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New findings could drive medical advances in genetic disorders that cause infertility

A hormone responsible for the onset of puberty can end up stuck in the wrong part of the body if the nerve pathways responsible for its transport to the brain fail to develop properly, according to research funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

30 Nov 2010

New 'canSAR' cancer drug discovery database launched

A powerful new cancer drug discovery database has been launched to speed up the process of bringing drugs from 'bench to bedside'.

29 Nov 2010

Marcus evans Summit highlights potential growth, innovation in drug discovery

Drug discovery scientists need to broaden their approaches to pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) and Medicinal Chemistry, to take advantage of untapped opportunities, says Torsten Hoffmann, Head Discovery Chemistry at F. Hoffmann La Roche, Basel, Switzerland. Chemical Biology allows room for innovation, but is often overlooked by scientists in the industry.

29 Nov 2010

New irreversible covalent approach to inhibit viral protease

Avila Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel targeted covalent drugs, has published research in Nature Chemical Biology demonstrating the first-ever selective irreversible inhibition of a viral protease using a targeted covalent drug.

28 Nov 2010

New strategy to prevent memory deficits in mouse model with AD

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) in San Francisco have discovered a new strategy to prevent memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

28 Nov 2010

New findings provide insight into brain development

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified key components of a signaling pathway that controls the departure of neurons from the brain niche where they form and allows these cells to start migrating to their final destination. Defects in this system affect the architecture of the brain and are associated with epilepsy, mental retardation and perhaps malignant brain tumors.

25 Nov 2010

Cannabis compounds trigger immune cells that promote cancer growth

An international team of immunologists studying the effects of cannabis have discovered how smoking marijuana can trigger a suppression of the body's immune functions. The research, published in the European Journal of Immunology, reveals why cannabis users are more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections.

25 Nov 2010

New NIVI tissue-imaging technique can accurately detect cancer cells

The long, anxious wait for biopsy results could soon be over, thanks to a tissue-imaging technique developed at the University of Illinois.

25 Nov 2010

E. coli host bacterium produces antibiotic erythromycin A

Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering have reported the first successful production of the antibiotic erythromycin A, and two variations, using E. coli as the production host.

24 Nov 2010

Discovery may lead to new generation of drugs to minimize heart attack risk

An international team led by researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Cambridge has announced a breakthrough in identifying people at risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots that can lead to heart attack.

24 Nov 2010

Diabetes drug may counteract against Alzheimer's disease: Research

Metformin, a drug used in type 2-diabetes might have the potential to also act against Alzheimer's disease. This has been shown in a study from scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the University of Dundee and the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics.

24 Nov 2010

Plant-derived bioscavenger protects against pesticide and nerve agent organophosphate poisoning

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across the narrow cleft separating one neuron from another or between neurons and their target cells. Of the many kinds of molecules involved in this lively chemical symposium, acetylcholine is among the most critical, performing a host of functions in the central and peripheral nervous system.

24 Nov 2010

iPrEx study: PrEP reduces HIV infection risk among gay, bisexual men

A daily dose of an oral antiretroviral drug, currently approved to treat HIV infection, reduced the risk of acquiring HIV infection by 43.8 percent among men who have sex with men.

24 Nov 2010

Disrupting estrogen pathway can halt expansion of breast cancer stem cells: Research

Breast cancer stem cells (CSCs), the aggressive cells thought to be resistant to current anti-cancer therapies and which promote metastasis, are stimulated by estrogen via a pathway that mirrors normal stem cell development.

23 Nov 2010

Parkinson Society Canada awards Quebec scientists $573,384 for research

Quebec Parkinson researchers receive a record $573,384 in funding from Parkinson Society Canada to increase their efforts to identify the causes of this degenerative brain disease for which there is currently no cure. At a Research Innovation event in Montreal this evening, hosted by Parkinson Society Quebec in partnership with McGill University and the CHUM, 11 Parkinson scientists will be lauded for their efforts in getting closer to a cure.

23 Nov 2010

Compugen announces development of Protein Family Members Discovery Platform

Compugen Ltd. announced today the development of its Protein Family Members Discovery Platform, designed for the discovery of novel protein members belonging to various known and clinically important protein families.

23 Nov 2010

Soligenix receives U.S patent for modified immunogen in RiVax vaccine

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent #7,829,668, entitled Compositions and methods for modifying toxic effects of proteinaceous compounds.

22 Nov 2010

Mimetogen initiates MIM-D3 Phase II clinical trial for dry eye disease

Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel small molecule compounds that mimic the effects of neurotrophins, today announced that it has initiated the first human clinical trial evaluating MIM-D3, a mimetic of nerve growth factor (NGF), in a Phase II clinical trial in patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease. MIM-D3 is a small cyclic peptidomimetic of NGF, a naturally occurring protein in the eye that is responsible for the maintenance of corneal nerves and epithelium, mucin and tear production.

22 Nov 2010

ImmunGene awarded $244,479 therapeutic discovery project grant under PPACA 2010

ImmunGene, Inc., a privately held drug development company focused on targeted antibody therapeutics with numerous anti-cancer functions built into a single therapy, announced today that it has received a $244,479 grant under The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA). The grant was related to the development of ImmunGene's technology which is based on antibody-cytokine fusions that have demonstrated targeted toxicity and added tumor benefits.

22 Nov 2010

Researchers reconstitute first step of break repair in cancerous cells

What prompts normal cells to transform themselves into cancerous cells. Researchers from Texas institutions, including the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, have identified factors in the very first step of the process and reconstituted this first step in the test tube. The latter accomplishment was reported Sunday [Nov. 21] in the top-tier journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

22 Nov 2010