Metabolite News and Research

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Metabolites are the intermediates and products of metabolism. The term ''metabolite'' is usually restricted to small molecules.

Mutated IDH1 gene has novel enzyme activity consistent with cancer-causing gene: Study

Agios Pharmaceuticals today announced that its scientists have established, for the first time, that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel enzyme activity consistent with a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene. This breakthrough discovery shows that the mutated form of IDH1 produces a metabolite, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), which may contribute to the formation and malignant progression of gliomas, the most common type of brain cancers.

23 Nov 2009

Genta announces preliminary results from study of Genasense Injection for advanced melanoma

Genta Incorporated announced preliminary results that show a high objective response rate in a pilot study of patients with advanced melanoma that incorporates the Company’s lead oncology product, Genasense® (oblimersen sodium) Injection, administered for the first time as a 1-hour high-dose intravenous (IV) infusion.

20 Nov 2009

New report finds positive association between phthalate exposure and ADHD symptoms

Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items. Studies to date on phthalates have been inconsistent, with some linking exposure to these chemicals to hormone disruptions, birth defects, asthma, and reproductive problems, while others have found no significant association between exposure and adverse effects.

19 Nov 2009

New biomarkers can predict patients' response to certain drugs

Recent advances in cancer therapeutics have led to the discovery of biomarkers that can predict patient response to certain drugs. Screening for mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGRF) prior to non-small cell lung cancer treatment, for example, has been shown to indentify patients who are likely to respond to treatment with erlontinib. This maximizes the drug's impact, and spares patients who are not likely to benefit from being subjected to potentially debilitating side effects.

19 Nov 2009

Fetal exposure to phthalates has the potential to alter masculine brain development: Study

A study of 145 preschool children reports, for the first time, that when the concentrations of two common phthalates in mothers' prenatal urine are elevated their sons are less likely to play with male-typical toys and games, such as trucks and play fighting.

16 Nov 2009

Data on BioAlliance Pharma's oral chemotherapy nanoparticle formulation presented at the AAPS meeting

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a company dedicated to the treatment and supportive care of cancer and AIDS patients, has presented its results on new oral chemotherapy nanoparticle formulation at the AAPS (American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles (November 8 to 12, 2009).

13 Nov 2009

Millennium Laboratories announces new clinical quantitative assay and drug screening tests for healthcare

Millennium Laboratories, a leading provider of therapeutic drug monitoring and education to physicians and staff treating chronic pain patients, announced today the company’s development and validation of a clinical quantitative assay for the new drug tapentadol (Nucynta™) by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

12 Nov 2009

NIDA supports new drug detection research

Every time a person snorts cocaine, it doesn't just go to his or her head: It also provokes a response in the immune system, creating special biomolecules that may serve as a permanent record of each exposure.

11 Nov 2009

New imagining technique may yield better antiviral and anti-cancer drugs

A recently devised method of imaging the chemical communication and warfare between microorganisms could lead to new antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral and anti-cancer drugs, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

10 Nov 2009

Scientists receive $3 million from NIH to uncover how plants make medicinal compounds

Scientists at Michigan State University are receiving nearly $3 million from the National Institutes of Health to uncover how several popular plants make medicinal compounds.

6 Nov 2009

NIH grant to develop a new method for rapidly screening blood samples for biomarkers

Dr. Jennifer Brodbelt, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at The University of Texas at Austin, has received a $734,068 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new method for rapidly screening blood samples for biomarkers.

5 Nov 2009

NCI awards $4.8M for project to measure all the proteins in the human body

An expert in cancer proteomics at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has received $4.8 million in federal stimulus funding from the National Cancer Institute to co-lead a pilot study to assess the feasibility and scalability of a project that aims to measure all of the proteins in the human body.

31 Oct 2009

Clinical data on the validation set 'Alzheimer patients versus healthy controls' for AclarusDx presented

ExonHit Therapeutics yesterday presented clinical data on the validation set “Alzheimer patients versus healthy controls” for AclarusDx™ (formerly EHT Dx21), its blood-based diagnostic test for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), at the 2nd Conference of Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) in Las Vegas, USA.

30 Oct 2009

Vitamin D deficiency may account for increased risk of end-stage renal disease in African Americans

Low levels of vitamin D may account for nearly 60 percent of the elevated risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in African Americans, according to a report in the December Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

30 Oct 2009

Cardiome Pharmam, Astellas Pharma begin patient enrolment for ACT 5 trial

Cardiome Pharma Corp. and its co-development partner Astellas Pharma US, Inc. ("Astellas") announced today that patient enrolment has begun for the ACT 5 trial, a confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial of KYNAPID(TM) (vernakalant hydrochloride) Injection, a drug product candidate under development for the rapid conversion of atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm.

29 Oct 2009

NCI funds pilot study to measure human proteins

28 Oct 2009

Adult male monkeys exposed to cocaine while in the womb have poor impulse control

Adult male monkeys exposed to cocaine while in the womb have poor impulse control and may be more vulnerable to drug abuse than female monkeys, even a decade or more after the exposure, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The findings could lead to a better understanding of human drug abuse.

23 Oct 2009

New Category I CPT code for AspirinWorks Test Kit

Corgenix Medical Corporation, a worldwide developer and marketer of diagnostic test kits, announced today that a new Category I Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code has been published by the American Medical Association (AMA) for the AspirinWorks Test Kit.

23 Oct 2009

Migraine can stimulate alcohol-induced headache

Migraine sufferers, beware. You may be more prone to an alcohol-induced headache after a night of drinking, according to researchers from the Jefferson Headache Center.

19 Oct 2009

Blocking folic acid action during early pregnancy leads to increased risk of abnormalities in growing baby

Using medication that reduces or blocks the actions of folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy (weeks 1-12), increases the risk that the growing baby will develop abnormalities. This conclusion was reached by a team of Epidemiologists, Paediatricians, Clinical Pharmacologists, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists who examined birth and abortion data collected in Israel between 1998 and 2007.

15 Oct 2009