GBP Health / Biotech News 07-29-2009

Since August, 2005, this news digest has been a complimentary service of GBP Capital, a private equity firm investing in early to mid-stage life science companies. See www.gbpcap.com. The digest is published two to four days a week. If you have colleagues who would be interested in receiving this digest by email, they can be added to the list at: http://www.gbpcap.com/ . Also, the complete history of the entire content of all news articles in our digests since August, 2005 is searchable with Google's enterprise search engine at the same site.

Source - EurekAlert – Biology:

Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Journal of Neuroscience
Experimental treatment halts hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in newborns
Inhibiting an enzyme in the brains of newborns suffering from oxygen and blood flow deprivation stops brain damage that is a leading cause of cerebral palsy, mental retardation and death, according to researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Reporting their results in the Journal of Neuroscience, the scientists show blocking the brain enzyme, tissue-type plasminogen activator, in newborn rats prevented progressive brain damage triggered by the lack of oxygen and blood supply.
National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer's Association
Contact: Nick Miller
nicholas.miller@cchmc.org
513-803-6035
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Nature
Little-known protein found to be key player
Italian and US scientists have found that a little-understood protein previously implicated in a rare genetic disorder also plays critical role in building and maintaining healthy cells. Even more surprising, the research published online this week in Nature shows that the protein builds structures by fusing intracellular membranes in a fundamentally new way. The research was conducted at Eugenio Medea Scientific Institute in Conegliano, Italy, and Rice University in Houston.
National Institutes of Health, Mathers Charitable Foundation, Telethon Italy, Italian Ministry of Health, Foundation Compagnia di San Paolo
Contact: Jade Boyd
jadeboyd@rice.edu
713-348-6778
Rice University

Public Release: 28-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
First genetically-engineered malaria vaccine to enter human trials
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have created a weakened strain of the malaria parasite that will be used as a live vaccine against the disease. The vaccine, developed in collaboration with researchers from the US, Japan and Canada, will be trialled in humans from early next year.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Ms Penny Fannin
fannin@wehi.edu.au
61-393-452-345
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Public Release: 28-Jul-2009
Particle and Fibre Toxicology
Nanotech particles affect brain development in mice
Maternal exposure to nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) affects the expression of genes related to the central nervous system in developing mice. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that mice whose mothers were injected with the nanoparticles while pregnant showed alteration in gene expression related to neurological dysfunction.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central

Public Release: 28-Jul-2009
Cancer Research
Mathematical modeling predicts response to Herceptin
Cancer researchers are turning to mathematical models to help answer important clinical questions, and a new paper in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, illustrates how the technique may answer questions about Herceptin resistance.
Contact: Jeremy Moore
jeremy.moore@aacr.org
267-646-0557
American Association for Cancer Research

Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Nature Nanotechnology
All-in-1 nanoparticle: A Swiss Army knife for nanomedicine
For the first time, researchers combine nanoparticles used for medical imaging and therapy in one tiny package.
National Science Foundation, Seattle Foundation
Contact: Hannah Hickey
hickeyh@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington

Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Biomaterials
Nanodiamonds deliver insulin for wound healing
Using tiny nanodiamonds, researchers at Northwestern University have demonstrated an innovative method for delivering and releasing insulin at a specific location over a period of time. The nanodiamond-insulin clusters hold promise for wound-healing applications and could be integrated into gels, ointments, bandages or suture materials.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, V Foundation for Cancer Research
Contact: Kyle Delaney
k-delaney@northwestern.edu
847-467-4010
Northwestern University

Source - Science Daily:
Please note: Due to the format restrictions of Science Daily articles, you must click on the URL (web address) below the article summary, rather than the article title.

Scientists Track Impact Of DNA Damage In The Developing Brain
July 29, 2009 — Switching off a key DNA repair system in the developing nervous system is linked to smaller brain size as well as problems in brain structures vital to movement, memory and emotion, according to new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727113056.htm

Cancer Vaccines Led To Long-term Survival For Patients With Metastatic Melanoma
July 29, 2009 — Medical researchers have released promising data from a clinical study showing patient-specific cancer vaccines derived from patients' own cancer cells and immune cells were well tolerated and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728123049.htm

How Immune Cells May Help Predict Alzheimer's Risk
July 29, 2009 — UCLA scientists have discovered a way to measure the amount of amyloid beta that is being absorbed by immune cells in the blood. Amyloid beta forms the plaques considered the hallmark of Alzheimer's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090713124714.htm

Endoscopic Surgery As Effective Open Surgery For Nasal Cancer
July 29, 2009 — Researchers have shown that endoscopic surgery is a valid treatment option for treating esthesioneuroblastoma (cancer of the nasal cavity), in addition to traditional open surgery and nonsurgical ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707131832.htm

In Vitro Antibody Production Enables HIV Infection Detection In Window Period -- Key To Safer Blood
July 29, 2009 — Researchers have shown that the contribution of variable degrees of immune suppression, either due to existing chronic infections such as parasitemias and/or nutrition, in different populations may ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090724102917.htm

Researchers Warn: 'Antivirals Might Be Wasted On The Elderly'
July 28, 2009 — A model of influenza transmission and treatment suggests that, if the current swine flu pandemic behaves like the 1918 flu, antiviral treatment should be reserved for the young. Researchers found ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191726.htm

Key Event In Prostate Cancer Progression Discovered
July 28, 2009 — Researchers have discovered how hormone-dependent prostate cancer advances to the incurable hormone-independent disease state. The study shows that in androgen-independent prostate cancer, androgen ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723141806.htm

Surgery Remains An Option For Advanced Lung Cancer
July 28, 2009 — Oncologists have debated whether patients with a certain type of advanced lung cancer would benefit from surgery. Now a major study has found that surgery can significantly prolong survival without ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727080557.htm

Fast Release Of Data Leads To Rapid Changes In Clinical Practice For Drug-eluting Stents
July 28, 2009 — Use of drug-eluting stents dropped from 90 percent of all stents to less than 60 percent after negative data were released and publicized. Medical information distributed by e-mail, smart phones and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728170954.htm

New Drug For Children With High-risk Leukemia
July 28, 2009 — New research has indicated a drug already in clinical trials for a blood disease common in adults may be relevant for acute childhood ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728123052.htm

Artificial Intelligence Used To Diagnose Metastatic Cancer
July 28, 2009 — When doctors are managing care for women with breast cancer, the information available to them profoundly influences the type of care they recommend. Knowing whether a woman's cancer has ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728083249.htm

Stem Cells Not The Only Way To Fix A Broken Heart
July 27, 2009 — Researchers appear to have a new way to fix a broken heart. They have devised a method to coax heart muscle cells into reentering the cell cycle, allowing the differentiated adult cells to divide and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723141817.htm

Drug Rescues Memory Lost To Alzheimer's Disease
July 27, 2009 — A drug similar to one used in clinical trials for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis has been found to rescue memory in mice exhibiting Alzheimer's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714125000.htm

Human Cells Secrete Cancer-killing Protein
July 27, 2009 — The tumor-suppressor protein Par-4 is secreted by human and rodent cells and activates a novel extrinsic pathway involving cell surface GRP78 receptor for induction of apoptosis, researchers have ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723150826.htm

Natural Born Killers: How The Body's Frontline Immune Cells Decide Which Cells To Destroy
July 27, 2009 — The mechanism used by "natural killer" immune cells in the human body to distinguish between diseased cells, which they are meant to destroy, and normal cells, which they are meant to leave alone, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727203741.htm

Could Therapeutic Vaccines Treat Hard To Beat Breast Cancers?
July 27, 2009 — A comprehensive analysis of nearly 1,600 tumor samples has found that CT-X genes are expressed in nearly half the breast cancers that lack the estrogen receptor. CT-X gene products are the targets of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191245.htm

Best Heart Disease And Stroke Treatments For Patients With Diabetes Found With New Tool
July 26, 2009 — Researchers have developed a computer model that medical doctors can use to determine the best time to begin using statin therapy in diabetes patients to help prevent heart disease and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629112633.htm

Injection Reverses Heart-attack Damage
July 25, 2009 — Injured heart tissue normally can't regrow, but researchers now offer a groundwork for regenerating heart tissue after a heart attack, in patients with heart failure, or in children with congenital ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723142039.htm

Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: July 29, 2009

• FDA Warns About Body Building Products
• Recession Will Affect Kids' Well-Being: Report
• Texting Greatly Increases Crash Risk
• Fast-Track Program Doesn't Speed Approval Of New Cancer Drugs
  

Prioritize Pregnant Women to Get Swine Flu Shot, Experts Say
As CDC recommendations loom, new study confirms this group at great risk.
Tanning Beds Get Highest Carcinogen Rating
Melanoma risk rises 75 percent when device use begins before age 30, international panel says.

Scientists Test New Way to Get Drugs to Cancer Cells
Method might someday provide less toxic alternative to chemo, expert says

Stent Studies Tied to Rapid Changes in Use
Fast dissemination of data may become main stimulus for change, experts say

Heart Surgeon Shortage Predicted
Trend toward stenting rather than bypass could be a cause, expert says

Clinical Trials Update: July 29, 2009

• Healthy Volunteers (Ages 18-65)
• Overactive Bladder
• Congestive Heart Failure
  

Clinical Trials Update: July 28, 2009

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Gout
• High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
  

Clinical Trials Update: July 24, 2009

• Overweight Volunteers
• Migraine
• Restless Legs Syndrome
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:

GenVec Receives Grant for Malaria Vaccine Program - PR Newswire - Wed 8:00 am ET
GenVec, Inc. announced today that it has received a Small Business Innovation and Research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to support the company's malaria vaccine program.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Begins Tender Offer to Acquire Medarex, Inc. - Business Wire - Tue 5:00 am ET
NEW YORK----Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is commencing today, through its wholly owned subsidiary Puma Acquisition Corporation, a cash tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Medarex, Inc. .


Source - Google Health News:

Overuse of Vaccines, Anti-Flu Drugs May Result in Human Calamity
Lew Rockwell
But suddenly a contaminated vaccine which combined the deadly H5N1 with more transmissible seasonal flu strains was found by Biotest, a vaccine distributor ...

Europe fast-tracking swine flu vaccine
The Associated Press
The agency let companies submit data for a "mock-up" vaccine, using H5N1 bird flu. The idea was to do most of the testing before the global epidemic hit so ...

'Dangers' of the fast-track swine flu vaccine
Daily Mail
To speed up the process, the EMA will approve the first doses of the swine flu vaccine based on data from a previous 'mock up' vaccine of H5N1 bird flu, ...

In 2 years, 2 billion will get swine flu: WHO
Times of India - India
Almost 800 people have died from it in the past four months — more than what the H5N1 bird flu strain has killed in six years. India is now worried and says ...

Boosting compounds called adjuvants complicate licensing of ...
The Canadian Press
That work, using an H5N1 vaccine as a surrogate, has given the regulatory agency access to data on the safety and effectiveness of GSK's adjuvant, AS03. ...

Medical organizations disagree about product exclusivity bill
Minnesota Daily - Minneapolis,MN,USA
Biosimilars are generic versions of medical products, including vaccines and gene therapy, made through biological processes. ...

Nerve cells have natural resistance to HIV
New Scientist - UK
The finding raises the possibility of new treatments to thwart HIV by using gene therapy or drugs to activate production of the same protein in cells other ...

We need 'big ideas'
Kansas City Star - MO,USA
Gene therapy and stem-cell research are the cornerstones of this big idea, but it will require government funding, political support and a willingness to ...

Swine flu: intensive care beds will be swamped experts warn
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
The UK Government has ordered up to 132 million doses of the vaccine from both GSK and Baxter. Around 60 million doses – enough for half the population at ...

Can gene therapy cure cancer?
Examiner.com - USA
What is gene therapy? Gene therapy involves the addition of a “good” gene to replace a nonfunctioning or defective gene in a cell. ...

Source - Medical News Today:

Doctor And Nurse Shortages Plague U.S.
The nation's struggles with physician and nurse shortages are evident as health care reform takes shape. NPR reports on medical camps that try to recruit doctors to rural areas: "It was a Third World scene with an American setting. Hundreds of tired and desperate people crowded around an aid worker with a bullhorn, straining to hear the instructions and worried they might be left out. ... For the past 10 years, during late weekends in July, the fairgrounds in Wise [Va.] have been transformed into a mobile and makeshift field hospital providing free care for those in need. The 2009 Remote Area Medical (RAM) Expedition comes to the Virginia Appalachian mountains as Congress and President Obama wrestle with a health care overhaul. The event graphically illustrates gaps in the existing health care system." Patients came from 16 different states, with 30 percent making return visits. Fifty-one percent are uninsured, 40.3 percent are on Medicaid or Medicare and just 7.3 percent have employer or private insurance. "Fewer than 1 percent of patients have dental or vision insurance." Other stats: 26 percent are employed, 40.6 percent are unemployed, 4.7 percent are retired and 4.8 percent are children. NPR notes that "organizers paid about $250,000 out of pocket to run the event, and they provided an estimated $1.5 million worth of care" and have "eight more expeditions planned this year, from Virginia to California."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159150.php

11th Tysabri Patient Develops PML
An 11th patient taking Biogen Idec's multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Tysabri has developed a potentially deadly brain infection. In the latest confirmed case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, the patient took Tysabri for 29 doses, continuing the trend of the last six reported cases of the infection, where each patient had therapy for two years or longer.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159129.php

Surveyed Oncologists Expect To Prescribe Provenge To About Half Of Their Prostate Cancer Patients If The Vaccine Is Approved
Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, if Dendreon's Provenge receives regulatory approval, surveyed oncologists expect to prescribe Provenge to 54 percent of patients with asymptomatic hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer. Due to the side effects associated with currently available chemotherapy, most oncologists recommend that men who have stopped responding to hormone therapy wait for the development of symptoms before starting chemotherapy. The new Physician & Payer Forum report entitled Clinician and Payer Attitudes Toward Emerging Cancer Vaccines for Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, and Glioma finds that clinicians are willing to prescribe Provenge to patients in the absence of symptoms. The report also finds that three-quarters of surveyed oncologists and urologists consider Provenge a major breakthrough in the treatment of prostate cancer. Additionally, 89 percent of surveyed urologists expect to prescribe Provenge for prostate cancer.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159097.php


$13 Million Grant To Develop Vaccines For Emerging Infectious Diseases, Simulation Tools Used To Train Next Generation Of Scientific Researchers
University of Rhode Island Professor Annie De Groot has been awarded a $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to pioneer the development and application of an integrated gene-to-vaccine program targeting emerging infectious diseases. It is the second multi-million dollar NIH grant awarded to URI researchers in recent months, coming on the heels of an $18 million award to a pharmacy professor in May. De Groot, who joined the faculty of the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences just six months ago and who directs the University's Institute for Immunology and Informatics, said the new Translational Immunology Research and Accelerated Vaccine Development (TRIAD) program will integrate vaccine design studies in silico (via computer simulation) with in vitro and in vivo research.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159058.php

Obesity Healthcare Costs US 147 Billion Dollars A Year, New Study
The annual healthcare cost of obesity in the US has doubled in less than a decade and may be as high as 147 billion dollars a year says new government-sponsored research. The study was conducted by researchers at RTI International, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is published in the 27 July issue of the health policy journal Health Affairs.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158948.php

Teasing Apart T Helper Cells
The cytokine IL-9 promotes a multiple sclerosis-like disease in mice, according to a new study by Nowak et al. published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. In a related Commentary, Richard Locksley discusses the molecular and genetic regulation of cytokine production by CD4+ T helper (Th) cells and the plasticity among different Th subsets. The Commentary was published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on Monday, July 27th. Since the late 1980s, when the concept of Th1 and -2 were first introduced, several new subsets have arisen, including Th17 cells and regulatory T (T reg) cells. Recent attention has focused on a putative new Th cell subset with the propensity to secrete IL-9. But whether these "Th9" cells are truly a unique subset or whether many Th cell subsets can produce IL-9 under the right circumstances has been a matter of debate.

World's First Cardiac Adult Stem Cell Patient Receives Infusion
Michael (Mike) Jones has become the world's first recipient of adult cardiac stem cells to treat congestive heart failure. Jones' infusion on July 17 marks the world's first phase-one FDA-approved clinical trial using adult cardiac stem cells to treat heart disease. The clinical trial is being conducted by a team of University of Louisville physicians at Jewish Hospital. During the infusion procedure, Jones was directly injected with his own cardiac stem cells into heart scar tissue using a minimally-invasive cardiac catheterization procedure, which reaches the heart through an artery in the patient's leg. The 66-year-old, self-employed man continues to recover following the outpatient procedure.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158787.php


Source - MIT's Technology Review:

Radiation Therapy for Moving Targets
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23078/

Device Tracks How You're Sleeping
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23077/

Pig Cells Treat Diabetes Patients
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23072/

A Vaccine for Colon Cancer
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23067/

GBP Health / Biotech News 07-24-2009

Since August, 2005, this news digest has been a complimentary service of GBP Capital, a private equity firm investing in early to mid-stage life science companies. See www.gbpcap.com. The digest is published two to four days a week. If you have colleagues who would be interested in receiving this digest by email, they can be added to the list at: http://www.gbpcap.com/ . Also, the complete history of the entire content of all news articles in our digests since August, 2005 is searchable with Google's enterprise search engine at the same site.

Source - EurekAlert – Biology:

Public Release: 23-Jul-2009
Arthritis Research and Therapy
The disease markers that will aid arthritis research
A combination of biochemical and MRI markers will allow improved measurement of osteoarthritis progression. The biomarkers, described in BioMed Central's open-access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, will be useful for the design and interpretation of trials of new disease modifying drugs.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-203-192-2165
BioMed Central

Public Release: 23-Jul-2009
PLoS Genetics
Resistance to antibiotics: When 1+1 is not 2
The evolution of multiple antibiotic resistances is a global and difficult problem to eradicate. Isabel Gordo, a group leader at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Portugal, reports in the paper published in the latest issue of PLoS Genetics, that the deleterious effect associated with the acquisition of resistance by a bacteria can be suppressed by the acquisition of a new resistance to another antibiotic.
Contact: Silvia Castro
sacastro@igc.gulbenkian.pt
351-214-464-537
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia

Public Release: 23-Jul-2009
Cell
Injection reverses heart-attack damage
Injured heart tissue normally can't regrow, but researchers at Children's Hospital Boston now offer a groundwork for regenerating heart tissue after a heart attack, in patients with heart failure, or in children with congenital heart defects. In this week's Cell, they show that a growth factor involved in the development of the heart and nervous system can spur heart-muscle growth and recovery of cardiac function when injected systemically into animals after a heart attack.
Children's Hospital Boston, Charles Hood Foundation, American Heart Association
Contact: Rob Graham
rob.graham@childrens.harvard.edu
617-919-3110
Children's Hospital Boston

Public Release: 23-Jul-2009
Cell
Stripping leukemia-initiating cells of their 'invisibility cloak'
Two new studies reveal a way to increase the body's appetite for gobbling up the cancer stem cells responsible for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a form of cancer with a particularly poor survival rate. The key is targeting a protein on the surface of those cells that sends a "don't eat me" signal to the macrophage immune cells that serve as a first line of defense, according to the reports in the July 24 issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Public Release: 23-Jul-2009
Cell
Stem cells not the only way to fix a broken heart
Researchers appear to have a new way to fix a broken heart. They have devised a method to coax heart muscle cells into reentering the cell cycle, allowing the differentiated adult cells to divide and regenerate healthy heart tissue after a heart attack, according to studies in mice and rats reported in the July 24 issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Public Release: 23-Jul-2009
Science
OMT announces a breakthrough in the development of a novel human antibody platform
OMT, in collaboration with Sangamo, Sigma-Aldrich, the Medical College of Wisconsin and INSERM, created the first targeted knockout rats with permanent heritable genetic mutations, as published in the July 24, 2009, edition of Science.
Open Monoclonal Technology Inc., Sigma-Aldrich Corp.
Contact: Dr. Roland Buelow
rbuelow@omtinc.net
650-224-6835
Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc.

Public Release: 23-Jul-2009
Neoplasia
Newly discovered gene fusion may lead to improved prostate cancer diagnosis
Researchers from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have discovered a new gene fusion that is highly expressed in a subset of prostate cancers.
Contact: Andrew Klein
ank2017@med.cornell.edu
212-821-0560
New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College

Public Release: 22-Jul-2009
ORNL advances therapy for Parkinson's, other diseases
By miniaturizing a device that monitors the delivery of healthy cells, researchers at US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing a powerful instrument for physicians to use in treating patients with Parkinson's syndrome, brain tumors and other diseases.
Contact: Ron Walli
wallira@ornl.gov
865-576-0226
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Public Release: 21-Jul-2009
Journal of American Chemical Society
Twinkling nanostars cast new light into biomedical imaging
Researchers have created magnetically responsive gold nanostars that may offer a new approach to biomedical imaging. The nanostars gyrate when exposed to a rotating magnetic field, and can scatter light to produce a pulsating or "twinkling" effect. This twinkling allows them to stand out more clearly from noisy backgrounds like those found in biological tissue.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Elizabeth K. Gardner
ekgardner@purdue.edu
765-494-2081
Purdue University

Source - Science Daily:
Please note: Due to the format restrictions of Science Daily articles, you must click on the URL (web address) below the article summary, rather than the article title.

Copper Can Help In The Battle Against Influenza A H1N1, Says Scientist
July 24, 2009 — A leading microbiologist says his research has found copper is effective in inhibiting the influenza A H1N1 ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723201456.htm

Breakthrough In Transgenic Animal Production Enables Development Of New Human Disease Models
July 24, 2009 — Scientists have announced the creation of the first genetically modified mammals developed using zinc finger nuclease ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723141751.htm

Halting A Pandemic: NIH Mounts Search For A H1N1 Vaccine
July 24, 2009 — Bracing for an outbreak of 2009 H1N1 (swine-origin) flu that an infectious diseases expert estimates could sicken one in five people this fall, scientists are launching a series of clinical trials ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722083720.htm

Therapy For Parkinson's, Other Diseases Advanced With Miniaturization Of Device
July 23, 2009 — By miniaturizing a device that monitors the delivery of healthy cells, researchers are developing a powerful instrument for physicians to use in treating patients with Parkinson's syndrome, brain ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722165503.htm

Potential New Drug Target For Diabetes And Alzheimer's Disease
July 23, 2009 — A cellular protein that may prevent nerve cells from dying also helps to improve insulin action and lower blood glucose levels, according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721214620.htm

Bcl6 Gene Sculpts Helper T Cell To Boost Antibody Production
July 23, 2009 — Expression of a single gene programs an immune system helper T cell that fuels rapid growth and diversification of antibodies in a cellular structure implicated in autoimmune diseases and development ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723150830.htm

Common Cold Virus Efficiently Delivers Corrected Gene To Cystic Fibrosis Cells
July 22, 2009 — Scientists have worked for 20 years to perfect gene therapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, which causes the body to produce dehydrated, thicker-than-normal mucus that clogs the lungs and leads ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720202603.htm

Insights Into Failed HIV-1 Vaccine Trial
July 22, 2009 — The leading explanation for why the Merck HIV-1 vaccine candidate was ineffective is ruled out in new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720190810.htm

Promising New Treatment For Alzheimer’s Disease
July 22, 2009 — A promising approach has been developed to help treat Alzheimer’s disease in a significant proportion of the population that suffers from a particularly rapid development of this ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720083210.htm

Tumor 'Stem-like Cells' Exist In Benign Tumors
July 22, 2009 — Cancer stem-like cells have been implicated in the genesis of a variety of malignant cancers. Research scientists have now isolated stem-like cells in benign (pituitary) tumors and used these ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723113707.htm

Clinical Trials To Test 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Candidates Set
July 22, 2009 — Scientists in a network of medical research institutions across the United States are set to begin a series of clinical trials to gather critical data about influenza vaccines, including two ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722142836.htm

Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: July 24, 2009

• Senate Puts Off Vote on Health-Care Legislation
• Poll Still Finds Public Support for Health-Care Reform
• Study Looks at Implanted Pig Cells to Treat Type 1 Diabetes
• Swine Flu Fears Prompt Arab States to Limit Pilgrimage
  

Elevated Insulin Levels Linked to Breast Cancer
Study finds strong association in postmenopausal women

Stem Cells Used for 'Biological Pacemaker'
In experiments with mice, researchers corrected electrical problems of the heart

Clinical Trials Update: July 23, 2009

• Osteoarthritis of the Hip or Knee
• Heart Disease
• Alzheimer's Disease
  

Clinical Trials Update: July 22, 2009

• Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Prevention
• Healthy Volunteers (Ages 18+)
• Depression
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:

Seattle Genetics Initiates Brentuximab Vedotin (SGN-35) Retreatment Clinical Trial - Business Wire - 1 hour, 40 minutes ago
BOTHELL, Wash.----Seattle Genetics, Inc. today announced that it has initiated a phase II clinical trial of brentuximab vedotin , an antibody-drug conjugate , for the retreatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma .

Merck and Schering offer to settle merger lawsuit - AP - 1 hour, 16 minutes ago
Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. said Friday they are offering to disclose new information about their planned tie-up to settle a class action lawsuit by shareholders

Source - Google Health News:

"Single-Shot" Vaccines Could Protect Against H5N1 Influenza Virus
RedOrbit - Dallas,TX,USA
The use of adjuvants (substances to improve the immune response) in vaccine development may lower the antigen dose required and ultimately ease the demand ...

Swine flu: intensive care beds will be swamped experts warn
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
The UK Government has ordered up to 132 million doses of the vaccine from both GSK and Baxter. Around 60 million doses – enough for half the population at ...

Effect of Different Vaccines in H5N1 Pandemic Compared Vaccine ...
Modern Medicine - Woodcliff Lake,NJ,USA
"Taken together, these findings suggest that, at present, the H5N1 vaccine formulation that includes a low antigen dose and a non-aluminum adjuvant (which, ...

Common cold virus may help treat cystic fibrosis
SINDH TODAY - Sindh,Pakistan
Scientists have worked for 20 years to perfect gene therapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, which causes the body to produce dehydrated, ...

Source - Medical News Today:

Key Event In Prostate Cancer Progression Discovered By Scientists
A study led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reveals how late-stage, hormone-independent prostate tumors gain the ability to grow without need of hormones. The onset of hormone-independent growth marks an advanced and currently incurable stage of prostate cancer.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158757.php

Deep Vein Thrombosis: The Risk During A Flight Is Often Overestimated
The risk of developing deep vein thrombosis during a long flight is often overestimated. According to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), this condition is very unlikely in healthy travellers. When people wear a cast or splint after a sports accident, on the other hand, many are not aware that they have an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis in their leg and pelvic area. This is emphasised in information published on IQWiG's website Informed Health Online.
Blood clots can travel to lungs, leading to pulmonary embolism
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158667.php

Alzheimer's-Causing Amyloid And Bacteria Trigger Same Immune Response In The Brain
In a new study published today in the July issue of the journal Cell Host & Microbe, UC Davis researchers report that both amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and structures made by some gut bacteria likely elicit the same response by human immune cells. "Alzheimer's disease may be a case of mistaken identity," said Andreas Bäumler, a professor of microbiology and medical immunology. Bäumler and his colleagues showed that the immune systems of mice injected with E. coli and salmonella are triggered by curli fibrils, fiber-like structures consisting of curli proteins that allow bacteria to stick to host tissue and to each other and form colonies.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158628.php

Enhanced Digital Breast Imaging From US Navy-Funded Technology
A breakthrough technology adapted for breast cancer detection based in part on research originally sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is set to air July 23 during a CNN International news segment on Vital Signs, a program hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The technology, referred to by the U.S. Navy as enhanced digital imaging, developed out of the Navy's need to improve capabilities to detect, localize and classify underwater mines. It later served as the point of departure for research conducted by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport (NUWC), part of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), designed to enhance the discrimination of data in complex underwater environments. Researchers at NUWC later patented the enhanced digital imaging process.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158604.php

Stem Cell Projects Pave The Way For New Therapies
The Medical Research Council has announced funding for seven awards totalling £4.7 million under its translational stem cell research scheme. This includes nearly £3 million for four early stage clinical trials involving adult stem cells . These trials will assess various aspects of stem cell biology - using stem cell transplantation to address blindness and bone repair, to activate dormant stem cells within the body to treat Addison's disease and to target the elimination of cancerous stem cells responsible for chronic myeloid leukaemia.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158412.php

Neural Stem Cells Offer Potential Treatment For Alzheimer's Disease
UC Irvine scientists have shown for the first time that neural stem cells can rescue memory in mice with advanced Alzheimer's disease, raising hopes of a potential treatment for the leading cause of elderly dementia that afflicts 5.3 million people in the U.S. Mice genetically engineered to have Alzheimer's performed markedly better on memory tests a month after mouse neural stem cells were injected into their brains. The stem cells secreted a protein that created more neural connections, improving cognitive function.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158268.php

Source - MIT's Technology Review:

The Business of Personal Genomes
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23058/

A Cell-Phone Microscope for Disease Detection
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23059/

Protein Treatment Repairs Heart Damage
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23060/

How the US is Exporting Its Innovation in Life Sciences

The problem described below is specific to life sciences, but it holds true for most scientific disciplines in the US.

For over four years now, I have spent the vast majority of my professional time as a life sciences venture capitalist, finding and helping nurture the most promising medical therapeutics, diagnostics and devices. There has never been a better time to invest in life sciences in the US, as there are more great technologies and low-valued deals than there is money to invest in them. However, money is not flowing into these deals, and in fact, more venture money than ever is flowing into companies outside the US. Why is this?

Four primary reasons:

1. Rate of Return

For the last decade, US venture investments in life sciences have not performed as well as many other venture classes, showing roughly a break even rate of return. Just as in the Internet, in the 90's, many life science companies that would not qualify for the public market today were able to go public, and many of these companies went bankrupt. This scared away a lot of venture dollars for a period of time. This is a shame, because the reality is we are in the midst of the renaissance of life sciences, and there has never been a better time to invest.

2. Capital Gains Tax in the US

Profits made from venture capital are taxed at the same capital gains tax rates as all other stock investments held over one year, despite the fact that the money is invested in a riskier asset class and must be tied up for seven to ten years. In other words, public stock investors pays the same capital gains tax rate as someone who has tied up his/her money for a far longer period of time. For more info on the US capital gains tax see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_gains_tax_in_the_United_States

President Obama has supported increasing the capital gains tax to 20% after 2010. In my view, the most productive way to spurn investments in the most innovative developments is to eliminate the capital gains tax altogether. This would boost the stock market, bring back IPO's, create millions of jobs in the US, and certainly in life sciences, it would help reduce the cost of healthcare by helping bring better, more affordable therapeutics, diagnostics and devices to the market.

One other point about venture capital (VC). VC is .2% of the GDP, yet venture backed companies account for 17% of the revenues generated in this country. As a nation, we should be doing everything possible to support VC, because it is the primary engine of innovation, and innovation is just about all we have left that we can do better than the rest of the world, though that gap is narrowing as we increasingly export it.

3. Cheaper Foreign Labor

Many US venture funds have raised India, China and Eastern European funds to take advantage of less expensive professional labor pools. This makes sense for a growing set of asset classes, and it is beginning to happen more and more in life sciences. Why? Both India and China are no longer simply less expensive countries in which to make products, but they are also becoming less expensive countries to conduct fundamental R&D for leading edge sciences. Each country graduates a multiple of the scientists in every discipline than the US. Slowly, but surely, their university systems are improving and in some disciplines they have surpassed the US. For example, in China, there are 20 universities dedicated to software development. In the US, there is not one.

So, when a venture fund sees a good idea that can be done just as well in China or India, why not take advantage of the lower cost of labor to improve ROI? In this way, our country is helping export our innovation and losing millions of jobs to nations abroad.

4. Funding GAP Between the National Institute of Health and the Market

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is a fantastic asset of this country. Before President Obama, it was investing $30B per year in the form of roughly 46,000 grants to early stage research in the life sciences, or roughly $650,000 per grant, clearly not enough to bring a product to the market, but a big help with getting it started. With the President's new stimulus package, that amount has been increased to roughly $40B per year.

These grants help advance tremendous developments, but they are not nearly enough to bring a product to the market. One would think that this is where VC or big pharma would step in, but because it takes so long to bring many of these therapeutics, diagnostics and devices from the lab to the market in the US, VC and big pharma shy away from bridging this gap.

It is much easier abroad. In Europe it is far faster to bring a device for approval to be sold in the market (EU Mark approval) than it is to obtain the equivalent in the US (IDE approval). The same goes for drugs and biologics. In Europe, there are already biosimilars (the equivalent of generic drugs for biologics) on the market. In the US, Congress and the FDA are still not settled on a definition for what constitutes a biosimilar, while big pharma is spending hoards of money to cloud the issue. As a result, we have no biosimilars on the market in the US, so this is yet another reason why Americans must pay more for healthcare.

Increasingly, Americans are traveling abroad for their healthcare, or ordering their medications over the Internet from Canada. This is a direct result of the funding gap between the NIH and the market and poor legislation from Washington.

The funding gap between the NIH and the market needs to be narrowed. There are two good ways to do this. First, streamline the FDA approval process, so that it does not take as long and cost as much to get approvals for products. Do this, and venture capital will rush in to fill that funding gap. Otherwise, we will see more and more US companies take their innovations abroad. Second, create a set of larger grants from the NIH for the most promising developments. A charitable organization, called Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), has tried to help bridge this gap by doing just this, but the charitable monies are simply not flowing into this organization given the state of the US economy. This is a job for the NIH.

Here's hoping the new FDA head, Margaret Hamburg, and the new NIH head, Francis Collins, can help us bring more life science innovation back to our shores, and that somehow a Democratic lead Hill can see its way to lowering the capital gains tax for venture capital. The innovation of our country's future is at stake, not only in life sciences, but in nearly all scientific disciplines.

It not enough to be the best at making weapons. At some point, even that edge will vanish.

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