardiovascular system is totally wiped out by adding milk.

9 Jan 2007

Olive-pomace oil slows down spread of HIV

Olive oil has become part of the fight against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) - the cause of AIDS - thanks to research carried out by the Bionat team, from the University of Granada, headed by Prof. Andres Garcia-Granados, senior lecturer in Organic Chemistry.

8 Jan 2007