Phosphatase News and Research

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Mayo study finds mechanism by which Pten safeguards against tumor formation

Pten (short for phosphatase and tensin homolog) is a tumor suppressor that is defective in about 20-25 percent of all patients with cancers. Mayo Clinic researchers now have discovered that Pten safeguards against tumor formation by keeping chromosome numbers intact when a cell splits into two daughter cells.

3 Jun 2016

Ocaliva drug gets FDA approval for primary biliary cholangitis treatment

On Friday, May 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for Ocaliva (obeticholic acid) for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in adults with an inadequate response to UDCA, or as a single therapy in adults unable to tolerate UDCA.

1 Jun 2016

Novel protective gene against CAD uncovered

A large study has found that mutations in the gene encoding the major subunit of the asialoglycoprotein receptor are protective against coronary artery disease.

20 May 2016

Study shows inhibition of SHP-2 enzyme can diminish lupus symptoms

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have identified an enzyme that is significantly elevated in mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus and in blood samples of patients with lupus.

17 May 2016

Newly identified molecular pathway could lead to new treatments for reflux, incontinence disorders

Researchers at UMass Medical School have identified a new molecular pathway critical for maintaining the smooth muscle tone that allows the passage of materials through the digestive system.

25 Apr 2016

PPP3CA, calcineurin may be suitable therapeutic targets for multiple myeloma treatment

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological cancer that frequently acquires resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Additionally, many patients experience disease relapse, but these patients are difficult to treat as the cancer is often resistant to the previous treatment regimen.

22 Apr 2016

MicroRNA can help combat obesity and diabetes

Obesity, which is associated with low-grade inflammation, is an important contributor in the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While the role of several organs including adipose tissue have been implicated in this process, the cell types and factors driving this process have not been clear.

16 Mar 2016

Strensiq approved for treatment of patients with juvenile-onset HPP

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Strensiq (asfotase alfa) as the first approved treatment for perinatal, infantile and juvenile-onset hypophosphatasia (HPP).

24 Oct 2015

Breakthrough advancements on new molecular mechanism may lead to Parkinson's treatments

More than one million people in the United States are afflicted with Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder of the brain that affects movement and coordination. The cause is typically unknown, and presently there is no cure for the disease.

19 Oct 2015

OncoGenex meets target enrollment in apatorsen Phase 2 trial

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Borealis-2, an investigator-sponsored, randomized Phase 2 trial, has met its target enrollment of 200 patients. Designed to evaluate apatorsen in combination with docetaxel in patients with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer who have disease progression following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, Borealis-2 is sponsored by Hoosier Oncology Group and is being conducted at 27 sites across the United States.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers establish structure of important tumor-suppressing protein

An international group of researchers led by Carnegie Mellon University physicists Mathias Lösche and Frank Heinrich have established the structure of an important tumor suppressing protein, PTEN. Their findings provide new insights into how the protein regulates cell growth and how mutations in the gene that encodes the protein can lead to cancer.

21 Aug 2015

TSRI scientists reveal how mutations in specific autism risk gene alter pattern of early brain development

As early as 1943, when autism was first described by psychiatrist Leo Kanner, reports were made that some, but not all, children with autism spectrum disorder have relatively enlarged heads. But even today, more than half a century later, the exact cause of this early abnormal growth of the head and brain has remained unclear.

16 Jul 2015

Chromosomes play active role in animal cell division

Canadian and British researchers have discovered that chromosomes play an active role in animal cell division. This occurs at a precise stage - cytokinesis - when the cell splits into two new daughter cells.

14 Jul 2015

Apatorsen added to first-line chemotherapy benefits metastatic bladder cancer patients

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that results from an exploratory analysis of the Phase 2 Borealis-1 trial showed that metastatic bladder cancer patients with poor prognostic features benefited from apatorsen 600mg added to first-line chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone.

2 Jun 2015

New data on Resverlogix RVX-208 for CKD treatment presented at ERA-EDTA Congress

Resverlogix Corp. today announced that new data on RVX-208 was presented at the ERA-EDTA Congress in London, England in a poster entitled: "Effects of RVX-208, a First-in-Class Epigenetic BET-Inhibitor, on Key Renal Parameters in Subjects with a History of CVD, and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD); a Post-hoc Analysis of Patients from the ASSERT, SUSTAIN and ASSURE Clinical Trials."

1 Jun 2015

New combination chemotherapy may become clinical standard for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer

For more than a decade, oncologists using cytotoxic chemotherapy to treat patients with advanced metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have relied on the sequential use of single agent taxanes such as docetaxel and cabazitaxel. For example, docetaxel is commonly used as the "first-line" therapy, while cabazitaxel is used as the "second-line" therapy.

30 May 2015

$Study analyses advantages of using fractions of ejaculate in IVF$

Study analyses advantages of using fractions of ejaculate in IVF

Sperm in the first fraction of ejaculate are more numerous, move more and present better quality DNA than those lagging behind. This is the conclusion of a study led by the Ginemed fertility clinic, which confirms that while the objective of the first fraction is to fertilise the egg, the second phase is so that no sperm from any other male has a chance to fertilise it.

27 May 2015

Alternative generic strategy for breast cancer treatment

Maxing out the inherently stressed nature of treatment-resistant breast cancer cells thwarts their adaptive ability to evolve genetic workarounds to treatment, a new study suggests.

27 May 2015

Novel drug target identified for treating rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, in collaboration with colleagues the University of California, San Diego, identified a novel drug target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that focuses on the cells that are directly responsible for the cartilage damage in affected joints.

21 May 2015

Promising preliminary results for AKB-9778 in diabetic macular oedema

AKB-9778, a small molecule competitive inhibitor of vascular endothelial-protein tyrosine phosphatase, has a good safety and efficacy profile in patients with diabetic macular oedema, suggests a preliminary dose-escalation study.

19 May 2015