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dSarm/Sarm1 gene promotes axon destruction after injury

Degeneration of the axon and synapse, the slender projection through which neurons transmit electrical impulses to neighboring cells, is a hallmark of some of the most crippling neurodegenerative and brain diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease and peripheral neuropathy.

8 Jun 2012

Scientists create cancer model built in the fruit fly Drosophila

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine developed a cancer model built in the fruit fly Drosophila, then used it to create a whole new approach to the discovery of cancer treatments. The result is an investigational compound AD80 that precisely targets multiple cancer genes.

8 Jun 2012

Clinical study demonstrates effectiveness of vismodegib in treating BCNS

A revolutionary clinical study has demonstrated the effectiveness of a new drug, vismodegib, in dramatically shrinking and preventing the formation of basal cell skin cancers - the most common cancer in the United States - in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS), a rare genetic condition that causes hundreds to thousands of skin cancers primarily treated by surgical removal.

7 Jun 2012

WHO calls for greater vigilance on correct use of antibiotics against gonorrhoea

Millions of people with gonorrhoea may be at risk of running out of treatment options unless urgent action is taken, according to WHO. Already several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom are reporting cases of resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics - the last treatment option against gonorrhoea. Every year an estimated 106 million people are infected with gonorrhea, which is transmitted sexually.

7 Jun 2012

New research into cell-damaging effects of Huntington's disease

New research into the cell-damaging effects of Huntington's disease suggests a potentially new approach for identifying possible therapeutic targets for treating the nerve-destroying disorder.

7 Jun 2012

Study reveals new information about origin of tumors

A study by Travis H. Stracker, researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), in collaboration with scientists at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, reveals new information about the origin of tumors.

7 Jun 2012

Ancient hepatitis B may hold clues to viral evolution, spread

The evolution of the hepatitis B virus and its possible migration have become clearer with the sequencing of the oldest sample of the virus, isolated from a mummified 16th-century Korean child, say scientists.

6 Jun 2012

AB Science announces data from development program of masitinib in GIST

AB Science SA, a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), announces today that data from the development program of masitinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) have been presented as part of three presentations delivered at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2012 Annual Meeting, 1-5 June in Chicago, Illinois.

6 Jun 2012

Transgenomic introduces ICE COLD-PCR mutation detection technology

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced the commercial launch of its ICE COLD-PCR mutation detection technology, a breakthrough technology enabling unmatched sensitivity and complete DNA mutation detection using the standard sequencing equipment already installed in laboratories around the world.

6 Jun 2012

Promising data from Array BioPharma’s MEK162 Phase 2 trial on BRAF and NRAS mutant melanoma

Promising data on MEK162 in an ongoing Phase 2 trial of patients with BRAF and NRAS mutated advanced melanoma was presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

5 Jun 2012

$Ambit, Astellas commence quizartinib Phase 2b trial in relapsed/refractory AML$

Ambit, Astellas commence quizartinib Phase 2b trial in relapsed/refractory AML

Astellas Pharma Inc. and Ambit Biosciences Corporation today announced the initiation of a Phase 2b open-label clinical trial of quizartinib as monotherapy in patients with relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3-ITD mutations.

5 Jun 2012

Oncothyreon announces data from two clinical trials of PX-866 at ASCO meeting

Oncothyreon Inc. today announced that data from two clinical trials of PX-866, a pan-isoform phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI-3K) inhibitor, were presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago.

4 Jun 2012

Study reveals why GBM is highly resistant to current chemotherapies

New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains why the incurable brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is highly resistant to current chemotherapies.

2 Jun 2012

New molecular test panel to enhance reliability of thyroid biopsy testing

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced a new molecular test panel designed to help physicians determine if a thyroid gland is cancerous and requires surgical removal.

From Quest Diagnostics 2 Jun 2012

High costs can limit access to potentially life-saving technology

More than one-fifth of people who have received referrals to test for cancer-causing genes say they will only undergo testing if their insurance covers the cost-just as more insurers are instituting cost-sharing for medical services like genetic testing, according to new findings from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia released at this year's 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Saturday, June 2.

2 Jun 2012

Engineered proteins demonstrate flu-fighting potency

Computer-designed proteins are under construction to fight the flu. Researchers are demonstrating that proteins found in nature, but that do not normally bind the flu, can be engineered to act as broad-spectrum antiviral agents against a variety of flu virus strains, including H1N1 pandemic influenza.

2 Jun 2012

Beneficial design element in sunitinib phase III clinical trial for gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Patients benefitted from an important design element in the pivotal phase III clinical trial that led to Food and Drug Administration and worldwide regulatory approval of sunitinib for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors resistant to the only other available therapy, according to a study in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2012

Two pharma companies plan international trials into targeted cancer treatments in the UK

A Cancer Research UK initiative to improve cancer gene testing has prompted two pharmaceutical companies to plan pioneering international trials into targeted cancer treatments in the UK.

2 Jun 2012

America's biopharmaceutical researchers work on many new approaches to fight cancer

America's biopharmaceutical research companies are testing 981 medicines and vaccines to fight the many types of cancer affecting millions of patients worldwide, according to a report released today by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

2 Jun 2012

Distinctive protein pathways in certain leukemia patients

Scientists at Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have successfully profiled protein pathways found to be distinctive to leukemia patients with particular variants of the disease.

1 Jun 2012