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ActiveSite's ASP-440 plasma kallikrein inhibitor effective in reducing diabetes-induced blood-retinal barrier breakdown

ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today the online publication of a study in the journal Diabetes that describes the effectiveness of its novel plasma kallikrein inhibitor ASP-440 in reducing blood-retinal barrier breakdown in a rodent model of diabetes.

28 Mar 2011

New discovery provides insight into complex Rad50 molecular motor function

Over the last years, two teams of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have steadily built a model of how a powerful DNA repair complex works. Now, their latest discovery provides revolutionary insights into the way the molecular motor inside the complex functions - findings they say may have implications for treatment of disorders ranging from cancer to cystic fibrosis.

28 Mar 2011

Researchers discover LRRK2 gene mutation may cause Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a way that mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause the most common inherited form of Parkinson's disease.

28 Mar 2011

Zileuton can help reduce amyloid plaque formation and Alzheimer's development

A drug used to treat asthma has been shown to help reduce the formation of amyloid beta, a peptide in the brain that is implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Temple University's School of Medicine.

28 Mar 2011

Researchers identify enzyme biomarker that can diagnose early colon cancer

A research team at the University of Colorado Cancer Center has identified an enzyme that could be used to diagnose colon cancer earlier. It is possible that this enzyme also could be a key to stopping the cancer.

28 Mar 2011

HIV uses base excision repair pathway to insert DNA into host-cell genome

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS, makes use of the base excision repair pathway when inserting its DNA into the host-cell genome, according to a new study led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Crippling the repair pathway prevents the virus from completing this critical step in the retrovirus's life cycle.

25 Mar 2011

Study explains how genetic mutations lead to development of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a way that mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause the most common inherited form of Parkinson's disease. The study, published online this month in the journal Public Library of Science, shows that upon specific modification called phosphorylation, LRRK2 protein binds to a family of proteins called 14-3-3, which has a regulatory function inside cells.

25 Mar 2011

Scientists identify protein that plays a key role in cancer treatment resistance

Research led by Daitoku Sakamuro, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and the LSUHSC Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, has identified a protein that enables the activation of a DNA-repair enzyme that protects cancer cells from catastrophic damage caused by chemo and radiation therapy.

25 Mar 2011

Study demonstrates bisphenol A effect on animal embryonic development

Bisphenol A, whose impact on reproduction and development is the subject of numerous studies, induces anomalies in the inner ear of embryos of certain vertebrates.

25 Mar 2011

Clinical trial to determine whether Crestor can prevent new colon tumors after surgery

Christiana Care Health System's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center is leading a national clinical trial to determine if Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, can prevent new colon tumors from forming after colon cancer surgery.

25 Mar 2011

Immune system misinterprets threats and attacks body's own cells and tissue

Many chronic diseases are the result of the body's immune system mistakenly perceiving that the body is under attack from foreign bodies. A counterattack is then launched - an inflammatory response meant to vanquish the intruder. In reality, the immune system has misinterpreted the threat and is actually attacking the body's own cells and tissue.

24 Mar 2011

Mother's gene variation can influence alcohol-related disorders in fetus

Exposure to alcohol in the womb doesn't affect all fetuses equally. Why does one woman who drinks alcohol during pregnancy give birth to a child with physical, behavioral or learning problems -- known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder -- while another woman who also drinks has a child without these problems?

24 Mar 2011

Tenascin-C protein can help promote wound healing

We all know the adage: A little bit of a good thing can go a long way. Now researchers in London are reporting that might also be true for a large protein associated with wound healing.

24 Mar 2011

Zebrafish model of human melanoma reveals new cancer gene

Looking at the dark stripes on the tiny zebrafish you might not expect that they hold a potentially important clue for discovering a treatment for the deadly skin disease melanoma. Yet melanocytes, the same cells that are are responsible for the pigmentation of zebrafish stripes and for human skin color, are also where melanoma originates.

24 Mar 2011

Specific plant oil may reduce belly fat in humans

Scientists have known for years that belly fat leads to serious medical problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found a plant oil that may be able to reduce belly fat in humans.

24 Mar 2011

AHA to honor BIDMC investigator for groundbreaking Vascular Biology research

Alterations in blood vessel dilation lie at the heart of coronary artery health: When vessels dilate, blood and oxygen supplies successfully reach the heart. When vessels contract, blood and oxygen are diminished, leading to coronary artery disease.

23 Mar 2011

Shire's Replagal and VPRIV data on Gaucher and Fabry patients presented at ACMG meeting

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, presented new data for Replagal in patients with Fabry disease, and VPRIV in patients with type 1 Gaucher disease, at the 2011 American College of Medical Genetics' Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting, held in Vancouver, BC, from March 16-20, 2011.

22 Mar 2011

AACP to honor UW professor with Volwiler Research Achievement Award

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy will honor Sidney D. Nelson, Ph.D., from the University of Washington for his outstanding research and contributions to the field of pharmaceutical sciences.

22 Mar 2011

ACE, ARB combination therapy may increase risk of kidney failure, death

Elderly patients prescribed combination angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers had a higher risk of kidney failure and death, according to a study published in CMAJ.

22 Mar 2011

FDA accepts Arisaph's ARI-3037MO IND for phase I human clinical trial

Arisaph Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Company's recently submitted Investigational New Drug application to evaluate ARI-3037MO in a phase I human clinical trial in healthy volunteers.

22 Mar 2011