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Researchers develop unique vaccine that produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Cornell University have produced a long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a unique vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

5 Jan 2011

Study suggests new experimental drug is better than standard morphine

A little-known morphinelike drug is potentially more potent, longer lasting and less likely to cause constipation than standard morphine, a study led by a Loyola University Health System anesthesiologist has found.

5 Jan 2011

Santaris Pharma, Pfizer expand RNA-targeted medicine collaboration

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of mRNA and microRNA targeted therapies, and Pfizer Inc., today announced that the companies have expanded their collaboration directed to the development and commercialization of RNA-targeted medicines using Santaris Pharma A/S Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) Drug Platform.

5 Jan 2011

AMRI, Genentech enter research and licensing collaboration

AMRI announced today a research and licensing agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, for a family of antibacterial compounds discovered from AMRI's proprietary research of its natural products sample collection.

5 Jan 2011

Senate Dems line up against the effort to undo the health overhaul

In the Senate, Democratic leaders pledge to block any House attempt at repeal and cite the health measure's benefits for seniors as key reason.

5 Jan 2011

Opinions: U.S. International Affairs Budget; Health impacts of climate change; Role of U.N.; Drug development, free trade

Despite challenging economic times, "[t]wo areas we cannot afford to shortchange right now ... are our national security and our economic prosperity, which is why we must continue to have a strong and effective International Affairs Budget," U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Communications Director Richard Parker writes in a FoxNews.com opinion piece.

5 Jan 2011

Vaccine blocks cocaine high in mice - human trials likely

Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

4 Jan 2011

Isis commences ISIS-EIF4ERx Phase 2 studies in non-small cell lung cancer and prostate cancer

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of two Phase 2 studies of ISIS-EIF4ERx in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and prostate cancer. These studies are part of Isis' broad Phase 2 development program designed to evaluate ISIS-EIF4ERx in multiple types of cancer. ISIS-EIF4ERx targets eukaryotic initiation factor-4E (eIF-4E), a traditionally "undruggable" target that is thought to promote tumor growth and metastasis in many cancers.

4 Jan 2011

ddn conducts interview with lead plaintiff related to embryonic stem cell research case

Drug Discovery News, a news organization covering issues, trends and product news in the pharmaceutical drug development and discovery industry, recently conducted exclusive interviews with the lead plaintiffs in the controversial Sherley v. Sebelius lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's order granting funding for embryonic stem cell research.

4 Jan 2011

Fundamental similarities in response to wasp infection and blood cancer development

Tiny parasitoid wasps can play an important role in controlling the populations of other insect species by laying their eggs inside the larvae of these species. A newly hatched wasp gradually eats the host alive and takes over its body.

4 Jan 2011

BNA announces publication of Second Edition of Pharmaceutical Patent Law

BNA Books, a division of BNA, announces the publication of the Second Edition of Pharmaceutical Patent Law, the most relied upon reference available with a detailed, practitioner-oriented treatment of pharmaceutical patent law from the perspective of both patent law and the food and drug laws.

4 Jan 2011

AHF to supply $1 million in free AIDS drugs to Florida's disenrolled and wait listed HIV/AIDS patients

As the State of Florida grapples with a budget shortfall that has crippled its AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and forced the state to potentially disenroll 350 Florida patients already on ADAP as well as place nearly 2,400 low-income Floridians on waiting lists to access lifesaving medications, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has proposed an innovative plan to help state health officials and displaced HIV/AIDS patients bridge the transition to private patient assistance programs run by the major pharmaceutical companies.

4 Jan 2011

ImmuVen to develop T cell receptor proteins for treating MRSA, cancer

Start-up company ImmuVen and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have entered into a license agreement under which ImmuVen will develop modified T cell receptor proteins for the purpose of treating cancer and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

4 Jan 2011

Nanoparticles may help diagnose and treat pancreatic and ovarian cancer

The research - carried out by a group of five institutions, including Einstein, that comprise the Texas Center for Cancer Nanomedicine - could lead to novel ways to diagnose and treat pancreatic and ovarian cancer using nanoparticles.

4 Jan 2011

Baby boomers lack knowledge about Alzheimer's disease

An online survey of baby boomers across Canada conducted by the Alzheimer Society reveals a worrying lack of awareness about Alzheimer's disease.

4 Jan 2011

CDK1 protein deactivates EZH2 enzyme that causes cancer spread

By sticking a chemical group to it at a specific site, a protein arrests an enzyme that may worsen and spread cancer, an international research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in the January issue of Nature Cell Biology.

4 Jan 2011

Peptide in blood and tissue inhibits growth of breast tumors

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) have discovered what may become a new weapon in the fight against breast cancer. For the first time, a peptide found in blood and tissue has been shown to inhibit the growth of human breast tumors in mice, according to a study recently published in the journal Cancer Research.

4 Jan 2011

Mercator, Pepscan enter multi-program cancer research collaboration

Mercator Therapeutics, the first biopharmaceutical company to systematically use in vivo phage display technology to develop novel cancer drugs and Pepscan Therapeutics, a world leader in protein mimicry technologies for improved therapeutic peptides and anti-GPCR antibodies, today announced a multi-program research collaboration. The companies will collaborate to optimize Mercator's 'Homing Peptides' using Pepscan's proprietary CLIPS technology.

4 Jan 2011

Senator eyes plan to ease prescription drug shortages

As a shortage of some cancer drugs and certain other medications persists, a U.S. senator from Minnesota is proposing legislation she says will help federal regulators address the problem (Snowbeck, 12/28).

4 Jan 2011

The Scientist examines how nonprofit, for-profit pharma groups are working together to make drugs more affordable for developing countries

"With philanthropists funneling billions of dollars into biomedical research and traditional drug discovery efforts producing fewer and fewer therapies, the line between for-profit and nonprofit life science companies is beginning to blur as both sides of the divide look for new options," The Scientist magazine writes in an article that examines the rise in collaborations between nonprofit pharmaceutical companies and for-profit groups.

4 Jan 2011