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Oral delivery system for RNAi therapeutics

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) report on a novel approach to the delivery of small bits of genetic material in order to silence genes using "RNA interference"-and in the process, discovered a potent method of suppressing inflammation in mice similar to what occurs in a range of human diseases.

30 Apr 2009

SUMO protein guides chromatin remodeler to suppress genes

In an in vitro study, led by Grace Gill, PhD, Tufts University School of Medicine, researchers discovered how a protein called SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-related Modifier) guides an enzyme complex that alters the structure of chromatin to regulate expression of genes.

27 Apr 2009

Roche and Pharmasset start phase IIb clinical trial of R7128 nucleoside polymerase inhibitor for chronic hepatitis C

Pharmasset, Inc. and Roche have announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase IIb study of R7128, the nucleoside polymerase inhibitor most advanced in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV).

26 Apr 2009

Link found between vitamin D insufficiency and asthma severity

Serum levels of vitamin D in more than 600 Costa Rican children were inversely linked to several indicators of allergy and asthma severity, including hospitalizations for asthma, use of inhaled steroids and total IgE levels, according to a study that will appear in the first issue for May of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

23 Apr 2009

Sorafenib and vitamin K combo shows anti-tumor effects in pancreas cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma

A combination of sorafenib and vitamin K had an effect in vitro on both human pancreas cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.

22 Apr 2009

New applications for proton pump inhibitors

In a new study, published in the May issue of Elsevier's Experimental Neurology (www.elsevier.com/locate/yexnr), scientists at the University of British Columbia have discovered that drugs commonly used to treat ulcers have significant neuroprotective properties, which appear to be enhanced when used in combination with ibuprofen, a widely used anti-inflammatory drug.

22 Apr 2009

Peregrine's PS-targeting antibodies highlighted in AACR Annual Meeting studies

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has reported that two preclinical studies presented during the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 provided further confirmation of the immunomodulatory mechanisms contributing to the anti-tumor activity of its phosphatidylserine (PS) targeting antibodies.

22 Apr 2009

Cells from human blood can morph into stem cells

In a recent study, U.S. researchers have reprogrammed cells found in circulating blood into cells that are molecularly and functionally indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells, a revolutionary achievement that provides a readily accessible source of stem cells and an alternative to harvesting embryonic stem cells.

21 Apr 2009

New insights into protein p75's role Alzheimer's disease

New research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies casts the role of a neuronal growth factor receptor - long suspected to facilitate the toxic effects of beta amyloid in Alzheimer's disease - in a new light, suggesting the molecule actually protects the neuron in the periphery from beta amyloid-induced damage.

21 Apr 2009

New hope for Huntington disease sufferers

Researchers from the University of Southern California have taken an important first step toward protecting against Huntington disease using gene therapy.

20 Apr 2009

Human foetal stem cells can effectively be used to treat back leg ischaemic ulcers

Treatment of chronic wounds is a continuing clinical problem and socio-economic burden with diabetic foot ulcers alone costing the NHS £300 million a year.

20 Apr 2009

First compound for receptors in schizophrenia and Alzheimer's holds promise

For almost 20 years, pharmacological companies have known that certain compounds that activate two specific CNS receptors, causing them to release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, are effective in treating the cognitive and motor problems related to both schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

20 Apr 2009

Protein FGFR3 a potential therapeutic target for several cancers

Several forms of cancer, including bladder cancer and multiple myeloma caused by the t(4;14) genetic abnormality, are associated with either overexpression or perpetual activation of the protein FGFR3.

20 Apr 2009

Study looks at shikonin for human gastric adenocarcinoma

Previous studies on shikonin, a chemical derived from the Chinese medicinal herb had anti-tumor effects although it was found to be toxic.

20 Apr 2009

Novel method of isolating high quality RNA from Kupffer cells

Kupffer cells, resident tissue macrophages that line the liver sinusoids, play a key role in modulating inflammation in a number of experimental models of liver injury.

20 Apr 2009

Experimental insulin-like growth factor receptor inhibitor a clear clinical candidate for pancreatic cancer therapy

Researchers at Amgen are testing a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the activity of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) and appears to reduce pancreatic cancer cells in early testing, according to a report in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

14 Apr 2009

Therapeutic effect of imatinib improved with addition of chloroquine

The therapeutic effects of the blockbuster leukemia drug imatinib may be enhanced when given along with a drug that inhibits a cell process called autophagy, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

13 Apr 2009

Researchers reveal how immune cells can be harnessed to target melanoma

Researchers at the Babraham Institute and the University of Catanzaro "Magna Graecia", Italy, co-ordinating an international network of scientists and clinicians from Europe, the USA and Japan, have identified new mechanisms through which the immune system recognises and responds to tumours like melanomas.

12 Apr 2009

New nanostructured biosensors

Research and industry are increasingly exploiting the potential of aptamers.

8 Apr 2009

Discovery of gene linked to short-rib polydactyly syndrome

After 12 years of searching, UCLA scientists have tracked down the first known gene mutation responsible for a heartbreaking disorder that kills newborn babies.

1 Apr 2009