Protein News and Research

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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.

Findings from Abraxis BioScience's phase 3 ABRAXANE trial in patients with NSCLC presented at ASCO

Abraxis BioScience, Inc. announced today that findings from their phase 3 randomized trial of nanoparticle albumin bound driven chemotherapy, nab-paclitaxel (ABRAXANE for Injectable Suspension; paclitaxel albumin protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) plus carboplatin, showed a statistically significant 31 percent improvement in overall response rate when compared with Taxol (paclitaxel) injection plus carboplatin in the first-line treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

8 Jun 2010

Polaris' ADI-PEG 20 novel anticancer drug inhibits growth of metastatic melanoma cells: Study

Physicians attending the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) presented evidence that pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG 20), a novel anticancer drug that targets ASS(-) tumors, and which is being developed and manufactured by Polaris Group, was effective in inhibiting the growth of metastatic melanoma cells.

8 Jun 2010

Research findings open door to development of new therapies for lymphomas, leukemias

Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered a new way to target and destroy a type of cancerous cell. The findings may lead to the development of new therapies to treat lymphomas, leukemias, and related cancers.

8 Jun 2010

La Jolla Institute scientist finds protein key to insulin secretion

If you think of diabetes onset like an elaborate molecular drama, then a research team led by a La Jolla Institute scientist has unmasked a previously unknown cellular player, which is critical to proper insulin secretion. "Defective insulin secretion is a hallmark of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes," said Catherine Hedrick, Ph.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, who led the team, which included researchers from the University of Virginia.

8 Jun 2010

Hormone involved in iron metabolism can save mice from deadly acute inflammation: Scientists

In a surprising discovery that someday may lead to new treatments for many inflammatory diseases, University of Utah scientists found that a hormone involved in iron metabolism can save mice from deadly acute inflammation.

8 Jun 2010

Form of epigenetics may play role in pulmonary arterial hypertension: Researchers

A rare but fatal disease of blood vessels in the lung may be caused in part by aberrant silencing of genes rather than genetic mutation, new research reports. Pulmonary arterial hypertension, a syndrome characterized by gradual blockage of blood vessels in the lungs, has been linked to genetic causes in a small percentage of patients. But University of Chicago researchers have now found that a form of epigenetics - the modification of gene expression - causes the disease in an animal model and could contribute to the disease in humans.

8 Jun 2010

ARIAD presents updated positive data on AP24534 pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor for CML at 46th ASCO

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced updated clinical data from an ongoing Phase 1 study of its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor, AP24534, in patients with resistant and refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The data confirm strong clinical evidence of hematologic, cytogenetic and molecular anti-leukemia activity of AP24534, a multi-targeted kinase inhibitor, in heavily pretreated patients with CML, including those with the T315I mutation of the target protein, BCR-ABL.

8 Jun 2010

Final results from Phase 1 trial of OGX-427 for treating solid tumors presented at ASCO 2010

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced final results from a Phase 1 trial. The primary purpose of this trial was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of OGX-427 up to doses of 1000 mg for the treatment of various solid tumors. Patients enrolled had a diagnosis of castrate resistant prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer or non-small cell lung cancer.

8 Jun 2010

Protein p53 becomes activated to control creation of ova and spermatozoids: Study

Protein 53 is very important in protecting against cancer given that it prevents cancer-causing mutations from accumulating and its inactivation is closely linked to the proliferation of tumour cells. UAB lecturer Ignasi Roig participated in the study. Formed by an international research team, the study served to discover that this protein played an unexpected physiological role: it also becomes activated during the formation process of ova and spermatozoids.

8 Jun 2010

Erlotinib can reduce lung cancer death by 26% : Study

Three times as many women with advanced lung cancer were alive and had no progression of their cancer 12 months after taking the drug erlotinib (also known as Tarceva) compared to those who did not receive the drug according to new data being presented at the ASCO1 conference today (Monday).

8 Jun 2010

Angiochem presents positive Phase 1/2 clinical data of ANG1005 for brain cancer at ASCO 2010

Angiochem, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing drugs that are uniquely capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through LRP-1 targeting, announced today that complete phase 1/2 clinical data in two clinical studies of its lead oncology program, ANG1005, for the treatment of brain cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM) and brain metastases, were presented at the 2010 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, June 4-8, in Chicago, IL.

7 Jun 2010

Alnylam presents interim data from ALN-VSP02 Phase I trial for liver cancer at ASCO 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today preliminary clinical data from its ongoing Phase I trial with ALN-VSP, a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of advanced solid tumors with liver involvement.

7 Jun 2010

CryoLife purchases patent involving formulation, use of recombinant human serum albumin and gluteraldehyde

CryoLife, Inc., an implantable biological medical device and cardiovascular tissue processing company whose products include BioGlue Surgical Adhesive, announced today that it has completed the purchase of U.S. patent # 6,329,337. The patent involves the formulation and use of recombinant human serum albumin and gluteraldehyde, and now becomes part of CryoLife's protein hydrogel patent portfolio, which includes BioGlue.

7 Jun 2010

PTC receives $5.4M SDD Award to support development of drugs that target Bmi-1

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the receipt of a $5.4 million Seeding Drug Discovery Award from The Wellcome Trust to support the development of drugs that target Bmi-1, a protein that has been linked to drug resistant cancers.

7 Jun 2010

Genentech reports results from Phase III study of Avastin in women with advanced ovarian cancer

Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, today announced results from a Phase III study of Avastin (bevacizumab) that showed women with previously untreated advanced ovarian cancer who received Avastin in combination with chemotherapy, followed by the continuation of Avastin alone, had a 39 percent improvement in the likelihood of living longer without the disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS) compared to chemotherapy alone.

7 Jun 2010

Novartis' Afinitor decreases size of SEGAs associated with tuberous sclerosis

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that results from a Phase II study show Afinitor® (everolimus) tablets is the first medication in a clinical trial to decrease the size of subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (SEGAs), benign brain tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis (TS). In this study of 28 patients presented today at the 46th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, 75% of patients experienced a reduction of 30% or greater in the size of their brain tumors from baseline to six months (p<0.001).

7 Jun 2010

Thesis examines infections caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum in lambs

Erik Georg Granquist's thesis examines infections caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum in lambs. This bacterium is the cause of the disease tick-borne fever in ruminants and granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans. The bacterium is transmitted by ticks and is the indirect cause of considerable animal welfare problems and financial losses in Norwegian sheep farming.

7 Jun 2010

Bevacizumab extends progression-free survival in women with advanced ovarian cancer

Newly reported results from a major clinical trial show that adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to standard frontline chemotherapy for women with advanced ovarian cancer and then continuing a maintenance dose of the drug afterwards significantly extends progression-free survival. Women receiving the new treatment regimen saw no worsening of their disease for 14.1 months, compared to 10.3 months for women receiving standard therapy.

7 Jun 2010

Ipilimumab extends survival of metastatic melanoma patients: Study

A therapy that multiplies the effect of a natural disease-fighting antibody has extended the lives of patients with metastatic melanoma in a large, international clinical trial. The study's researchers will report their findings simultaneously at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago and in the New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Jun 2010

MD Anderson-led Phase III clinical study determines Sprycel superior to Gleevec as front-line therapy

Dasatanib, a medication currently approved as treatment for drug-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia, provided patients with quicker, better responses as a first therapy than the existing front-line drug, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Jun 2010

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

Findings from Abraxis BioScience's phase 3 ABRAXANE trial in patients with NSCLC presented at ASCO

Polaris' ADI-PEG 20 novel anticancer drug inhibits growth of metastatic melanoma cells: Study

Research findings open door to development of new therapies for lymphomas, leukemias

La Jolla Institute scientist finds protein key to insulin secretion

Hormone involved in iron metabolism can save mice from deadly acute inflammation: Scientists

Form of epigenetics may play role in pulmonary arterial hypertension: Researchers

ARIAD presents updated positive data on AP24534 pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor for CML at 46th ASCO

Final results from Phase 1 trial of OGX-427 for treating solid tumors presented at ASCO 2010

Protein p53 becomes activated to control creation of ova and spermatozoids: Study

Erlotinib can reduce lung cancer death by 26% : Study

Angiochem presents positive Phase 1/2 clinical data of ANG1005 for brain cancer at ASCO 2010

Alnylam presents interim data from ALN-VSP02 Phase I trial for liver cancer at ASCO 2010

CryoLife purchases patent involving formulation, use of recombinant human serum albumin and gluteraldehyde

PTC receives $5.4M SDD Award to support development of drugs that target Bmi-1

Genentech reports results from Phase III study of Avastin in women with advanced ovarian cancer

Novartis' Afinitor decreases size of SEGAs associated with tuberous sclerosis

Thesis examines infections caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum in lambs

Bevacizumab extends progression-free survival in women with advanced ovarian cancer

Ipilimumab extends survival of metastatic melanoma patients: Study

MD Anderson-led Phase III clinical study determines Sprycel superior to Gleevec as front-line therapy

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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