Spleen News and Research

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New disease pathways involving more than one cell type lead to Type 1 Gaucher disease: Study

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that new disease pathways involving more than one cell type leads to Type 1 Gaucher disease, a rare genetic disorder in which fatty substances called glycosphingolipids accumulate in cells, resulting in liver/spleen enlargement, osteoporosis, bone pain, and increased risk of cancer and Parkinson's disease.

20 Oct 2010

EC grants orphan drug designation to S*BIO's SB1518 for treatment of myelofibrosis

S*BIO Pte Ltd today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted orphan drug designation to SB1518, its potent and orally active JAK2 inhibitor for the treatment of primary myelofibrosis (PMF), post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (PPV-MF) and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (PET-MF). SB1518 has also received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of the same disorder.

18 Oct 2010

Stanford medical school doctor, author teaches 'The art of the physicial'

The New York Times profiles physician, professor and author Dr. Abraham Verghese: "At Stanford, he is on a mission to bring back something he considers a lost art: the physical exam. The old-fashioned touching, looking and listening — the once prized, almost magical skills of the doctor who missed nothing and could swiftly diagnose a peculiar walk, sluggish thyroid or leaky heart valve using just keen eyes, practiced hands and a stethoscope.

13 Oct 2010

Immunomedics receives additional patent claims for antibody therapy

Immunomedics, Inc. (Nasdaq:IMMU), a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of monoclonal, antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases, today announced that additional claims for the patent family "Method and kit for imaging and treating organs and tissue," were issued as U.S. Patent No. 7,811,570.

13 Oct 2010

Mt. Sinai surgeons pioneer scar-free gallbladder removal

A team of surgeons from Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York who have pioneered scar-free gallbladder removal are offering the procedure to all suitable patients and extending this new type of surgical procedure to other operations in the abdomen. They reported on their updated findings today at the 2010 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

6 Oct 2010

Study finds usage of advanced radiology in emergency department increases

From 1998 to 2007, the use of CT or MRI scans in emergency departments for injury-related conditions increased about 3-fold without a similar increase in the prevalence of the diagnosis of certain life-threatening trauma-related conditions, according to a study in the October 6 issue of JAMA.

6 Oct 2010

As doctors rely on technology, physical exams often neglected

NPR examined "the dying art of the physical exam" in its Monday morning health segment. Because of technology, "many doctors are abbreviating the time-honored physical exam - or even skipping it altogether. ... And it appears the trend is likely to get worse. ... At Stanford Medical School, professor Abraham Verghese is leading the charge to restore the physical exam to what he considers its rightful place, and bring doctors' skills up to snuff.

20 Sep 2010

Incyte Corporation publishes clinical trial data of INCB18424 drug for myelofibrosis treatment

Incyte Corporation, Results from a Phase I/II study of Incyte's janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor with the investigational name INCB18424 (also known as INCB018424 and INC424) were published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrating marked and durable clinical benefits in patients with myelofibrosis.

16 Sep 2010

JAK oral medication produces lasting relief for patients with myelofibrosis: Researchers

An oral medication produces significant and lasting relief for patients with myelofibrosis, a debilitating and lethal bone marrow disorder, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the Sept. 16 New England Journal of Medicine.

16 Sep 2010

Incyte Corporation enters SPA agreement with FDA for INCB18424 inhibitor

Incyte Corporation announced today that it has reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for the design of a pivotal Phase III trial for its JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor, INCB18424 in patients with polycythemia vera (PV), a blood cancer that belongs to a group of diseases known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

13 Sep 2010

Johns Hopkins Children's Center urges new screening program to improve sickle cell trait

The Johns Hopkins Children's Center top pediatrician is urging a "rethink" of a new sickle cell screening program, calling it an enlightened but somewhat rushed step toward improving the health of young people who carry the sickle cell mutation.

9 Sep 2010

David Mosser to discuss primary duty of macrophages at American Physiological Society conference

The term "macrophage" conjures images of a hungry white blood cell gobbling invading bacteria. However, macrophages do much more than that. Not only do they act as antimicrobial warriors, they also play critical roles in immune regulation and wound-healing. They can respond to a variety of cellular signals and change their physiology in response to local cues.

27 Aug 2010

FDA grants LFB's recombinant anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody orphan drug status for CLL

The recombinant anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody produced by LFB Biotechnologies received orphan drug status for the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). This approval from the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development was granted on August 6th, 2010.

26 Aug 2010

Genzyme announces publication of phase 2 clinical trial results of eliglustat tartrate for Gaucher disease

Genzyme Corporation announced today that the two-year follow-up results from the phase 2 clinical trial of its investigational therapy known as eliglustat tartrate have been accepted for publication in the journal Blood. The results have been pre-published on the journal's website and are available to subscribers.

23 Aug 2010

New T cell engineering approach can improve success rate of immune-cell therapies

Clinical trials using patients' own immune cells to target tumors have yielded promising results. However, this approach usually works only if the patients also receive large doses of drugs designed to help immune cells multiply rapidly, and those drugs have life-threatening side effects. Now a team of MIT engineers has devised a way to deliver the necessary drugs by smuggling them on the backs of the cells sent in to fight the tumor. That way, the drugs reach only their intended targets, greatly reducing the risk to the patient.

16 Aug 2010

NKTreg white blood cells migrate into liver, suppress immune responses: Research

After a transplant - and to assure that the new organ is not rejected - patients are put on life-long therapy to suppress their immune system, which, nevertheless, needs to be left intact enough to be able to defend the body against all kinds of disease. A tricky balance as the many rejected organs attest. But a discovery by Maria Monteiro and Luis Graça, two Portuguese scientists, could change all this, at least for the liver.

11 Aug 2010

Study results provide rationale for use of PI3K inhibitors in therapeutic settings

Research at the Babraham Institute, investigating how white blood cells known as B cells develop, has revealed that genes from the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase family of enzymes are critical in enabling the B cells to produce antibodies in the spleen and lymph nodes.

10 Aug 2010

FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to YM BioSciences' JAK1/2 inhibitor

YM BioSciences Inc., announced that the Office of Orphan Products Development of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Designation to the Company's highly-selective JAK1/2 inhibitor, CYT387, for the treatment of myelofibrosis, a chronic debilitating unmet medical need, in which a patient's bone marrow is replaced by scar tissue, and for which treatment options are limited or unsatisfactory.

10 Aug 2010

Vesicular stomatitis virus kills tumour, stimulates immune response against cancer: Research

Cancer Research UK scientists have used the immune system coupled with a virus found in horses and cattle, to hunt and purge cancer cells through the lymphatic system, a study reveals in Nature Medicine.Studying mice, the researchers found that the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), carried by a type of white blood cell called T cells acted as a 'cancer hunter', tracking down tumour cells in the lymph nodes, liver and spleen, and killed them, leaving normal healthy cells unharmed. At the same time, VSV also helped to trigger an immune response against the tumour, significantly improving the anti-cancer effect.

6 Aug 2010

YM concludes dose-escalation in CYT387 Phase I/II clinical trial for myelofibrosis

YM BioSciences Inc., announced the conclusion of dose-escalation in the Phase I portion of its Phase I/II clinical trial of CYT387 at Mayo Clinic in patients with myelofibrosis. In total, 21 patients were treated in Phase I, with no voluntary withdrawals reported. CYT387 has shown significant activity in reducing spleen size and controlling constitutional symptoms in these patients.

5 Aug 2010

Spleen News and Research

New disease pathways involving more than one cell type lead to Type 1 Gaucher disease: Study

EC grants orphan drug designation to S*BIO's SB1518 for treatment of myelofibrosis

Stanford medical school doctor, author teaches 'The art of the physicial'

Immunomedics receives additional patent claims for antibody therapy

Mt. Sinai surgeons pioneer scar-free gallbladder removal

Study finds usage of advanced radiology in emergency department increases

As doctors rely on technology, physical exams often neglected

Incyte Corporation publishes clinical trial data of INCB18424 drug for myelofibrosis treatment

JAK oral medication produces lasting relief for patients with myelofibrosis: Researchers

Incyte Corporation enters SPA agreement with FDA for INCB18424 inhibitor

Johns Hopkins Children's Center urges new screening program to improve sickle cell trait

David Mosser to discuss primary duty of macrophages at American Physiological Society conference

FDA grants LFB's recombinant anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody orphan drug status for CLL

Genzyme announces publication of phase 2 clinical trial results of eliglustat tartrate for Gaucher disease

New T cell engineering approach can improve success rate of immune-cell therapies

NKTreg white blood cells migrate into liver, suppress immune responses: Research

Study results provide rationale for use of PI3K inhibitors in therapeutic settings

FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to YM BioSciences' JAK1/2 inhibitor

Vesicular stomatitis virus kills tumour, stimulates immune response against cancer: Research

YM concludes dose-escalation in CYT387 Phase I/II clinical trial for myelofibrosis

Achieving and maintaining ISO 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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