Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Discovery of anti-parasitic drug mechanism could lead to new treatments for filarial diseases

In a major breakthrough that comes after decades of research and nearly half a billion treatments in humans, scientists have finally unlocked how a key anti-parasitic drug kills the worms brought on by the filarial diseases river blindness and elephantitis.

11 Nov 2010

Study on zebrafish showcases neural basis of essential survival skill

A tiny, translucent juvenile zebrafish, on the hunt for even littler prey, has offered up a big insight into how a specific circuit of nerve cells functions in the brain. The technique used to illuminate this circuitry, and the fish model itself, provide one of the first insights into the way individual sets of neurons control a specific behavior.

11 Nov 2010

Infant foods must be protected against fumonisin toxin

An international team of scientists calls for protecting complementary food for infants in developing countries - especially those where corn is a staple food - against fumonisin, a toxin produced by fungi. Until now, physicians thought the growth retardation of children in those regions was to be blamed on the poor nutritional value of the complementary maize porridge they receive when breast milk is no longer sufficient. But toxins indeed are involved, the scientists report in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

10 Nov 2010

Positive results from XOMA 052 study in patients with uveitis of Behcet's disease

XOMA Ltd., a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced additional positive results from an open-label pilot study of XOMA 052 in patients with uveitis of Behcet's disease who were suffering from vision-threatening exacerbations despite maximal doses of immunosuppressive medicines.

10 Nov 2010

Study shows dogs attack children's face, eyes

As dog bites become an increasingly major public health concern, a new study shows that unsupervised children are most at risk for bites, that the culprits are usually family pets and if they bite once, they will bite again with the second attack often more brutal than the first.

10 Nov 2010

Researchers study drug's ability to restore retinal health in eyes of diabetic patients

One drug's startling ability to restore retinal health in the eyes of diabetic mice has researchers wanting to learn more about how it works and whether it might do the same for people.

10 Nov 2010

Gov't health IT spending attracts investments from all over

As part of its foray into health IT, AT&T has partnered with WellDoc, a Baltimore-based company that makes an FDA-approved mobile-phone application to help manage diabetes, The Baltimore Sun reports. "The telecommunications giant launched a new business segment last week that will focus on technology solutions for the health care industry. And WellDoc's software will be pitched by AT&T's huge marketing muscle to commercial clients ranging from hospitals to insurers to employers" (Sentementes, 11/8).

10 Nov 2010

First Edition: November 9, 2010

Today's news includes reports about the Supreme Court's decision regarding an early challenge to the health law.

9 Nov 2010

Angiotech reports $59.0 million total revenue for third quarter 2010

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it had released its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

9 Nov 2010

Children with JIA face increase risk of developing cancer

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis have a two to threefold increased risk of developing cancer compared to similarly-aged children without JIA, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta. The same study also reported no cases of cancer in children with JIA who were exposed to anti-TNF therapy.

9 Nov 2010

DHA protects brain tissue and promotes recovery in acute ischemic stroke

Research led by Dr. Nicolas Bazan, Boyd Professor, Villere Chair, and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center, has shown that Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a component of fish oil, is a powerful therapeutic agent that can protect brain tissue and promote recovery in an experimental model of acute ischemic stroke, even when treatment is delayed by up to five hours.

9 Nov 2010

TransTech Pharma, High Point receive $1.96 million grants under QTDP program

TransTech Pharma, Inc. and High Point Pharmaceuticals, LLC. today announced that they have been awarded cash grants totaling $1.96 million under the U.S. Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project program.

8 Nov 2010

Angioblast Systems receives $1.2 million in grants under QTDP program

Regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that its United States associate company, Angioblast Systems, has been awarded $1.2 million in grants under the United States Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) program.

8 Nov 2010

Researchers identify gene linked to melanoma metastasis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene linked to the spread of eye melanoma.

8 Nov 2010

'Phantom' images brain keeps for visual comparisons stored in brain's neural network

Brain research over the past 30 years has shown that if a part of the brain controlling movement or sensation or language is lost because of a stroke or injury, other parts of the brain can take over the lost function - often as well as the region that was lost.

4 Nov 2010

FIP Annual Meeting to improve global health through advances in pharmaceutical sciences

Global health crises like the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti emphasize the need for new ways to prevent deadly diseases from becoming widespread in developing countries. International experts and scientists will present research ranging from developing a freeze-dried cholera vaccine to new methods of delivering medicines to underserved populations at the 2010 International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress (PSWC) in association with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, La., Nov. 13-18.

4 Nov 2010

pSivida awarded $489,000 grant under IRS Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project

pSivida Corp., a leader in the development of sustained release drug delivery products for the treatment of back-of-the-eye disease including the product candidate Iluvien™ for the treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema, today announced that it has been awarded two grants totaling $489,000 under the IRS Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP). The grants were awarded to pSivida to help fund further research on new generations of the company's drug delivery technologies targeting ophthalmic diseases.

4 Nov 2010

Republicans look to use majority for health overhaul repeal, plan vote

Now in control of the House of Representatives, Republicans are planning to flex their muscles quickly to try to repeal the Democratic health law but even some GOP leaders acknowledge it is likely they can get rid of the law right away.

4 Nov 2010

Acton submits Manufacturing Supplement to FDA for AEROSPAN Inhalation Aerosol

Acton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a Manufacturing Supplement to the previously approved AEROSPAN Inhalation Aerosol NDA.

4 Nov 2010

Eye implant restores some vision in retinitis pigmentosa

According to a new scientific breakthrough, a device - a tiny, three-by-three millimetre microchip, has allowed patients with inherited blindness to detect objects with their eyes, unlike a rival approach that uses an external camera. The procedure details are outlined in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

3 Nov 2010