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EUSA Pharma receives FDA approval for Erwinaze to treat ALL

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Erwinaze to treat patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who have developed an allergy (hypersensitivity) to E. coli derived asparaginase and pegaspargase chemotherapy drugs used to treat ALL.

18 Nov 2011

E. coli asparaginase linked to relapses in ALL patients with special form of ATF5 gene

One of the causes of resistance to cancer treatment in children is now beginning to be elucidated. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with a particular form of the ATF5 gene are at higher risk of having a relapse when treated with E. coli asparaginase, a key chemotherapy drug for this type of leukemia.

27 Oct 2011

Enrollment complete in ERYTECH Pharma's Graspa Phase I clinical trial for pancreatic cancer

ERYTECH Pharma has just completed the enrollment of patients in a Phase I clinical trial with its flagship product for pancreatic cancer, Graspa®. This product contains the enzyme L-asparaginase encapsulated in red blood cells, using technology owned by ERYTECH Pharma.

27 Jun 2011

ERYtech Pharma completes patient enrollment in GRASPA Phase II trial against ALL

ERYtech Pharma announces the early completion of the enrollment and safety follow-up a Phase II clinical trial for GRASPA. This open-labeled trial introduced GRASPA in a first-line treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in patients older than 55 years.

9 Mar 2011

Lactic acid fermentation reduces acrylamide formation during production of potatoes and coffee

A small research-based Norwegian company has developed a method to reduce the formation of the carcinogenic compound acrylamide during industrial production of potatoes and coffee. International food giants are paying attention.

9 Sep 2010

Chemists adopt new approach to optimise enzyme for practical applications

Engineers are unlikely to tinker with the cooling system if they want to increase the size of an engine. Yet chemists at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research have adopted an approach similar to this in their efforts to optimise an enzyme for practical applications. They

16 Feb 2010

ERYtech Pharma announces collaborative research agreement with M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

ERYtech Pharma, a specialty pharma company located in France and in USA (Philadelphia), is pleased to announce a collaborative research agreement in the field of personalized medicine focusing on ERYtech’s flagship product, GRASPA®, which consists of red blood cell-encapsulated L-asparaginase (L-ASP).

15 Feb 2010

ERYtech Pharma receives ODD for its GRASPA from FDA

ERYtech Pharma announces that FDA has granted an Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for GRASPA®, the company’s lead product in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

27 Jan 2010

Researchers discover metabolic deficiency in pancreatic cancer

UC Davis Cancer Center researchers have discovered a metabolic deficiency in pancreatic cancer cells that can be used to slow the progress of the deadliest of all cancers.

7 Nov 2008

New insights into prion propagation

Prions - infectious, oddly-folded proteins that are the main suspects in fatal neurodegenerative diseases such as Cruetzfeldt-Jakob and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" - remain mostly a mystery to scientists.

9 Jul 2007

Leukemic cells find safe haven in bone marrow

The cancer drug asparaginase fails to help cure some children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) because molecules released by certain cells in the bone marrow counteract the effect of that drug, according to St. Jude investigators.

16 Apr 2007

Primordial soup where life began on earth was hot and not cold

A new theory that explains why the language of our genes is more complex than it needs to be also suggests that the primordial soup where life began on earth was hot and not cold, as many scientists believe.

2 Aug 2005

Canadians alerted to the presence of acrylamide in some foods

In 2002, Health Canada alerted Canadians to the presence of acrylamide in some foods, following reports by scientists in Sweden. Since then, Health Canada scientists have participated in international research efforts aimed at understanding how acrylamide is formed in foods and the health implications.

7 Mar 2005

Design of artificial prion may aid fight against mad cow disease

The culprit behind mad cow disease, a.k.a. bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is the most infamous mammalian form of prions. Prions are misfolded proteins that are capable of growing, replicating, and being passed on to daughter cells, that is, they are by themselves heritable. Beyond their disease manifestation, prions also occur naturally in some organisms (such as yeast) and may play important roles in their growth and development. Now, Osherovich and colleagues have identified the amino acid sequences that allow prions to aggregate and replicate, and thereby pass through generations of cells - and prove this by designing an artificial yeast prion that does not exist in nature.

23 Mar 2004