Necrosis News and Research

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CRI, Oncovir sign new investment agreement to produce immunological stimulant

Cancer Research Institute, a U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1953 to advance the science of tumor immunology and foster the discovery and development of new cancer immunotherapies, announced today that its Cancer Vaccine Acceleration Fund, a joint initiative with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, has completed a new investment agreement with Oncovir, a biotechnology company based in Washington, D.C., to enable the production of the immunological stimulant Hiltonol- (Poly-ICLC).

24 Jan 2011

CVAF completes new investment agreement with Oncovir for production of Hiltonol

Cancer Research Institute, Inc. (CRI), a U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1953 to advance the science of tumor immunology and foster the discovery and development of new cancer immunotherapies, announced today that its Cancer Vaccine Acceleration Fund (CVAF), a joint initiative with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR), has completed a new investment agreement with Oncovir, Inc., a biotechnology company based in Washington, D.C., to enable the production of the immunological stimulant Hiltonol® (Poly-ICLC).

21 Jan 2011

New research says EPO hormone can modulate immune response

New research reveals that a hormone best known for stimulating the production of red blood cells can modulate the immune response. The study, published by Cell Press in the January 27th issue of the journal Immunity, finds that erythropoietin has contrasting influences on infectious and inflammatory diseases and may be useful in the design of new therapeutic strategies.

21 Jan 2011

Grayscale IVUS and VH IVUS tissue characterization software help accurate assessment of blockage risk

Volcano Corporation today announced the publication of results from the PROSPECT (Providing Regional Observations to Study Predictors of Events in the Coronary Tree) study in The New England Journal of Medicine showing that grayscale intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and Volcano's proprietary VH® IVUS tissue characterization software enable physicians to more accurately assess the risk of individual blockages than the use of the current standard-of-care-- angiographic imaging-- alone.

20 Jan 2011

Inflammation “master switch” found: Study

According to the latest medical discovery a protein that acts as a “master switch” has been found to determine whether certain white blood cells will boost or dampen inflammation. This may open new avenues in rheumatoid arthritis research. Rheumatoid arthritis or RA is an inflammatory disease that causes severe progressive crippling of the joints.

17 Jan 2011

Study finds combined treatments safe and effective for severe acute pancreatitis

The use of combined treatments for severe acute pancreatitis is safe and effective in managing the disease, resulting in shorter hospitalizations and fewer radiological procedures than standard therapy, according to a study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. In a related study, doctors found that patients with infected pancreatic necrosis were able to avoid surgery through primary conservative treatment, which is in-patient medical treatment.

7 Jan 2011

FDA awards supplemental approval to support efficacy of ACTEMRA in treating RA

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has extended the ACTEMRA (tocilizumab, RoACTEMRA in the European Union) label to include inhibition and slowing of structural joint damage, improvement of physical function, and achievement of major clinical response in adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, when given in combination with methotrexate.

6 Jan 2011

Past smoking history does not affect RA patient's response to treatments

Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are current smokers were less likely to achieve good response to methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors than those who never smoked. The study by researchers from Sweden also found that RA patients who smoked in the past did not experience a lower response to these therapies. Results of the 10-year study appear in the January 2011 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

4 Jan 2011

Researchers study molecular mechanisms in early stages of IPN virus infection

Infectious pancreatic necrosis is a serious disease that leads to enormous losses in the salmon industry each year. The virus that causes the disease, IPN, is very prevalent in farmed salmon and trout in Norway. The virus attacks a wide diversity of hosts and has been found to occur in many different fish species, in addition to shellfish and molluscs.

30 Dec 2010

Quercetin and resveratrol may play an important role in inflammation and insulin resistance

A study was carried out to examine the extent to which quercetin and trans-resveratrol (RSV) prevented inflammation or insulin resistance in primary cultures of human adipocytes treated with tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a)-an inflammatory cytokine elevated in the plasma and adipose tissue of obese, diabetic individuals. Cultures of human adipocytes were pretreated with quercetin and trans-RSV followed by treatment with TNF-a. Subsequently, gene and protein markers of inflammation and insulin resistance were measured.

24 Dec 2010

Tolerx commences TRX518 Phase 1 trial in malignant melanoma

Tolerx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer by modulating T cell activity, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles of TRX518, a monoclonal antibody designed to enhance the immune system by enabling T cells to more effectively attack cancer cells.

14 Dec 2010

Enbrel outperforms Humira in treating newly diagnosed RA patients: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that Amgen/Pfizer's Enbrel is the leading tumor necrosis factor -alpha inhibitor prescribed in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis patients, outpacing Abbott's Humira in the first three lines of treatment.

9 Dec 2010

Exposure to polluted air leads to accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance

Exposure to polluted air early in life led to an accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate a normal diet, according to new research.

3 Dec 2010

Tolerx enters collaborative research agreement with Cancer Research Institute

Tolerx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies by modulating T cell activity, and the Cancer Vaccine Acceleration Fund (CVAF) a nonprofit program of the Cancer Research Institute established in partnership with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research today announced they entered into a collaborative research agreement to support development of Tolerx's drug candidate, TRX518, a monoclonal antibody designed to enhance the immune system by enabling T cells to more effectively attack cancer cells.

2 Dec 2010

New mechanism breaks drug resistance in ovarian cancer

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in curing ovarian cancer but new research from the Centenary Institute has discovered a treatment that kills ovarian cancer cells in a new way that can break the resistance mechanism.

16 Nov 2010

Anti-TNF therapy increases risk of varicella zoster virus infections

Anti tumor necrosis factor therapy increases the risk of developing varicella zoster virus infections, including shingles and chicken pox, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

9 Nov 2010

Excess levels of TNF immune signaling protein key factor in AD

Three new studies provide converging evidence pointing to a new therapeutic target in Alzheimer's Disease(AD). These studies, from independent academic centers in the U.S., England, and China, point to excess levels of a protein called TNF as a key factor in AD. TNF is an immune signaling protein that regulates both inflammation and neuronal communication in the brain.

8 Nov 2010

Bortezomib reduces inflammation and promotes bone healing in arthritis models

A new study by Greek researchers suggests that the biologic drug bortezomib (Velcade), a proteasome inhibitor used to treat multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer), may represent a promising treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, bortezomib displayed favorable effects in an animal model of inflammatory arthritis that mimics RA, in reducing disease severity and inflammation, and promoting bone healing. Full findings of this study are published in the November issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

3 Nov 2010

Arthritis drugs also prevent post-operative cognitive decline: Study

Anti-inflammatory drugs currently used to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis may also help prevent cognitive problems after surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Imperial College London and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

2 Nov 2010

Laser pulses enable skin rejuvenation

Laser pulses enable skin rejuvenation, as research at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has shown. Laser treatment introduces heat into the skin. Under the influence of heat shocks of 45°C, skin cells produce more collagen. This is the protein that gives the skin its firmness and elasticity. Susanne Dams describes this process in the dissertation for which she gained her PhD degree from the Biomedical Engineering Department at TU/e.

22 Oct 2010