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National Institute on Aging awards grant to study age-related brain disorders

Dr. Rong Zhang, a researcher at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, has been awarded a four-year grant from the National Institute on Aging to research the connection between exercise and brain function as people age.

9 Dec 2009

CDC awards $19.7 million contract to study new drugs for tuberculosis treatment

John L. Johnson, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and pulmonologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center has been awarded a 10 year, $19.7M contract from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an international clinical trials site for the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (TBTC).

8 Dec 2009

Reuters news examines quest for new TB drugs, vaccines

Reuters examines the search for new tuberculosis medicines and vaccines. "Although TB has plagued humankind for thousands of years, there is only one vaccine," which isn't very effective and doesn't protect adults. "With the exception of rifabutin, there has been no new drug for TB for more than 40 years," the news service writes.

8 Dec 2009

Consumer reports details the screening tests that may be unneccesary

Consumer Reports/The Washington Post: "Many Americans -- and their doctors -- seem to think that better health means more health care, including as many screening tests as possible. But many researchers are questioning that notion, saying that some common screening tests are unproven and can not only waste your time and money but also cause more harm than good."

8 Dec 2009

Veran Medical Technologies' SPiN Drive System receives FDA marketing clearance

Veran Medical Technologies announced today that it received clearance (K091934) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a product for the delivery of instruments through the pulmonary tract. "Veran is excited about this clearance as it allows the company to address a huge unmet clinical need in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment," said Jerome R. Edwards, Veran president and chief executive officer.

8 Dec 2009

ASH meeting highlights H1N1 pandemic threat, new trends and treatment options for children with genetic blood disorder

Sickle cell disease, a condition characterized by deformed and dysfunctional red blood cells, is one of the most common genetic blood disorders affecting millions of people around the world, including more than 70,000 Americans (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

8 Dec 2009

Positive data from Onconova Therapeutics' ON 01910.Na trial for advanced MDS

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. today announced promising results from two clinical trials in patients with advanced Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) treated with ON 01910.Na. These trials are being conducted at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in Bethesda, MD, and St. Vincent’s Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York.

8 Dec 2009

LCA-GA praises Senators' support in establishing comprehensive program for lung cancer

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance-Georgia (LCA-GA) acknowledged Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) for their leadership and support in establishing the first ever multi-agency, comprehensive program targeted at lung cancer.

8 Dec 2009

ERSPC study shows PSA screening reduced prostate cancer deaths by 20%

The effectiveness of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening on reducing prostate cancer mortality has been given a boost with new data from the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC). This shows the true impact to be far higher than previously reported - up to 31%.

8 Dec 2009

H1N1 virus produces pulmonary damage similar to earlier flu pandemics

In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

8 Dec 2009

U.S. cancer rates continue to decline in racial and ethnic populations

Good news in the fight against cancer! A new report from leading health and cancer organizations shows national cancer rates continue to decline.

8 Dec 2009

H1N1 virus causes more life-threatening complications than seasonal flu

Infection with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, causes more life-threatening complications than seasonal flu in children with sickle cell disease, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

8 Dec 2009

Cysteine-rich whey protein supplement may maintain or increase weight in advanced NSCLC patients

Immunotec Inc. announced today the enrollment of the first patient in the US Cancer trial of IMN 1207 being run at Beaumont Hospital's Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) in Royal Oak, Michigan. The goal of the study is to determine the effect of IMN 1207, a cysteine-rich whey protein supplement, in preventing additional weight loss in patients with stage IV (advanced) non-small cell lung cancer.

7 Dec 2009

New study reveals RNA may play a critical role in cancer treatment

Researchers from Yale University and Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., reversed the growth of lung tumors in mice using a naturally occurring tumor suppressor microRNA. The study reveals that a tiny bit of RNA may one day play a big role in cancer treatment, and provides hope for future patients battling one of the most prevalent and difficult to treat cancers.

7 Dec 2009

New oral drug is safe and effective to combat clotting disorder

A new study provides welcome news for patients with a common clotting disorder known as venous thromboembolism (VTE).

7 Dec 2009

SU2C awards $9.68 million to support high-risk cancer research

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) announced today that it is awarding $9.68 million to support high-risk/high-reward cancer research conducted by 13 young scientists.

7 Dec 2009

Anticoagulants used to prevent clots in placental blood vessels ineffective, reveals research

Blood clotting, or coagulation, is an important process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. Sometimes, however, clots form on the inside of vessels without an obvious injury or do not dissolve naturally, a potentially life-threatening situation requiring treatment.

7 Dec 2009

Smoking cessation offers measurable benefits for asthmatic patients

Asthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage to their lungs that exacerbates asthmatic symptoms just by putting down their cigarettes, according to research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

7 Dec 2009

TGFb growth factor controls spread of cancer cells

The spread, or metastasis, of individual breast cancer cells from the main tumor into the blood circulation to the lungs and other body tissues and organs is under the control of a growth factor abbreviated TGFb, according to a study with laboratory mice that will be presented at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 49th Annual Meeting, Dec. 5-9, 2009 in San Diego.

7 Dec 2009

New approach to protein misfolding may lead to novel therapies for a number of diseases

In an encouraging new development, a team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has restored partial function to lung cells collected from patients with cystic fibrosis. While there is still much work to be done before the therapy can be tested in humans, the discovery opens the door to a new class of therapies for this and a host of other chronic diseases.

7 Dec 2009