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NIH awards grant to discover drug for alcoholism

With the ultimate goal to discover a drug that one day treats alcoholism, a University of Houston (UH) pharmacy professor is working on pinpointing the mechanisms in the brain that respond to alcohol.

21 Sep 2010

Six3 gene safeguards future retina

New research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators adds to evidence that the Six3 gene functions like a doorman in the developing brain and visual system, safeguarding the future retina by keeping the region where the eye is forming free of a signaling protein capable of disrupting the process.

21 Sep 2010

Researchers identify protein essential for dendritic cell development

A protein called PU.1 is essential for the development of dendritic cells, the sentinels of the immune system, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have shown.

20 Sep 2010

NIAMS awards $684,000 SBIR grant to Signum Biosciences to develop GPCR modulating therapeutics

Signum Biosciences, Inc. was recently awarded two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grants by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a division of the NIH, totaling over $684,000 for development of novel G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) modulating therapeutics designed to treat common skin disorders.

20 Sep 2010

Celldex commences CDX-011 Phase 2b trial in advanced breast cancer patients expressing GPNMB

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the first patient has been treated in a randomized Phase 2b study of the Company's CDX-011 (glembatumumab vedotin) antibody drug conjugate in glycoprotein NMB (GPNMB) expressing advanced, refractory breast cancer patients. CDX-011 targets the protein GPNMB, which is over expressed in a variety of cancers including breast cancer, melanoma, and brain tumors.

20 Sep 2010

APAF selects AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600 System to help advance proteomics research

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced that the Australian Proteome Analysis Facility has chosen the AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600 System to help advance proteomics research by significantly expanding proteome coverage. The TripleTOF 5600 System is the life science industry's fastest and most sensitive high-resolution mass spectrometer for high-performance qualitative and quantitative analysis.

20 Sep 2010

Gene deletion may make you smarter: Study

A new study has shown that switching off a single gene in mice unlocks a part of their brain that is otherwise inactive, boosting learning and memory. Considering the fact that humans have a similar gene, this sparks hope for many especially those who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s.

20 Sep 2010

Improper biological clocks tend to develop diabetes, obesity: Research

Biologists have found that a key protein that regulates the biological clocks of mammals also regulates glucose production in the liver and that altering the levels of this protein can improve the health of diabetic mice.

20 Sep 2010

PNNL, 59th Medical Wing collaborate to improve drug tests for illicit usage

A new collaboration between the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Air Force's 59th Medical Wing hopes to improve on drug tests for illicit drug use and abuse. Not only are the researchers looking for a better indicator of current or past use, but they'd like to be able to identify people prone to abusing drugs in the first place.

18 Sep 2010

Tips to keep students healthy, from brain to body

With kids back in school, good health starts with clean hands. Now that the new school year has begun, many moms are looking for an extra hand to help keep their kids healthy and reduce sick days. In fact, elementary school students who do not use proper hand hygiene will miss more school than those that do employ good hand-washing habits, according to an American Journal of Infection Control study.

18 Sep 2010

Scientists develop computer model to examine genetic switch for TB dormancy

An examination of a portion of the tuberculosis genome that responds to stress has allowed Rice University bioengineers Oleg Igoshin and Abhinav Tiwari to zero in on a network of genes that may "switch" the disease into dormancy.

18 Sep 2010

Penn study reveals structure of cell division's key molecule

On average, one hundred billion cells in the human body divide over the course of a day. Most of the time the body gets it right but sometimes, problems in cell replication can lead to abnormalities in chromosomes resulting in many types of disorders, from cancer to Down Syndrome.

18 Sep 2010

CMB initiates first human trial for plant-produced H1N1 influenza vaccine

Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (CMB) announced today it has initiated the first human trial of plant-produced H1N1 influenza vaccine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Clinical Trials Center (WRAIR-CTC).

18 Sep 2010

Disabling RGS14 gene helps mice remember better

Deleting a certain gene in mice can make them smarter by unlocking a mysterious region of the brain considered to be relatively inflexible, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.

18 Sep 2010

Emergent BioSolutions signs contract with HHS to develop rPA anthrax vaccine

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that it has signed a contract, valued at up to $186.6 million, with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the Department of Health and Human Services, for the development of a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine.

18 Sep 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim commences afatinib Phase III clinical trial in advanced breast cancer

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the initiation of a phase III clinical trial to investigate one of its most advanced oncology pipeline compounds, afatinib, for the treatment of patients with advanced (metastatic) breast cancer. Afatinib is an oral compound (taken as a tablet), which is a next generation, targeted therapy, that irreversibly inhibits both, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/HER1) and the human epidermal receptor HER2, which are involved in tumour growth and spread.

18 Sep 2010

Blood vessel growth promoting microRNA predicts diabetes: Study

For the first time, scientists have found that blood levels of some ribonucleic acids (microRNAs) are different among people with type 2 diabetes and those who subsequently develop the disease compared to healthy controls, according to research reported in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

17 Sep 2010

New genetic analysis technique isolates culprit gene in families with inherited single-gene kidney diseases

A University of Michigan-led research team has identified a gene responsible in some families for a devastating inherited kidney disorder, thanks to a new, faster method of genetic analysis not available even two years ago. The success offers hope that scientists can speed the painstaking search for the genes responsible for many rare diseases and test drugs to treat them.

17 Sep 2010

New anti-pathogenic drugs render MRSA harmless without killing bacteria

Menachem Shoham, PhD, associate professor and researcher in the department of biochemistry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has identified new anti-pathogenic drugs that, without killing the bacteria, render Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) harmless by preventing the production of toxins that cause disease.

17 Sep 2010

LigoCyte to enroll 98 subjects in first clinical trial for bivalent IM norovirus vaccine

LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals company focused on the development of innovative vaccine products, announced today that it has initiated the first clinical trial for its bivalent intramuscular (IM) norovirus vaccine candidate, marking the fourth human clinical trial in the Company's norovirus virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine program.

17 Sep 2010