Toxicology News and Research

Latest Toxicology News and Research

New book on toxins

Toxins are a burning issue. A straightforward guide to a closer understanding of toxins in our daily lives is published by Wiley. The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology, 3rd Edition cuts through the fear generated by the media, which leads to a distortion in many people's conceptions of toxins and chemicals.

14 Mar 2011

Northstar fourth quarter net patient service revenue decreases to $2.2 million

Northstar Healthcare Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

10 Mar 2011

RainDance, 454 Life Sciences collaborate to launch core ADME gene screening research panel

RainDance Technologies, Inc., and 454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, today announced a collaboration for the development and commercialization of a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) solution for the simple and cost-effective investigation of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).

9 Mar 2011

Merck to present VICTRELIS phase III study data against HCV at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced that several new data analyses from Phase III studies of VICTRELIS, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented at The International Liver CongressTM / 46th European Association for the Study of the Liver annual meeting.

9 Mar 2011

Parkinson's disease medication turns on critical gene, protects brain cells

In a major breakthrough in the battle against Parkinson's disease, researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have discovered a drug that stops the progression of the degenerative illness in mice and is now being tested in humans.

9 Mar 2011

Ambry, RainDance enter new collaboration to develop and commercialize ADME screening

RainDance Technologies, Inc. and Ambry Genetics, today announced a new collaboration focused on the development and commercialization of a comprehensive drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion genetic screening panel for use on next-generation sequencing systems.

8 Mar 2011

NIEHS, NTP to mark 50th anniversary of SOT

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Society of Toxicology at the SOT annual meeting in Washington, D.C., March 6-10, 2011.

5 Mar 2011

EC grants marketing authorization for InterMune's Esbriet to treat IPF

InterMune, Inc. today announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Esbriet. Esbriet is indicated in adults for the treatment of mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and fatal lung disease.

3 Mar 2011

New discovery in glioma-associated metabolic changes

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics, biomarker discovery and analysis, announces the publication of "Profiling the effects of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 mutations on the cellular metabolome", in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

3 Mar 2011

Research: Tanning bed exposure can lead to serious skin problems

Tanning bed exposure can produce more than some tanners may bargain for, especially when they self-diagnose and use the radiation to treat skin eruptions, according to research conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Dermatology.

2 Mar 2011

Bayhill's BHT-3034 receives FDA IND clearance for treatment of myasthenia gravis

Bayhill Therapeutics Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing its proprietary BHT-DNA™ platform to develop novel and targeted autoimmune and immune-mediated disease treatments, today announced the successful clearance of an IND with the US FDA for BHT-3034, a disease-modifying DNA plasmid vaccine immunotherapy for patients with the autoimmune neuromuscular junction disease myasthenia gravis.

1 Mar 2011

Scientists discover lead contamination in ceramic cookware sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown

Recently, a research team from the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University discovered an alarming amount of lead contamination in ceramic cooking and eating utensils sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown.

1 Mar 2011

Excella achieves SafeBridge Potent Compound Safety Certification

SAFEBRIDGE® CONSULTANTS, INC., headquartered in Mountain View, California, has announced that Excella GmbH in Feucht, Germany has met the criteria established under the SafeBridge program for "Potent Compound Safety Certification" and has been deemed competent and proficient in the safe handling of potent active pharmaceutical ingredients ("APIs") and potent drug products.

1 Mar 2011

Preclinical data of Zalicus sodium channel compound published in journal PAIN

Zalicus Inc. today announced the publication of preclinical data in the journal PAIN. The paper describes the activity of Z212, a novel proprietary small organic compound that acts to modulate Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 sodium channels and to reduce neuropathic pain by targeting the hyper-excitability associated with chronic pain signaling pathways.

25 Feb 2011

Aestus commences ATx08-001 phase 2 trial to evaluate efficacy of novel pain therapeutic

Aestus Therapeutics, Inc., announced today that it has initiated screening of patients for a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of its novel pain therapeutic, ATx08-001. This placebo-controlled, two-dose level study will test the efficacy of ATx08-001 in reducing the pain following an outbreak of shingles.

23 Feb 2011

Toxic contamination of groundwater: South Australia residents warned

Australia’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has announced fears of groundwater contamination beneath up to 2000 homes. The EPA said that industrial activity at the former Hills Industries site in Edwardstown, south of Adelaide, caused dangerous materials - including a chemical known to cause cancer - to seep into the groundwater.

23 Feb 2011

Study shows chemical workers perceive high risk of safety threats

In an analysis of focus group interviews published in a scientific journal this month, a team of scientists found chemical workers perceive a high risk of on-the-job chemical threats, but are resigned to accepting the risks. The study also noted a certain level of distrust of management and health advisors, problems with written safety guides, and the need to include more experienced workers in the development of safety training programs.

23 Feb 2011

Study: Cannabis use may negatively impact male sexual performance

Rany Shamloul's recent review of the medical literature on cannabis use and sexual health has revealed that cannabis use may negatively impact male sexual performance.

23 Feb 2011

CompanDX, CRL enter multi-year agreement to develop biomarker panels

CompanDX Ltd., bioinformatics partner for the life sciences industry, and Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. (CRL), provider of laboratory testing services in molecular diagnostics and clinical trials, today announced they entered into a multi-year agreement to collaborate in the development and support of biomarker panels and companion diagnostic development for pharmaceutical, biotech and academic clients worldwide.

19 Feb 2011

European Commission bans fragrance material Musk xylene, in line with global IFRA Standards

The European Commission has just announced its decision to ban the fragrance material Musk xylene under the new European Chemicals Legislation REACH, bringing EU regulations in line with the global IFRA Standards.

19 Feb 2011