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Harbor BioSciences to receive patent for Apoptone in treatment of prostate cancer, breast cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy

Harbor BioSciences, Inc. today announced that the company has received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent Office of patent claims covering the use of its lead product candidate Apoptone®. The patent claims cover the use of Apoptone to treat prostate cancer, breast cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy. Apoptone (HE3235) is a novel synthetic steroid analog of a dihydrotestosterone metabolite and has been found to stimulate cell death (apoptosis) in animal models of prostate and breast cancers.

25 Feb 2010

QR Pharma awarded patent covering use of Posiphen and analogs in treatment of DS

QR Pharma, Inc., a developer of novel drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD), announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,625,942, a "Method of Treating Down Syndrome" by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The '942 patent covers use of Posiphen and analogs to treat cognitive impairments associated with Down Syndrome (DS). This patent valuably expands upon the original Posiphen and analog patent that claims composition of matter and use of compounds to lower amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and thereby treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

24 Feb 2010

ES cells-functions: Condensins promote mitotic progression and maintain interphase chromatin compaction

Regulatory proteins common to all eukaryotic cells can have additional, unique functions in embryonic stem (ES) cells, according to a study in the February 22 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org). If cancer progenitor cells-which function similarly to stem cells-are shown to rely on these regulatory proteins in the same way, it may be possible to target them therapeutically without harming healthy neighboring cells.

24 Feb 2010

Research may lead to new therapeutic treatments for Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is a cruel, hereditary condition that leads to severe physical and mental deterioration, psychiatric problems and eventually, death. Currently, there are no treatments to slow down or stop it. HD sufferers are born with the disease although they do not show symptoms until late in life.

24 Feb 2010

Findings suggest bitter melon extract may help in preventing breast cancer

Bitter melon extract, a common dietary supplement, exerts a significant effect against breast cancer cell growth and may eventually become a chemopreventive agent against this form of cancer, according to results of a recent study.

23 Feb 2010

Kinesin protein motor shuttles cargo within cells and helps cells divide by rocking like a seesaw

Life's smallest motor, a protein that shuttles cargo within cells and helps cells divide, does so by rocking up and down like a seesaw, according to research conducted by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Brandeis University.

19 Feb 2010

University of Missouri researchers visualize "terminals" inside proline degrading enzyme

If subway terminals didn't exist and people had to exit subway stations to switch subway lines, transit time would increase. People also may encounter distractions, such as grabbing a cup of coffee, instead of getting on the other line. Molecules also use "terminals" to save transit time during enzyme-catalyzed processes. Using advanced X-radiation techniques, University of Missouri researchers were able to visualize one of these terminals inside of an enzyme that degrades proline, which is an amino acid that has a central role in metabolism.

19 Feb 2010

Most genetic abnormalities shared across multiple cancers

An international team of researchers has created a genome-scale map of 26 different cancers, revealing more than 100 genomic sites where DNA from tumors is either missing or abnormally duplicated compared to normal tissues. The study, the largest of its kind, finds that most of these genetic abnormalities are not unique to one form of cancer, but are shared across multiple cancers. The work appears in the February 18 issue of the journal Nature.

19 Feb 2010

ATM tumor-suppressor also recognizes damage caused by ROS and orders autophagy

ATM, a protein that reacts to DNA damage by ordering repairs or the suicide of the defective cell, plays a similar, previously unknown role in response to oxidative damage outside of the nucleus, researchers report this week in the online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

19 Feb 2010

Roche Molecular Systems, Merck Sharp & Dohme announce cancer therapeutics collaboration

Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. announced today a research collaboration with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.) providing Merck access to Roche's developmental microarray-based AmpliChip p53 Test, which is designed to detect mutations in the tumor suppressor gene p53. By identifying cancers that harbor a dysfunctional p53 gene, the companies aim to achieve better treatment outcomes in cancer patients by determining which patients are most likely to respond to certain investigational therapeutic candidates.

18 Feb 2010

Researchers discover new strategy to overcome drug resistance in breast cancer

Combining tamoxifen, the world's most prescribed breast cancer agent, with a compound found in the flowering plant feverfew may prevent initial or future resistance to the drug, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

17 Feb 2010

Researchers adopt new technique to inhibit cancer growth

One of the difficulties of fighting cancer is that drugs often hit other non-cancerous cells, causing patients to get sick. But what if researchers could sneak cancer-fighting particles into just the cancer cells?

17 Feb 2010

Researchers identify potential therapeutic targets for treatment of neuroblastoma

A team of researchers, led by Patrick Mehlen, at Universit- de Lyon, France, has identified the protein NT-3 and the cell-surface molecule to which it binds (TrkC) as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of neuroblastoma - the most frequent solid tumor in young children- by studying human neuroblastoma cells in vitro and after xenotransplantation into mice and chicks.

15 Feb 2010

Stem cells intentionally cut and then repair their own DNA to develop new tissues

A new study from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa suggests that stem cells intentionally break their own DNA as a way of regulating tissue development. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), could dramatically change how researchers think about tissue development, stem cells and cancer.

15 Feb 2010

Muscle-preserving therapy development may help young men keep muscle shirts a bit longer

Hey guys, remember the muscle shirts we wore in our teens and 20s? After the age of 40 that meager part of our wardrobes usually is obsolete. Yes, at the big 4-0 we begin to lose muscle, and by age 80 up to a third of it may be gone. It's an inevitable process of aging called sarcopenia.

15 Feb 2010

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Pharmacyclics

Pharmacyclics, Inc. today reported financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2009.

12 Feb 2010

New screening system developed to discover molecules that block HCV life cycle

A newly designed system of identifying molecules for treating hepatitis C should enable scientists to discover novel and effective therapies for the dangerous and difficult-to-cure disease of the liver, says Zhilei Chen, a Texas A&M University assistant professor of chemical engineering who helped develop the screening system.

12 Feb 2010

3SBio, Ascentage Pharma announce cancer therapeutics collaboration

3SBio Inc., a leading China-based biotechnology company focused on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing biopharmaceutical products, and Ascentage Pharma Group Corporation, Ltd. ("Ascentage Pharma") announced today that they have formed a strategic alliance to research, develop and commercialize best-in-class targeted cancer therapeutics focusing on programmed cell death, or apoptosis. The alliance will leverage Ascentage Pharma's expertise in structure-based small molecule design, lead optimization and preclinical development with 3SBio's proven drug development and commercialization capabilities in China.

12 Feb 2010

hESC and iPSC: Long-term stem cell evaluation and comparison study

For the first time, scientists have performed a detailed long-term evaluation and comparison of two different types of pluripotent stem cells: human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and induced pluripotency stem cells (iPSC). Both cell types are believed to share equal characteristics, abilities and potential to differentiate into nearly 220 different cell types. However, hESC are isolated from early human embryos and iPSC are derived from reprogrammed adult somatic cells which makes them less controversial.

11 Feb 2010

4SC AG announces the first treatment in Phase I clinical study of 4SC-205

4SC AG a drug discovery and development company focused on autoimmune and cancer indications, today announced the first treatment in a Phase I study evaluating 4SC-205, an oral Eg5 kinesin spindle protein inhibitor, in patients with solid tumours or malignant lymphomas.

11 Feb 2010

Cell Death News and Research

Harbor BioSciences to receive patent for Apoptone in treatment of prostate cancer, breast cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy

QR Pharma awarded patent covering use of Posiphen and analogs in treatment of DS

ES cells-functions: Condensins promote mitotic progression and maintain interphase chromatin compaction

Research may lead to new therapeutic treatments for Huntington's disease

Findings suggest bitter melon extract may help in preventing breast cancer

Kinesin protein motor shuttles cargo within cells and helps cells divide by rocking like a seesaw

University of Missouri researchers visualize "terminals" inside proline degrading enzyme

Most genetic abnormalities shared across multiple cancers

ATM tumor-suppressor also recognizes damage caused by ROS and orders autophagy

Roche Molecular Systems, Merck Sharp & Dohme announce cancer therapeutics collaboration

Researchers discover new strategy to overcome drug resistance in breast cancer

Researchers adopt new technique to inhibit cancer growth

Researchers identify potential therapeutic targets for treatment of neuroblastoma

Stem cells intentionally cut and then repair their own DNA to develop new tissues

Muscle-preserving therapy development may help young men keep muscle shirts a bit longer

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Pharmacyclics

New screening system developed to discover molecules that block HCV life cycle

3SBio, Ascentage Pharma announce cancer therapeutics collaboration

hESC and iPSC: Long-term stem cell evaluation and comparison study

4SC AG announces the first treatment in Phase I clinical study of 4SC-205

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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