Tumor Necrosis Factor News and Research

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First case of treating cystic fibrosis and Crohn's disease with infliximab

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-threatening autosomal recessive disease in Caucasian children; it has an incidence of 1 case in every 2500 children born alive. CF involves an anomalous function of the exocrine glands, caused by a mutation of a gene (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, CFTR) located on chromosome 7, which codes for a protein involved in ion transport through the cell membrane.

20 Apr 2010

Results of study comparing REMICADE to azathioprine for Crohn's disease published

Findings published today in The New England Journal of Medicine from a first-of-its-kind comparator trial evaluating the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha biologic treatment REMICADE (infliximab) in the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in patients who were naive to immunomodulator and biologic therapy, showed that a significantly greater proportion of patients receiving REMICADE achieved steroid-free remission and mucosal healing compared with patients receiving azathioprine.

16 Apr 2010

Infliximab-azathioprine combination helps more Crohn's disease patients achieve remission

A study led by Mayo Clinic suggests remission from Crohn's disease may be more likely if patients get biologic therapy combined with immune-suppressing drugs first instead of immune-suppressing drugs alone. The study, published in the April 15, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease with infliximab plus azathioprine allows more patients to achieve remission and mucosal healing than therapy with azathioprine alone.

15 Apr 2010

StockPreacher.com: GenVec's revenues for 2009 decline by 8%

StockPreacher.com announces an investment report featuring GenVec Inc. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

7 Apr 2010

Two-drug combination destroys precancerous colon polyps

A two-drug combination destroys precancerous colon polyps with no effect on normal tissue, opening a new potential avenue for chemoprevention of colon cancer, a team of scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the advance online edition of the journal Nature.

29 Mar 2010

Lung transplant patients may one day benefit from synthetic peptide, researchers report

Lung transplant patients may one day benefit from a synthetic peptide that mimics the body's natural ability to reduce excess fluid accumulation, Medical College of Georgia researchers report.

26 Mar 2010

Interfering with dickkopf 1 protein may help in controlling inflammatory bowel diseases

Signals released by immune cells during a bout of inflammatory bowel disease interfere with intestinal cells' ability to regenerate. Yet people with inflammatory bowel diseases have a significantly higher risk of developing colon cancer: a hyper-activation of growth in those same intestinal cells.

19 Mar 2010

Blocking GM-CSF could reduce inflammation and deleterious effects of cigarette smoke exposure

Researchers in Australia have demonstrated that blocking a certain protein can reduce or prevent cigarette smoke-induced lung inflammation in mice. Inflammation underlies the disease process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and many other smoking-related ailments.

18 Mar 2010

Genentech submits ACTEMRA sBLA to FDA

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group, today announced that the company submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ACTEMRA® (tocilizumab) for the prevention of structural joint damage (as assessed by radiograph) and improvement in physical function in adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

17 Mar 2010

MIF exhibits potential as viable therapeutic target for Type 2 diabetes

An experimental oral drug has lowered blood sugar levels and inflammation in mice with Type 2 diabetes, suggesting that the medication could someday be added to the arsenal of drugs used by millions of Americans with this disease, according to new research.

16 Mar 2010

StockPreacher.com announces investment report featuring GenVec

15 Mar 2010

Study finds sizeable position for Actemra in rheumatoid arthritis treatment paradigm

Results from a study conducted by Majestic Research suggest that Bristol Myers Squibb's Orencia, Johnson & Johnson's Remicade, and Amgen's/Wyeth's Enbrel will forfeit share of the rheumatoid arthritis market to Roche's newly launched Actemra. Early switching data from Majestic’s proprietary panel of rheumatologists indicates that Orencia may be the biggest loser of all, as 54% of switches to Actemra thus far have been from Orencia.

9 Mar 2010

Gene involved in susceptibility and resistance to TB identified

University of Washington researchers have identified a gene involved in susceptibility and resistance to tuberculosis. This same gene, they have found, has a role in the severity of leprosy, which is caused by a related pathogen. The researchers also have learned why this gene is important for susceptibility.

5 Mar 2010

Idera Pharmaceuticals presents IMO-3100 TLR antagonist mechanism of action data at Keystone conference

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today presented data on the mechanism of action of IMO-3100, an antagonist of Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR9, in a preclinical primate model at the Keystone Symposia conference “Tolerance and Autoimmunity” being held February 21-26 in Taos, New Mexico. Idera is developing IMO-3100 for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The presentation entitled “IMO-3100, a novel antagonist, suppresses TLR7- and TLR9-mediated immune responses in non-human primates” was made by Idera scientists.

24 Feb 2010

Study shows CEL-2000 vaccine blocks RA progression in mice

CEL-SCI Corporation and their scientific collaborators announced today that the Company's CEL-2000 vaccine demonstrated that it is able to block the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a mouse model.

23 Feb 2010

Researchers find differences in the biology of lung cancer between men and women

An analysis of genetic and clinical data for nearly 800 patients with non-small cell lung cancer has identified differences in genetic characteristics that are associated with age and sex specific patterns of increased or decreased recurrence-free survival, according to a study in the February 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Feb 2010

Biogen Idec reports 2009 fourth quarter and full year earnings

Biogen Idec Inc., a global biotechnology leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of innovative therapies, today announced its full year and fourth quarter 2009 results.

9 Feb 2010

Preliminary study results of ExThera Medical's Seraph extracorporeal affinity therapy published

ExThera Medical announced today that the results of a preliminary study (“Cytokines in blood from septic patients interact with surface immobilized heparin”) of its proprietary medical device, Seraph™ extracorporeal affinity therapy, have been published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Society for Artificial Organs (Jan.-Feb. 2010).

9 Feb 2010

Researchers uncover new mechanism to protect individuals from serious complications of obesity

Although obesity is a risk factor for diabetes and coronary heart disease worldwide, only some obese individuals go on to develop these metabolic complications, while others are relatively protected. Defining these protective factors could help scientists prevent disease in the wider population.

4 Feb 2010

New biomarker may predict treatment outcomes in RA patients

Investigators have identified a biomarker that could help doctors select patients with rheumatoid arthritis who will benefit from therapy with drugs such as Enbrel, a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-antagonist drug.

30 Jan 2010