Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

VCU Massey Cancer Center introduces safer, more effective form of radiation therapy

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center has introduced a safer and more effective form of radiation therapy to treat cancer. The Center now offers volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery using the Philips Pinnacle3 SmartArc software to provide radiation treatment for multiple tumor sites, including prostate, head and neck, brain, breast and lung. VCU Massey is the first cancer center in the Richmond area to offer this cutting-edge radiation technique.

10 Jan 2011

Enlight Biosciences forms new oral drug delivery technology company

Entrega, Inc., a new company developing oral drug delivery technologies, today announced its formation by Enlight Biosciences, a Boston-based company established in partnership with a group of leading global pharmaceutical companies.

10 Jan 2011

Celator, Cephalon extend cancer research agreement

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has agreed with Cephalon, Inc. to extend an existing research agreement into the next phase of development. The research agreement provides for the utilization of Celator's proprietary technology in an ongoing drug development and life-cycle management program at Cephalon.

10 Jan 2011

All fat cells not the same

All fat cells are not the same - a fact that has implications in the understanding and treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in a report that appears in the current issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (http://www.jcb.rupress.org/).

10 Jan 2011

Potential single vaccine for permanent immunity to all influenza

The search for a universal flu vaccine has received a boost from a surprising source: the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu strain.

10 Jan 2011

Genetics Squared to change corporate name to Everist Genomics

Genetics Squared, a prognostics company focused on developing gene-based molecular assays for the prediction of cancer recurrence, today announced that it will change its corporate name to Everist Genomics and has appointed Prasad Sunkara, Ph.D. as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

10 Jan 2011

Shionogi brings KAPVAY ADHD drug to the U.S market

Shionogi Inc., the U.S.-based group company of Shionogi & Co., Ltd., today announced a true milestone as it marks the first commercial availability for the non-central nervous system stimulant medication KAPVAY™, an extended-release oral formulation of clonidine for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents.

10 Jan 2011

Advanced Targeting Systems awarded $3 million NCI grant to advance SP-SAP clinical program

Advanced Pain Remedies, a subsidiary of Cato BioVentures, announces that a three million dollar grant has been received, to advance its lead development candidate, SP-SAP. Advanced Targeting Systems, the company that pioneered the targeting of specific cell types to manipulate them for the treatment of diseases, has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

10 Jan 2011

Neomend receives CE Mark for ProGEL PLATINUM Surgical Sealant

Neomend, Inc., an innovator in sealant and adhesion-prevention products for the surgical marketplace, announced it has received the European Union CE Mark for the company's ProGEL® PLATINUM Surgical Sealant.

10 Jan 2011

Adolor initiates second ADL5945 Phase 2 study in opioid-induced constipation

Adolor Corporation today announced that it is initiating a second Phase 2 study of ADL5945 in chronic non-cancer pain patients suffering from opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

10 Jan 2011

Enzon to commence EZN-4176 Phase 1a/1b study in castration-resistant prostate cancer

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the Investigational New Drug (IND) approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and plan to commence enrollment into a Phase 1a/1b study shortly. The study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of EZN-4176, the company's novel androgen receptor (AR) mRNA antagonist, for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

10 Jan 2011

Watson receives FDA approval for generic Fentora

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Fentanyl Buccal tablets, USP, in the 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mg strengths, the generic equivalent to Cephalon's Fentora ® tablets.

10 Jan 2011

Oncolytics opens enrollment in REOLYSIN combination U.S. Phase I colorectal cancer study

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that a U.S. Phase I study of REOLYSIN® in combination with FOLFIRI (Folinic Acid (leucovorin) + Fluorouracil (5-FU) + Irinotecan) in patients with oxaliplatin refractory/intolerant Kras mutant colorectal cancer (REO 022) is now open to enrollment. The principal investigator is Dr. Sanjay Goel of the Montefiore Medical Center at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

10 Jan 2011

Civitas receives $20 million Series A financing

Civitas Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative pulmonary delivery therapies, announced today that it has secured a $20 million Series A financing from founding investor, Longitude Capital, along with co-lead Canaan Partners. The proceeds of the financing will be primarily used to advance Civitas' lead program for treating patients with Parkinson's disease through clinical proof-of-concept.

10 Jan 2011

Takeda San Francisco and Pieris enter Anticalin scaffold technology collaboration

Takeda San Francisco (TSF) and Pieris AG have signed a drug discovery partnership agreement under which Pieris will apply its Anticalin(R) scaffold technology to deliver protein therapeutic candidates to Takeda, both companies announced today. The deal initially will focus on first-in-class drug discovery efforts around a predetermined Takeda target.

10 Jan 2011

FDA grants Exelixis XL184 orphan drug designation for treatment of medullary thyroid cancer

Exelixis, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to XL184 for treatment of follicular, medullary, and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, and metastatic or locally advanced papillary thyroid cancer. A pivotal phase 3 trial of XL184 is ongoing in patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and the company expects to release top-line phase 3 results in the first-half of 2011 and potentially file a New Drug Application (NDA) for the compound in the second-half of 2011.

10 Jan 2011

LabCorp to market On-Q-ity's circulating tumor cell platform

On-Q-ity, a next-generation oncology diagnostics company developing personalized and predictive tests to improve cancer therapy effectiveness, today announced a strategic alliance with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings® (LabCorp). LabCorp will market On-Q-ity's novel and proprietary circulating tumor cell (CTC) platform to the biopharma industry to greatly accelerate and improve the cancer drug discovery and development process.

10 Jan 2011

Researchers describe crucial initial steps taken by measles virus attachment proteins with receptors

Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that proteins on the surface of a cell twist a viral protein into position, allowing the virus to start infection and cause disease, all in a movement as graceful as a ballroom dance. The findings appear in the current online issue of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

10 Jan 2011

Slowing engines of mitochondria could extend life

In making your pro-longevity resolutions, like drinking more red wine and maintaining a vibrant social network, here's one you likely forgot: dialing down your mitochondria. It turns out that slowing the engines of these tiny cellular factories could extend your life-an observation relevant not only to aging research but to our understanding of how cells communicate with each another.

10 Jan 2011

Colorectal cancer screening disparities in certain regions

Individuals from certain areas of the United States are more likely to get screened for colorectal cancer than those from other areas, particularly when comparing non-whites living in different parts of the country. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Additional research is needed to better understand how colorectal cancer screening disparities develop in some regions and not in others.

10 Jan 2011