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Final results from landmark trial confirm survival benefits of EGFR mutations in lung cancer

Mature results from a landmark Phase-III trial have confirmed that patients with EGFR mutation-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer have better overall survival when treated with gefitinib or chemotherapy than patients whose tumors do not carry such mutations.

11 Oct 2010

Genentech initiates GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial in BCC patients

Curis, Inc. a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced that its collaborator Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has initiated a Phase II clinical trial of GDC-0449, an orally-administered small molecule Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor, as a single-agent therapy for patients with operable basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

11 Oct 2010

Combination of MET and erlotinib delays lung cancer progression: Study

A subset of lung cancer patients seem to live longer and experience delays in disease progression when a new drug that targets a cancer-associated molecule called MET is added to treatment with erlotinib, the results of a double-blind Phase-II trial show.

11 Oct 2010

First-line treatment with erlotinib drug improves progression-free survival in patients with advanced lung cancer

For patients with advanced lung cancer whose tumors carry EGFR activating mutations, first-line treatment with erlotinib nearly tripled progression-free survival compared to a standard chemotherapy combination, show results from the first prospective Phase-III study to report findings in this setting.The new results from the OPTIMAL trial were reported at the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Milan, Italy.

11 Oct 2010

Intestinal bacteria send signals that promote cell proliferation in Wnt signaling pathway

Microbes matter -- perhaps more than anyone realizes -- in basic biological development and, maybe, they could be a target for reducing cancer risks, according to University of Oregon researchers.

8 Oct 2010

Parkinson’s disease pathology breakthrough

Researchers have found that brain cells of people with early Parkinson's disease have damaged powerhouses. In a new study they have identified 10 groups of gene sets related to the energy production problems in the brain cells of these people.

8 Oct 2010

Vaccine improves survival of glioblastoma patients in phase II clinical trial: Researchers

A vaccine that turns the immune system against brain tumor cells bearing a genetic mutation that drives the most aggressive form of glioblastoma multiforme improved survival of patients in a phase II clinical trial, researchers at Duke University and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

7 Oct 2010

American Cancer Society awards 94 national research, training grants to 70 institutions nationwide

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 94 national research and training grants totaling $46,633,000 to 70 institutions nationwide in the first of two grants cycles for 2011.

7 Oct 2010

Patients with muscular dystrophy mount immune response to dystophin protein prior to gene therapy: Study

A clinical trial designed to replace the genetic defect causing the most common form of muscular dystrophy has uncovered an unexpected aspect of the disease. The trial, based on therapy designed by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, showed that some patients mount an immune response to the dystrophin protein even before they have received the gene therapy.

7 Oct 2010

Congress scientific program to highlight new developments in Parkinson's disease

The 7th International Congress on Mental Dysfunction & Other Non-Motor Features in Parkinson's Disease (MDPD 2010), to be held in Barcelona, December 9 - 12, 2010, aims to provide specialists with the latest developments in the understanding of cognitive and psychiatric aspects of the disease.

7 Oct 2010

RDI launches HIV-TRePS system to predict patients’ response to HIV drugs

A ground-breaking system for predicting how individual patients with HIV and AIDS will respond to different drugs is launched today by RDI, a UK-based not-for-profit research group. The experimental system, called the HIV Treatment Response Prediction System (HIV-TRePS), is available free of charge over the Internet and helps physicians select the best treatment for their patients.

6 Oct 2010

Researchers investigate whole-genome data to uncover new mutations for CAD risk

The Coronary ARtery DIsease Genome-wide Replication And Meta-Analysis (CARDIoGRAM) published in Circulation Cardiovascular Genetics, an American Heart Association journal consists of data from every published whole-genome study on genetic mutations in heart attack or CAD risk. Researchers are also pooling data from several unpublished genome-wide association studies to see if any new mutations can be uncovered.

6 Oct 2010

Researchers reveal ways to halt Rett Syndrome

In a study published today in the Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of researchers based in the U.S. and UK revealed that they were able to halt the potentially lethal, breath holding episodes associated with the neurological disease Rett syndrome.

5 Oct 2010

mtDNA deletion: New biomarker for identifying malignant prostate cancer

Mitomics, world leader in the research and development of mitochondrial genome-based products to improve clinical insight and therapeutic decisions, today announced the publication of new research in the Canadian Urological Association Journal (CUAJ) showing that large-scale deletions in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can indicate cellular changes that are associated with the development of cancer.

5 Oct 2010

Maternal serotonin deficiency linked to development of ADHD in children

Children whose mothers are genetically predisposed to have impaired production of serotonin appear more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Oct 2010

Study finds BRACAnalysis vital for triple negative breast cancer patients

Myriad Genetics, Inc. announced today that results from a preliminary study indicate that BRCA germline mutations occur at a high frequency in women with triple negative breast cancer, sufficiently high enough to justify screening of all women with TNBC.

5 Oct 2010

Amgen announces PRIME '203' and '181' Phase 3 trial results

Amgen today announced that results from the PRIME '203' and '181' pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating Vectibix (panitumumab) in combination with chemotherapy (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI) as a first and second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), respectively, were published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

5 Oct 2010

NIEHS awards grant to study environmental impact on genetic information

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded $2.27 million to Indiana University researcher Joseph Shaw for a five-year study of how the environment alters genetic information through mutation and natural selection.

5 Oct 2010

IRSF awards $1.5M in research grants for Rett syndrome treatment

The International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) announced today that it will award an additional $1.5M in research grants, bringing the 2010 total to $2.15 million for innovative basic and translational research that moves treatments for Rett syndrome a step closer to the clinic.

4 Oct 2010

New report presents scientific data on environmental causes of breast cancer

A report released today by the Breast Cancer Fund presents a comprehensive summary of the scientific data on the environmental causes of breast cancer. The report catalogues the growing evidence linking breast cancer to synthetic hormones in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and meat; pesticides in food; solvents in household cleaning products; BPA in food containers; flame retardants in furniture; and radiation from medical treatments.

4 Oct 2010