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Study shows asthma drugs can treat aortic aneurysm

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that asthma drugs are a potential treatment for aortic aneurysm. These drugs, which block cysteinyl-leukotrienes, could reduce the break down of vessel wall tissue and the dilation of the aortic wall, and thus the risk of its rupturing.

16 Nov 2010

Epizyme announces publication of EZH2 enzyme for lymphoma in PNAS

Epizyme, Inc., a company leading the discovery and development of first-in-class, targeted cancer therapeutics against epigenetic targets, today announced the publication of breakthrough new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). The discovery, centered on the epigenetic enzyme EZH2, illuminates a clear path for the translation of basic science into targeted therapies for the safe and effective treatment of specific forms of human lymphomas.

16 Nov 2010

Celladon presents data on Phase 2 CUPID clinical trial for advanced heart failure at American Heart Association

Targeted Genetics Corporation announced that its partner, Celladon Corporation, today presented 12-month data from its Phase 2 CUPID clinical trial of MYDICAR demonstrating significant improvements in clinical outcomes and key disease markers in advanced heart failure patients treated with the genetically-targeted enzyme replacement therapy.

16 Nov 2010

Celladon’s Phase 2 CUPID trial shows improved clinical outcomes in advanced heart failure patients

Celladon Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases, today announced that 12-month data from its Phase 2 CUPID clinical trial of MYDICAR demonstrated significant improvements in clinical outcomes and key disease markers in advanced heart failure patients treated with the genetically-targeted enzyme replacement therapy.

15 Nov 2010

Dyadic third quarter total revenue decreases to $2.0 million

Dyadic International, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of specialty enzyme and protein products and solutions for the bioenergy, industrial enzyme and biopharmaceutical industries, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

15 Nov 2010

Research on P450 compound I may help eliminate toxins

Chemical reactions are happening all over the place all the time on the sun, on the Earth and in our bodies. In many cases, enzymes help make these reactions occur. One family of enzymes, called cytochrome P450s (P450), is important because they help us eliminate toxins.

15 Nov 2010

Dialysis patients at elevated risk for sudden cardiac death: Study

Approximately 500,000 Americans require dialysis to treat kidney disease; of that population nearly half of the deaths that occur are caused by cardiovascular disease. Dialysis patients are at elevated risk for sudden cardiac death, but physicians are unclear why these deaths occur because little research has been done to examine how to best manage heart disease in this high-risk population.

15 Nov 2010

Domainex, Sigma-Aldrich enter collaboration to study epigenetic proteins

Domainex Ltd., the Contract Research Organization committed to excellence in drug discovery, today announced a collaboration with Sigma-Aldrich that will provide essential tools, including biochemical assays and monoclonal antibodies, for the study of proteins involved in the rapidly developing field of epigenetics. These epigenetic proteins regulate DNA expression and can be critical to cancer and stem cell biology research. Funding from the UK Government-backed Technology Strategy Board will support this work.

15 Nov 2010

Senator calls for air pollution test in Chicago

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is calling for an air pollution test, in response to recent Chicago Tribune investigative reports that Chicago commuters are exposed to high levels of diesel soot.

12 Nov 2010

Research on fruit flies reveal novel human pain gene

While it has become clear in recent years that susceptibility to pain has a strong inherited component, very little is known about actual "pain genes" and how they work. In the November 12th issue of Cell, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their collaborators report on a novel human pain gene. People with minor variations in this gene showed clear differences in susceptibility to acute heat pain and chronic back pain.

12 Nov 2010

Neuron subtypes control level of fear output from amygdala

The eerie music in the movie theater swells; the roller coaster crests and begins its descent; something goes bump in the night. Suddenly, you're scared: your heart thumps, your stomach clenches, your throat tightens, your muscles freeze you in place. But fear doesn't come from your heart, your stomach, your throat, or your muscles. Fear begins in your brain, and it is there specifically in an almond shaped structure called the amygdala that it is controlled, processed, and let out of the gate to kick off the rest of the fear response.

11 Nov 2010

Researchers suspect amyloid beta causes neural damage in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers suspect that a protein superstructure called amyloid beta is responsible for much of the neural damage of Alzheimer's disease. A new study at the University of California, San Diego, shows that amyloid beta disrupts one of the brain's anti-oxidant proteins and demonstrates a way to protect that protein, and perhaps others, from amyloid's harmful effects.

11 Nov 2010

Hygeia completes HYG-102 preclinical studies for vulvar and vaginal atrophy, and age-related skin fragility

Hygeia Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the successful completion of a series of preclinical studies for HYG-102, their lead product for the treatment of vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) and age-related skin fragility. HYG-102 is the lead biodegradable estrogenic candidate in a portfolio of 23 similar compounds licensed from the laboratory of Dr. Richard Hochberg of Yale University.

11 Nov 2010

New 'magic bullet' can eradicate side effects of drug used to treat cystinosis

A 'magic bullet' designed by pharmaceutical scientists at an English university could eradicate the side effects of a drug used to treat a rare genetic disease. Researchers at the University of Sunderland have chemically modified a drug used to treat cystinosis a disease which occurs when the body's mechanism to remove excess cystine (an amino acid) breaks down, leading to kidney problems and eventually affecting other organs to remove unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, severe halitosis, body odour and a noxious taste.

11 Nov 2010

Chocolates inhibit enzyme known to raise blood pressure

Numerous studies have shown that cocoa has a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. The reason for this has now been uncovered by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden. When a group of volunteers devoured a good-sized piece of dark chocolate, it inhibited an enzyme in their bodies that is known to raise blood pressure.

10 Nov 2010

New stem cell gene, enzyme replacement treatment for Tay-Sachs disease

StemCellRegenMed, Inc. announces that a new stem cell gene and enzyme replacement treatment has been performed on a fourteen month old child with Tay-Sachs disease on November 2, 2010. Tay-Sachs is a devastating disease that afflicts children primarily of parents of Jewish heritage and in very rare cases families of Eastern European background and the Cajun region in the U.S.A.

10 Nov 2010

Low levels of growth hormone may contribute to growth defects in cystic fibrosis

A new study using a pig model of cystic fibrosis (CF) suggests that low levels of a growth promoting hormone at or before birth may contribute to growth defects in patients with CF.

10 Nov 2010

Nine research projects awarded access to PRACE Research Infrastructure

Nine research projects, two from Germany, two from Spain and one each from France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UK, have been awarded access to the PRACE Research Infrastructure. In total 362.8 Million compute core hours were granted for the JUGENE, IBM BlueGene/P, hosted by the Gauss-Centre for Supercomputing member site in Jülich, Germany, which is the first Petascale HPC system available to researchers through PRACE.

10 Nov 2010

UC Davis researchers identify new pathway to repair oxidative-damaged DNA

UC Davis researchers have found a new pathway for repairing DNA damaged by oxygen radicals. The results are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Nov 2010

Synageva's SBC-102 enzyme replacement therapy for LAL deficiency granted European orphan product designation

Synageva BioPharma Corp., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted orphan product designation for SBC-102 (Recombinant Human Lysosomal Acid Lipase), the Company's enzyme replacement therapy in development to treat Lysosomal Acid Lipase (LAL) Deficiency.

10 Nov 2010