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Gene mutation helps protect against malaria

New research suggests that not everyone who is bitten by a malaria-infected mosquito develops life threatening health problems according to scientists at the University of Toronto.

21 Apr 2008

New technology tracks medication adherence in patients with HIV/AIDS

Most of us have missed a dose of antibiotic or forgotten to take a daily vitamin. But when the stakes are higher - as they are for people with HIV/AIDS - a skipped pill could mean the difference between health and hazard for the entire population.

21 Apr 2008

Orphan Europe files NDA with FDA for Carbaglu (carglumic acid)

Recordati announced the submission to the U.S. FDA by Orphan Europe (a Recordati group company) of an Original New Drug Application (NDA) for Carbaglu (carglumic acid).

21 Apr 2008

Raptor Pharmaceuticals initiates phase IIa clinical study for Convivia

Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. has announced that its clinical development subsidiary, Bennu Pharmaceuticals Inc. , has initiated the Company's first clinical-stage program after dosing the first cohort in a Phase IIa study of oral 4-methylpyrazole ("4-MP") in subjects with ALDH2 deficiency, or ethanol intolerance, as the initial development stage of its Convivia program.

21 Apr 2008

GRK5 polymorphism that inhibits beta-adrenergic receptor signaling is protective in heart failure

About 40 percent of African-Americans have a genetic variant that can protect them after heart failure and prolong their lives, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions.

20 Apr 2008

Discovery of method for clamping down on a cancer-promoting enzyme

There are many pathways that allow an errant gene to turn a cell cancerous, and a number of these pathways go through a single enzyme called the p21-activated kinase 1, or PAK1.

18 Apr 2008

Protein-cross-linked polymeric materials through site-selective bioconjugation

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley (USA) have now developed a new strategy for the formation of hybrid materials from synthetic polymers and proteins. They have thus been able to fuse the specific biological functions of proteins with the advantageous bulk and processing properties of plastics.

18 Apr 2008

TOR signaling and dietary restriction

University of Washington scientists have uncovered details about the mechanisms through which dietary restriction slows the aging process.

17 Apr 2008

Discovery of critical detail of cellular defense against genetic mistakes

Researchers are closing in on a completed diagram of how human cells protect themselves against constant genetic mistakes that contribute to most diseases, according to a study to be published in the April 18 edition of the journal Cell.

17 Apr 2008

Mushroom extract could stop breast cancer cell growth

Mushroom extracts could halt the growth of breast cancer cells, suggests research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

17 Apr 2008

Mushroom extract used in Chinese medicine stops growth of invasive breast cancer cells

Scientists in the U.S. have discovered that a substance derived from mushrooms and used for centuries in Chinese medicine may stop the growth of breast cancer cells.

16 Apr 2008

Treatment with sunitinib slows tumor growth and spread of liver cancer

Treatment with sunitinib slows tumor growth and reduces the risk of metastasis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, an aggressive cancer of the liver, researchers report.

15 Apr 2008

Scientists solve arsenic's cancer paradox

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered how arsenic works as an effective treatment for leukaemia - according to a report in Nature Cell Biology.

15 Apr 2008

Researchers study Rituximab's action on cancer stem cells

Preliminary data from one of the first clinical trials to test a stem cell-targeting drug in cancer patients shows that while the drug did not prolong survival, its suppressing effect on patients' stem cells was impressive enough to send investigators looking for a better drug to try.

13 Apr 2008

Discovery of small molecule that disrupts Ewing's sarcoma oncogene

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found a small molecule they say can block the action of the oncogene that causes Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer found in children and young adults.

13 Apr 2008

What we eat and drink affects our risk of cancer

A healthy diet and lifestyle protect against a wide range of diseases, and new research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 2008 Annual Meeting, April 12-16, shows that cancer is no exception.

13 Apr 2008

The good and bad side of anti-cancer compounds

Compounds known as "HDAC inhibitors" exhibit cancer-killing activities in cultured cells.

11 Apr 2008

Gene linked to inherited blood biomarker associated with asthma risk

Risk for developing asthma is linked to variants in a gene called CHI3L1, which can be measured by checking levels of an inherited blood protein regulated by that gene, according to new research sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

11 Apr 2008

Discovery of process behind heart muscle contraction

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago were able to control heart muscle function in a new way after discovering the previously unknown role of two enzymes in heart muscle contraction, as detailed in the April 11 cover story of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

10 Apr 2008

Variation in CHI3L1 gene increases risk of asthma

A tiny variation in a gene known as CHI3L1 increases susceptibility to asthma, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and decline in lung function, researchers report early online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

10 Apr 2008