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Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

Gilead Sciences announces Quad regimen Phase II clinical trial results for HIV infection treatment

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced Phase II clinical trial results showing that its investigational fixed-dose, single-tablet "Quad" regimen of elvitegravir, cobicistat and Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the treatment of HIV infection maintained a high rate of virologic suppression through 48 weeks, exhibiting antiretroviral activity comparable to that of Atripla(efavirenz 600 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg).

14 Sep 2010

Researchers identify body's control switch system to eliminate damaged cells

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists discovered a new mechanism cells use to maximize production of a key protein following DNA damage and demonstrated the potential of small molecules to regulate the process and protect healthy tissue.

14 Sep 2010

Molecule microRNA-21 enhances growth and survival of existing lung cancer

A tiny molecule that spurs the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer could become a player in fighting the disease, say researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, who published a study on how the molecule behaves in mice in the Sept. 14 issue of Cancer Cell.

14 Sep 2010

NIH awards QuantaLife $6 million to build platform for detecting MRSA infections

QuantaLife, a new life science tool company developing the third generation of PCR, has received an NIH grant totaling ~$6 million over 5 years for the development of rapid, cost-effective technology for detecting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The grant, from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health, will fund the project.

14 Sep 2010

Transgenomic expands EU distribution of SURVEYOR Scan K-RAS CE IVD mutation detection kit

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced that it completed the requirements for CE IVD labeling and has significantly expanded distribution of its SURVEYOR® Scan K-RAS mutation detection kit throughout most of the European Union. The SURVEYOR Scan K-RAS CE IVD kit is a member of Transgenomic's family of mutation detection kits, which features proprietary SURVEYOR endonuclease technology.

14 Sep 2010

Cell quality control mechanism research paves way for new understanding of neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have solved a long-standing mystery of how cells conduct "quality control" to eliminate the toxic effects of a certain kind of error in protein production. The findings may lead to a better understanding of a host of neurodegenerative diseases.

13 Sep 2010

Researchers find amyloid precursor protein function in Alzheimer's disease

In people with Alzheimer's, the brain becomes riddled with clumps of protein, forming what are known as amyloid plaques. Now, a report appearing in the September 17th print issue of Cell appears to have found a function for the amyloid precursor protein that yields the prime ingredient in those plaques.

13 Sep 2010

Shire announces expansion of Human Genetic Therapies pipeline

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the expansion of its Human Genetic Therapies pipeline through the exclusive license, in markets outside of North America, for the activin receptor type IIB class of molecules being developed by Acceleron Pharma Inc., a private biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

10 Sep 2010

Acceleron Pharma and Shire announce joint development of ACE-031 for DMD

Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that modulate the growth of cells and tissues including muscle, bone, fat, red blood cells and the vasculature, and Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced a joint development and commercialization agreement for ACE-031 and other novel molecules targeting the activin receptor type IIB (ActRIIB) pathway. This pathway plays critical roles in regulating the growth of skeletal muscle.

9 Sep 2010

Micro-RNAs programmed cells can lead to malignant growth

Cancer becomes life threatening when tumor cells start leaving their primary site. They travel through the lymph and blood streams to other tissues where they grow into metastases. This transition to malignancy is associated with characteristic changes in the cancer cells. The activity of several genes is reprogrammed and, thus, the production of proteins anchoring cells to a tissue is reduced. On the other hand, the amount of surface markers which make a cancer cell mobile increases.

9 Sep 2010

'Cloud computing improves' speed of analyzing RNA sequencing data

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed new software that greatly improves the speed at which scientists can analyze RNA sequencing data. RNA sequencing is used to compare differences in gene expression to identify those genes that switched on or off when, for instance, a particular disease is present.

9 Sep 2010

Cylene Pharmaceuticals to report recent developments of CX-4945 inhibitor at CK2 International Conference

Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will report recent developments with its first-in-class, oral CK2 inhibitor CX-4945, at the 6th International Conference on Protein Kinase CK2, to be held on September 7-10 in Cologne, Germany, the company announced today.

9 Sep 2010

ARID1A gene links ovarian cancer to endometriosis

Researchers with the Ovarian Cancer Research Program of BC (OvCaRe) reveal a major new cancer gene-ARID1A. Mutations are frequent in this gene and link two types of ovarian cancer to endometriosis.

9 Sep 2010

Phase 3 REALIZE study shows milestone in treatment development for hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that 65% of people overall achieved a sustained viral response (SVR or viral cure) with a telaprevir-based regimen in the pivotal Phase 3 REALIZE study, as compared to 17% of people in the control arm who received pegylated-interferon and ribavirin alone.

8 Sep 2010

Silence Therapeutics receives two patents for RNA interference therapeutics

Silence Therapeutics plc announces the issuance of two new patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) which are broadly directed to double-stranded short interfering RNA (siRNA) sequences against the validated cancer targets epidermal growth factor receptor related protein (EGFR-RP) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1).

8 Sep 2010

NIH expands funding for Baylor College of Medicine Human Microbiome Project

The National Institutes of Health today announced expanded funding of the Baylor College of Medicine Human Microbiome Project clinical program initiated last year at Texas Children Hospital.

8 Sep 2010

Researchers develop new RNA molecule approach to kill cancer cells

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have engineered a fundamentally new approach to killing cancer cells. The process developed by Niles Pierce, associate professor of applied and computational mathematics and bioengineering at Caltech, and his colleagues uses small RNA molecules that can be programmed to attack only specific cancer cells then, by changing shape, those molecules cause the cancer cells to self destruct.

8 Sep 2010

University of Maryland School of Medicine orders AVANCE III 950 US2 NMR spectrometer from Bruker

Bruker Corporation announces a major order from the University of Maryland School of Medicine for its ultra-high field AVANCE III 950 US2 NMR spectrometer. The 950 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance magnet and spectrometer will help University of Maryland researchers to unravel the mysteries of molecules and develop new agents to treat cancer, AIDS and other diseases.

7 Sep 2010

Researchers to develop new treatment strategy for cancer

Cancer is a difficult disease to treat because it's a personal disease. Each case is unique and based on a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Conventional chemotherapy employs treatment with one or more drugs, assuming that these medicines are able to both "diagnose" and "treat" the affected cells. Many of the side effects experienced by chemotherapy patients are due to the fact that the drugs they are taking aren't selective enough.

7 Sep 2010

New insight into abnormalities in cancer cells

A basic requirement for growth and life of a multicellular organism is the ability of its cells to divide. Chromosomes in the cells duplicate and are then distributed among the daughter cells. This distribution is organized by a protein complex made up of several hundred different proteins, called the centrosome. In cancer cells, the centrosome often assumes an unnatural shape or is present in uncontrolled numbers. The reasons for this were previously largely unknown.

4 Sep 2010