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Tengion presents data on Neo-Kidney Augment at Transplantation's Annual Scientific Exchange

Tengion, Inc. a leader in regenerative medicine, presented new data on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in a podium presentation at the American Society for Transplantation's Annual Scientific Exchange in Orlando, FL. The presentation highlighted new early data from Tengion's Neo-Kidney Augment development program demonstrating promising improvements in kidney function with an autologous cellular therapy approach to kidney regeneration in a canine model of chronic kidney disease.

26 Oct 2010

Viral microRNA allows EBV to hide within cells and evade immune system

While most commonly associated with mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to many diseases that affect people long after the initial infection takes place, including some forms of cancer. In the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists at The Wistar Institute describe how viral microRNA - small segments of RNA that suppress the effects of gene activity - allows EBV to hide within cells and evade the immune system.

26 Oct 2010

Routine prostate cancer screening reduces metastasis risk

Men treated for prostate cancer who were diagnosed after the start of routine screening had a significantly reduced risk of the disease spreading to other parts of the body (metastases) within 10 years of treatment, compared to men who were treated prior to the use of routine screening, according to the first study-of-its-kind presented November 1, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

26 Oct 2010

Pathogenic listeria tricks intestinal cells to cause sickness

Pathogenic listeria tricks intestinal cells into helping it pass through those cells to make people ill, and, if that doesn't work, the bacteria simply goes around the cells, according to a Purdue University study.

26 Oct 2010

New feature on SciVerse ScienceDirect presents proteins in three dimensions

Elsevier, a world-leading publisher of scientific, medical and technical products and services, introduces Protein Viewer, a new, interactive feature on SciVerse ScienceDirect for the Journal of Molecular Biology (JMB). With Protein Viewer, readers of JMB now have the power to expand and rotate molecules within the actual article. SciVerse ScienceDirect merges features of the World Protein Database and Jmol, and embeds them into the article, making its use more convenient and user-friendly.

26 Oct 2010

Baxter announces launch of GLASSIA in the U.S.

Baxter International Inc. today announced the commercial launch of GLASSIATM [Alpha1-Proteinase Inhibitor (Human)] in the United States. GLASSIATM is the first available ready-to-use liquid alpha1-proteinase inhibitor (Alpha1-PI) and is indicated as a chronic augmentation and maintenance therapy in adults with emphysema due to congenital deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), an under-diagnosed hereditary condition characterized by a low level of alpha-1 protein in the blood.

From Baxter International Inc. 26 Oct 2010

Researchers create new high-content assay to increase human embryonic stem cell survival

A new technique for increasing the survival rates of human embryonic stem cells will revolutionize their use in drug discovery and therapy. Human embryonic stem cells often die during the process of isolation using enzymatic disaggregation or low-density plating, which limits their usefulness in drug discovery and basic research. Similarly, the low rate of attachment of implanted cells hinders cell therapy.

25 Oct 2010

FlexBone shows potential replacement for current bone transplantations

With a failure rate as high as 50 percent, bone tissue grafts pose a significant obstacle to orthopedic surgeons attempting to repair complex fractures or large areas of bone loss, such as those often caused by trauma and cancer. Current synthetic substitutes rarely possess the bone-like properties needed for successful grafting and are often difficult for surgeons to manipulate in the operating room. In response to these challenges, researchers at UMass Medical School have developed an easy-to-produce, inexpensive, synthetic bone material called FlexBone.

25 Oct 2010

Gene therapy may reverse pulmonary hypertension

A Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher has discovered what could be the first truly effective breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, a devastating, life-threatening condition which results in an enlargement of the heart.

25 Oct 2010

New gene therapy product reduces plasma cholesterol levels

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT) Holding N.V. a leader in the development of gene based therapies, today announced that its gene therapy product incorporating siRNA sequences into microRNA scaffolds to silence Apolipoprotein B100 (AAV-miApoB) was able to significantly lower plasma cholesterol levels in vivo over a period of 18 weeks. These preliminary results suggest that this approach could lead to a treatment for high cholesterol in humans

25 Oct 2010

BAFF protein can promote aggressive leukemia and lymphomas

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells survive and thrive not just by their own innate wiles, but by also acquiring aid and support from host cells in their surrounding environment.

25 Oct 2010

Targeting c-Met protein may be effective for patients with metastatic liver cancer

A more personalized treatment for people with a type of metastatic liver cancer hepatocellular carcinoma may be possible by targeting the protein c-Met, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

25 Oct 2010

New research shows flu virus with D222G mutation can cause pneumonia

A variant of last year's pandemic influenza linked to fatal cases carried a mutation that enabled it to infect a different subset of cells lining the airway, according to new research. The study, due to be published next week in the Journal of Virology, suggests that the mutant virus could have impaired the lungs' ability to clear out germs.

25 Oct 2010

NCRR awards 450 Recovery Act instrumentation grants to NIH-funded scientists

Leading-edge, shared technologies are an important component of advancing research to improve health. Specialized instruments such as high-powered electron microscopes, high-resolution mass spectrometers and supercomputers that rapidly process vast amounts of data can enable breakthrough discoveries in preventions, treatments and cures for diseases.

22 Oct 2010

Research could lead to new therapies for breast cancers

WORK by scientists in Australia could open the door to a new way of treating certain breast cancers. The disease is now the most common cancer in the UK, with around 125 women in the country diagnosed every day.

22 Oct 2010

Researchers find gene mutation mechanism that cause mitochondrial diseases

Scientists have discovered a new cause of spastic ataxia, and believe this cause is also a trigger for other mitochondrial diseases neurological disorders that can lead to serious coordination, growth, visual, speech, and muscle defects.

22 Oct 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

Researchers analyze drugs' efficiency on influenza A virus

Beating the flu has always been tough, but it has gotten even more difficult in recent years. Two of the four antiviral drugs used to treat a nasty case of the influenza A virus no longer work.

22 Oct 2010

Techulon signs license with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties to market DNA delivery platform

Techulon Inc., a life sciences company based in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, has signed an exclusive license with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. to market a new, traceable DNA delivery platform created to deliver genetic medicine to cells while carrying a beacon so scientists can follow its progress.

22 Oct 2010

New findings provide new clues on pathogenetic mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease

Pathological protein deposits linked to Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy can be triggered not only by the administration of pathogenic misfolded protein fragments directly into the brain but also by peripheral administration outside the brain.

22 Oct 2010