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University of Pittsburgh to honor Synthetic Genomics CEO with Dickson Prize

The scientist-entrepreneur who led efforts to map the first draft of the human genome as well as the complete diploid genome and to construct the first synthetic bacterium has been named this year's recipient of the University of Pittsburgh's Dickson Prize in Medicine.

28 Jul 2011

FDA accepts peginesatide NDA for anemia associated with CKD

Affymax, Inc. and Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc., U.S., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) for peginesatide (formerly known as Hematide™) for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adult patients on dialysis.

27 Jul 2011

Scientists reveal complete three-dimensional atomic structure of an activated GPCR

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are popular drug targets, accounting for about one-third of approved drugs and many hundreds of drugs currently in development. They act as molecular switches that transduce extracellular signals by activating heterotrimeric G proteins located at the inside of the cell.

27 Jul 2011

Study suggests common process for both pleasurable and anxiety-reducing effects of nicotine

Removing a protein from cells located in the brain's reward center blocks the anxiety-reducing and rewarding effects of nicotine, according to a new animal study in the July 27 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may help researchers better understand how nicotine affects the brain.

27 Jul 2011

Health Canada issues notice of compliance for OCPI's SAMSCA to treat hyponatremia

Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical Inc. (OCPI) announced today that Health Canada has issued a notice of compliance for SAMSCA (tolvaptan), the first medicine approved in Canada for the treatment of hyponatremia.

27 Jul 2011

Adaptimmune announces opening of pilot clinical trial in synovial sarcoma

Adaptimmune announced today that it has opened a Pilot, open-label clinical trial in synovial sarcoma at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda, Maryland, testing its enhanced T cell receptor T cell therapy. A second site is planned to open later this year at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.

25 Jul 2011

Nanoviricides lead anti-HIV candidate as good as HAART cocktail therapy

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its lead anti-HIV candidate achieved anti-HIV efficacy equivalent to a HAART triple drug cocktail in its recently completed animal study.

25 Jul 2011

Mayo Clinic trial to evaluate folate receptor alpha-targeted breast/ovarian cancer vaccine

VaxOnco, a leading oncology biopharmaceutical company, today announced that following FDA IND approval, it will sponsor a Phase I folate receptor alpha-targeted therapeutic vaccine clinical trial in disease-free patients, previously diagnosed with either breast or ovarian cancer at Mayo Clinic.

25 Jul 2011

Researchers characterise protein complex linked to malaria and toxoplasmosis

Maryse Lebrun, Research Director at Inserm, and her fellow researchers at the Laboratoire Dynamique des interactions membranaires normales et pathologiques, have characterised a protein complex that allows the agents that cause malaria and toxoplasmosis to infect host cells.

25 Jul 2011

Sigma Life Science releases breast cancer-specific knockout and knockin cell lines for drug research

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services research business of Sigma-Aldrich, today announced the expansion of its CompoZr® Oncology Disease Model portfolio with the release of the first in its collection of breast cancer-specific knockout and knockin cell lines for drug discovery and research.

22 Jul 2011

Roche's cobas KRAS Mutation Test for colorectal cancer now available in Europe

Roche announced today that the cobas KRAS Mutation Test is now commercially available in Europe for use in colorectal cancer.

22 Jul 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb signs definitive agreement to acquire Amira Pharmaceuticals

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire privately held Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small-molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

22 Jul 2011

Receptor GPR56 could have a critical role in cancer progression

Melanoma is devastating on many fronts: rates are rising dramatically among young people, it is deadly if not caught early, and from a biological standpoint, the disease tends to adapt to even the most modern therapies, known as VEGF inhibitors.

21 Jul 2011

Researchers influence activity of nerve cells with laser light

Unlike conventional methods, with the so-called optogenetics, the researchers are able to target one cell type. "We are now going to use this method to find out exactly what goes wrong in the nerve cells in movement disorders such as ataxias", said Prof. Dr. Stefan Herlitze.

21 Jul 2011

Researchers identify IDOL protein as potential new target for lowering LDL cholesterol

High levels of 'bad' cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) are a risk factor for developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) - a disease of the major arterial blood vessels that is one of the major causes of heart attack and stroke.

21 Jul 2011

Adamis' APC-300 inhibits growth of prostate cancer cells

Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that in addition to activity in pancreatic cancer and its multiple modes of action, APC-300 significantly inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells.

21 Jul 2011

USPTO issues patent for Avila's targeted covalent drugs portfolio

Avila Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing targeted covalent drugs that treat diseases through protein silencing, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent No. 7,982,036, "4,6-Disubstituted Pyrimidines Useful as Kinase Inhibitors."

21 Jul 2011

Babies of stressed pregnant mums may have lasting effects

According to a new study high levels of stress during pregnancy can cause an unborn child to have lifelong mental scars. Researchers have found that a mother facing unnecessary crises can leave an imprint in the brains of her children, making them less able to cope as they get older.

20 Jul 2011

Diabetes gene linked to Alzheimer’s

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a gene that causes diabetes kills nerve cells in the brain, possibly resulting in Alzheimer’s disease.

20 Jul 2011

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target for ER-negative breast cancer

Using a new in vivo screening system, Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a protein in the serine biosynthesis pathway that is essential in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer—a notoriously difficult disease to treat associated with low five-year survival rates.

19 Jul 2011