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NIEHS renews funding for SRP at UCSD

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, has renewed funding for the Superfund Research Program (SRP) at the University of California, San Diego. Over the next five years, the $15 million grant will fund continued research on the molecular and genetic consequences of exposure to uncontrolled toxicants from Superfund and other hazardous waste sites.

23 May 2012

Study uncovers mechanism by which Notch pathway could contribute to RA

A new study led by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery identifies the mechanism by which a cell signaling pathway contributes to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, the study provides evidence that drugs under development for diseases such as cancer could potentially be used to treat RA.

21 May 2012

Spectrum initiates ZEVALIN and MGd Phase 2 combination study in NHL

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in hematology and oncology, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 study evaluating ZEVALIN (ibritumomab tiuxetan) Injection for intravenous use + rituximab in combination with motexafin gadolinium (MGd) in patients with rituximab-refractory low-grade or follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

18 May 2012

First patient included in the phase II study of Amphinex® in head and neck cancer patients

PCI Biotech (PCIB) the Norwegian biopharmaceutical company, reported today that the first patient has been included in the phase II study of Amphinex in combination with the cytotoxic agent bleomycin in head and neck cancer patients, called the ENHANCE study. The first patient was included at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany. NCT is a joint project of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg and Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Aid).

16 May 2012

New clues in the pathogenesis of skull and skin birth defects associated with BSS

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York have found new clues in the pathogenesis of skull and skin birth defects associated with a rare genetic disorder, Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome.

16 May 2012

Administering vitamin K2 could possibly help patients with Parkinson's

Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken, associated with VIB and KU Leuven, succeeded in undoing the effect of one of the genetic defects that leads to Parkinson's using vitamin K2. His discovery gives hope to Parkinson's patients.

11 May 2012

Treatment with IL-12 triggers T cell exhaustion in cancer patients

Rather than stimulating immune cells to more effectively battle cancerous tumors, treatment with the protein interleukin-12 (IL-12) has the opposite effect, driving these intracellular fighters to exhaustion, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

10 May 2012

Rutin may inhibit formation of blood clots

A compound called rutin, commonly found in fruits and vegetables and sold over the counter as a dietary supplement, has been shown to inhibit the formation of blood clots in an animal model of thrombosis.

9 May 2012

Alnylam first quarter revenues decrease to $20.6 million

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today reported its consolidated financial results for the first quarter 2012, and company highlights.

4 May 2012

Large-scale, patient-specific simulations of blood function

Having a virtual copy of a patient's blood in a computer would be a boon to researchers and doctors. They could examine a simulated heart attack caused by blood clotting in a diseased coronary artery and see if a drug like aspirin would be effective in reducing the size of such a clot.

3 May 2012

Asubio commences SUN13837 Phase 2 clinical trial for acute spinal cord injury

Today, Asubio announced the initiation of a landmark Phase 2 clinical trial of SUN13837, an investigational medication being developed to improve neurological function in patients with newly diagnosed acute spinal cord injury.

23 Apr 2012

Positive results from Alnylam’s ALN-PCS Phase I trial on severe hypercholesterolemia

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today positive results from its Phase I clinical trial of ALN-PCS, an RNAi therapeutic targeting PCSK9 for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.

21 Apr 2012

Engineered particles tied to penetratin discover, deliver ligands for mitochondria, ribosomes

Scientists who developed a technology for identifying and targeting unique protein receptor ZIP Codes on the cellular surface have found a way to penetrate the outer membrane and deliver engineered particles - called iPhage - to organelles inside the cell.

18 Apr 2012

Study: Kidney cancer growth depends on autophagy

New research at the University of Cincinnati (UC) suggests that kidney cancer growth depends on autophagy, a complex process that can provide cells with nutrients from intracellular sources. Researchers say in certain circumstances autophagy can protect tumor cells from chemotherapy, allowing them to survive for long periods of time in a hidden, dormant, metastatic state.

17 Apr 2012

Delivering chemotherapy drugs with nanobubbles more deadly to cancer cells

Using light-harvesting nanoparticles to convert laser energy into "plasmonic nanobubbles," researchers at Rice University, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) are developing new methods to inject drugs and genetic payloads directly into cancer cells.

9 Apr 2012

Heart cells starved of nutrients less likely to be damaged during ischemia, reperfusion

Heart cells starved of nutrients are less likely to be damaged during periods of decreased blood flow and sudden influxes of blood, known as ischemia and reperfusion, and are also less likely to get out of synch with their cellular neighbors, the damaging phenomenon called arrhythmia.

9 Apr 2012

Combination treatment effective against melanoma

Research from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) shows that a coordinated effort to block signaling pathways that promote cancer cell growth and survival enhances programmed cell death in melanoma.

3 Apr 2012

Novel set of genes linked with epithelial ovarian cancer patient survival

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues from 11 other institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom have used two genome-wide association studies (GWAS) - one from the U.S. and one from the U.K. - to detect a novel set of genes found to be associated with epithelial ovarian cancer patient survival.

7 Mar 2012

Researchers refute widely accepted hypothesis about causative step in ALS

In science, refuting a hypothesis can be as significant as proving one, all the more so in research aimed at elucidating how diseases proceed with a view toward preventing, treating, or curing them. Such a discovery can save scientists from spending precious years of effort exploring a dead end. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Munich-based researchers refute a widely accepted hypothesis about a causative step in neurodegenerative conditions.

1 Mar 2012

Ruxolitinib boosts QOL and survival for patients with myelofibrosis

A drug that relieves the severe symptoms of a life-threatening bone marrow cancer called myelofibrosis also improves the survival of patients with the disease, according to a phase III clinical trial published in the March 1 edition of New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Mar 2012