Red Blood Cells News and Research

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FDA grants accelerated approval for Darzalex to treat patients with multiple myeloma

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for Darzalex (daratumumab) to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior treatments. Darzalex is the first monoclonal antibody approved for treating multiple myeloma.

17 Nov 2015

Boston Children's Hospital selects Vijay G. Sankaran to receive Rising Star Award

Saluting his spectacular track record to date of innovative research on red blood cell disorders and his future promise as a physician/scientist, Boston Children's Hospital has selected Vijay G. Sankaran, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center to receive the Rising Star Award at the hospital's third annual Global Pediatric Innovation Summit, Taking on Tomorrow (#PedInno15).

11 Nov 2015

Stem-cell scientists discover new view of how human blood is made

Stem-cell scientists led by Dr. John Dick have discovered a completely new view of how human blood is made, upending conventional dogma from the 1960s.

6 Nov 2015

Circulating protein predicts risk of chronic kidney disease

Make room, cholesterol. A new disease marker is entering the medical lexicon: suPAR, or soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.

6 Nov 2015

UConn-led researchers develop simple technique for diagnosis and monitoring of sickle cell disease

A team of UConn biomedical engineers, working with colleagues from Yale, MIT, and Harvard, has developed a simple, inexpensive, and quick technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of sickle cell disease that can be used in regions where advanced medical technology and training are scarce.

5 Nov 2015

Lab experiment leads researchers to major red blood cell discovery

A bizarre result of a routine lab experiment has led researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine to an unexpected new way to trigger the production of red blood cells. This could represent a significant step forward in the battle against anemia, benefitting people with diabetes, people with kidney disease or cancer, and older people for whom anemia can become a chronic problem.

3 Nov 2015

Key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them useful in regenerative medicine

A key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them more useful in regenerative medicine, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

31 Oct 2015

UAB researcher awarded NIH grant to study pathogenesis of thrombotic microangiopathy

University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher X. Long Zheng, M.D., Ph.D., has received a five-year, $2.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to study the pathogenesis of thrombotic microangiopathy, or TMA. In simple terms, this means looking for factors that cause or aid the onset of extensive microscopic clots in small blood vessels throughout the body. Though tiny, these spots can damage kidneys, heart and brain, and they can cause death.

29 Oct 2015

Patients with treatment-resistant autoimmune blood conditions may benefit from sirolimus

The immunosuppressant sirolimus is an effective and safe steroid-sparing therapy for children and young adults with highly treatment-resistant autoimmune blood conditions, according to a study published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology.

27 Oct 2015

FDA approves Yondelis (trabectedin) for treatment of specific soft tissue sarcomas

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Yondelis (trabectedin), a chemotherapy, for the treatment of specific soft tissue sarcomas (STS) – liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma – that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or is advanced (metastatic).

24 Oct 2015

IPF-PRO Registry data sheds light on characteristics of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical, Inc. today announced initial results of the first 49 people enrolled in the IPF-PRO Registry, which shed light on characteristics of people with IPF at the time of diagnosis.

23 Oct 2015

Successful treatment of rare neurodegenerative disease exemplifies potential of precision medicine

A 20-month-old girl suffering from a rare neurodegenerative disease was diagnosed by exome sequencing and successfully treated.

23 Oct 2015

Researchers use cutting edge genomic methods to explain protective effects of malaria vaccine candidate

An international team led by researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have used cutting edge genomic methods to uncover key biological insights that help explain the protective effects of the world's most advanced malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S).

22 Oct 2015

Research finding points towards developing effective malaria vaccine

In a recent breakthrough to combat malaria, a collaboration of Indian and American scientists have identified a malarial parasite protein that can be used to develop antibodies when displayed on novel nanoparticles. This approach has the potential to prevent the parasite from multiplying in the human host and also inhibits transmission through mosquitoes. The finding points towards developing a powerful malaria vaccine in the hope of eradicating this debilitating and often fatal disease.

20 Oct 2015

CNIO researchers identify molecular mechanisms that determine cancer predisposition in DBA patients

Researchers from the Tumour Suppression Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, headed by Manuel Serrano, have discovered the molecular mechanisms that determine cancer predisposition in patients with Diamond-Blackfan anaemia (DBA).

18 Oct 2015

Study could help mitigate effects of ageing on blood stem cells, promote new therapies for anaemia

A research conducted by Juan Méndez, Head of the DNA Replication Group of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of ageing of the stem cells responsible for regenerating blood cells and opens up a new avenue for reducing their progressive functional decline with age.

16 Oct 2015

Study shows why cancer anemia therapy stimulates tumor growth

Scientists have shown why a drug widely used to treat chemotherapy-induced anemia in ovarian and breast cancer patients also may shorten survival times in some patients by inadvertently stimulating tumor growth.

16 Oct 2015

Study explains why anemia is a common side effect of anti-cancer drugs

Many types of leukemia are caused by loss of enzymes such as Pten, which normally keeps cell growth in check, or conversely, the over-activation of enzymes that normally enhance cell proliferation, such as Shp2.

13 Oct 2015

Human malaria parasite molecules share key gene segments with chimp, gorilla malaria parasites

The malaria parasite molecules associated with severe disease and death--those that allow the parasite to escape recognition by the immune system--have been shown to share key gene segments with chimp and gorilla malaria parasites, which are separated by several millions of years, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

12 Oct 2015

New study shows electronic tracking system helps lower blood transfusions and infection rates

An electronic system that monitors how physicians give blood to patients after an operation has enabled a 22-hospital system with thousands of doctors to significantly reduce the amount of blood transfusions patients receive, cutting costs by $2.5 million over two years and contributing to lower infection rates without harming patients, according to a study presented at the 2015 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

8 Oct 2015