Chemotherapy News and Research

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Study reveals that brain cancer cells resist therapy by dialing down gene mutation targeted by drugs

A team of scientists, led by principal investigator Paul S. Mischel, MD, a member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has found that brain cancer cells resist therapy by dialing down the gene mutation targeted by drugs, then re-amplify that growth-promoting mutation after therapy has stopped.

6 Dec 2013

Genocea commences GEN-004 Phase 1 study to prevent pneumococcus infections

Genocea Biosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage company pioneering novel T cell vaccines, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1 study of GEN-004, an investigational vaccine candidate for pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae), a major cause of infectious disease-related death globally. GEN-004 is the first vaccine candidate designed to prevent infections caused by all strains of pneumococcus through a novel T cell-mediated mechanism of action.

5 Dec 2013

Soligenix initiates SGX942 Phase 2 study for treatment of oral mucositis

Soligenix, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to treat serious inflammatory diseases where there remains an unmet medical need, as well as developing several biodefense vaccines and therapeutics, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating SGX942, a first-in-class innate defense regulator, as a treatment for oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemoradiation therapy for head and neck cancer.

5 Dec 2013

EMA expands administration options for Hizentra

CSL Behring UK Ltd announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has expanded the administration options for Hizentra®▼, human normal immunoglobulin, SCIg, 20% liquid, to include dosing once every two weeks (fortnightly).

5 Dec 2013

IDSA released new guideline for vaccination of immunocompromised hosts

A new guideline released Thursday by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) notes that most people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to illness and should receive the flu shot and other vaccinations.

5 Dec 2013

BIDMC study shows carbon monoxide may have a role to play in treating cancer

In recent years, research has suggested that carbon monoxide, the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems, can be used to treat certain inflammatory medical conditions. Now a study led by a research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) shows for the first time that carbon monoxide may also have a role to play in treating cancer.

4 Dec 2013

18F-FDOPA imaging can help distinguish radiation-induced lesions in patients with brain metastases

Imaging with the molecular imaging tracer 18F-FDOPA can help distinguish radiation-induced lesions from new tumor growth in patients who have been treated with radiation for brain metastases, according to new research published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Using this amino acid tracer, researchers found that physicians could accurately differentiate the two types of lesions 83 percent of the time. Progression-free survival could also be predicted through evaluating the 18F-FDOPA imaging results.

4 Dec 2013

Frequent mammography screening reduces the rate of lymph node positivity

In a study of screening mammography-detected breast cancers, patients who had more frequent screening mammography had a significantly lower rate of lymph node positivity—or cancer cells in the lymph nodes—as compared to women who went longer intervals between screening mammography exams.

4 Dec 2013

FDA grants QIDP status to Astellas' isavuconazole for treatment of invasive aspergillosis

Astellas Pharma US, Inc., a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc. based in Tokyo, Japan, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated isavuconazole as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis.

4 Dec 2013

Cell Therapeutics concludes agreement with GKV-SV regarding reimbursement price of PIXUVRI

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) announced today that it concluded an agreement with the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband) in Germany for PIXUVRI® (pixantrone).

4 Dec 2013

Top cancer research centers to establish new biotechnology company focused on cancer immunotherapy

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), along with pediatric partner Seattle Children's Research Institute, have joined forces to launch Juno Therapeutics Inc., a new biotechnology company focused on bringing forward novel immunotherapies for cancer.

4 Dec 2013

Findings could have important implications for personalized treatment of colon cancer

A common observation in oncology is the phenomenon that a patient with a tumor receives a drug and responds very well, but after a few months the cancer comes back and is now resistant to previously administered chemotherapy. What happened? Many mechanisms contribute to explain this effect called "acquired resistance", but today the group Manel Esteller, Director of Epigenetics and Cancer Biology at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, ICREA researcher and Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona, describes in the official Journal of the National Cancer Research Center in the United States, The Journal of The National Cancer Institute, the existence of epigenetic differences that explain the lack of response of the tumor recurs.

4 Dec 2013

CTCs serve as clinical tool to determine patient’s response to chemotherapy

Scientists from Granada have demonstrated, for the first time, that detecting circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in blood and studying the presence of certain genetic markers in them is a technique that allows specialists to predict, with great precision, the response that advanced-cancer patients will have to chemotherapy, as well as the associated secondary effects they may suffer.

4 Dec 2013

Researchers use hyperthermia to treat patients with malignant glioma

Malignant glioma is very sensitive to heat. Prof. Yunlong Ge and team from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, China used a brain tumor hyperthermia apparatus to treat malignant glioma patients, and achieved good therapeutic efficacy.

3 Dec 2013

ATN-224 inhibitor reduces tumor sizes in mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma

Many cancers have adapted to cope with high levels of immune system-produced free radicals, also referred to as reactive oxygen species, by overproducing antioxidant proteins. One of these proteins, superoxide dismutase 1, is overproduced in lung adenocarcinomas and has been implicated as a target for chemotherapy.

3 Dec 2013

MiniVax wins $20,000 in NOBIC’s second annual BioChallenge business competition

MiniVax, Inc. (MiniVax) participated in the New Orleans BioInnovation Center's (NOBIC) second annual BioChallenge, a business competition part of the three-day Innovation Louisiana 2013 conference.

3 Dec 2013

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer. However, the particles have to be injected into patients, which has limited their usefulness so far.

27 Nov 2013

Caregivers selected to receive the 2013 Shire BRAVE Awards

Selflessness, determination, courage and hope. These are among the qualities that describe the eighteen caregivers from around the world who have been selected as recipients of the 2013 Shire BRAVE Awards, an international program that honors the bravery and devotion of non-professional carers.

27 Nov 2013

Study uncovers mechanisms that allow stem cells to keep dividing in perpetuity

The blood stem cells that live in bone marrow are at the top of a complex family tree. Such stem cells split and divide down various pathways that ultimately produce red cells, white cells and platelets. These "daughter" cells must be produced at a rate of about one million per second to constantly replenish the body's blood supply.

27 Nov 2013

Merck announces approval of NOXAFIL delayed-release tablets by FDA

Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved NOXAFIL® (posaconazole) 100 mg delayed-release tablets.

27 Nov 2013