Necrosis News and Research

RSS

Tolerx commences TRX518 Phase 1 trial in malignant melanoma

Tolerx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer by modulating T cell activity, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles of TRX518, a monoclonal antibody designed to enhance the immune system by enabling T cells to more effectively attack cancer cells.

14 Dec 2010

Enbrel outperforms Humira in treating newly diagnosed RA patients: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that Amgen/Pfizer's Enbrel is the leading tumor necrosis factor -alpha inhibitor prescribed in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis patients, outpacing Abbott's Humira in the first three lines of treatment.

9 Dec 2010

Exposure to polluted air leads to accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance

Exposure to polluted air early in life led to an accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate a normal diet, according to new research.

3 Dec 2010

Tolerx enters collaborative research agreement with Cancer Research Institute

Tolerx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies by modulating T cell activity, and the Cancer Vaccine Acceleration Fund (CVAF) a nonprofit program of the Cancer Research Institute established in partnership with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research today announced they entered into a collaborative research agreement to support development of Tolerx's drug candidate, TRX518, a monoclonal antibody designed to enhance the immune system by enabling T cells to more effectively attack cancer cells.

2 Dec 2010

New mechanism breaks drug resistance in ovarian cancer

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in curing ovarian cancer but new research from the Centenary Institute has discovered a treatment that kills ovarian cancer cells in a new way that can break the resistance mechanism.

16 Nov 2010

Anti-TNF therapy increases risk of varicella zoster virus infections

Anti tumor necrosis factor therapy increases the risk of developing varicella zoster virus infections, including shingles and chicken pox, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

9 Nov 2010

Excess levels of TNF immune signaling protein key factor in AD

Three new studies provide converging evidence pointing to a new therapeutic target in Alzheimer's Disease(AD). These studies, from independent academic centers in the U.S., England, and China, point to excess levels of a protein called TNF as a key factor in AD. TNF is an immune signaling protein that regulates both inflammation and neuronal communication in the brain.

8 Nov 2010

Bortezomib reduces inflammation and promotes bone healing in arthritis models

A new study by Greek researchers suggests that the biologic drug bortezomib (Velcade), a proteasome inhibitor used to treat multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer), may represent a promising treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, bortezomib displayed favorable effects in an animal model of inflammatory arthritis that mimics RA, in reducing disease severity and inflammation, and promoting bone healing. Full findings of this study are published in the November issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

3 Nov 2010

Arthritis drugs also prevent post-operative cognitive decline: Study

Anti-inflammatory drugs currently used to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis may also help prevent cognitive problems after surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Imperial College London and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

2 Nov 2010

Laser pulses enable skin rejuvenation

Laser pulses enable skin rejuvenation, as research at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has shown. Laser treatment introduces heat into the skin. Under the influence of heat shocks of 45°C, skin cells produce more collagen. This is the protein that gives the skin its firmness and elasticity. Susanne Dams describes this process in the dissertation for which she gained her PhD degree from the Biomedical Engineering Department at TU/e.

22 Oct 2010

Study confirms long term survival benefit of ELAD bioartificial liver support system in Chinese ACLF patients

Vital Therapies, Inc., today announced that a poster is being presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) meeting in Boston on Tuesday, November 2nd. It confirms that previously reported findings of improved transplant free survival (TFS) in Chinese subjects with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) treated with the ELAD® bioartificial liver support system are maintained for up to three years.

14 Oct 2010

NCKU develops novel stem cell therapy for heart repair

Assistant Prof. Patrick C. H. Hsieh of Institute of Nanotechnology and Microsystems Engineering, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, has led a research team of myocardial regeneration to conduct an experiment on pigs and has proved that by combining self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel with autologous bone marrow stem cell, myocardial protection after acute myocardial infarction, vascular regeneration and heart functions can be improved.

12 Oct 2010

Abbott presents data from 4 briakinumab pivotal studies in psoriasis

In four separate pivotal clinical studies presented on Friday, a greater percentage of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis patients treated with briakinumab, Abbott's investigational IL-12/23 inhibitor (ABT-874), achieved 75 percent or better skin clearance rates than those treated with etanercept (Enbrel®), methotrexate or placebo. Abbott presented data from all briakinumab pivotal studies in psoriasis at the European Association of Dermatology and Venereology scientific sessions.

11 Oct 2010

Researchers develop new approach to treat inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have developed a novel approach for delivering small bits of genetic material into the body to improve the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Delivering short strands of RNA into cells has become a popular research area because of its potential therapeutic applications, but how to deliver them into targeted cells in a living organism has been an obstacle.

11 Oct 2010

Scientists identify molecular mechanism of muscle stem cell differentiation

Under normal circumstances, adult stem cells reside in muscle tissue, where they can differentiate into a number of different cell types. After an injury (or even a tough workout), muscles are inflamed as cells and molecules flood the area to control damage and begin repairs. When called upon to replace muscle tissue damaged by injury or genetic disease, some muscle stem cells differentiate, becoming new muscle cells, while others make more stem cells. At Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), a team of scientists led by Pier Lorenzo Puri, M.D., Ph.D., recently uncovered the molecular messengers that translate inflammatory signals into the genetic changes that tell muscle stem cells to differentiate.

11 Oct 2010

'The Pittsburgh Protocol' enables reduction of multiple anti-rejection drugs after transplantation

The Pittsburgh Protocol is unique in utilizing bone marrow cells to enable reduction of the need for multiple anti-rejection drugs after transplantation. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is currently the only transplantation center in the world to offer it. An early report of the initial experience with the "Pittsburgh Protocol" in three recipients of upper extremity transplants was presented during the 2010 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

7 Oct 2010

FDA clears DFine's new percutaneous radiofrequency ablation device for metastatic spinal lesions

DFine, Inc., developer of minimally invasive solutions for the treatment of vertebral pathologies, announced today the 510(k) clearance of a new platform extension indicated for the palliative treatment of cancer patients. The product, a percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) device, provides localized tumor necrosis of vertebral body lesions where metastatic disease has spread to the spine causing severe pain and discomfort.

4 Oct 2010

Scientists discover simple blood test for accurate diagnoses of liver damage

Scientists have discovered that the presence of specific proteins in the blood are indicative of early liver cell damage and can determine the point at which cell death occurred, the type of cell death, and the extent of any damage. This could lead to liver damage being assessed faster and more accurately in the future information which could prove valuable when treating people following drug overdoses.

18 Sep 2010

Unsuccessful gum-disease treatment linked to preterm birth

A collaboration led by a periodontal researcher from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine has found a possible link between the success of gum-disease treatment and the likelihood of giving birth prematurely, according to a study published in the journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

15 Sep 2010

BioMimetic completes 100 day PMA meeting with FDA for Augment Bone Graft

BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. today announced it completed its 100 day Premarket Approval Application (PMA) meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the review of Augment™ Bone Graft for the treatment of foot and ankle fusions in the U.S. The FDA generally meets with the PMA sponsor approximately 100 days after the filing of the PMA with the purpose of discussing the status of the application.

9 Sep 2010