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Virotherapy treatment kills prostate cancer cells

A new study appearing in The Prostate has found that certain measles virus vaccine strain derivatives, including a strain known as MV-CEA, may prove to be an effective treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer.

21 Jan 2009

Biotech venture seeks West Nile virus treatment from antibodies in geese

Rich Glynn, a straight-talking entrepreneur from South Dakota, doesn't mince words when explaining why a partnership between his fledgling goose operation and the University of North Dakota is a match made in heaven.

21 Jan 2009

New findings on schizophrenia

Schizophrenia may blur the boundary between internal and external realities by overactivating a brain system that is involved in self-reflection, and thus causing an exaggerated focus on self, a new MIT and Harvard brain imaging study has found.

21 Jan 2009

Altered brain activity in schizophrenia may direct focus on self

19 Jan 2009

First artemisinin based malaria drug may meet resistance, expert says

This year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the first malaria drug to contain artemisinin, a wormwood derivative from China that has proven effective for malaria in Africa and Asia.

8 Jan 2009

Sildenafil may help protect heart from high blood pressure damage

Johns Hopkins and other researchers report what is believed to be the first direct evidence in lab animals that the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil amplifies the effects of a heart-protective protein.

5 Jan 2009

Endo Pharmaceuticals to acquire Indevus Pharmaceuticals

Endo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENDP) and Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEV) announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement under which Endo will commence a tender offer to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Indevus for approximately $370 million, or $4.50 per Indevus share, in cash, and up to an additional approximately $267 million, or $3.00 per Indevus share, in cash payable in the future upon achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones.

5 Jan 2009

Ingredient in cough medicine could treat prostate cancer

A study published today in the December issue of the European medical journal Anticancer Research demonstrates that an ingredient used in a common cough suppressant may be useful in treating advanced prostate cancer.

22 Dec 2008

Lessons from Northwick Park drug-trial disaster

Scientists investigating the 2006 Northwick Park drug-trial disaster that left six healthy volunteers hospitalised say they have developed new pre-clinical tests that could have stopped the trial from ever going ahead.

From The University of Manchester 15 Dec 2008

Delcath Systems enrols first fifty percent in trial treating metastatic cutaneous and ocular melanoma to the liver

Delcath Systems, Inc. has announced that the first fifty percent (46 of 92) of patients have been enrolled in the Phase III clinical trial treating metastatic cutaneous and ocular melanoma to the liver.

12 Dec 2008

Gene therapy used to fight AIDS

The apparent success of a case in which German doctors cured a man of AIDS using a bone marrow transplant comes as no surprise to Gerhard Bauer, a UC Davis stem cell researcher.

8 Dec 2008

Stem cells derived from bone marrow may offer novel therapeutic option for epidermolysis bullosa

Stem cells derived from bone marrow may serve as a novel therapeutic option to treat a disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a disorder characterized by extraordinarily fragile skin, according to a study prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

5 Dec 2008

Prototype blood scanner detects even faint indicators of cancer

A team led by Stanford researchers has developed a prototype blood scanner that can find cancer markers in the bloodstream in early stages of the disease, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and dramatically improved chances of survival.

3 Dec 2008

Bionovo to present phase 1B trial results of BZL101 in metastatic breast cancer

Bionovo, Inc. has announced the company will present results from the Phase 1B clinical trial of their lead drug candidate for advanced metastatic breast cancer, BZL101, at the Society for Integrative Oncology's Fifth International Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

20 Nov 2008

KAI Pharmaceuticals reports positive results for KAI-1678 in pain reduction

KAI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery and development company, today announced preclinical results demonstrating the effectiveness of KAI-1678 in reversing pain (hyperalgesia and allodynia) in multiple preclinical models.

19 Nov 2008

Systems biology brings hope of speeding up drug development

Almost every day brings news of an apparent breakthrough against cancer, infectious diseases, or metabolic conditions like diabetes, but these rarely translate into effective therapies or drugs, and even if they do clinical development usually takes well over a decade.

19 Nov 2008

BioCis Pharma starts phase IIa clinical testing of ProtoCure in atopic dermatitis

BioCis Pharma Ltd a privately-held drug development company with its headquarters in Turku, Finland, announced that it has begun Phase IIa clinical testing of ProtoCure(TM) emulsion cream, the company's novel topical drug for dermatology.

7 Nov 2008

Simple gene-based blood test, quicker, more accurate evaluation for cystic fibrosis

Researchers at National Jewish Health have identified a simple gene-based blood test that more accurately and quickly measures cystic fibrosis patients' response to therapy than current tests.

26 Oct 2008

FDA grants orphan drug status to Reata's pancreatic cancer drug

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that RTA 402 has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. RTA 402 is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with pancreatic cancer, and is also in Phase 2 development for chronic kidney disease.

16 Oct 2008

Existing anti-obesity drugs may be effective against flu, hepatitis and HIV

Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

29 Sep 2008