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Understanding crucial role of 'healthy' brain in preventing memory failures linked to Alzheimer's disease

The mechanisms underlying the stability and plasticity of neural circuits in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial memory and the memory of everyday facts and events, has been a major focus of study in the field of neuroscience. Understanding precisely how a "healthy" brain stores and processes information is crucial to preventing and reversing the memory failures associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of late-life dementia.

2 Feb 2016

Alternative splicing: a new approach to drug development? An interview with Lucy Donaldson

RNA is becoming an interesting drug target as it takes possible intervention back one step to the synthesis of a target protein, instead of trying to block or inhibit a process.

1 Feb 2016

MGH study may lead to first nonsurgical treatment for seborrheic keratoses

An investigation into the molecular mechanisms responsible for the most common type of benign skin lesion may lead to the first nonsurgical treatment for the growths called seborrheic keratoses (SKs), which in addition to being cosmetically unattractive are often worrisome to patients.

30 Jan 2016

Nutrition and breast cancer; starving triple negative breast cancer cells to death: an interview with Associate Professor Jeff Holst

While there are a range of reports that different foods and food groups can increase or decrease your risk of cancer, these associations are very difficult to scientifically verify.

27 Jan 2016

Simple blood test could help predict emergence of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women

Pre-eclampsia is a serious illness associated with pregnancy, which develops after twenty weeks and is associated with defective ingrowing of the placenta within the mother. The dangerous illness is both the second most frequent cause of death in pregnant women, and the reason for severe complications for mother and child, especially during premature births.

25 Jan 2016

Cells communicate to their neighbors and compare notes before making a move

To decide whether and where to move in the body, cells must read chemical signals in their environment. Individual cells do not act alone during this process, two new studies on mouse mammary tissue show. Instead, the cells make decisions collectively after exchanging information about the chemical messages they are receiving.

22 Jan 2016

Bevacizumab extends survival of pleural mesothelioma patients

Patients with unresectable, malignant pleural mesothelioma derive a significant survival benefit from the addition of bevacizumab to standard treatment according to phase III trial findings published in The Lancet.

19 Jan 2016

TG4010 vaccine promising in advanced NSCLC

Addition of the TG4010 vaccine to first-line chemotherapy improves outcomes in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, show the results of a placebo controlled trial.

19 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal totally new biological mechanism that underlies cancer

In a landmark study, researchers from the Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital reveal a completely new biological mechanism that underlies cancer. By studying brain tumors that carry mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes, the team uncovered some unusual changes in the instructions for how the genome folds up on itself.

13 Jan 2016

Research could lead to new treatment for Rett Syndrome, other forms of autism

Penn State scientists have discovered a novel drug target and have rescued functional deficits in human nerve cells derived from patients with Rett Syndrome, a severe form of autism-spectrum disorder.

11 Jan 2016

Combining NELL-1 with BMP2 therapy may promote bone development

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) is used clinically to promote bone repair. However, the high BMP2 concentrations required to stimulate bone growth in humans may produce life-threatening adverse effects such as cervical swelling in spinal fusion procedures, a problem that prompted an FDA warning in 2008.

7 Jan 2016

Therapies that boost anti-HER2 immunity may help reduce risk of HER2-positive breast cancer recurrence

Recurrence of HER2-positive breast cancer after treatment may be due to a specific and possibly cancer-induced weakness in the patient's immune system -- a weakness that in principle could be corrected with a HER2-targeted vaccine -- according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

31 Dec 2015

Novel imaging-based method as accurate as current standard-of-care for breast cancer treatment

A new study shows that a novel imaging-based method for defining appropriateness of breast cancer treatment is as accurate as the current standard-of-care and could reduce the need for invasive tissue sampling. The results suggest that the method might lead to more optimal treatment of individual patients.

31 Dec 2015

Researchers identify liver-derived hormone that regulates sugar intake

We all love our sugar, especially during the holidays. Cookies, cake, and candy are simply irresistible. While sugar cravings are common, the physiological mechanisms that trigger our "sweet tooth" are not well defined.

24 Dec 2015

TIGER-X study reviews efficacy of rociletinib therapy in patients with EGFR mutant-positive NSCLC

Oncology & Hematology Review, the peer-reviewed journal, has published a review highlighting recent data around rociletinib, an investigational therapy in patients with previously treated EGFR mutant-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

23 Dec 2015

Commonly used diabetes drug may have potential to prevent, treat preeclampsia

An article published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reports that a commonly-used drug for the treatment of diabetes, metformin, may have the potential to prevent and treat preeclampsia. Metformin has long been used to treat diabetes in both non-pregnant and pregnant patients, and is considered safe during pregnancy.

22 Dec 2015

Wnt5a protein acts on tumor-surface proteins to accelerate spread of CLL cells

Building upon previous research, scientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer report that a protein called Wnt5a acts on a pair of tumor-surface proteins, called ROR1 and ROR2, to accelerate the proliferation and spread of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, the most common form of blood cancer in adults.

22 Dec 2015

Scientists identify 52 genetic variations associated with age-related macular degeneration

In one of the latest examples of precision medicine, teams of geneticists from nine countries, involving more than 100 scientists, analyzed the genes of more than 33,000 individuals in the hope of finding genetic variations responsible for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 or older.

22 Dec 2015

Patients with EGFR-mutated lung cancer benefit more from afatinib as first-line treatment

Patients with EGFR-activating mutations in advanced lung cancer seem to benefit more from afatinib than gefitinib as first-line treatment, researchers report at the first ESMO Asia 2015 Congress in Singapore.

21 Dec 2015

Chi-Med announces initiation of Phase III sulfatinib registration trial in patients with NETs in China

Hutchison China MediTech Limited today announces that Hutchison MediPharma Limited, its drug R&D subsidiary, has initiated SANET-ep, a Phase III sulfatinib (HMPL-012) registration trial in China in patients with extra-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors ("NETs"), which are all non-pancreatic NETs, including, for example, NETs originating in the lymph, lung and across the gastrointestinal tract.

18 Dec 2015

Growth Factor News and Research

Understanding crucial role of 'healthy' brain in preventing memory failures linked to Alzheimer's disease

Alternative splicing: a new approach to drug development? An interview with Lucy Donaldson

MGH study may lead to first nonsurgical treatment for seborrheic keratoses

Nutrition and breast cancer; starving triple negative breast cancer cells to death: an interview with Associate Professor Jeff Holst

Simple blood test could help predict emergence of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women

Cells communicate to their neighbors and compare notes before making a move

Bevacizumab extends survival of pleural mesothelioma patients

TG4010 vaccine promising in advanced NSCLC

Researchers reveal totally new biological mechanism that underlies cancer

Research could lead to new treatment for Rett Syndrome, other forms of autism

Combining NELL-1 with BMP2 therapy may promote bone development

Therapies that boost anti-HER2 immunity may help reduce risk of HER2-positive breast cancer recurrence

Novel imaging-based method as accurate as current standard-of-care for breast cancer treatment

Researchers identify liver-derived hormone that regulates sugar intake

TIGER-X study reviews efficacy of rociletinib therapy in patients with EGFR mutant-positive NSCLC

Commonly used diabetes drug may have potential to prevent, treat preeclampsia

Wnt5a protein acts on tumor-surface proteins to accelerate spread of CLL cells

Scientists identify 52 genetic variations associated with age-related macular degeneration

Patients with EGFR-mutated lung cancer benefit more from afatinib as first-line treatment

Chi-Med announces initiation of Phase III sulfatinib registration trial in patients with NETs in China

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

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