Toxicology News and Research

Latest Toxicology News and Research

Clinical Reference Laboratory completes validation testing of DNA Genotek's Oragene-DNA saliva collection kits

Clinical Reference Laboratory today announced that it has completed validation testing of DNA Genotek's Oragene-DNA saliva collection kits and will adopt Oragene-DNA for use with its molecular diagnostic services.

25 Mar 2010

Protein deficiency in Down syndrome patients could contribute to cognitive impairment and congenital heart defects

Conventional wisdom among scientists for years has suggested that because individuals with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome, the disorder most likely results from the presence of too many genes or proteins contained in that additional structure.

24 Mar 2010

Medical imaging benefits outweigh radiation risks, says ESC

Cardiac nuclear imaging and computed tomography angiography (CCTA) still have an important role to play in cardiac disease diagnosis, say experts from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

24 Mar 2010

EMA validates InterMune's pirfenidone MAA for IPF

InterMune, Inc. today announced that the company's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA), submitted on March 2 seeking approval of pirfenidone for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in adults, was validated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Validation of the MAA by the EMA indicates that the application is complete and that the review process will begin on March 24. The proposed trade name for pirfenidone in both the United States and Europe is Esbriet®.

23 Mar 2010

Breathing diesel exhaust during pregnancy linked with sluggishness in offspring

Breathing diesel exhaust during pregnancy is associated with sluggishness in offspring. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology studied the effects of pollution exposure in mice, finding that the offspring of mothers who breathed diesel fumes while pregnant were less likely to show spontaneous movement.

23 Mar 2010

Aureus Pharma to participate in € 118 million BioIntelligence R&D programme

Aureus Pharma, a leading provider of knowledge management solutions to accelerate discovery in the life sciences industry, announces today it’s participation in a EUR118.2 million (USD 160 million) project. The project is the Biointelligence R&D programme designed to promote the use of systemic modeling and simulation tools to exploit biomedical databases to improve research efficiency.

23 Mar 2010

CTSI licenses GeneGo's pathway analysis suite and database searching tool

GeneGo, Inc., a leading provider of software and databases for systems biology, today announced that the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute has licensed its pathway analysis suite MetaCore and its database searching tool Eureka.

23 Mar 2010

Atomic layer deposition technique for incorporating "biological functionality" into complex nanomaterials

A team led by researchers from North Carolina State University has published a paper that describes the use of a technique called atomic layer deposition to incorporate "biological functionality" into complex nanomaterials, which could lead to a new generation of medical and environmental health applications. For example, the researchers show how the technology can be used to develop effective, low-cost water purification devices that could be used in developing countries.

23 Mar 2010

Researchers devise simple water test to check for herbicide clomazone

University of California, Davis, scientists are helping rice farmers in Uruguay stop polluting their waterways -- including drinking-water sources and a globally valuable nature reserve.

23 Mar 2010

Research group unveils new computational strategy for GWAS

In the ongoing quest to identify the genetic factors involved in disease, scientists have increasingly turned to genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, which enable the scanning of up to a million genetic markers in thousands of individuals.

19 Mar 2010

ETP releases presentation highlights of 2010 Epilepsy Pipeline Update Conference

The Epilepsy Therapy Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating new therapies for people living with epilepsy, today released presentation highlights following its successful 2010 Epilepsy Pipeline Update Conference held in San Francisco. Sponsored by ETP, this conference brings together leading clinical investigators, emerging CNS companies and academic innovators with investors and business development partners to facilitate professional collaboration, funding and partnerships that will accelerate patient access to new treatments.

18 Mar 2010

CPCS announces new programs that focus on accidental poisoning prevention

As National Poison Prevention Week begins, the California Poison Control System announces ground-breaking new programs, including a free text messaging service, Facebook quizzes and e-cards to provide essential tips, news and information on poisoning, the second leading cause of childhood injury in the U.S. With more than two million poisonings reported each year to poison control centers across the country, this information is potentially life-saving.

17 Mar 2010

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

In a breakthrough that may help fill a critical need in stem cell research and patient care, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have demonstrated that skin cells found in human amniotic fluid can be efficiently "reprogrammed" to pluripotency, where they have characteristics similar to human embryonic stem cells that can develop into almost any type of cell in the human body. The study is online now and will appear in print in the next issue of the journal Cellular Reprogramming, to be published next month.

16 Mar 2010

Sigma-Aldrich signs agreement to acquire Ace Animals

Sigma-Aldrich® today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Ace Animals, Inc., a Berks County, PA.-based provider of high quality research rodents to the biomedical industry.

16 Mar 2010

Fluoride chemicals may increase lead accumulation, say researchers

Fluoride chemicals added to public water supplies, boosts lead absorption in lab animals' bones, teeth and blood, report Sawan, et al. (Toxicology 2/2010). Earlier studies already show children's blood-lead-levels are higher in fluoridated communities, reports Sawan's research team.

16 Mar 2010

Forensic Laboratories introduces first oral fluid test for Tapentadol

Forensic Laboratories, a Denver-based laboratory specializing in toxicology services for drug abuse, has unveiled the first oral fluid test for Tapentadol, a new federally approved drug prescribed by doctors for pain management. Previously, laboratories could only detect the drug through urine using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) technology.

15 Mar 2010

MicuRx Pharmaceuticals files IND for MRX-I antibiotic drug candidate with Chinese SFDA

MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation antibiotics, today announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) in China for MRX-I, its first development-stage antibiotic drug candidate. MRX-I, an orally-administered oxazolidinone, targets multi-drug resistant Gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).

15 Mar 2010