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Mosquito's midgut bacteria can inhibit malaria parasite development

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have identified a bacterium in field-caught mosquitoes that, when present, stops the development of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans.

13 May 2011

McGill research team finds distinct disease-causing mutations and saves baby girl

About two years ago, Dr. Philippe Gros, a McGill University professor in the Department of Biochemistry and a Principal Investigator in thd McGill Life Sciences Complex, described a mouse mutant that was immunodeficient and hypersensitive to the Bacille Calmette-Gu-rin (BCG) vaccine and to tuberculosis (TB).

12 May 2011

Atox Bio completes AB103 phase 1 study in severe bacterial infections and sepsis

Atox Bio Inc. today announced that it successfully completed a phase 1 clinical study of AB103, a novel therapy for the treatment of severe bacterial infections and sepsis.

12 May 2011

Scientists develop promising vaccine formulations to treat methamphetamine addiction

Scientists are reporting development of three promising formulations that could be used in a vaccine to treat methamphetamine addiction - one of the most serious drug abuse problems in the U.S. The report appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

12 May 2011

VGTI, OHSU's new vaccine candidate may fight against HIV

Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute has developed a vaccine candidate in non-human primates that may eventually lead to a vaccine against Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

12 May 2011

New genome-wide study identifies causes of serious childhood immune disorder

A new genomics study, led by the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, sets the stage for the first predictive diagnostic test in a serious immunodeficiency disease in children. If the disorder, common variable immunodeficiency disease, can be diagnosed early, children may receive life-saving treatments before the disease can progress.

12 May 2011

Healthy alternatives to vitamin D

The recent increase in recommended vitamin D intake from the Food and Nutrition Board may prompt some to seek more summer sun. But, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center say there's no safe amount of time people can stay in the sun without increasing skin cancer risks.

12 May 2011

iPSC-derived liver cells hold potential as alternative to liver transplants

Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated that human liver cells derived from adult cells coaxed into an embryonic state can engraft and begin regenerating liver tissue in mice with chronic liver damage.

12 May 2011

Reprogrammed herpes virus can improve early cancer diagnosis

Scientists have used a genetically re-engineered herpes virus that selectively hunts down and infects cancerous tumors and then delivers genetic material that prompts cancers to secrete a biomarker and reveal their presence.

12 May 2011

ImmunID, Centre Léon Bérard and Cytheris commence CYT107-XELODA Phase IIa trial in metastatic breast cancer

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, the Centre Léon Bérard, the major cancer research and treatment center for the Rhône-Alpes region of France, and ImmunID Technologies SAS, a diagnostic company specialized in innovative immunomonitoring tests and services, today announced initiation of a Phase IIa clinical trial that will evaluate multiple combinations of recombinant human interleukin-7, the investigational multifunctional cytokine under development by Cytheris, and a chemotherapeutic agent, XELODA, in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

11 May 2011

Inovio first quarter total revenue increases to $3.1 million for 2011

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.

11 May 2011

Insight into probiotic bacteria can help improve intestinal disease treatments

The gut may need bacteria to provide a little bit of oxidative stress to stay healthy, new research suggests. Probiotic bacteria promote healing of the intestinal lining in mice by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown.

11 May 2011

Novel ultrasound-targeted microbubble-destruction technology advances cure for prostate cancer

Cancer researchers are a step closer to finding a cure for advanced prostate cancer after effectively combining an anti-cancer drug with a viral gene therapy in vivo using novel ultrasound-targeted microbubble-destruction (UTMD) technology.

11 May 2011

Two DIFICID Phase 3 study data in C. difficile presented at ECCMID conference

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of two abstracts at the 21st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases conference in Milan, Italy highlighting additional analyses of the Phase 3 data of DIFICID for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection.

11 May 2011

UCLA researchers amp up power of killer CD8 T-cells to fight melanoma

Researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a way to amp up the power of killer T-cells, called CD8 cells, making them more functional for longer periods of time and boosting their ability to multiply and expand within the body to fight melanoma, a new study has found.

11 May 2011

Patients with pneumonia more likely to die if they have Vitamin D deficiency

A new study published in the journal Respirology reveals that adult patients admitted to the hospital with pneumonia are more likely to die if they have Vitamin D deficiency.

11 May 2011

Insight into sensory recovery after face transplantation

Recovery of sensation after facial transplantation is similar to, or even better than, that achieved by conventional surgery to repair nerve injuries, reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

10 May 2011

Study confirms LcS-fermented milk reduces fever linked with acute norovirus gastroenteritis

The Laboratory Department for Probiotics Research at the Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine studied supplementation of probiotic fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota in elderly individuals living at a nursing home and confirmed reduced fever associated with acute norovirus gastroenteritis.

10 May 2011

Geron comments on recent European telomerase peptide cancer vaccine patents

Geron Corporation today commented on a ruling from the European Patent Office with regard to its European patent 084139, and the issuance of a second Geron patent covering telomerase peptides, EP1783139.

10 May 2011

Pfizer presents SA3Ag staphylococcal vaccine Phase 1 trial data at ECCMID/ICC

Inhibitex, Inc., announced today that Pfizer Inc. presented safety and immunogenicity data from a Phase 1 double-blind randomized placebo controlled study in 408 healthy volunteers of a novel three antigen Staphylococcus aureus investigational vaccine at the 21st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and 27th International Congress of Chemotherapy in Milan, Italy.

10 May 2011