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New drug to treat chronic pain in SCD patients

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team led by Kalpna Gupta, Ph.D., has discovered that cannibinoids offer a novel approach to ease the chronic and acute pain caused by sickle cell disease.Using a mouse model of SCD, Gupta and University of Minnesota colleagues studied the pain mechanisms by observing animals that exhibited both musculoskeletal pain and temperature sensitivity, symptoms similarly experienced by humans with SCD. The team compared two classifications of drugs in their ability to manage pain sensed by the animals, the traditionally prescribed classification of drugs, opioids, with a new therapeutic approach, cannabinoids, a synthetic compound based on marijuana derivatives. Currently, the only approved treatment for management of severe pain in SCD is opioids.

23 Jul 2010

Research findings may help identify human TOR kinase inhibitors

A parasite estimated to afflict as many as 12 million people worldwide relies on a family of genes that should make it vulnerable to compounds developed to treat cancer and other disorders, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

17 Jul 2010

Study links high-fat diet as potential cause of prostatic diseases

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men with an estimated 192,280 new cases diagnosed in the US in 2009 (Jemal 2009). Diet is considered one of the most important controllable risk factors for inflammation and prostate diseases including benign prostatic hyperplsia, prostatitis, and prostate cancer.

15 Jul 2010

Shire presents positive data from TKT-025 EXT Phase I/II study for VPRIV in type 1 Gaucher disease patients

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive data from its long-term extension to its open label Phase I/II study (TKT-025 EXT) for VPRIV® (velaglucerase alfa), the company's enzyme replacement therapy for patients with type 1 Gaucher disease. The data were presented at the 9th Annual European Working Group on Gaucher Disease (EWGGD) in Cologne, Germany, and add to the growing body of clinical evidence which supports the safety and sustained efficacy of VPRIV.

2 Jul 2010

Eisai reports preliminary results from Dacogen for Injection Phase III study in AML

Eisai Inc. announced today preliminary results from a randomized Phase III clinical trial of Dacogen® (decitabine) for Injection versus either a low-dose chemotherapy agent or supportive care in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a life-threatening cancer of the blood that generally occurs in older adults.

1 Jul 2010

Avila's AVL-292 demonstrates disease-modifying effects in prophylactic, therapeutic models of rheumatoid arthritis

Avila Therapeutics™, Inc., a biotechnology company developing targeted covalent drugs that treat diseases through protein silencing, today announced results of preclinical studies demonstrating that its clinical candidate, AVL-292, potently inhibits B cell receptor signaling, and demonstrates efficacy in a rodent model of rheumatoid arthritis. These new data were presented Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) 2010 annual meeting in Boston, MA.

29 Jun 2010

Gilead Sciences signs definitive agreement to acquire CGI Pharmaceuticals

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and CGI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held, development-stage pharmaceutical company focused on small molecule chemistry and kinase biology, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement pursuant to which Gilead will acquire CGI. Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead will acquire CGI for up to $120 million, the majority as an upfront payment and the remaining based on clinical development progress, all of which will be financed through available cash on hand.

25 Jun 2010

Healthcore Media launches dynamic, educational and community-oriented health website

Healthcore Media, LLC has launched http://www.onehealth.com, a dynamic, educational and community-oriented health website that is quickly taking center stage among health portals. Chronic illnesses are at an all-time high, and unbiased medical information and supportive connections with others are taking top priority across the world. One Health has answered the call.

14 Jun 2010

TF12 antibody targets EGP-1 expressed in epithelial cancer: Immunomedics

Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and other serious diseases, today announced that TF12, in combination with radiolabeled peptides, produced specific, fast, high-contrast imaging and pretargeted radioimmunotherapy of epithelial cancers that include cancers of the prostate and the ovary.

14 Jun 2010

S*BIO completes enrollment in SB1518 JAK2 inhibitor Phase 2 clinical trials for myelofibrosis

S*BIO Pte Ltd today announced that it has completed enrollment of patients in two separate Phase 2 clinical trials for its potent and orally-active JAK2 inhibitor SB1518 at multiple clinical sites in the U.S. and Australia for the treatment of myelofibrosis (MF).

9 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

EMBL scientists identify two small RNA molecules that ensure red blood cell production

Red blood cells, the delivery men that take oxygen to cells all around the body, have short lives. To keep enough of them in circulation, the human body produces around 2 million of these cells every second - even more in response to challenges like severe blood loss. In a study published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, and EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, have identified two small RNA molecules which ensure that enough red blood cells are produced efficiently, by fine-tuning a number of different genes involved in this process.

2 Jun 2010

CytRx commences Phase 2 clinical trial of bafetinib for high-risk B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced initiation of a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of its oncology drug candidate bafetinib in patients with high-risk B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL).

29 May 2010

Genzyme signs consent decree of permanent injunction, agrees to disgorgement

Genzyme Corp. has signed a consent decree agreeing to correct manufacturing quality violations at its Allston, Mass., manufacturing facility and will turn over to the federal government $175 million in unlawful profits from the sale of products that were made at the plant, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today.

25 May 2010

OnePath Gaucher Application available for patients with Type 1 Gaucher disease

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the availability of the OnePath Gaucher Application. The first and only application developed specifically for patients in the U.S. with Type 1 Gaucher disease, it is free and ready for download at the iTunes Application store.

24 May 2010

Phase I study of SNS-032 demonstrates safety, potential clinical activity in treating B-cell malignancies

A Phase I clinical trial of SNS-032, one of the first in a new class of drugs that inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases, demonstrated the drug's safety and potential clinical action against advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cyclin-dependent kinases are enzymatic proteins that are integrally involved in cellular metabolism, renewal and signaling, and are thought to play key roles in the growth of cancers.

20 May 2010

Researchers treat undiagnosed FIM with experimental stem cell transplant

Researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital have identified a previously undiagnosed condition and successfully treated it by performing an experimental stem cell transplant.

18 May 2010

Researchers present positive results of Phase II clinical trial of eliglustat tartrate

Gaucher disease, a rare enzyme deficiency disorder, is one of many conditions with few approved treatment options for patients. In a study published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, researchers present positive results of a Phase II clinical trial of eliglustat tartrate, an oral therapy in development to treat Gaucher disease.

4 May 2010

Melanin-covered nanoparticles may protect bone marrow from harmful radiation therapy effects: Research

Tiny, melanin-covered nanoparticles may protect bone marrow from the harmful effects of radiation therapy, according to scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University who successfully tested the strategy in mouse models.

27 Apr 2010

Hereditary ovarian cancer patients may develop secondary tumours in liver and spleen

Scientists have taken a major step forward in the understanding of ovarian cancer, which could improve treatment for patients with the condition.

22 Apr 2010