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EMEA grants orphan drug status for LFB Biotechnologies' recombinant anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody

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 EMEA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) was handed down on last October 7th.

25 Nov 2009

New findings shake the foundations of Alzheimer's research

Alzheimer's disease is caused by the build-up of a brain peptide called amyloid-beta. That's why eliminating the protein has been the focus of almost all drug research pursuing a cure for the devastating neurodegenerative condition.

24 Nov 2009

SANYO releases whitepaper on its new cell culture CO2 incubator

SANYO North America's Biomedical and Environmental Division has released a new whitepaper showing that higher up-time ratios, based on new protocols that minimize incubator downtime when compared to conventional decontamination methods, can accelerate a return on investment in cell culture CO2 incubators that use hydrogen peroxide vapor (H2O2) in conjunction with narrow-bandwidth ultraviolet light and copper-enriched stainless steel.

24 Nov 2009

Clavis Pharma signs drug development and commercialisation agreement with Clovis Oncology

Clavis Pharma ASA, the clinical stage oncology focused pharmaceutical company, and Clovis Oncology, Inc., the newly formed oncology company led by former Pharmion Corporation executives, announced today an agreement for the further development and commercialisation of the Clavis Pharma drug candidate, CP-4126, currently in Phase II development in pancreatic cancer.

24 Nov 2009

Human-derived UCB stem cell transplant has positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders

Two separate studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (18:8), - now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct - have shown that transplanted human-derived umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells transplanted in an animal model had positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders the animal models.

24 Nov 2009

Bio-Quant to be acquired by NexMed

NexMed, Inc., a developer of products based on the NexACT® technology, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bio-Quant, Inc., a revenue generating privately-held leading research organization for in vitro and in vivo contract drug discovery and pre-clinical development services, headquartered in San Diego, CA.

23 Nov 2009

EraGen Biosciences to have access to Illumina’s BeadXpress platform

EraGen Biosciences Inc., a developer of novel molecular reagents for the in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market, and Illumina Inc., a global company that develops, manufactures and markets integrated systems for analysis of genetic variation and biological function, today announced the formation of a strategic partnership and the execution of non-exclusive licensing agreements.

From Illumina, Inc. 23 Nov 2009

I-STEM team succeeds in recreating a whole epidermis from hES cells

Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.

20 Nov 2009

CDAS, Prestwick Chemical sign drug discovery research agreement

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALP), a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery and life sciences research, today announced a strategic partnership between the company's contract research organization, Caliper Discovery Alliances & Services (CDAS), and Prestwick Chemical (Strasbourg, France) to provide customized outsourced medicinal chemistry and in vitro and in vivo preclinical biology programs for drug discovery research.

19 Nov 2009

Particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells: Study

Real-life particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that heavy braking, as in an emergency stop, caused the most damage, but normal breaking and even close proximity to a disengaged brake resulted in potentially dangerous cellular stress.

19 Nov 2009

Low-level laser therapy increases tumour growth in skin cancer

High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer studied the pain relieving, anti-inflammatory 'cold laser', finding that it caused increased tumour growth in a mouse model of skin cancer.

19 Nov 2009

VisEn Medical launches two new agents for imaging quantification

VisEn Medical Inc., a leader in fluorescence in vivo imaging from research through medicine, announced today the commercial launch of its new OsteoSense® 800 imaging agent for targeting areas of bone turnover and microcalcification in vivo. The new 800 nm OsteoSense agent complements VisEn's OsteoSense 680 and 750 products, and is expected to further expand the utilization of this agent family in enabling in vivo detection, measurement and monitoring of skeletal changes in a wide range of disease states, including arthritis, osteoporosis, and cancer metastasis.

19 Nov 2009

Embryonic stem cells raise hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure. There have been several protocols available for hepatic fate specification from ES cells, however, most of the protocols currently used result in low yield or purity of functional hepatocytes. Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, has been demonstrated to facilitate the hepatic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, little is know about whether VPA could induce the hepatic differentiation of ES cells.

19 Nov 2009

Experts to study how olive oil lowers the level of cytotoxicity in endothelial cells

Experts at Virgen del Rocío Hospital (Seville, Spain) have begun a study on pregnancy preeclampsia on a sample of 30 pregnant women with a view to demonstrating whether or not consumption of olive oil by this population group results in lower levels of cytotoxicity (for example, cholesterol) in endothelial cells (arterial wall cells).

19 Nov 2009

USP releases new CRMs for carbamazepine, phenytoin, and theophylline

To help bring greater certainty to the measurement of medication levels in a patient's bloodstream for three drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is releasing new certified reference materials (CRMs).

19 Nov 2009

China Medical Technologies announces financial results for second fiscal quarter

China Medical Technologies, Inc. (the "Company"), a leading China-based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets advanced in-vitro diagnostic products, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2009 ("2Q FY2009"). The Company's 2009 fiscal year ends on March 31, 2010 ("FY2009").

19 Nov 2009

Study: EP4 agonist may reduce gastric bleeding and inflammation

Over 300 million patients use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the world to treat pain, arthritis, fever and other diseases. Nearly 30% of the users suffer from gastric lesions and bleeding.

19 Nov 2009

iCAD and AdMeTech Foundation sign a strategic partnership agreement

iCAD, Inc., an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis and workflow solutions for the early identification of cancer, today announces a strategic partnership with the AdMeTech Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to end prostate cancer as a patient care crisis and socio-economic problem.

19 Nov 2009

New data on Synta Pharmaceuticals' elesclomol presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC Conference

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today presented new data on the mechanism of action of elesclomol, a first-in-class oxidative stress inducer, at the AACR-NCI-EORTC Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston, Mass.

18 Nov 2009

Asuragen enters into an exclusive agreement with Life Technologies

Asuragen, Inc. announced today that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Life Technologies Corporation to develop and distribute worldwide an in-vitro diagnostic test intended to aid clinicians in the monitoring and treatment of individuals afflicted with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

18 Nov 2009