GBP Health / Biotech News 09-29-2009

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-Sep-2009
Journal of Immunology
LSUHSC researcher identifies new target to prevent fatal flu lung complication
Research led by Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chairman of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has identified a therapeutic target for acute lung injury resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome, a highly fatal complication of influenza infection.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Leslie Capo
lcapo@lsuhsc.edu
504-568-4806
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Public Release: 29-Sep-2009
New England Journal of Medicine
New blood-thinning drug safer than rat poison
A new drug has been declared to be safer but as effective as the standard anti-coagulant drug warfarin for treating patients with abnormal heart rhythms.
Contact: Steve Pogonowski
press@f1000.com
Faculty of 1000: Biology and Medicine

Public Release: 29-Sep-2009
Nanotechnology and synthetic biology: What does the American public think?
Nanotechnology and synthetic biology continue to develop as two of the most exciting areas of scientific discovery, but research has shown that the public is almost completely unaware of the science and its applications. A groundbreaking poll of 1,001 American adults conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies found that 90 percent of Americans think the public should be better informed about the development of cutting-edge technologies.
Contact: Danielle Altman
danielle.altman@wilsoncenter.org
202-247-7387
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies

Public Release: 28-Sep-2009
Journal of Experimental Medicine
UCLA study identifies 2 chemicals that could lead to new drugs for genetic disorders
UCLA scientists have identified two chemicals that convince cells to ignore premature signals to stop producing important proteins. The findings could lead to new medications for genetic diseases, such as cancer and muscular dystrophy, that are sparked by missing proteins.
Ataxia-Telangiectasia Medical Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Ataxia-Telangiectasia Ease Foundation
Contact: Elaine Schmidt
eschmidt@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2272
University of California - Los Angeles

Public Release: 28-Sep-2009
American Journal of Pathology
Diabetes weakens your bones
Current research suggests that the inflammatory molecule TNF-alpha may contribute to delayed bone fracture healing in diabetics. The related report by Alblowi et al., "High Levels of TNF-alpha Contribute to Accelerated Loss of Cartilage in Diabetic Fracture Healing" appears in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.
Contact: Angela Colmone
acolmone@asip.org
301-634-7953
American Journal of Pathology

Public Release: 28-Sep-2009
Journal of Experimental Medicine
UCLA study identifies 2 chemicals that could lead to new drugs for genetic disorders
UCLA scientists have identified two chemicals that convince cells to ignore premature signals to stop producing important proteins. The findings could lead to new medications for genetic diseases, such as cancer and muscular dystrophy, that are sparked by missing proteins.
Ataxia-Telangiectasia Medical Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Ataxia-Telangiectasia Ease Foundation
Contact: Elaine Schmidt
eschmidt@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2272
University of California - Los Angeles



Public Release: 27-Sep-2009
Nature Nanotechnology
U of T researchers create microchip that can detect type and severity of cancer
U of T researchers have used nanomaterials to develop a microchip sensitive enough to quickly determine the type and severity of a patient's cancer so that the disease can be detected earlier for more effective treatment.

Contact: April Kemick
april.kemick@utoronto.ca
416-978-0100
University of Toronto




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.

How HIV Cripples Immune Cells
September 28, 2009 — In order to be able to ward off disease pathogens, immune cells must be mobile and be able to establish contact with each other. Scientists have discovered a mechanism in an animal model revealing ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916103426.htm

Insulin Boost Restores Muscle Growth In Elderly
September 27, 2009 — Researchers have demonstrated that by increasing insulin levels above the normal range in elderly test subjects, they can restore the impaired muscle-building process responsible for age-related ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925115457.htm

Revolutionary Drug Could Be New Hope For Adrenal Cancer Patients
September 28, 2009 — Medical researchers are starting a clinical trial for a drug designed to combat adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare but deadly cancer that attacks the adrenal glands. They hope the new compound, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922123925.htm

Certain Cancers More Common Among HIV Patients Than Non-HIV Patients
September 28, 2009 — Researchers have found that non-AIDS-defining malignancies such as anal and lung cancer have become more prevalent among HIV-infected patients than non-HIV patients since the introduction of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925101957.htm

Carbon Nanostructure Research May Lead To Revolutionary New Devices
September 28, 2009 — Research into carbon nanostructures may some day be used in electronic, thermal, mechanical and sensing devices for the Air ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092702.htm

Safe, Effective, Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair, Suggested By Study
September 28, 2009 — Minimally invasive, patient-friendly surgical techniques are widespread, but there is little data to prompt the routine use of these techniques in mitral valve surgery, especially in cases where the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928141955.htm

Scientist Builds Imager That Identifies, Locates Individual Cancer Cells
September 28, 2009 — A biomedical engineer has spent the last four years building a better imager for preclincal studies. He can now disassemble a specimen and reassemble it into a three-dimensional digital model that ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131026.htm

Vaccine Expert Advises: Immunization Should Be Given As Early In Life As Possible
September 27, 2009 — Parents should not be worried that early vaccination would overwhelm their babies, a vaccine expert says. Recent data show that the immune system of newborns is able to respond to a world full of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111532.htm



Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Sept. 29, 2009

• EPA Warns About PCBs in School Window/Door Caulking
• Senate Committee Discusses Dietary Supplements Regulation
• Food Workers Heaviest Smokers: Study
• Hundreds More Nursing Homes Candidates for Inspection: Report
• Switch to Digital Patient Records Driven by Big Hospitals
  

Mini-Stroke Found to Precede 1 in 8 Strokes
Expert urges reliance on other predictive tools, but not all agree

Clot-Busting Therapy Under Review
Cardiologists looking at new generation of drugs as Plavix trial shows double dosage best for angioplasty
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 29, 2009

• Alzheimer's Disease
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Bipolar Depression
  

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 28, 2009

• Epilepsy
• Gout Attacks
• Migraine
  

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 25, 2009

• Atrial Fibrillation
• Chronic Pain
• Flu Vaccine
  

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 24, 2009

• Pain Medication
• Endometriosis
• Epilepsy
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:


Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Receives Grant Supporting Further NicVAX Development - GlobeNewswire - 2 hours, 49 minutes ago
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Nabi Biopharmaceuticals and the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse , part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today that NIDA has agreed to extend its support for the continued development of NicVAX, Nabi's proprietary vaccine to treat nicotine addiction and prevent smoking relapse.

UPDATE -- Japanese National Institute of Health to Present New Data On Hemispherx's Vaccine Enhancer - GlobeNewswire - Mon 10:30 am ET
PHILADELPHIA -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. , today announced data of Dr. Hasegawa, Director, the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases was to be presented on one of Hemispherx's lead compounds, Ampligen at the 13th Conference of the Japanese Society of Vaccinology, Sapporo, Japan on September 27, 2009


Source - Google Health News:


The Swine Flu... Pandemic Or Panic?
NewsBlaze
H5N1 (Bird) flu is an influenza A virus subtype that is highly contagious among birds. Rare human infections with the H5N1 (Bird) flu virus have occurred. ...

Cincinnati Hospital May Have Cure For Sickle-Cell Disease
WLWT
CINCINNATI -- After a decade of research, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center researchers hope they've discovered a way to use gene therapy to ...

J&J buys stake in flu-vaccine developer Crucell
MarketWatch
J&J and Crucell are hoping to develop the product to combat several strains of flu, including the H1N1 and H5N1 strains. H1N1 includes those strains that ...

Gene therapy may now help treat Alzheimer
HealthJockey.com
For a national gene therapy trial, researchers from the Memory Disorders Program at Georgetown University Medical Center are busy enlisting volunteers. ...


Source - Medical News Today:



ALS Stem Cell Trial Gets FDA Go Ahead
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the first clinical trial to test a new stem cell treatment for the fatal neurodegenerative disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ) this month (ALS) can go ahead. The federal agency gave the green light earlier this month, allowing principal investigator and neurologist Dr Eva Feldman, the DeJong Professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School to start Phase 1 testing of the safety and efficacy of an investigational new drug (IND) from Neuralstem, a company based in Rockville, Maryland.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165528.php

Cancer Research Takes Turn, Offers Potential Treatment For Macular Degeneration
Indiana University School of Medicine research and a federal small business grant have set an Indianapolis startup company on a path to develop potential new treatments for age-related macular degeneration . The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $225,000 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant to ApeX Therapeutics and its co-founder Mark R. Kelley, Ph.D., Betty and Earl Herr Professor in Pediatric Oncology Research and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of pharmacology and toxicology at the IU School of Medicine.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165448.php

Like Drugs, Surgical Innovations Must Be Evaluated Through Trials
This week The Lancet publishes a landmark series on the current state of surgical research and its problems. The series is part of The Lancet Surgery Special Issue. There is serious concern that some surgeons have failed to live up to expectations about the standards and quality of their research and practice. The Balliol Collaboration proposes a solution. Evaluating the achievements of surgical interventions is as essential as measuring the effectiveness of drugs. Up until now, surgical innovation has been weakly measured and regulated. In order to tackle the various problems in the field of surgery, the Balliol colloquia gathered surgeons and research experts from around the world. They met at the Balliol College, in Oxford, to explore how the quality of research in surgery could be improved.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165357.php



Source - MIT's Technology Review:


A Brighter Future for Retinal Implants
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23539/

A Turning Point for Personal Genomes
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23522/

GBP Health / Biotech News 09-25-2009

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: 25-Sep-2009
Pitt researchers net $5 million from NIH to explore better ways to grow cells
Regenerative medicine researchers at the University of Pittsburgh received two grants totaling more than $5 million from the National Institutes of Health to explore new methods for cultivating replacement cells from existing tissues and organs.
Contact: Morgan Kelly
mekelly@pitt.edu
412-624-4356
University of Pittsburgh

Public Release: 24-Sep-2009
International Journal of Cancer
Diabetes drug shows promise in fighting lethal cancer complication
Insulin resistance, the hallmark of type 2 diabetes and a condition often associated with obesity, is paradoxically also an apparent contributor to muscle wasting and severe fat loss that accompanies some cancers, according to new research.
Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
Contact: Martha Belury
belury.1@osu.edu
614-292-1680
Ohio State University

Public Release: 24-Sep-2009
Angewandte Chemie International
Shedding light on cancer cells
A new technique now makes it possible to observe live cancer cells in action, allowing scientists to see how they differ from healthy cells.
Contact: Steve Pogonowski
press@f1000.com
Faculty of 1000: Biology and Medicine

ublic Release: 24-Sep-2009
International Journal of Andrology
Environmental chemicals found in breast milk and high incidence of testicular cancer
A comparison of breast milk samples from Denmark and Finland revealed a significant difference in environmental chemicals which have previously been implicated in testicular cancer or in adversely affecting development of the fetal testis in humans and animals. This finding is published today in the International Journal of Andrology.
Contact: Jennifer Beal
medicalnews@wiley.com
44-124-377-0633
Wiley-Blackwell

Public Release: 24-Sep-2009
PLoS Pathogens
Scientists determine dynamics of HIV transmission in UK heterosexuals
Among heterosexuals in the United Kingdom, HIV transmission can occur within networks of as many as 30 people, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, London. Details are published Sept. 25 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Contact: Dr. Andrew Leigh Brown
A.Leigh-Brown@ed.ac.uk
44-131-650-5523
Public Library of Science



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.
Sleep Loss Linked To Increase In Alzheimer's Plaques
September 25, 2009 — Chronic sleep deprivation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease makes Alzheimer's brain plaques appear earlier and more often, researchers report. They also found that orexin, a protein that helps ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924141742.htm

Diabetes Most Prevalent In Southern United States, Study Finds
September 25, 2009 — Diabetes prevalence is highest in the Southern and Appalachian states and lowest in the Midwest and the Northeast of America. Researchers have used two public data sources to investigate the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924231753.htm

Pancreatic Cancer: Researchers Find Drug That Reverses Resistance To Chemotherapy
September 25, 2009 — For the first time researchers have shown that by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called TAK-1, it is possible to make pancreatic cancer cells sensitive to chemotherapy, opening the way for the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924093351.htm

New Strategy For Highly-selective Chemotherapy Delivery Developed; Study Points Way To Precisely Targeted Cancer Treatments
September 25, 2009 — Researchers have created a new approach that vastly improves the targeting of chemotherapeutic drugs to specific cells and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924141746.htm

Gammaglobulin Treatment For Alzheimer's Disease To Be Tested
September 25, 2009 — Researchers will begin testing an intriguing new approach to slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using Intravenous Immune Globulin (IGIV), also known as gammaglobulin. IGIV is ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924101632.htm

Certain Cancers More Common Among HIV Patients Than Non-HIV Patients
September 25, 2009 — Researchers have found that non-AIDS-defining malignancies such as anal and lung cancer have become more prevalent among HIV-infected patients than non-HIV patients since the introduction of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925101957.htm

New Cancer Drug Test Promises Safer And More Effective Clinical Trials
September 24, 2009 — A group of scientists from Hamburg may have taken a big step towards more effective cancer drug development. They report the development of a preclinical drug test platform that would enable ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923102329.htm

Trial Of New Treatment For Advanced Melanoma Shows Rapid Shrinking Of Tumors
September 24, 2009 — Researchers have made significant advances in the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma -- one of the most difficult cancers to treat successfully -- according to a new study. In the phase I ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923102325.htm

Excess Body Weight Causes Over 124,000 New Cancers A Year In Europe: New Estimates
September 24, 2009 — At least 124,000 new cancers in 2008 in Europe may have been caused by excess body weight, according to estimates from a new modeling study. The proportion of cases of new cancers attributable to a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924093349.htm

Coronary Imaging Techniques Helps To Identify Plaques Likely To Cause Heart Attacks
September 24, 2009 — Late-breaking results from the PROSPECT clinical trial shed new light on the types of vulnerable plaque that are most likely to cause sudden, unexpected adverse cardiac events, and on the ability to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924185537.htm



Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Sept. 25, 2009

• Toxins In Drinking Water at Thousands of U.S. Schools
• Many U.S. Parents Underestimate Swine Flu Risk for Kids: Survey
• House Passes Bill to Halt Medicare Part B Premium Hike
• Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg Hospitalized Briefly
• Tylenol Maker Recalls Some Products for Kids
• FDA Advisers Back New OxyContin Pill
  

Angst May Protect Against Some Skin Cancer
Study finds less squamous cell carcinoma in mice under short-term stress
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 25, 2009

• Atrial Fibrillation
• Chronic Pain
• Flu Vaccine
  

Experimental AIDS Vaccine Delivers Good News
Thai trial is first test in humans to show vaccine can work against HIV

New Treatment May Beat Melanoma
In trials, advanced cancers shrunk rapidly, researchers say

Sleep Deprivation Might Lead to Alzheimer's
Research in mice suggests that suspect plaques build up during waking hours



Source - Yahoo Biotech News:


Sector Snap: HIV vaccine developers - AP - Thu 12:39 pm ET
Shares of several companies developing potential HIV vaccines were little changed in reaction to Thursday's announcement from researchers that they may be on track for a breakthrough HIV vaccine.

Japanese National Institute of Health to Present New Data on Hemispherx's Vaccine Enhancer - GlobeNewswire - Thu 9:15 am ET
PHILADELPHIA -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. today announced that Dr. Hasegawa, Director, at the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases will present data on one of Hemispherx's lead compounds, Ampligen at the 18th Conference of the Japanese Society of Vaccinology, Sapporo, Japan on September 26 and 27, 2009.



Source - Google Health News:


Single swine flu jab protects children; Single rabies vax shot ...
FierceVaccines
The new flu vaccine has proven surprisingly effective in guarding children as young as 10 from swine flu after a single shot. ...

Cancer Vaccine Shows Improved Results With Vical Additive
Wall Street Journal
It is also developing a vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu. In the cancer studies, data from which are being presented at a forum in Boston, a low dose showed ...
XOMA to Develop Therapeutic Antibody for H1N1 and H5N1 Influenza ...
GlobeNewsWire (press release)
Because the region undergoes less structural change due to mutation or reassortment than vaccine targets, an antibody that binds to it could potentially be ...



Source - Medical News Today:



In Thailand Clinical Study, HIV Vaccine Regimen Demonstrates Modest Preventive Effect
In an encouraging development, an investigational vaccine regimen has been shown to be well-tolerated and to have a modest effect in preventing HIV infection in a clinical trial involving more than 16,000 adult participants in Thailand. Following a final analysis of the trial data, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, the trial sponsor, has announced that the prime-boost investigational vaccine regimen was safe and 31 percent effective in preventing HIV infection. "These new findings represent an important step forward in HIV vaccine research," says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, which provided major funding and other support for the study. "For the first time, an investigational HIV vaccine has demonstrated some ability to prevent HIV infection among vaccinated individuals. Additional research is needed to better understand how this vaccine regimen reduced the risk of HIV infection, but certainly this is an encouraging advance for the HIV vaccine field.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165277.php

Is Inhaled Insulin Delivery Still A Possibility? Why Has It Been A Commercial Failure?
The commercial failure of Exubera® (Pfizer, New York, NY), the first inhaled insulin product to come to market, led other companies such as Eli Lilly-Alkermes to halt studies of similar drug delivery in development intended to compete for a share of the lucrative diabetes market. Does this signal defeat for efforts to deliver insulin via the lungs? The science and circumstances behind the Lilly-Alkermes decision to discontinue trials of the AIR® inhaled insulin product are explored in a special supplement to Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The supplement is available free online athttp:// www.liebertpub.com/dia The supplement presents the data on AIR inhaled insulin that has been made available by Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, IN) and Alkermes (Cambridge, MA), co-developers of the drug. Eight articles describe various protocols in which the effectiveness and safety of AIR were compared to traditional insulin injections in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. These studies represent noninferiority trials, in which AIR was evaluated for its potential to be at least as safe and effective as subcutaneous (SC) insulin across a range of parameters.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165093.php

Drug Might Slow Parkinson's Disease Progression
Following one of the largest studies ever conducted in Parkinson's disease (PD), researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine report in The New England Journal of Medicine that rasagiline, a drug currently used to treat the symptoms of PD, may also slow the rate of disease progression. Known as ADAGIO (Attenuation of Disease Progression with Azilect Given Once Daily), the 18-month study used a novel design called the delayed start. In this type of study, patients are randomized to start active treatment early or late, and then researchers look to see if early treatment influences the outcome at final visit when patients in both groups are on the same treatment.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165022.php



Source - MIT's Technology Review:


A Turning Point for Personal Genomes
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23522/

A Better Bug for Biofuels
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23526/

GBP Health / Biotech News 09-23-2009

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-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Study looks at using the immune system to reduce prostate cancer risk
Immune therapies have been explored as a way to treat cancer after it develops. But a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests that genetic risk of prostate cancer can be reduced by rescuing critical immune system cells.
National Institutes of Health, US Department of Defense
Contact: Nicole Fawcett
nfawcett@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System

Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34 Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress
New cancer drug test promises safer and more effective clinical trials
A group of scientists from Hamburg may have taken a big step towards more effective cancer drug development, Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34 heard on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Dr Ilona Schonn, Director of Cell Culture Research at Indivumed GmbH, told the conference that they had developed a preclinical drug test platform that would enable researchers to analyze tumor tissue for individual patient drug responses on the molecular level.
Contact: Mary Rice
mary@mrcommunication.org
33-066-893-0650
ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation

Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34 Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress
Trial of new treatment for advanced melanoma shows rapid shrinking of tumors
Researchers have made significant advances in the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma -- one of the most difficult cancers to treat successfully -- according to a study to be presented at ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34, in Berlin on Thursday. In the phase I extension study, researchers have seen rapid and dramatic shrinking of metastatic tumors in patients treated with a new compound that blocks the activity of the cancer-causing mutation of the BRAF gene, which is implicated in about 50 percent melanomas and 5 percent of colorectal cancers.
Plexxikon Inc., Roche
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
44-771-129-6986
ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation

Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
Neurobiology of Aging
Rethinking Alzheimer's disease and its treatment targets
A new UCLA study suggests that the natural repair of myelin in the brain may be the root cause of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Contact: Mark Wheeler
mwheeler@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2265
University of California - Los Angeles

Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
ACS Nano
New discovery reveals fate of nanoparticles in human cells
Scientists have uncovered what happens to biomimetic nanoparticles when they enter human cells. They found that the important proteins that make up the outer layer of these nanoparticles are degraded by an enzyme called cathepsin L. Scientists now have to take this phenomenon into account and overcome this process to ensure the exciting field of nanomedicine can progress.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Contact: Nancy Mendoza
press.office@bbsrc.ac.uk
44-179-341-3355
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
The Analyst
New multi-use device can shed light on oxygen intake
A fiber-optic sensor created by a team of Purdue University researchers that is capable of measuring oxygen intake rates could have broad applications ranging from plant root development to assessing the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Brian Wallheimer
bwallhei@purdue.edu
765-496-2050
Purdue University

Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
Cancer Research
Obesity hinders chemotherapy treatment in children with leukemia
Obesity is an important factor contributing to chemotherapy resistance and increasing relapse rates among children with leukemia, according to recent findings published online first in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Contact: Tara Yates
tara.yates@aacr.org
267-646-0558
American Association for Cancer Research

Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Nature Medicine
University of Iowa scientists use blood-brain barrier as therapy delivery system
The blood brain barrier is generally considered an obstacle to delivering therapies from the bloodstream to the brain. However, University of Iowa researchers have discovered a way to turn the blood vessels surrounding brain cells into a production and delivery system for getting therapeutic molecules directly into brain cells. The findings, published Sept. 13 in Nature Medicine's advance online publication, could lead to a new noninvasive approach for treating certain fatal neurological diseases.
National Institutes of Health, Batten Disease Support and Research Association
Contact: Jennifer Brown
jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu
319-356-7124
University of Iowa

Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Cell
Junk DNA may prove invaluable in quest for gene therapies
Scientists have identified how a protein enables sections of so-called junk DNA to be cut and pasted within genetic code -- a finding which could speed development of gene therapies. The study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh sheds light on the process, known as DNA transposition, in which shifted genes have a significant effect on the behavior of neighboring genes. In the human genome, rearrangement of antibody genes can enable the immune system to target infection more effectively.
Contact: Catriona Kelly
catriona.kelly@ed.ac.uk
44-131-651-4401
University of Edinburgh

Public Release: 18-Sep-2009
Nano Letters
Using magnetism to turn drugs on and off
Many medical conditions, such as chronic pain, cancer and diabetes, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period of time. Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have devised a drug delivery solution that combines magnetism with nanotechnology.
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Contact: James Newton
james.newton@childrens.harvard.edu
617-919-3112
Children's Hospital Boston


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.

Historic Gene Therapy Trial To Treat Alzheimer's Disease
September 23, 2009 — Researchers are now recruiting volunteers for a national gene therapy trial -- the first study of its kind for the treatment of patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's ... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922132848.htm

Rethinking Alzheimer's Disease And Its Treatment Targets
September 23, 2009 — A new study suggests that the natural repair of myelin in the brain may be the root cause of various neurodegenerative diseases such as ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922162301.htm

Alzheimer's Researcher Demonstrates Specific Immune Response To Vaccine
September 23, 2009 — A researcher who is working on a vaccine for Alzheimer's disease has demonstrated that it is possible to test and measure specific immune responses in mice carrying human genes and to anticipate the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921093604.htm

Targeted Heat Therapy Offers New Standard Treatment Option For Soft Tissue Sarcoma
September 23, 2009 — Patients with soft-tissue sarcomas at high risk of spreading were 30 percent more likely to be alive and cancer free almost three years after starting treatment if their tumors were heated at the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922095657.htm

Expert Calls For New Cancer Research Priorities
September 22, 2009 — Cancer research is too focused on new drug development, while not enough money and effort is being devoted to pursuing important advances in knowledge likely to have the biggest impact on combating ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922095655.htm

Regulating The Regulators: New Therapeutic Approach Against Cancer
September 21, 2009 — The development of cancer involves the uncontrolled growth of normal cells of the body. Our immune system can sense the growth of the tumor cells and can usually eliminate them using direct killing ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916092542.htm

Anticancer Nanotech: Protein Can Be Used To Carry Radioactive Isotopes To Cancerous Tumor
September 21, 2009 — Tiny particles of albumin, a protein found in the blood, can be used to carry radioactive isotopes to the site of a cancerous tumor in the body and so avoid many of the side-effects of conventional ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916092651.htm

Whole-brain Radiotherapy After Surgery Or Radiosurgery Not Recommended For Brain Metastases
September 21, 2009 — Whole-brain radiotherapy should not be given routinely to all patients whose cancer has spread to the brain, according to new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921182709.htm

New Chemically-activated Antigen Could Expedite Development Of HIV Vaccine
September 21, 2009 — Scientists working to develop a vaccine for the human immunodeficiency virus report they have created the first antigen that induces protective antibodies capable of blocking infection of human cells ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921143145.htm

Experimental Drug Lets B Cells Live And Lymphoma Cells Die
September 21, 2009 — An investigative drug deprived non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells of their ability to survive too long and multiply too fast, according to an early ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921134823.htm

Is 'Stem Cell' Concept Holding Back Biology?
September 21, 2009 — Chemists used to explain combustion as the release of a mysterious substance, which they named "phlogiston." Only when it came to pinning down the distinctive physical properties of phlogiston did it ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921134821.htm


Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Sept. 22, 2009

• Personal Emergency Response Button Poses Choking Hazard: FDA
• New OxyContin Offers 'Limited' Resistance to Abuse: FDA
• Exercise Boosts Postmenopausal Women's Cardiovascular Fitness
• Eye Test Detects Stroke Better Than MRI: Study
  

One Shot May Someday Replace Six for Rabies
Experimental vaccine offers hope for millions of people worldwide, researchers say.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 23, 2009

· COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
· Menstrual Migraine
· Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 22, 2009

• Stomach Ulcers
• Malaria Prevention
• Type 2 Diabetes
  

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 21, 2009
· Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
· Depression (Ages 18-65)
· Alzheimer's Disease


Source - Yahoo Biotech News:

Genzyme Provides Update on Cerezyme and Fabrazyme Supply - Business Wire - 2 hours, 34 minutes ago CAMBRIDGE, Mass.----Genzyme Corporation today provided an update on its progress to restore supplies of Cerezyme® and Fabrazyme® for patients worldwide and revised its 2009 revenue guidance for these products.

Sangamo BioSciences Announces Plans to Initiate a Second Clinical Trial of CCR5-ZFP Therapeutic to Treat HIV/AIDS - PR Newswire - Wed 7:00 am ET
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has reviewed and accepted an Investigational New Drug application to initiate an open-label, repeat-dosing Phase 1 clinical trial of the company's ZFN-based therapeutic, SB-728-T.

Pluristem Therapeutics Doses First Patient in U.S. With Placenta-Derived Stem Cell Product PLX-PAD in a Phase I Clinical Trial for Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease - Business Wire - Wed 7:00 am ET
HAIFA, Israel----Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. today announced the dosing of the first patient in the U.S. with its placenta-derived stem cell product, PLX-PAD, the Company’s leading candidate, in a Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of critical limb ischemia , the end-stage of peripheral artery disease .

Vaccine Development Outsourcing: Choosing A CMO Partner To Advance...
Pharmaceutical Processing
... on H1N1 and H5N1 influenza and the vaccines that are in production to help combat this recent threat to human health. As a result, the vaccine industry ...


Source - Google Health News:


Color-blind monkeys recover sight with gene therapy
SmartPlanet.com
By Andrew Nusca | Sep 21, 2009 | Using gene therapy, scientists have successfully given color-blind adult monkeys the ability to see red and green. ...

In Vaccine Additive, Both Benefit and Doubt
New York Times
Glaxo's adjuvant, called AS03, is in a vaccine approved in Europe for use against the H5N1 bird flu, which spurred fears of a pandemic a few years ago.

Gene therapy aids dieters keep off weight
Times of India
Researchers from Columbia University have suggested a gene therapy that will allow dieters to eat less and burn calories at the same rate as they do when ...


Source - Medical News Today:

Flu Can Trigger Heart Attacks But Vaccine May Offer Protection For Cardiac Patients
A review of the facts published in the October edition of The Lancet Infectious Diseases reports that flu can trigger heart attacks and cause cardiovascular death. However, the influenza vaccine may offer protection for cardiac patients. As a result, more efforts are required to encourage people with heart disease and diabetes (which increases the risk of heart attacks) to have the flu shot. This might be particularly necessary with the threatening of the H1N1 influenza (swine flu) pandemic and seasonal flu outbreaks when many more people are expected to catch the flu. It is common knowledge that the influenza infection can have cardiac complications, such as myocarditis. But the role of influenza in prompting heart attacks is vague. It has been suggested that acute and severe inflammation might be caused by influenza. In some patients, this may alter atherosclerotic plaques and cause clots in coronary arteries leading to heart attacks.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164830.php

Major Autism Study Focuses On Adults
The first ever major study into adults living with autism was published 22nd September by the NHS Information Centre. The report, entitled 'Autism Spectrum Disorders in adults living in households throughout England 2007' was written by Professor Terry Brugha, a Consultant Psychiatrist with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Leicester with a team of UK researchers. This ground-breaking study shows for the first time an estimate of how many adults are living with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in England. The study into the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders among adults shows that one in every hundred adults living in households has the condition - broadly the same rate as that cited for children.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164936.php

Release Of The Stem Cell Charter
The Canadian Stem Cell Foundation is proud to announce the release of the Stem Cell Charter and the world premiere of "Rock Star Scientists." The work being done each day in stem cell research labs is critically important to the future of humanity. Science is moving closer to groundbreaking treatments and cures for debilitating and often fatal diseases such as MS, muscular dystrophy, blindness, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, arthritis , diabetes , spinal cord injuries and liver disease.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164731.php

Pfizer To Present Research On Established Therapies And New Approaches To Cancer Treatment Using Investigational Agents
Pfizer Oncology will present data from across its portfolio, including results from long-term follow-up of Aromasin ® (exemestane tablets) in a study of early breast cancer ,1 updated study results from a Phase 3 study of Sutent ® (sunitinib malate) in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET),2 and early-stage research of investigational agents PF-023410663 and figitumumab (CP-751,871)4 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These data, and over a dozen additional abstracts covering Pfizer agents, will be presented at the ECCO 15/ESMO 34 bi-annual meeting in Berlin, Germany from September 20 to September 24. "Pfizer is conducting research to identify clinical benefits for targeted patient populations with investigational compounds like cMET/ALK inhibitor, while continuing to study drugs like Aromasin through their entire life cycle to ensure we provide maximum support and information to patients and healthcare providers about our cancer products," said Dr. Mace Rothenberg, senior vice president of clinical development and medical affairs for Pfizer's Oncology Business Unit.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164642.php

Alzheimer's Disease And Dementia Set To Grow Rapidly Worldwide
By 2010, 35.6 million people are expected to be living with Alzheimer's disease globally, according to Alzheimer's Disease International. The total will probably double every couple of decades and reach approximately 65.7 million by 2030, and 115.4 million twenty years after that, the organization estimates. Alzheimer's Disease International refers to the current Alzheimer's situation as "an epidemic that is increasing its pace with the graying of the population around the world". It adds that Alzheimer's is poorly recognized, worryingly underdiagnosed, and carries a stigma that causes serious problems for families of patients in all countries, regardless of income levels.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164641.php


Source - MIT's Technology Review:

Toward a Universal Flu Vaccine
http://www.technologyreview.com/business/23510/

Predicting Drug Response from Brain Waves
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23509/

Simpler Colon Cancer Screening
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23500/

Laser-Triggered Chemical Reactions
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23499/