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Researchers profile genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity

In the largest study of its kind, researchers have profiled genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity in order to develop a personalised approach to cancer treatments. The study is published in Nature on Thursday 29 March 2012.

29 Mar 2012

EU's Safety Evaluation Ultimately Replacing Animal Testing initiative tests Roche's xCELLigence system

Roche's xCELLigence RTCA System is being used in the European Union's SEURAT (Safety Evaluation Ultimately Replacing Animal Testing) initiative to run five years from 2011 to 2016.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 29 Mar 2012

Nature journal publishes first volume of Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia

The goal of cancer treatment is to match the right drug to the right target in the right patient. But before such "personalized" drugs can be developed, more knowledge is needed about specific genomic alterations in cancers and their sensitivity to potential therapeutic agents.

29 Mar 2012

Strand Diagnostics to receive $30 million in funding from NantWorks

Strand Diagnostics, LLC, maker of the know error system, and NantWorks, LLC announced that they have entered into an agreement whereby Strand will receive up to $30 million in funding from NantWorks, LLC over the next 3 years.

29 Mar 2012

Clovis commences CO-1686 Phase I/II study in NSCLC

Clovis Oncology, Inc. announced today that the first clinical study of CO-1686 has commenced with the dosing of the first patient at a U.S. study site. CO-1686 is a novel, oral, targeted covalent inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations currently being studied for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

29 Mar 2012

Inhibitory control test and lactulose for MHE saves more than $3 million over 5 years

A late stage liver condition, known as minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), is associated with impaired driving skills and greater risk of motor vehicle accidents. Cost analysis of management strategies for detection and treatment of MHE are published in the April issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

29 Mar 2012

Merrimack prices initial public offering of 14,300,000 shares of common stock

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company discovering, developing and preparing to commercialize innovative medicines paired with companion diagnostics for the treatment of serious diseases, with an initial focus on cancer, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 14,300,000 shares of its common stock at $7.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions. All of the shares in the offering are being sold by Merrimack.

29 Mar 2012

FDA approves Avioq HTLV-I/II Microelisa System

Avioq, Inc. announced it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Avioq HTLV-I/II Microelisa System. The test is used for the qualitative detection of antibodies to Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type I (HTLV-I) and Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type II (HTLV-II) in human serum or plasma.

29 Mar 2012

ACCR designates Georgetown student as early-career scientist

David A. Solomon, who will graduate from Georgetown University School of Medicine this year with M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, has been designated one of four outstanding early-career scientists by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) -- a highly prestigious honor. Solomon will present his work at a special symposium, Future Leaders in Basic Cancer Research, on April 2nd at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago.

28 Mar 2012

Direct Molecular Recognition technique can quantitate multiple DNA species

Researchers at UCLA and New York University have developed a method to detect sequence differences in individual DNA molecules by taking nanoscopic pictures of the molecules themselves.

28 Mar 2012

Therapy Finder - Colorectal Cancer app now available for patients

No one wants to hear the words, "you have colon cancer." For patients diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease, these words can be particularly devastating. The five-year survival rate can be a little as 6 percent. The top-of-mind question becomes, "Which treatment or clinical trial will work for me?"

28 Mar 2012

Starfruit-shaped nanorods for medical imaging, chemical sensing

They look like fruit, and indeed the nanoscale stars of new research at Rice University have tasty implications for medical imaging and chemical sensing.

28 Mar 2012

Report explores expanding influence of BRICS on global health and development

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are injecting new resources, momentum and innovation into efforts to improve health in the world's poorest countries, according to a report released on the eve of the 2012 BRICS Summit. Coming as many traditional donors reduce or slow their spending, the report explores the expanding influence of the BRICS on global health and development.

27 Mar 2012

Vermillion fourth quarter total revenues increase 152% to $868,000

Vermillion, Inc., a leading molecular diagnostics company, reported financial and operational results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2011.

From Quest Diagnostics 27 Mar 2012

Catheter-based heart valve procedures effective for patients with aortic stenosis

Patients diagnosed with aortic stenosis who are too sick for open-heart surgery have better survival rates and an improved quality of life after undergoing catheter-based heart valve replacement than if the patients had been treated with standard medical therapy, according to a study authored by a Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute physician based on results from a multicenter clinical trial.

27 Mar 2012

Opinion pieces, editorials, blog posts recognize World TB Day

Saturday, March 24, was World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. The following is a summary of several editorials, opinion pieces, and blog posts published in recognition of the day.

27 Mar 2012

GE Healthcare, DiaGenic enter research collaboration to develop blood-based test for MCI

DiaGenic ASA today announced a research agreement to collaborate with GE Healthcare to develop a blood-based test using DiaGenic's peripheral gene expression profiling in patients with mild cognitive impairment, a disorder associated with risk for Alzheimer's Disease.

27 Mar 2012