Therapeutics News and Research

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Scientists identify a molecule that coordinates the movement of cells

Even cells commute. To get from their birthplace to their work site, they sequentially attach to and detach from an elaborate track of exceptionally strong proteins known as the extracellular matrix. Now, in research to appear in the October 3 issue of Cell, scientists at Rockefeller University show that a molecule, called ACF7, helps regulate and power this movement from the inside - findings that could have implications for understanding how cancer cells metastasize.

2 Oct 2008

Cancer Research UK and Astex Therapeutics join forces to develop new anti-cancer treatment

Cancer Research UK, Cancer Research Technology (CRT) - the charity's development and commercialisation arm - and Astex Therapeutics Limited announced today that they have agreed to take into development a potential new anti-cancer treatment.

30 Sep 2008

Arana files U.S. IND for lead anti-Inflammatory

Biotechnology company Arana Therapeutics Limited today announced it has submitted an Investigational New Drug application (IND) to the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for the anti-inflammatory product ART621 in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) indication.

29 Sep 2008

Arana updates inflammatory pipeline milestones

Biotechnology company Arana Therapeutics Limited today provided an update on the major inflammatory compounds in its drug development pipeline. As part of this update, Arana said it has developed a new antibody candidate ART123, targeting inflammatory diseases and it plans to start a Phase I clinical trial for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) candidate PMX53 in 2009.

21 Sep 2008

Scientists discover how to isolate cancer stem cells in tumors

After years of working toward this goal, scientists at the OU Cancer Institute have found a way to isolate cancer stem cells in tumors so they can target the cells and kill them, keeping cancer from returning.

11 Sep 2008

Untapped potential of antidepressants for cancer

A comprehensive review of current scientific literature, published in the peer-reviewed journal ecancer, has suggested that antidepressants can help the human body fight cancer by boosting its own immune response, amongst other mechanisms.

11 Sep 2008

GlaxoSmithKline and Cellzome announce major strategic alliance

Cellzome Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline have announced the signing of a worldwide strategic alliance to discover, develop and market novel kinase-targeted therapeutics to treat inflammatory diseases.

10 Sep 2008

'Black sheep protein' key to cancer cell death

A neglected member of an important family of proteins could boost the effectiveness of an exciting new group of cancer drugs - reveals a study in Cancer Cell.

8 Sep 2008

Merck Serono and Ablynx to jointly develop nanobodies

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Ablynx, to co-discover and co-develop Nanobodies against two targets in oncology and immunology. The agreement includes an upfront cash payment to Ablynx of EUR10 million.

4 Sep 2008

Panacea Pharmaceuticals issued U.S. patent for anti-HAAH antibodies

Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent Number 7,413,737 covering antibodies against human aspartyl (asparaginyl) beta-hydroxylase (HAAH), a proprietary human cancer biomarker and therapeutic target.

3 Sep 2008

Fibrex medical reports positive phase II results for peptide for the treatment of reperfusion injury

Fibrex Medical has announced positive Phase II results for FX06, a peptide for the treatment of reperfusion injury - the damage to heart muscle that results from remedial treatment following a heart attack. The results will be presented at the ESC Congress today in Munich, Germany.

2 Sep 2008

Genzyme, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Advinus collaborate on malaria initiative

The Cambridge, Mass.-based biotechnology firm Genzyme on Monday announced it will collaborate with the not-for-profit group Medicines for Malaria Venture and the Indian pharmaceutical company Advinus Therapeutics to develop new malaria treatments, the Boston Business Journal reports.

26 Aug 2008

Novel imaging reagents and technology that non-invasively locates, quantifies specific cells in the body

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) isn't just for capturing detailed images of the body's anatomy. Thanks to novel imaging reagents and technology developed by Carnegie Mellon University scientist Eric Ahrens, MRI can be used to visualize - with "exquisite" specificity - cell populations of interest in the living body. The ability to non-invasively locate and track cells, such as immune cells, will greatly aid the study and treatment of cancer, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, as well as provide a tool for advancing clinical translation of the emerging field of cellular regenerative medicine, by tracking stem cells for example.

21 Aug 2008

Codeine use may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers

Using pain treatments which contain codeine may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers, according to researchers at The University of Western Ontario, and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.

20 Aug 2008

Stanford develop method to overcome multiple drug resistant diseases

Many drugs once considered Charles Atlases of the pharmaceutical realm have been reduced to the therapeutic equivalent of 97-pound weaklings as the diseases they once dispatched with ease have developed resistance to them.

18 Aug 2008

Breakthrough drug FT-11 has the potential to end the need for dialysis in kidney disease

Australian scientists say they have developed a drug with the potential to save millions of lives from kidney disease.

18 Aug 2008

Dual-mode nanoparticles image tumors using MRI and PET

Medical imaging represents one of the most used and useful procedures in the oncologist's diagnostic toolkit, even though each of the most useful techniques-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography x-ray imaging (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning-has its own set of limitations.

17 Aug 2008

MicroRNAs help control blood-vessel development

The development and repair of heart tissue and blood vessels is intimately tied to a tiny piece of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that is found nowhere else in the body, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

12 Aug 2008

Low vitamin D levels substantially increase risk of death

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the most conclusive evidence to date that inadequate levels of vitamin D, obtained from milk, fortified cereals and exposure to sunlight, lead to substantially increased risk of death.

11 Aug 2008

Designer RNA fights high cholesterol, medical researchers find

Small, specially designed bits of ribonucleic acid (RNA) can interfere with cholesterol metabolism, reducing harmful cholesterol by two-thirds in pre-clinical tests, according to a new study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in collaboration with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

11 Aug 2008