Acute Myeloid Leukemia News and Research

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Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressing cancer of the blood characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of immature blast cells in the bone marrow. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society estimates that over 13,000 new cases of AML were diagnosed and approximately 9,000 deaths from AML occurred in the U.S. during 2007. AML is generally a disease of older adults, and the median age of a patient diagnosed with AML is about 67 years. A majority of elderly patients are not considered candidates for standard induction therapy or decline therapy, resulting in an acute need for new treatment options.

Epicept files NDA for Ceplene in Canada

EpiCept Corporation has announced that it has filed a New Drug Submission (NDS) with Health Canada for Ceplene® (histamine dihydrochloride) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients in first complete remission. Health Canada typically accepts or refuses an NDS and designates review status within forty-five days of filing. If accepted, the customary timeframe for completion of review and an approval decision is within one year.

5 Aug 2009

Thiarabine shows promise for rheumatoid arthritis

Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today new preclinical data demonstrating that thiarabine shows remarkable efficacy in the prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

7 Jul 2009

Potential new target for acute myeloid leukemia

Dr. John Dick, Senior Scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute, the research arm of Princess Margaret Hospital, co-led a multinational team that has developed the first leukemia therapy that targets a protein, CD123, on the surface of cancer stem cells that drive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is an aggressive disease with a poor outcome.

6 Jul 2009

“Misreading” of histone code linked to human cancer

The development of blood from stem cell to fully formed blood cell follows a genetically determined program. When it works properly, blood formation stops when it reaches maturity. But when it doesn't, genetic mutations can prevent the stop signal and cause the developing cells to turn cancerous. In research published in Nature, Rockefeller University scientists show for the first time that a misreading of the blood cells' histone code is responsible for acute myeloid leukemia, a rare form of the deadly blood cancer.

1 Jun 2009

Anti-viral ribavirin may prove effective in treatment of many cancers

A ground-breaking Canada-wide clinical trial led by Dr. Katherine Borden, at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, has shown that a common anti-viral drug, ribavirin, can be beneficial in the treatment of cancer patients.

13 May 2009

Vion Pharmaceuticals' NDA for Onrigin accepted for FDA review

Vion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for its lead oncology therapeutic Onrigin (laromustine) Injection has been accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

16 Apr 2009

Molecule called miR-29b could be a potent treatment for acute myeloid leukemia

A new study by Ohio State University cancer researchers shows that boosting the level of a molecule called miR-29b in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells can reverse gene changes that trap the cells in an immature, fast growing state of development.

5 Apr 2009

Researchers develop mouse models of leukemia that predict response to chemotherapy

Being able to accurately predict how a given cancer will respond to chemotherapy would spare patients with non-responsive tumors the burden of undergoing toxic and ultimately unhelpful treatment.

1 Apr 2009

Molecular machine turns packaged messenger RNA into a linear transcript

For RNA, the gateway to a productive life outside the nucleus is the nuclear pore complex, an amalgamation of 30 kinds of proteins that regulates all traffic passing through the nuclear membrane.

11 Feb 2009

Quit smoking one week at a time

Even though millions of smokers will resolve to 'butt out' on January 1st, experts say many will be still be smoking on Valentine's Day. They have some tips to help quitters retain their resolve and strengthen their commitment to quitting which apply even to the likes of President-elect Barack Obama.

29 Dec 2008

Biopure submits IND for trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Biopure Corporation has announced that it has submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) an investigational new drug (IND) application to conduct a pilot phase 2 clinical trial of the company's oxygen therapeutic Hemopure [hemoglobin glutamer - 250 (bovine)].

17 Dec 2008

VIDAZA (azacitidine) study reports survival benefit in higher-risk MDS extends to AML patients

Celgene International Sàrl (NASDAQ: CELG) today announced results from a subset analysis of the international phase III trial (AZA-001) demonstrating that the overall survival benefit observed in higher-risk MDS patients extended to patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

10 Dec 2008

Dacogen data presented on trial in seniors with acute myeloid leukemia

Eisai Corporation of North America has announced data from a Phase II trial evaluating a five-day dosing regimen of Dacogen(R) (decitabine for injection) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of leukemia.

10 Dec 2008

Trial shows safety of pre-transplant expansion of umbilical cord blood stem cells

Taking blood stem cells collected from an umbilical cord into the lab and expanding their number before transplanting them to replace a patient's blood supply is as safe as a standard cord blood transplant, researchers reported at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Dec 2008

Effects of stem cell source and patient age on stem cell transplantation outcomes

Two studies examining the effects of stem cell source and patient age on stem cell transplantation outcomes were explored at a press conference on Sunday, December 7 during the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Francisco, CA.

8 Dec 2008

Age has no impact on survival after bone marrow transplant

Age alone should not determine whether an older patient with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome receives a blood stem cell transplant from a matched donor, researchers of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research reported today at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Dec 2008