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GHDX presents Oncotype DX breast cancer test study results at St. Gallen conference

Genomic Health, Inc. today announced results from nine studies utilizing the Oncotype DX test in early-stage breast cancer patients at the 12th Annual St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

18 Mar 2011

Study reveals new mechanism underlying reproduction in plants

A team of researchers at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci-ncia (IGC), Portugal, discovered that pollen, the organ that contains the plant male gametes, communicate with the pistil, their female counterpart, using a mechanism commonly observed in the nervous system of animals.

18 Mar 2011

Vitamin A may play key role in sperm cell formation and development of central nervous system

In a recently-published study mapping the structure and function of the so-called "orphan" nuclear receptor TR4, Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) investigators suggest that Vitamin A may play a more direct role than was previously known in certain physiological functions including sperm cell formation and the development of the central nervous system.

18 Mar 2011

Naltrexone may be effective in women with specific genetic variation

Results from a new study suggest that one of the most prescribed medications for alcohol dependence may be more effective in some people. Preliminary results show that naltrexone, one of the only medications approved for treating people with alcohol abuse problems, may only be effective in women and those with a specific genetic variation.

17 Mar 2011

Scientists create new drug delivery system to treat cancer

Scientists in Syracuse University's Chemistry Department have created a new drug delivery system expected to advance the effectiveness of cancer-killing drugs. It uses gold nanoparticles with attached DNA that binds to a proven anti-cancer drug, Doxorubicin or DOX.

16 Mar 2011

Shanghai ChemPartner signs outsource research service agreement with Shenogen Pharma

ShangPharma Corporation, a leading China-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development outsourcing company, today announced that its wholly-owned contract research subsidiary, Shanghai ChemPartner, has signed an outsource research service agreement with Shenogen Pharma Group to develop therapeutic monoclonal antibodies targeting the ER-alpha 36 receptor for cancer treatment.

16 Mar 2011

Researchers discover 3-D structure of key biological receptor

Researchers have solved the three-dimensional structure of a key biological receptor. The finding has the potential to speed drug discovery in many areas, from arthritis to respiratory disorders to wound healing, because it enables chemists to better examine and design molecules for use in experimental drugs.

16 Mar 2011

Ventana, CST enter license agreement for personalized cancer diagnostics

Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. of Danvers, MA, announced today that it has granted Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a worldwide non-exclusive license to CST patent rights and proprietary antibody reagents relating to the detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations for the field of tissue-based in vitro diagnostic testing.

From Cell Signaling Technology 16 Mar 2011

Anavex to commence phase I clinical trial in Alzheimer’s disease

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex”) (OTCBB: AVXL) has announced that its clinical trial application (CTA) for ANAVEX 2-73, the company’s lead compound for Alzheimer’s disease, has been approved by the German regulatory health authority, BfArM. The Phase I trial of ANAVEX 2-73, which includes testing in healthy human volunteers, will commence immediately. In this Phase I program Anavex will assess the safety, maximally tolerated dose, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ANAVEX 2-73.

15 Mar 2011

Type 2 diabetes drug less likely to cause weight gain, raise cholesterol levels

An inexpensive type 2 diabetes drug that has been around for more than 15 years works just as well and has fewer side effects than a half-dozen other, mostly newer and more expensive classes of medication used to control the chronic disease, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

15 Mar 2011

New research: Fzd9 receptor can stimulate bone formation

New research shows that the Wnt receptor Frizzled-9 promotes bone formation, providing a potential new target for the treatment of osteoporosis. The study appears online on March 14 in The Journal of Cell Biology.

15 Mar 2011

New study: Two peptide agent combination might block tumor growth

A new study suggests that combining two experimental anticancer peptide agents might simultaneously block formation of new tumor blood vessels while also inhibiting the growth of tumor cells.

15 Mar 2011

Transcept initiates enrollment in TO-2061 Phase 2 study for treatment resistant obsessive compulsive disorder

Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 2 clinical study to evaluate TO-2061 as an adjunctive treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in patients who have responded inadequately to currently approved treatments. OCD affects 1 to 2 percent of the United States adult population and can significantly impair the lives of patients and their families.

14 Mar 2011

Combination therapy may overcome Herceptin-resistant breast cancer

Breast cancer tumors take numerous paths to resist the targeted drug Herceptin, but a single roadblock at a crucial crossroads may restore a tumor's vulnerability to treatment, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report on line at Nature Medicine.

14 Mar 2011

New analytic method suggests tumors grow in punctuated, staccato-like bursts

A new method of analyzing cancerous tumors developed by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suggests that tumors may not evolve gradually, but rather in punctuated or staccato-like bursts.

14 Mar 2011

Otelixizumab Phase 3 DEFEND-1 study in new-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes does not meet primary endpoint

Tolerx, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced that the Phase 3 DEFEND-1 study of otelixizumab, an investigational humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint of change in C-peptide at month 12 in patients with new-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes.

11 Mar 2011

Updated NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer outline expanded treatment options

Women with metastatic breast cancer have expanded treatment options for treating the disease and in the prevention of skeletal-related events as outlined in the recently updated NCCN Guidelines™ for Breast Cancer. Robert W. Carlson, MD, of Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center and chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Breast Cancer, presented these and other notable updates to the NCCN Guidelines at the NCCN 16th Annual Conference on March 10, 2011.

11 Mar 2011

Arena fourth quarter net loss decreases to $28.2 million

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2010, and reviewed recent developments.

11 Mar 2011

New technique may find 'hidden' receptors in nerve cells

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and University of Pennsylvania have found a way to uncover potential drug targets that have so far remained hidden from researchers' view.

11 Mar 2011

Erlotinib, Gefitinib effective in treating certain subset of advanced NSCLC patients

LSU oncologist Vince D. Cataldo, MD, is the lead author of a review article reporting two chemotherapy drugs now indicated for second and third-line therapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are remarkably effective in treating a certain subset of these patients.

11 Mar 2011