Medical Science News

RSS

Museum of Science recognizes RainDance for contributions to advance genetic research

RainDance Technologies, Inc., a private company pioneering microdroplet-based technologies for single molecule and single cell analysis, today announced that the company has been recognized by the Museum of Science, Boston and the Boston Patent Law Association for its innovations and contributions to advancing the field of genetic research.

2 Dec 2010

Baxter licenses Vero cell-based influenza vaccine technology to Takeda

Baxter International Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited today announced that the parties have completed a Development, License and Technology Transfer Agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Takeda and Baxter will expand upon their previously announced collaboration to bring Vero cell culture-based influenza vaccines to the Japanese market.

From Baxter International Inc. 2 Dec 2010

Bone marrow stromal stem cells may aid in stroke recovery: Research

A research study from the Farber Institute for Neurosciences and the Department of Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson University determines bone marrow stromal stem cells may aid in stroke recovery. The results can be found in Cell Transplantation, The Regenerative Medicine Journal, issue 19(9).

2 Dec 2010

AMT, Amgen amend GDNF gene license agreement

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics Holding N.V., a leader in the development of gene-based therapies, today announced that it has amended and restated its licensing agreement with Amgen for gene therapy applications incorporating the GDNF (glial cell derived neurotrophic factor) gene, to which Amgen holds rights. Financial terms were not disclosed.

2 Dec 2010

Research may lead to new treatment strategies for Graves' disease

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a compound that prevents overproduction of thyroid hormone, a finding that brings scientists one step closer to improving treatment for Graves' disease.

2 Dec 2010

DOD awards $2.24 million grant to study keratin gel in peripheral nerve regeneration

Orthopaedic researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) have been awarded a $2.24 million four-year grant from the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) to study the use of keratin gel in the regeneration of damaged peripheral nerves, those in the hands, arms and feet.

2 Dec 2010

Graphene: A new genome sequencing technique

Genome sequencing will have a profound effect on our understanding of genetic biology and could usher in a day when doctor and patient are able to review individual genome sequences to fully personalise medical treatment.

2 Dec 2010

Inserting plant's clock gene could replace circardian clock defect in humans

A gene that controls part of the 'tick tock' in a plant's circadian clock has been identified by UC Davis researchers. And not only is the plant gene very similar to one in humans, but the human gene can work in plant cells and vice versa.

2 Dec 2010

Exposure to BPA during perinatal development impairs reproductive capacity of female offspring

Exposure to a ubiquitous environmental chemical during pregnancy may impair reproductive capacity of female offspring, according to a study published online in advance of print on December 2 in Environmental Health Perspectives. Fertility decreased over time in female mice that had been exposed during fetal and neonatal (perinatal) development to doses of bisphenol-A (BPA) that were lower than or equal to human environmental exposure levels.

2 Dec 2010

Biomagnetics identifies second biomarker for tuberculosis assay

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, cholera and malaria detection, and other innovative technologies, today announced the identification of a second biomarker for development of a tuberculosis assay.

2 Dec 2010

Sleep plays a crucial role in post-infarction remission

The heart and the brain appear to be even more closely connected than previously imagined. The damaging effects of myocardial infarction are apparently not confined to the heart, but also affect the brain.

2 Dec 2010

LMO1 gene variation can increase neuroblastoma risk

Pediatric cancer researchers have identified variations in a gene as important contributors to neuroblastoma, the most common solid cancer of early childhood. The study team, led by researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, found that common variants in the LMO1 gene increase the risk of developing an aggressive form of neuroblastoma, and also mark the gene for continuing to drive the cancer's progression once it forms.

2 Dec 2010

Worm eggs may heal ulcerative colitis: Research

A new study involving a man who swallowed worm eggs to relieve symptoms of ulcerative colitis sheds light on how worms promote healing in the intestine. The study, published today in Science Translational Medicine, also identifies potential targets for more conventional ways of treating colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease.

2 Dec 2010

Researchers identify blip in gene that causes JMP syndrome

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene responsible for a rare disease that results in severe joint stiffness, muscle loss, anemia and panniculitis-induced lipodystrophy, or JMP syndrome.

2 Dec 2010

RegeneRx receives patent for Tβ4 to prevent immunological responses from toxic agents

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Company received a patent in Australia using thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), and various fragments and anologues of Tβ4, to treat or prevent biological and immunological responses to reactive chemical, biological or toxic agents.

2 Dec 2010

Maintaining ideal BMI reduces mortality risk in healthy non-smoking adults: Study

A study looking at deaths from any cause found that a body mass index (BMI) between 20.0 and 24.9 is associated with the lowest risk of death in healthy non-smoking adults.

1 Dec 2010

Noncancerous cells from primary site appear to facilitate tumor growth: Study

The process of metastasis requires that cancer cells traveling from a primary tumor find a hospitable environment in which to implant themselves and grow. A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center researchers finds that circulating tumor cells prepare this environment by bringing along from their original site noncancerous cells that support tumor growth. The report has been published online in PNAS Early Edition.

1 Dec 2010

Study identifies new genes responsible for early menarche

University of Minnesota School of Public Health researcher Ellen Demerath, Ph.D., is among an international group of researchers that has identified 30 new genes responsible for determining the age of sexual maturation in women. Many of these genes are also known to influence body fatness, obesity, and energy metabolism. Prior to the multi-institutional study, only four genes had been identified as contributing to the process.

1 Dec 2010

Study finds duplicated region of DNA in major depressive disorder

A large genetic study of people with major depression has found that a duplicated region of DNA on chromosome 5 predisposes people to the disorder. The gene involved plays an important role in the development of nerve cells, adding to evidence that disruptions in neurotransmission networks form a biological basis for depression.

1 Dec 2010

Health Canada approves VPRIV enzyme replacement therapy for type 1 Gaucher disease

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces that Health Canada has approved VPRIV (velaglucerase alfa), an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for long-term use in pediatric and adult type 1 Gaucher disease.

1 Dec 2010