Fibrosis News and Research

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Fibrosis is the growth of fibrous tissue.

Bristol-Myers Squibb acquires Amira Pharmaceuticals

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced today that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of privately held Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a small-molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

9 Sep 2011

Abnormal levels of lysophosphatidic acid can trigger congenital hydrocephalus

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found what may be a major cause of congenital hydrocephalus, one of the most common neurological disorders of childhood that produces mental debilitation and sometimes death in premature and newborn children.

8 Sep 2011

APS sponsors 7th International Symposium on Aldosterone and the ENaC/Degenerin Family of Ion Channels

The American Physiological Society is sponsoring the 7th International Symposium on Aldosterone and the ENaC/Degenerin Family of Ion Channels, being held September 18-22 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, Calif. This scientific conference explores the connection between fluid balance in the body and hypertension, a growing global health concern.

8 Sep 2011

Vertex VX-509 12-week Phase 2a study on RA meets two primary endpoints

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that treatment with the investigational selective oral JAK3 inhibitor VX-509 in a Phase 2a trial resulted in substantial and statistically significant improvements in multiple measurements of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity.

6 Sep 2011

Loyola surgeons use new, less invasive catheter technique to treat cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis patient Daniel Sammons had undergone a successful double lung transplant at Loyola University Medical Center, but he still had one major health issue.

3 Sep 2011

PTC restructures collaboration with Genzyme

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. and Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today the restructuring of their collaboration. Under the original agreement, PTC held commercial rights for the U.S. and Canada and Genzyme held commercial rights in all other countries.

2 Sep 2011

Freiburg researchers receive European Research Council Starting Grants

Marta Artal Sanz, Thomas Brox, Winfried Römer, and Oliver Schilling from the University of Freiburg have been selected for one of the most prestigious European grants for young researchers: The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded them a total of 5.8 million euros in ERC Starting Grants for new projects.

2 Sep 2011

HH&S, CDC announce eight finalists for 2011 Sentinel for Health Awards

Hollywood, Health & Society, a program of the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are announcing eight finalists for the Sentinel for Health Awards.

29 Aug 2011

PLoS One publishes data from recent animal studies of NanoBio's intranasal RSV vaccine

NanoBio Corporation announced today that data from recent animal studies of its NanoStat-based intranasal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine have been published in PLoS One, an international peer-reviewed online publication.

25 Aug 2011

Amniotic fluid-derived stem cells show promise against lung disease

Two papers published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation, highlight the rich source of stem cells in human amniotic fluid that can be isolated and transplanted for therapeutic purposes.

25 Aug 2011

Azithromycin can effectively reduce acute COPD exacerbations

A common antibiotic added to the usual treatment plan for some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can reduce acute exacerbations — sudden onsets of worsened cough, wheezing and labored breathing — and improve quality of life, according to findings from the COPD Clinical Research Network reported in the Aug. 25, 2011, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

25 Aug 2011

Vertex receives Health Canada approval for INCIVEK to treat hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that Health Canada has approved INCIVEK tablets for a broad group of people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C with compensated liver disease, including cirrhosis.

23 Aug 2011

Southampton scientists to progress nutrition and respiratory research

Clinicians and scientists working in the Southampton Centre for Biomedical Research, established by the partnership between Southampton's University Hospitals Trust (SUHT) and the University of Southampton, have been awarded £17m to progress the city's world-leading nutrition and respiratory research facilities.

19 Aug 2011

New book on hemophilia, unintended consequences of medical progress

The Bleeding Disease: Hemophilia and the Unintended Consequences of Medical Progress (John Hopkins University Press) is the new book by NJIT Associate Professor Stephen Pemberton. The book recounts the promising and perilous history of medical and social efforts to manage hemophilia in 20th-century America.

19 Aug 2011

FDA clears Resonance Health's MRI-Q System for cardiac T2* iron assessment

Resonance Health Ltd, a medical device company specializing in imaging core laboratory services has received FDA clearance to market its MRI-Q System.

16 Aug 2011

Gene therapy cocktail can treat inherited diseases with 'misfolded' proteins

In a kind of molecular gymnastics, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have devised a gene therapy cocktail that has the potential to treat some inherited diseases associated with "misfolded" proteins.

16 Aug 2011

AHRQ's new Spanish-language guide on heart medications

A free, illustrated easy-to-read pamphlet that compares drugs for preventing heart attacks, heart failure or strokes in people with stable coronary heart disease is one of six new Spanish-language publications from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that help patients compare treatments for common illnesses.

16 Aug 2011

Galectin second quarter net loss increases to $3.9 million

Galectin Therapeutics Inc., the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins to treat fibrosis and cancer, today reported its financial results for the second quarter and first six months, ended June 30, 2011.

12 Aug 2011

A diet of flaxseed shows protective effects against radiation in mice

Flax has been part of human history for well over 30,000 years, used for weaving cloth, feeding people and animals, and even making paint. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that it might have a new use for the 21st century: protecting healthy tissues and organs from the harmful effects of radiation.

10 Aug 2011