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UF administers Lumizyme for late-onset Pompe disease

The first commercially available treatment in the United States for patients with late-onset Pompe disease was administered Wednesday, June 16, at the University of Florida.

18 Jun 2010

Researchers make significant headway in fight against SMA

Researchers at the University of Utah are making strides in understanding and combating a motor neuron disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The spinal muscular atrophies are a group of inherited diseases that cause progressive degeneration of motor nerves resulting in muscle weakness. The most common form of the disorder, due to the deletion of a critical gene on chromosome 5, is currently the leading cause of inherited infant and child mortality.

18 Jun 2010

FDA approves new indication for Tasigna in treatment of rare blood cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new indication for Tasigna (nilotinib) for the treatment of a rare blood cancer when it is first diagnosed. The cancer, called Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CP-CML), is a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow disease linked to a genetic abnormality.

18 Jun 2010

Research studies may lead to future development of cell transplant therapy for ALS

The University of California, San Diego, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Life Technologies Corporation today announced the initiation of studies which may lead to the future development of cell transplant therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Currently, there is only one FDA-approved pharmaceutical addressing this lethal disease, which affects approximately 30,000 people in the United States.

17 Jun 2010

Curis reports topline results from GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial for metastatic colorectal cancer

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced topline results from a Phase II clinical trial conducted by Roche and Genentech, Curis' collaborator and a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, of GDC-0449, a first-in-class Hedgehog pathway inhibitor. GDC-0449 was tested in combination with Avastin® (bevacizumab) and FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

17 Jun 2010

UF doctors administer newly available therapy for late-onset Pompe disease

The first commercially available treatment in the United States for patients with late-onset Pompe disease was administered today (Wednesday, June 16) at the University of Florida.

17 Jun 2010

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

An aggregating protein causes many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease, an incurable and frequently fatal brain disorder. Mosaic winner Ahmad Aziz discovered that the abnormal protein also aggregates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.

16 Jun 2010

Study aims at determining optimal dose of nab-paclitaxel with carboplatin as first-line therapy for NSCLC

The June edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology features a study aimed at determining the optimal dose of the chemotherapy drug nab-paclitaxel with carboplatin as a first-line therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Results will provide researchers with a data needed to guide a phase 3 trial.

16 Jun 2010

FDA cautions on infant overdose risk with liquid Vitamin D

The Food and Drug Administration today alerted parents and caregivers that some liquid Vitamin D supplement products are sold with droppers that could allow excessive dosing of Vitamin D to infants.

16 Jun 2010

Innovacell Biotechnologie commences enrollment in urocell Phase IIb study for bladder weakness

"First patient in" is the call from the Innsbruck firm, Innovacell Biotechnologie AG, as the first patient was recruited at the MHAT Plovdiv clinic in Bulgaria for the Phase IIb study of the advanced therapy medicinal product, urocell®. The clinical study will be conducted, beside Bulgaria, in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Romania at more than 50 clinics.

15 Jun 2010

2,300 researchers under one roof at American Society of Echocardiography 21st Annual Scientific Sessions

Research released today at the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 21st Annual Scientific Sessions unveiled findings that will have a significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and the application of echocardiography in the future.

15 Jun 2010

Noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound helps avoid coronary angiography

New research from NYU Langone Medical Center shows that a simple, inexpensive and noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound of the neck can be used as a preliminary diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD). This may be an alternative to the standard, expensive and more invasive coronary angiography.

15 Jun 2010

Parkinson’s disease linked to gene variant and pesticide: Study

Researchers from France reported in their new study that bad genes and exposure to certain banned pesticides could be blamed for development of Parkinson’s disease in men. In their study, published in the Archives of Neurology journal they show that men exposed to pesticides such as DDT and who had inherited genes for Parkinson’s disease were three and a half times more likely to develop Parkinson's than those with the normal version of the gene.

14 Jun 2010

Telormedix initiates Phase I/II clinical study of TMX-101 for treating NMIBC

Telormedix, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on targeted immunity in the treatment of cancer and other diseases, today announced the start of a Phase I/II clinical study of TMX-101 for the treatment of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer. TMX-101 is an immunotherapeutic compound and Telormedix has already recruited the first patients for this clinical study.

14 Jun 2010

Olfactory function tests could help in treating patient in early stages of PD

A fast, simple and non invasive test of the ability to smell may be an important tool to screen people who are likely to develop Parkinson's disease, in which motor symptoms only become evident at a later stage of the disease, a German scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday).

14 Jun 2010

Botox reduces short-term pain in thoracic outlet syndrome patients

Made popular for its ability to smooth wrinkles when injected into the face, Botox - a toxin known to weaken or paralyze certain nerves and muscles - may have another use that goes beyond the cosmetic.

11 Jun 2010

Raw and cooked gingers reduce pain associated with muscle injury by 24%: Reed's

Reed's, Inc., maker of the top-selling sodas in natural food stores nationwide, commented today on a recent study in The Journal of Medicine that both raw and cooked ginger reduce pain associated with muscle injury by about 24%, compared with placebo. The study was supported by the McCormick Science Institute.

10 Jun 2010

Researchers differentiate human stem cells to become heart cells with cardiomyopathy

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time differentiated human stem cells to become heart cells with cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle cells are abnormal. The discovery will allow scientists to learn how those heart cells become diseased and from there, they can begin developing drug therapies to stop the disease from occurring or progressing. The study is published in the June 9th issue of Nature.

10 Jun 2010

UC emergency medicine assistant professor compares efficacy of two seizure medications to prevent SE

When seizures strike, the most immediate goal for caregivers is to get appropriate medication to the patient as quickly as possible to stop the seizing activity. In a paper published in the June Academic Emergency Medicine, UC emergency medicine assistant professor Jason McMullan, MD, found that the best means of stopping status epilepticus may be with the least direct medication.

10 Jun 2010

Today's multi-touch systems may lead people to MSD: Researchers

The evolution of computer systems has freed us from keyboards and now is focusing on multi-touch systems, those finger flicking, intuitive and easy to learn computer manipulations that speed the use of any electronic device from cell phones to iPads. But little is known about the long-term stresses on our bodies through the use of these systems.

10 Jun 2010