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Anti-herpes drug acyclovir inhibits HIV replication, but with a price

The anti-herpes drug acyclovir can also directly slow down HIV infection by targeting the reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme, researchers report in this week's JBC.

7 Nov 2008

Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features organ and cell culture methods

Understanding the function of organs like the brain, kidney, and reproductive tissues requires experimental systems that allow for the study and manipulation of developing cells and tissues in the laboratory.

4 Nov 2008

Current hospital tests for Clostridium difficile not accurate enough

Current hospital tests for the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C difficile) are not accurate enough and a new two-stage process should be introduced to avoid misdiagnosis and its consequences.

2 Nov 2008

Griffith University and Pfizer in new partnership to unlock nature's cure for infections

In the quest to develop the next generation of anti-infective medicine, Griffith University and Pfizer, the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company, announced a leading partnership today.

27 Oct 2008

New rapid test for rare leukemia

A new twist on a well-known cell sorting technique may allow physicians to diagnose rare leukemias in hours instead of weeks, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and UC-San Francisco.

6 Oct 2008

Discovery of important fat precursor cell

To understand where fat comes from, you have to start with a skinny mouse. By using such a creature, and observing the growth of fat after injections of different kinds of immature cells, Rockefeller University scientists have discovered an important fat precursor cell that may in time explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity.

5 Oct 2008

Micronics receives two new patents on microfluidic technologies

Micronics, Inc. today announced that it has been issued two patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for novel microfluidic devices and methods. These new patents relate to the company’s focus on the development of rapid and easy to use clinical diagnostic products.

29 Sep 2008

CytRx to present new data on molecular chaperone drug discovery technology

CytRx Corporation today announced that Bin Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Director of Biochemistry and Screening, will present at the monthly meeting of the San Diego "LEADS" discussion group, the premium San Diego consortium of screening researchers, to be held on October 1, 2008.

25 Sep 2008

A blood marker may indicate Alzheimer's risk

A simple blood test capable of predicting if a person might develop Alzheimer's disease is within sight, and could eventually be used to help scientists reverse onset of the disease in those most at risk.

17 Sep 2008

Panacea Pharmaceuticals issued U.S. patent for anti-HAAH antibodies

Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent Number 7,413,737 covering antibodies against human aspartyl (asparaginyl) beta-hydroxylase (HAAH), a proprietary human cancer biomarker and therapeutic target.

3 Sep 2008

Overcoming poor response to standard oral antiplatelet agents

Existing practice surrounding many cardiovascular medications, including anti-hypertensive and lipid-lowering agents, is based on the evaluation of response to therapy. In cases where ideal therapeutic targets (which have been identified through several previous studies) are not met in the single individual, there is evidence to support the need to intensify standard treatment so as to achieve better control of the cardiovascular risk factor under treatment (e.g. blood pressure or cholesterol levels) as this translates into a better outcome.

2 Sep 2008

FDA clears non-invasive test to help manage heart transplant patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced it has cleared for marketing a non-invasive test that uses molecular expression techniques to assist doctors in managing heart transplant patients post-surgery for potential organ rejection.

27 Aug 2008

Australia-PNG partnership wins major research grant to investigate tuberculosis in children

An Australia-Papua New Guinea research partnership that aims to develop a new diagnostic tool to quickly and accurately identify children with tuberculosis has been awarded a sought-after funding grant at the recent International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

24 Aug 2008

Scientists develop ultra-sensitive optical protein sensor, a first for a salivary diagnostic test

For people who dislike needles, medical tests that require a drop of saliva instead of a vial of blood will one day make a trip to a doctor or dentist much easier. But as scientists now construct the first of these saliva tests for early signs of cancer and other diseases, they continue to push the technological envelope in interesting ways.

3 Aug 2008

FDA clears test that determines what type of cancer cells are present in a malignant tumor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing a test that can help health care professionals determine what type of cancer cells are present in a malignant tumor.

31 Jul 2008

Markers in blood and spinal fluid, and a new imaging agent, show promise for early detection of Alzheimer's

With the continued aging of the population and the growing epidemic of Alzheimer's, early detection of the disease is crucial for risk assessment, testing new therapies, and eventual early intervention with better drugs, once they are developed. Four studies reported today at the Alzheimer's Association's 2008 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2008) in Chicago bring us closer to that goal of early detection by describing advances in biomarkers.

29 Jul 2008

New biomarker for early cancer detection? Research reveals that 'microRNA' may fit the bill

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered that microRNAs - molecular workhorses that regulate gene expression - are released by cancer cells and circulate in the blood, which gives them the potential to become a new class of biomarkers to detect cancer at its earliest stages. Muneesh Tewari, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues describe their findings in the July 28 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Jul 2008

Gene expression test could help determine who needs more aggressive treatment

Researchers from four leading cancer centers have confirmed that an analysis involving a panel of genes can be used to predict which lung cancer patients will have the worst survival. The finding could one day lead to a test that would help determine who needs more aggressive treatment.

21 Jul 2008

Nanoparticles detect telomerase activity

Telomerase, an enzyme that prevents chromosomes from shortening when they divide, is widely suspected of playing a key role in making cancer cells immortal.

9 Jul 2008

Natural substance Argyrin shows promise for new cancer therapies

The effective treatment of many forms of cancer continues to pose a major problem for medicine. Many tumours fail to respond to standard forms of chemotherapy or become resistant to the medication.

8 Jul 2008