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PSC activation mechanisms help develop novel therapeutic approaches for pancreatic fibrosis

Fibrosis is a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins fosters the development of an exocrine and endocrine organ insufficiency, and accelerates progression of the tumour. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are the principal effector cells in pancreatic fibrosis. They are activated by profibrogenic mediators, which include, for example, cytokines and ethanol metabolites.

18 Sep 2009

Research reveals that reactive oxygen inhibition can limit cancer cell invasion

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, play a key role in forming invadopodia, cellular protrusions implicated in cancer cell migration and tumor metastasis.

17 Sep 2009

Enzo expands its capability to perform simultaneous live-cell imaging of nuclear components

Enzo Life Sciences, a division of Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE:ENZ), has added a novel new system to its CELLestial™ line of live cell analysis products, providing expanded capability to simultaneously image both the nucleus and the nucleolus in living cells, the Company announced today. Called the Total Nuclear-ID™ Green/Red Nucleolar/Nuclear Detection Kit, the new addition has been specifically optimized for demanding live cell microscopy applications.

17 Sep 2009

Second-quarter fiscal 2009 results announced by Gentium

Gentium S.p.A. (NASDAQ: GENT) today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009.

17 Sep 2009

Protein aggregation is linked to many conformational diseases

Researchers at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have revealed the process by which proteins with a tendency to cause conformational diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy, etc. finally end up causing them.

17 Sep 2009

Nimotuzumab drug approved for Mexican distribution

YM BioSciences Inc. (NYSE Amex:YMI, TSX:YM, AIM:YMBA), a life sciences product development company that identifies and advances a diverse portfolio of promising cancer-related products at various stages of development, today reported that nimotuzumab has been approved for marketing in Mexico.

17 Sep 2009

Study reveals that YAP can be used for the diagnosis of gastric carcinoma

A research team led by Professor Yan Xin, from The Fourth Laboratory of Cancer Institute in China measured the expression of YAP and survivin in normal gastric mucosa, precancerous lesions and gastric carcinoma using an immunohistochemical method to analyze the significance and correlations of the 2 factors with gastric carcinogenesis.

17 Sep 2009

Discovery of key molecule may yield new therapies for AIDS and cancer

Discovery by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers of an additional role for a key molecule in our bodies provides a further step in world-wide efforts to develop genetic regulation aimed at controlling many diseases, including AIDS and various types of cancers.

17 Sep 2009

Bayer HealthCare to present its clinical trial data at a joint Multidisciplinary Congress

Bayer HealthCare today announced that data from more than 30 clinical trials evaluating three products in the company's oncology portfolio - Nexavar(R) (sorafenib) tablets, regorafenib (BAY 73-4506) and Alpharadin(TM) - will be presented at the joint 15th European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and 34th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Multidisciplinary Congress, September 20-24, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.

17 Sep 2009

Amgen granted approval to use ImmunoGen’s maytansinoid TAP technology

ImmunoGen, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops targeted anticancer products, today announced that Amgen Inc. has licensed the exclusive right to use the Company’s maytansinoid Targeted Antibody Payload (TAP) technology to develop anticancer therapeutics to an undisclosed target found on solid tumors.

17 Sep 2009

Seegene awarded patent in the U.S. and Europe for Annealing Control Primer

Seegene, Inc., a leader in multi-pathogen diagnostic testing, today announced that it has been awarded patent in the U.S. and Europe for Annealing Control Primer (ACP), a new technology for amplifying a specific region of a gene with much higher specificity and reproducibility than conventional approaches.

17 Sep 2009

Guide reveals that non-smokers require different treatment for lung cancer

A committee of scientists led by Johns Hopkins investigators has published a new guide to the biology, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in never-smokers, fortifying measures for what physicians have long known is a very different disease than in smokers.

17 Sep 2009

Link between a key molecular player and human chromosomal birth defects established

Using yeast genetics and a novel scheme to selectively remove a single protein from the cell division process called meiosis, a cell biologist at The Florida State University found that when a key molecular player known as Pds5 goes missing, chromosomes fail to segregate and pair up properly, and birth defects such as Down syndrome can result.

17 Sep 2009

Genentech releases Phase III PRIMA study findings

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group and Biogen Idec, today announced that a Phase III study (PRIMA) showed that patients with follicular lymphoma who continued receiving Rituxan (rituximab) alone after responding to Rituxan and chemotherapy lived longer without their disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS) than those who did not continue to receive Rituxan.

17 Sep 2009

Successful eye surgery involves eyetooth implant in eye

Blind for nine years, Sharron “Kay” Thornton has just regained her sight through a first-in-the-U.S. surgical procedure at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The procedure -- modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP) -- implanted her eyetooth in her eye, as a base to hold a prosthetic lens.

17 Sep 2009

Clinical trial focuses on healing diabetic foot ulcers with stem cells

Fortis Healthcare, one of India's leading private hospital groups, has announced it will broaden inclusion criteria for its upcoming diabetic foot clinical trial. The study will use stem cells derived from peripheral blood to treat critical limb ischemia (diabetic foot).

17 Sep 2009

Bioheart's MARVEL Phase II/III clinical trial successful

Bioheart, Inc. (OTCBB:BHRT), presented positive efficacy data from part 1 of its Phase II/III clinical trial at the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. Thomas Povsic, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University, presented the final data for Part 1 of the MARVEL Phase II/III Clinical Trial as a part of the Late Breaking Clinical Trials Session.

17 Sep 2009

Green tea may help prevent cancer and bone loss

Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting new evidence that green tea - one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide and now available as a dietary supplement - may help improve bone health.

17 Sep 2009

Researchers discover HIV Nef protein's role in cell mobility inhibition

In order to be able to ward off disease pathogens, immune cells must be mobile and be able to establish contact with each other. The working group around Professor Dr. Oliver Fackler in the Virology Department of the Hygiene Institute of the Heidelberg University Hospital has discovered a mechanism in an animal model revealing how HIV, the AIDS pathogen, cripples immune cells: Cell mobility is inhibited by the HIV Nef protein.

17 Sep 2009

New technique found that may prevent vision loss

Blocking a protein that battles infection may help thwart a common cause of vision loss in chronic diseases such as diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

16 Sep 2009