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First Edition: July 13, 2011

Today's headlines detail the next moves in the ongoing budget discussion, including a "last-choice option" proposed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and reports about how the health industry is lining up against possible cuts.

13 Jul 2011

Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Explorations increases investments in bold innovative ideas

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that twelve grantees have advanced to the next level of Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE), an initiative that enables researchers worldwide to test unorthodox ideas that address persistent health and development challenges. The grantees will receive additional funding to continue Phase II of their research over a two-year period.

13 Jul 2011

AIDS activists and advocates to protest against Gilead's drug pricing at San Francisco federal building

A small group of committed AIDS activists and advocates spearheaded by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will protest the Bay Area's own Gilead Sciences over its pricing and policies on its HIV/AIDS medications.

13 Jul 2011

ActiveRx introduces Fall Prevention Program for Medicare-eligible senior patients

ActiveRx Rehabilitation, a Chandler, Arizona-based wellness-oriented rehabilitation company specializing in active aging, is introducing a breakthrough Fall Risk Assessment and Fall Prevention Program for Medicare-eligible senior patients.

13 Jul 2011

DEHCO, TCL launch health care LCD TV product

TCL picks DEHCO Commercial to distribute its line of LCD TVs to the health care industry. DEHCO Commercial has combined their HC20 technology with LCD TVs made by TCL.

13 Jul 2011

Kinexus introduces new KiNET-Antibody Microarray website

Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation, a world-leader in molecular intelligence research, announced a major expansion in its KiNET DataBank for the study of cell communication systems with the launch of the KiNET-Antibody Microarray website.

13 Jul 2011

InfraReDx commences LipiScan IVUS System Phase 2 trial against heart attack

InfraReDx, Inc., a medical device company providing intelligent cardiovascular diagnostic imaging technologies, today announced enrollment of the first patient in its Phase 2 clinical trial, CANARY (Coronary Assessment by Near-infrared (NIR) of Atherosclerotic Rupture-prone Yellow).

13 Jul 2011

FDA accepts Eisai's DACOGEN sNDA for review to treat acute myeloid leukemia

Eisai Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) seeking approval of DACOGEN (decitabine) for injection in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

13 Jul 2011

Many women in war-torn areas unable to obtain family planning services

Many areas of the world are at war and both the conflict and aftermath have dire consequences for the health of people affected. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Conflict and Health reports that while women in war-torn areas want access to family planning, these services are often not available at local hospitals or health centers.

13 Jul 2011

FDA issues draft guidance to promote development of targeted medicines, diagnostics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a new draft guidance to facilitate the development and review of companion diagnostics – tests used to help health care professionals determine whether a patient with a particular disease or condition should receive a particular drug therapy or how much of the drug to give.

13 Jul 2011

IAS, NIDA announce recipients of third annual joint research fellowships

The International AIDS Society (IAS) and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced the recipients of their third annual joint research fellowships. Recipients of the prestigious awards will receive US$75,000 each to advance scientific understanding of the linkages between drug use and HIV while fostering multinational research.

13 Jul 2011

UCLA establishes new reconstructive transplantation program

In a major step into a new transplantation frontier, UCLA has established a first-of-its-kind program to restore functionality and enhance quality of life for people who have suffered severe trauma or other disfiguring injuries to the upper extremities, face or abdomen.

13 Jul 2011

Heart experts begin to test new device for treatment of blocked aortic valves

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins have begun testing a new device designed to replace blocked aortic valves in patients for whom traditional open-heart surgery is considered too risky, such as elderly patients and those with other serious medical conditions.

13 Jul 2011

Symposium to raise awareness and increase knowledge of OA among nurses

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting 27 million Americans. In an effort to raise awareness and increase knowledge of OA among the nursing community, Hospital for Special Surgery, the American Journal of Nursing and the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses will present a groundbreaking two-day symposium: "State-of-the-Science in the Prevention and Management of Osteoarthritis" on Thursday, July 14, and Friday, July 15.

13 Jul 2011

If Berwick exits, is quality care 'in jeopardy?'

As Medicare is put under the microscope in the debt-ceiling talks, the clock is running out for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick to be confirmed by Congress.

13 Jul 2011

Apax Partners, CPPIB and PSP Investments to acquire KCI for $68.50 per share

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which a consortium comprised of funds advised by Apax Partners, together with controlled affiliates of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, will acquire KCI for $68.50 per share in cash in a transaction valued at $6.3 billion.

13 Jul 2011

Malaria parasite uses antibody camouflage to hide

Scientists from Rigshospitalet - Copenhagen University Hospital - and the University of Copenhagen have discovered malaria parasites use a type of antibody camouflage to hide from the immune system in the placentas of pregnant women, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a University of Copenhagen press release states.

13 Jul 2011

Illumina announces availability of new TruSeq Custom Enrichment kits

Illumina, Inc. today announced availability of its new TruSeq Custom Enrichment kits which enable researchers to economically design and target genomic regions of interest ranging from 700 kilobases (Kb) to 15 megabases (Mb) of cumulative DNA.

From Illumina, Inc. 13 Jul 2011

Scientists identify DNA variants linked with elevated risk of prostate cancer

Doctors have known for a long time that prostate cancer "runs in the family". Men with relatives who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer have an elevated risk of also developing this type of cancer. It was only last year that DKFZ scientists calculated that this risk rises with the number of affected direct family members and also depends on the relatives' age at outbreak of the disease.

13 Jul 2011

NIH grants $70M over five years to help search for HIV cure

NIH announced on Monday it will provide $70 million over five years to three collaborations searching for an HIV/AIDS cure, making it "the largest single investment yet … into finding a way to rid the virus from the body or at least reduce levels to the point that infected people can stop taking anti-HIV drugs - which many researchers until recently viewed as a hopeless quest," ScienceInsider reports.

13 Jul 2011