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Vitamin D status optimization could cut pneumonia cases

A large US population-based study confirms that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with the risk for community-acquired pneumonia.

2 Dec 2013

Xagenic announces closing of $20 million Series B financing

Xagenic Inc., a molecular diagnostics company developing the first lab-free molecular diagnostic platform with a 20 minute time-to-result, today announced the close of a Series B financing totaling $20 million. The round was led by new investor Domain Associates, LLC, which was joined by existing investors including CTI Life Sciences Fund and the Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund.

2 Dec 2013

Soligenix initiates orBec Phase 2 study for GI manifestations of chronic GVHD

Soligenix, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to treat serious inflammatory diseases where there remains an unmet medical need, as well as developing several biodefense vaccines and therapeutics, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating orBec (oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate or BDP) as a treatment for the gastrointestinal manifestations of chronic Graft-versus-Host disease.

2 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 2, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about healthcare.gov's status, the challenges that lie ahead and the concerns being expressed by consumers and insurers.

2 Dec 2013

WHO releases new report on spinal cord injury

As many as 500 000 people suffer a spinal cord injury each year. People with spinal cord injuries are 2 to 5 times more likely to die prematurely, with worse survival rates in low- and middle-income countries. The new WHO report, "International perspectives on spinal cord injuries", summarizes the best available evidence on the causes, prevention, care and lived experience of people with spinal cord injury.

2 Dec 2013

JHL Biotech installs GE Healthcare's FlexFactory biomanufacturing platform at Hsinchu plant in Taiwan

GE Healthcare Life Sciences and JHL Biotech today announced that GE Healthcare has completed installation of its FlexFactory biomanufacturing platform at JHL Biotech's Research Center and manufacturing plant in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

2 Dec 2013

New biomarkers to improve diagnostics of prostate cancer

New biomarkers will improve diagnostics of endemic diseases in future, such as prostate cancer. Their mission: to recognize the tumor earlier and classify it more precisely - thereby helping avoid unnecessary operations.

2 Dec 2013

Parents' unsociable work hours may have negative consequences for children

A comprehensive review of studies on parents' work schedules and child development spanning the last three decades shows that parents' work schedules in evenings, nights and weekends, so called "nonstandard work schedules" or "unsociable work hours", may have negative consequences for children. When parents work such hours, children tended to have more behavioral problems, poorer cognitive ability (e.g., language, reading and mathematics), and were more likely to be overweight or obese than children in families where parents mostly worked during the daytime hours and week day.

2 Dec 2013

Visterra gets $8.1M in proceeds from upsized and final closing of Series A financing round

Visterra, Inc., a developer of novel therapeutics to prevent and treat major infectious diseases, today announced that it has received $8.1 million in proceeds from an upsized and final closing of its Series A financing round. The company also announced that it has deepened its executive management team by appointing two industry veterans to newly created roles, which follows the recent appointment of Brian Pereira, M.D. as President and Chief Executive Officer of Visterra this past summer.

2 Dec 2013

Nearly 1% of all newborns in Switzerland diagnosed with congenital heart defect

Approximately one percent of all newborns in Switzerland are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, roughly half of them require open heart surgery. Most children, including those with the most severe heart defects, survive because of the significant advancements in surgical techniques. Therefore, the current research focuses less on survival than on long-term consequences and quality of life of these children.

2 Dec 2013

Pharmaceutical industry in Asia to experience intensified competition

As Asia emerges as a major engine of global economic growth, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the region are expected to experience intensified competition. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, regional pharmaceutical sales are expected to hit USD386bn, reflecting an annual average growth rate of more than 13%.

2 Dec 2013

Multiplicom launches MID kit for Illumina MiSeq and MASTR kits for MODY, ADH and HCM

Multiplicom NV, a specialist in the development, production and commercialization of innovative molecular genetic tests based on massively parallel sequencing, today announces that it is launching a CE/IVD labeled MID kit for Illumina MiSeq together with three new germline mutation detection MASTRTM kits enabling the identification of individuals at risk for maturity onset diabetes of the young, autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

2 Dec 2013

Science Translational Medicine editorial urges researchers to support the Affordable Care Act

An editorial by Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH, William H. Frist, MD, and Stuart Altman, PhD, published in the November 27 issue of Science Translational Medicine says the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is an example of the role of experimentation in improving health at the public policy level.

2 Dec 2013

MRI provides noninvasive way to measure iron levels in the brains of ADHD people

Magnetic resonance imaging provides a noninvasive way to measure iron levels in the brains of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Researchers said the method could help physicians and parents make better informed decisions about medication.

2 Dec 2013

Soldiers who suffer blast-induced MTBI exhibit long-term brain differences

Using a special type of magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have found that soldiers who suffered mild traumatic brain injury induced by blast exposure exhibit long-term brain differences, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

2 Dec 2013

USC scientists show gene-environment interaction augments risk for developing autism

Exposure to air pollution appears to increase the risk for autism among people who carry a genetic disposition for the neurodevelopmental disorder, according to newly published research led by scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

2 Dec 2013

World-class Krembil Discovery Tower now opens in Canada

The Honourable Dr. K. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women congratulated Toronto Western Hospital today on the opening of the Krembil Discovery Tower, a facility dedicated to research excellence, training the next generation of medical professionals and improving health care for patients across Canada.

2 Dec 2013

Scientists transform human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in transforming human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells. The advance, reported by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, has significant potential for modeling lung disease, screening drugs, studying human lung development, and, ultimately, generating lung tissue for transplantation.

2 Dec 2013

Researchers discover promising new approach for colorectal cancer treatment

Scientists and surgeons at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have discovered a promising new approach to treating colorectal cancer by disarming the gene that drives self-renewal in stem cells that are the root cause of disease, resistance to treatment and relapse. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the Western world.

2 Dec 2013

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA-both within the bloodstream and on the skin. Nanoengineers from the University of California, San Diego described the safety and efficacy of this nanosponge vaccine in the December 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

2 Dec 2013

Research News and Research

Vitamin D status optimization could cut pneumonia cases

Xagenic announces closing of $20 million Series B financing

Soligenix initiates orBec Phase 2 study for GI manifestations of chronic GVHD

First Edition: December 2, 2013

WHO releases new report on spinal cord injury

JHL Biotech installs GE Healthcare's FlexFactory biomanufacturing platform at Hsinchu plant in Taiwan

New biomarkers to improve diagnostics of prostate cancer

Parents' unsociable work hours may have negative consequences for children

Visterra gets $8.1M in proceeds from upsized and final closing of Series A financing round

Nearly 1% of all newborns in Switzerland diagnosed with congenital heart defect

Pharmaceutical industry in Asia to experience intensified competition

Multiplicom launches MID kit for Illumina MiSeq and MASTR kits for MODY, ADH and HCM

Science Translational Medicine editorial urges researchers to support the Affordable Care Act

MRI provides noninvasive way to measure iron levels in the brains of ADHD people

Soldiers who suffer blast-induced MTBI exhibit long-term brain differences

USC scientists show gene-environment interaction augments risk for developing autism

World-class Krembil Discovery Tower now opens in Canada

Scientists transform human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells

Researchers discover promising new approach for colorectal cancer treatment

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

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