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MicroVention awarded key patent for Smart Hydrogel

MicroVention announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company U.S. Patent No. 6,878,384 for its proprietary environmentally-responsive or "smart" hydrogel called Intelligel.

11 May 2005

Discovery may pave way for immunotherapies for prostate cancer

Using a common chemotherapy agent, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine found a way to move an important biomarker expressed in prostate cancer, shaking it loose from one location in a cell – where it could not be accessed by blood – to another, easier to target area.

11 May 2005

Discovery of a fundamental new route into cells may lead to new methods of drug delivery

Researchers from The University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), and the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis used electron microscopy to uncover new structures, 100,000th of a mm in size, which are involved in the very first step of particle and nutrient uptake into cells.

10 May 2005

Research offers new molecular approaches to therapies for the most deadly cancers

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have found promising new molecular targets and treatment approaches for some of the most malignant brain tumors.

10 May 2005

New treatment improves visual acuity score of patients with retinitis pigmentosa

Neurotech SA announced positive results from an open-label Phase I clinical trial (03-EI-0234) of its lead product, NT-501. NT-501 uses Neurotech’s patented Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT) as a device to deliver ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to eyes of visually impaired patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Neurotech is a biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel therapeutics to treat diseases of the eye. The company is headquartered in Paris.

8 May 2005

Simple and efficient method for creation of novel protein functions in an existing protein scaffold

By designing a molecular bridge, scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have forged a successful pathway through a complex ocean of barriers: They've changed the function of a protein using a co-evolution approach.

8 May 2005

Promising new molecular targets and treatment approaches for some of the most malignant brain tumors

The first study identified a protein that seems to control the malignant features of brain tumor cells, suggesting a new treatment target for anti-cancer drugs. Researchers found that a little-known protein called Fra-1 was effective in controlling vascular endothelial growth factor D, a factor that promotes the growth of new blood vessels in most malignant brain tumors.

8 May 2005

Neutrophils dictate whether our immune system will permit or prevent bacterial infections

New research on a bacterium that can survive encounters with specific immune system cells has strengthened scientists' belief that these plentiful white blood cells, known as neutrophils, dictate whether our immune system will permit or prevent bacterial infections.

5 May 2005

Cancer hijacks normal wound-healing processes

Scientists have known for the last decade that a link exists between wound healing and cancer. For instance, in a 1994 experiment at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, chickens infected with a cancer virus developed tumors in areas of their body that had undergone wounding or scarring, while no tumors developed in infected areas that had not suffered wounding.

5 May 2005

Diabetes researchers look at pizza to find slow and steady insulin delivery wins the race

With its doughy, carbohydrate-dense crust and high fat content, pizza can wreak havoc in people with diabetes. A Penn State Diabetes Center study suggests a slow and steady insulin-dosing pattern may best combat the glucose-raising effects of that common favorite food.

3 May 2005

Giving children access to drug clinical trials is crucial, clofarabine approval shows

The accelerated approval of the drug clofarabine to treat relapsed or refractory pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) demonstrates the importance of offering children rapid access to new treatments through clinical trials, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Refractory or relapsed ALL is a disease that resists treatment.

2 May 2005

Researchers determine mechanism of action of chemotherapy drug motexafin gadolinium

The chemotherapy drug motexafin gadolinium (brand name: Xcytrin, manufactured by Pharmacyclics, Inc.) works to thwart cancer cells by disrupting key enzymes involved in cellular metabolism, according to a team of researchers led by Joseph Hacia, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

1 May 2005

Maxim Pharmaceuticals issued patent for method of identifying therapeutically effective immunosupressive agents

Maxim Pharmaceuticals have announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. patent number 6,828,091 B2, entitled "Method of Identifying Immunosuppressive Agents."

23 Apr 2005

Smad7 protein levels may predict prostate cancer therapy response

Levels of the Smad7 protein may predict therapeutic response in patients with prostate cancer according to research published by investigators at the Uppsala Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR).

23 Apr 2005

Scientists weaponize an antibody to deliver continuous attacks on cancer cells

In a recent study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science paired the active ingredient of a garden remedy with advanced bio-technology to deliver a powerful punch against cancer. The cancer killing effectiveness lies in their technique of arming a cancer-targeting antibody with the destructive potential of the dietary molecule otherwise known as "allicin."

22 Apr 2005

New strategy to identify differences between non-metastatic and highly metastatic breast cancer cells

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have used a new strategy to identify differences between non-metastatic and highly metastatic breast cancer cells. The article by Valerie Montel et al., "Expression profiling of primary tumors and matched lymphatic and lung metastases in a xenogeneic breast cancer model," appears in the May 2005 issue of The American Journal of Pathology and is accompanied by a commentary.

22 Apr 2005

Genes influence how heart failure patients respond to drugs

Genes dictate the color of our hair and eyes. They factor into whether we get cancer or heart disease. And, scientists increasingly recognize, they also ensure some patients will benefit from a prescription drug, while others develop adverse reactions or simply fail to respond at all.

21 Apr 2005

Fast Track designation for Terlipressin in type 1 hepatorenal syndrome

Protein Design Labs, Inc. and privately held Orphan Therapeutics, LLC today reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track status to the development of terlipressin for the treatment of patients with type 1 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS).

20 Apr 2005

Halozyme Therapeutics receives FDA clearance for Cumulase

Halozyme Therapeutics has announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cumulase for the treatment of oocytes to facilitate certain in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. The active pharmaceutical ingredient in Cumulase is the first and only recombinant human hyaluronidase approved in the United States for cumulus removal in the IVF process.

20 Apr 2005

Compound derived from cottonseed oil could help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy at treating head and neck cancer

The findings, which will be presented Tuesday, April 19, at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, could lead to a treatment that provides an effective option to surgically removing the cancer, helping patients preserve vital organs involved in speech and swallowing.

19 Apr 2005

Therapeutics News and Research

MicroVention awarded key patent for Smart Hydrogel

Discovery may pave way for immunotherapies for prostate cancer

Discovery of a fundamental new route into cells may lead to new methods of drug delivery

Research offers new molecular approaches to therapies for the most deadly cancers

New treatment improves visual acuity score of patients with retinitis pigmentosa

Simple and efficient method for creation of novel protein functions in an existing protein scaffold

Promising new molecular targets and treatment approaches for some of the most malignant brain tumors

Neutrophils dictate whether our immune system will permit or prevent bacterial infections

Cancer hijacks normal wound-healing processes

Diabetes researchers look at pizza to find slow and steady insulin delivery wins the race

Giving children access to drug clinical trials is crucial, clofarabine approval shows

Researchers determine mechanism of action of chemotherapy drug motexafin gadolinium

Maxim Pharmaceuticals issued patent for method of identifying therapeutically effective immunosupressive agents

Smad7 protein levels may predict prostate cancer therapy response

Scientists weaponize an antibody to deliver continuous attacks on cancer cells

New strategy to identify differences between non-metastatic and highly metastatic breast cancer cells

Genes influence how heart failure patients respond to drugs

Fast Track designation for Terlipressin in type 1 hepatorenal syndrome

Halozyme Therapeutics receives FDA clearance for Cumulase

Compound derived from cottonseed oil could help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy at treating head and neck cancer

Advancing therapeutic biopolymer development eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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