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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

GeoVax receives US Patent for pGA series of plasmids

GeoVax Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines, has been issued via an exclusive license from Emory University, a US Patent for its "DNA expression vectors and methods of use. Issued on September 14, 2010, the patent claims cover novel vectors and novel HIV vaccine inserts.

7 Oct 2010

AnalizaDx SIA technology, Nanosphere Verisens assay effective for prostate cancer diagnosis

At the annual meeting of the North-Central American Urological Association, Mark Stovsky, MD, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Case Medical Center, and principal investigator, presented positive data combining the AnalizaDx SIA technology with the Nanosphere Verisens ultra-sensitive PSA assay.

7 Oct 2010

Lowering blood pressure may reduce risk of kidney disease progression

Keeping blood pressure at a low level in African-Americans with kidney disease may slow the progression of the condition in patients with proteinuria, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found in a national study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Oct 2010

Researchers shed new light about long non-coding RNA molecules

Despite progress in decoding the genome, scientists estimate that fully 95 percent of our DNA represents dark, unknown territory. In the October 1 issue of the journal Cell researchers at The Wistar Institute shed new light on the genetic unknown with the discovery of the ability of long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) to promote gene expression.

7 Oct 2010

Elevated levels of iron in brain enhance brain-destroying plaque production in Alzheimer's patients: Research

Massachusetts General Hospital researchers say they have determined how iron contributes to the production of brain-destroying plaques found in Alzheimer's patients.

7 Oct 2010

Study reveals fine-tuning mechanism of angiotensinogen in pre-eclampsia

An exciting collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge and Nottingham has resulted in new insights into the hypertension that frequently blights pregnancy.

7 Oct 2010

Role of TGF-ß in cancer diseases

During this year's BIOTECHNICA exhibition, the international biotech news magazine „GEN - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News yesterday on 5 October 2010, held an information event with subsequent panel discussion featuring the topic TGF-ß an important target in cancer diseases.

7 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

Laureate Pharma secures $20 million financing to enhance business

Laureate Pharma, Inc., a full-service contract development and manufacturing organization today announced that it has secured $20 million in debt and equity financing to enhance and grow its business.

7 Oct 2010

Immune reaction to dystrophin may contribute to muscle disease: Study

An immune reaction to dystrophin, the muscle protein that is defective in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, may pose a new challenge to strengthening muscles of patients with this disease, suggests a new study appearing in the October 7, 2010, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Oct 2010

Research findings likely to have significant implications for treatment of pre-eclampsia, hypertension

Scientists have discovered a mechanism which raises blood pressure in pre-eclampsia, a potentially deadly condition which occurs during pregnancy.

7 Oct 2010

Microglial inflammation promotes MAPT pathologies

Cells that help to protect the central nervous system may also contribute to pathological changes in the brain. New research, published by Cell Press in the October 7th issue of the journal Neuron, provides mechanistic insight into a link between the immune system and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease that are associated with abnormal accumulation of tau protein.

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

New hope for patients with brain injury

New neuroscience research by life scientists from UCLA and Australia may potentially help people who have lost their ability to remember due to brain injury or disease.

6 Oct 2010

Study may lend insight about hallucination mechanism in schizophrenia

Scripps Research Institute scientists have shown for the first time that the neurotransmitter serotonin uses a specialized signaling pathway to mediate biological functions that are distinct from the signaling pathways used by hallucinogenic substances. The new findings could have a profound effect on the development of new therapies for a number of disorders, including schizophrenia and depression.

6 Oct 2010

Aegerion Pharmaceuticals’ MTP-I Phase III trial published in Atherosclerosis online supplement

ACR Image Metrix, a global imaging contract research organization (CRO) with expertise in imaging trial design, techniques and data extraction, is pleased to announce a Phase III trial, conducted for Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., was published as an abstract in the online supplement of Atherosclerosis and presented at the 78th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress, which took place June 20-23, 2010, in Hamburg, Germany.

6 Oct 2010

Toxic free radical responsible for lung damage due to oxygen therapy

The most toxic free radical appears responsible for much of the lung damage that can result from oxygen therapy in the critically ill or injured, Medical College of Georgia researchers report.

6 Oct 2010

Insulin-sensitizing drugs may offer new treatments for kidney failure

Evidence reported in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, offers a completely new explanation for why people with diabetes account for more than half of all patients requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. It appears that insulin has a significant influence on the structure and proper function of a particular group of very specialized cells, known as podocytes, that are integral to the kidney's ability to do its job filtering blood.

6 Oct 2010

Low level of testosterone increases risk for Alzheimer's disease

Low levels of the male sex hormone, testosterone, in older men is associated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to research by a team that includes a Saint Louis University scientist.

6 Oct 2010

Profectus BioSciences awarded $3.1M Fast Track SBIR grant to develop prophylactic vaccine against HIV

Profectus BioSciences, Inc., a technology based vaccine company devoted to the treatment and prevention of chronic viral diseases, today announced the award of a Fast Track SBIR from the Division of AIDS, National Institutes of Health for $3.1M to support the development of the Company's Transition State Vaccine (TSV) technology for a prophylactic HIV Vaccine.

6 Oct 2010