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Research suggests a potential means of circumventing drug resistance in breast cancer patients

Overexpression of low-molecular-weight (LMW-E) forms of the protein cyclin E renders the aromatase inhibitor letrozole ineffective among women with estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in Clinical Cancer Research.

10 Feb 2010

Data provide key information about epigenetic profiles for gastric cancer

Gastric cancer, one of the most common types of cancer, is associated with high mortality rates. In the last decades, a decrease in the worldwide incidence has been observed with some changes in the therapeutic and diagnostic options.

10 Feb 2010

Study: New mechanism may allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics

Scientists have shown that cells' DNA-reading machinery can skim through certain kinds of damaged DNA without skipping any letters in the genetic "text." The studies, performed in bacteria, suggest a new mechanism that can allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.

10 Feb 2010

Study could lead to new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease

A new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro - at McGill University is the first to discover a molecular link between Parkinson's disease and defects in the ability of nerve cells to communicate.

10 Feb 2010

MHI researchers receive $4.8M as grants for genetics and genomic medicine research projects

Two research teams led by Dr. Christine Des Rosiers and Dr. John D. Rioux, both researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) and professors at the Universit- de Montr-al, have been awarded grants of $2.5 million and $2.3 million, respectively, to finance research projects on genetics and genomic medicine.

10 Feb 2010

IgM/IgG ratio is useful in diagnosing primary biliary cirrhosis

Previous studies have shown that assessment of immunoglobulin subclasses in plasma cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC) may be useful in the histopathologic evaluation of autoimmune liver diseases. However, further studies are necessary in order to validate the diagnostic utility of IgM and IgG immunohistochemistry in this specific scenario.

10 Feb 2010

New study finds enhanced brain activity in expert sports players

A study conducted by scientists at Brunel University and at the University of Hong Kong has found that expert sportsmen are quicker to observe and react to their opponents' moves than novice players, exhibiting enhanced activation of the cortical regions of the brain.

9 Feb 2010

Gene linked to PMDD and other maladies during menstrual cycle

Scientists have identified a gene they say is a strong candidate for involvement in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and other maladies associated with the natural flux in hormones during the menstrual cycle. In a paper to be published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Rockefeller University researchers detail experiments in mice showing that a common human variant of the gene increases anxiety, dampens curiosity and tweaks the effects of estrogen on the brain, impairing memory.

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

NNK induces epigenetic alteration during cancer formation and inhibits tumor suppressor genes

In the history of humans fighting against cancer, the relationship between tobaccos and cancer has been an important subject for the academic and clinical research. By understanding the mechanism of why cancer is caused by tobaccos, scientists around the world all anticipate to solve the mystery of cancer and find the way of prevention and cure.

9 Feb 2010

Thymosin β4 exhibits potential as new therapeutic agent for liver failure due to chronic HBV infection

REGENERX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC. announced today that researchers have correlated Tβ4 levels with the clinical course of patients with hepatitis B virus-related liver failure. It was reported that serum thymosin β4 levels were significantly lower in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection and that the magnitude of the reduction of thymosin β4 was closely related to the severity of the hepatic injury and to patient death. Since patients with higher Tβ4 levels survived the disease, changes in Tβ4 values could reflect outcome in some liver failure patients.

9 Feb 2010

Study validates Transgenomic's COLD-PCR technology for colorectal tumor-associated KRAS mutation detection

Transgenomic, Inc. announced today that it has completed a preliminary study with a leading pharmaceutical company that validates the use of its licensed COLD-PCR technology to detect colorectal tumor-associated KRAS mutations that determine efficacy of recently developed therapies. These were detected in plasma samples in which the mutation levels were too low for detection by standard DNA analysis methodologies such as Sanger sequencing.

9 Feb 2010

Researchers explore cellular networks that regulate cell morphology

Cellular imaging offers a wealth of data about how cells respond to stimuli, but harnessing this technique to study biological systems is a daunting challenge.

9 Feb 2010

Targacept receives grant for developing alpha6*-selective NNR Imaging Agent as Parkinson’s disease biomarker

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics (TM), today announced that it has been awarded a grant of $304,000 from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). The grant is to fund a project entitled: “Development of an alpha6*-selective Neuronal Nicotinic Receptor (NNR) Imaging Agent as a Parkinson’s Disease Biomarker” and is the second awarded to Targacept by MJFF in the last six months.

9 Feb 2010

Italian researchers identify a new therapeutic approach for Ewing sarcoma

Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a bone tumor of unknown cellular origin that affects children and young adults. The protein CD99 is highly expressed in most cases of EWS, but its function in the disease is unknown.

9 Feb 2010

Synta Pharmaceuticals' STA-9090 inhibits WT1 protein in AML

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. today announced that preclinical results presented at the “Bridging the Gap 2010” Hematologic Conference, held in Singapore City, Singapore, February 5-7, 2010, shows that STA-9090, a potent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), inhibits the Wilms’ tumor 1 (WT1) protein, a key transcription factor that drives disease progression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as certain other leukemias. STA-9090 is currently enrolling patients in two clinical trials in AML and other hematologic cancers.

9 Feb 2010

Findings point towards new therapeutic approach for breast and prostate cancer

In a new approach to developing treatments for breast cancer, prostate cancer and enlarged hearts, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine researchers are zeroing in on a workhorse protein called RSK.

9 Feb 2010

Scientists identify enzyme mutations in AML patients

A study published online on February 8 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org) reports that several distinct mutations found in a subset of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) result in excess production of the same metabolite.

9 Feb 2010

Butter leads to lower blood fat levels compared to olive oil

High blood fat levels normally raise the cholesterol values in the blood, which in turn elevates the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attack. Now a new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that butter leads to considerably less elevation of blood fats after a meal compared with olive oil and a new type of canola and flaxseed oil.

9 Feb 2010

Finding provides new insight into economic behavior of human beings

Neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and their colleagues have tied the human aversion to losing money to a specific structure in the brain-the amygdala.

9 Feb 2010