Source - EurekAlert – Biology:
Public Release: 7-Oct-2009
CHEO RI study uses sophisticated genetic engineering to improve insulin-producing beta cells
A study to be published today in the leading international journal Cell Metabolism describes how a research group led by Dr. Robert Screaton, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Apoptotic Signaling at the University of Ottawa, used sophisticated genetic engineering to remove or "knock out" the Lkb1 gene from beta cells of laboratory mice. The result was an increase in both the size and number of beta cells, as well as greater amounts of insulin stored and released by the cells.
Contact: Isabelle Mailloux
imailloux@cheo.on.ca
613-737-7600 x3536
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
Public Release: 7-Oct-2009
Major improvements made in engineering heart repair patches from stem cells
Researchers have engineered more viable heart repair patches from mixed stem cells. The patches beat spontaneously, can be electronically paced and have pre-formed blood vessels that connect to a rodent's heart circulation.
Contact: Leila Gray
leilag@u.washington.edu
206-685-0381
University of Washington
Public Release: 7-Oct-2009
1 small step for neurons, 1 giant leap for nerve cell repair
The repair of damaged nerve cells is a major problem in medicine today. A new study by researchers at the Montreal NeurologicaI Institute and Hospital and McGill University, is a significant advance towards a solution for neuronal repair.
Contact: Anita Kar
anita.kar@mcgill.ca
514-398-3376
McGill University
Public Release: 7-Oct-2009
Enzyme may be a key to Alzheimer's-related cell death
A Purdue University researcher has discovered that the amount of an enzyme present in neurons can affect the mechanism thought to cause cell death in Alzheimer's disease patients and may have applications for other diseases such as stroke and heart attack.
Contact: Brian Wallheimer
bwallhei@purdue.edu
765-496-2050
Purdue University
Public Release: 7-Oct-2009
New lab-on-a-chip technique developed at U of T
Scientists at the University of Toronto have developed a new "lab-on-a-chip" technique that analyses tiny samples of blood and breast tissue to identify women at risk of breast cancer much more quickly than ever before.
Contact: Christine Elias
christine.elias@utoronto.ca
University of Toronto
Public Release: 6-Oct-2009
High-sensitivity bone marrow aspiration technology enhances leukemia cell detection
Scientists have created a viable technology to improve the detection of leukemia cells in bone marrow.
Contact: Tara Yates
tara.yates@aacr.org
267-646-0558
American Association for Cancer Research
Public Release: 6-Oct-2009
Michigan hospital launches gene therapy study for Parkinson's disease
A Michigan hospital is embarking on a research study for advanced Parkinson's disease using a state-of-the-art treatment called gene transfer. The clinical trial will test whether gene transfer therapy is able to restore better mobility in Parkinson's patients who have lost responsiveness to drug therapy.
Contact: Dwight Angell
Dwight.Angell@hfhs.org
313-876-8709
Henry Ford Health System
Public Release: 6-Oct-2009
Novel polymer delivers genetic medicine, allows tracking
Researchers at Virginia Tech and at the University of Cincinnati have developed a new molecule that can travel into cells, deliver genetic cargo, and packs a beacon so scientists can follow its movements in living systems.
Contact: Susan Trulove
STrulove@vt.edu
540-231-5646
Virginia Tech
Public Release: 5-Oct-2009
Wistar researchers identify gene that regulates breast cancer metastasis
Researchers at the Wistar Institute have identified a key gene (KLF17) involved in the spread of breast cancer throughout the body. They also demonstrated that expression of KLF17 together with another gene (Id1) known to regulate breast cancer metastasis accurately predicts whether the disease will spread to the lymph nodes.
Contact: Susan Finkelstein
sfinkelstein@wistar.org
215-898-3943
The Wistar Institute
Public Release: 5-Oct-2009
And the beat goes on: Scientists jump-start the heart by gene transfer
Scientists from the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota show in a research report published online in the FASEB Journal that gene therapy may be used to improve an ailing heart's ability to contract properly. In addition to showing gene therapy's potential for reversing the course of heart failure, it also offers a tantalizing glimpse of a day when "closed heart surgery" via gene therapy is as commonly prescribed as today's cocktail of drugs.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Public Release: 5-Oct-2009
New drug aims to 'seek and destroy' many types of cancer
A new drug designed to "seek and destroy" common cancers such as breast, prostate, endometrial, pancreatic, ovarian, skin and testicular cancers is being tested at TGen Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare.
Contact: Steve Yozwiak
syozwiak@tgen.org
602-343-8704
The Translational Genomics Research Institute
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.
DNA Test Could Be Key To Targeting Treatments For Head And Neck Cancer
October 7, 2009 — Scientists have found that a DNA test, which reveals the level of activity of a virus linked to the cause of tonsil, tongue and soft palate cancer, may help medics predict which patients will respond ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005102647.htm
New Chemo Cocktail Blocks Breast Cancer Like A Strong Fence
October 7, 2009 — A new chemotherapy cocktail cuts the spread of breast cancer by half and is the first drug to attack metastasizing breast cancer. The disease becomes fatal when it travels outside the mammary ducts, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006134829.htm
Protein Helps Cells Duplicate Correctly, Avoid Becoming Cancer
October 7, 2009 — A researcher has discovered that the absence of certain proteins needed for proper cell duplication can lead to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161326.htm
Research Points To Potential Chink In Cancer's Armor
October 6, 2009 — Scientists in the UK have successfully silenced the JNK2 gene that appears essential to cancer cell survival. The researchers used a process called RNA interference to target the JNK2 gene in both ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005210009.htm
New Treatment More Than Doubles Survival For High Risk Childhood Leukemia
October 6, 2009 — Phase 2 study results show high-dose imatinib plus chemo more than doubled survival for high risk type of childhood ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006173548.htm
Study Examines Use Of Clinical And Cost-effectiveness Data For Drug Coverage Decisions
October 6, 2009 — A comparison of national agencies that play a role in determining drug coverage decisions in Britain, Canada and Australia finds that uncertainty regarding clinical effectiveness is a key issue in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006161810.htm
New Findings About Brain Proteins Suggest Possible Way To Fight Alzheimer's
October 6, 2009 — The action of a small protein that is a major villain in Alzheimer's disease can be counterbalanced with another brain protein, researchers have found in an animal ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006122330.htm
Fight Diabetic Non-Healing Wounds Lying Down
October 6, 2009 — More than 18-million people in the United States, or 6.3% of the population, have diabetes. Unfortunately, when someone becomes diabetic, chronic non-healing wounds often develop, most often in the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006120218.htm
How Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development Is Regulated
October 6, 2009 — During cell division, whether hematopoietic stem cells will develop into new stem cells or differentiate into other blood cells depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation. Researchers ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006102635.htm
Future Diabetes Treatment May Use Resveratrol To Target The Brain
October 6, 2009 — A new study shows that the brain plays a key role in mediating resveratrol's anti-diabetic actions, potentially paving the way for future orally delivered diabetes medications that target the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006093341.htm
'Treason' By Immune System Cells Aids Growth Of Multiple Myeloma
October 5, 2009 — Scientists have found that multiple myeloma cancer cells thwart many of the drugs used against them by causing nearby cells to turn traitor -- to switch from defending the body against disease to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005123043.htm
Experimental Drug Lets B Cells Live And Lymphoma Cells Die
October 4, 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?
October 2, 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: Oct. 7, 2009
- Web Site Evaluates Swine Flu Severity
- Convertibles Pose Serious Hearing Threat
- Exercise Helps RA Patients
- Less Opposition to U.S. Health Care Reform Plans: Poll
HHS secretary says shots are made in same way as seasonal flu vaccine, and children are vulnerable to the disease.
Clinical Trials Update: Oct. 7, 2009
- Gout
- Schizophrenia
- Parkinson's Disease
- Low Back Pain
- Migraine
- Coronary Heart Disease
- Hypertension
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Depression
Vical announces positive vaccine study update
Biotechnology company Vical Inc. said Wednesday a vaccine designed to ward off a potentially fatal virus in stem cell transplant patients performed well compared with a placebo in a midstage clinical trial.
Flu Stocks in Focus as Orders, Approvals Stack Up
Peak flu season is approaching, and investor focus is returning to related equity plays.
Source - Google Health News:
US Navy to Fund Vical's H1N1 Pandemic Influenza (Swine Flu) Vaccine
GlobeNewsWire (press release)
"The current threat from H1N1 influenza and the potential for other future pandemics from strains like H5N1 call for a proactive approach to developing new ...
Stanford analyses of flu pandemics project savings from earlier ...
EurekAlert (press release)
Unlike the H1N1 vaccine, studies show, a vaccine targeting the H5N1 strain would require two vaccine doses and would need an immune response-boosting ...
Profiting From Swine Flu Vaccines
CNBC
For example, Vical has added Vaxfectin developed to treat H5N1 Avian flu and H1N1 to its drug portfolio, while BioCryst has been awarded about $180 million ...
Swine flu mild for now, but could worsen
Reuters
Many companies are working on H5N1 vaccines, which could give the world a head start on a new vaccine if any eventual new mutant closely matches the strain ...
Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital Launches Gene Therapy Study ...
Earthtimes (press release)
In contrast, the focus of the current gene therapy strategy is on increasing GABA, a brain neurotransmitter that regulates movement. ...
Gene Therapy Mated With Stem Cells to Boost Blood Flow in Mice
Bloomberg
By Rob Waters Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Researchers fused two technologies, stem cells and gene therapy, to trigger the growth of new blood vessels as a ...
Nobel-Winning Protein Causes Immortality, Cancer
Wired News
If you can find a drug or gene therapy that interferes with telomerase, it could fight the unchecked growth of cancer cells, said Mark Muller, ...
Loss of funding threatens UT Southwestern's Gulf War illness research
Dallas Morning News
Haley enlisted the aid of a UT Southwestern colleague to build a "gene therapy device" to boost PON1 levels in laboratory mice. Generally, those mice showed ...
Source - Medical News Today:
Nobel Peace Prize Goes To Scientists Who Discovered Why Chromosomes Don't Degrade On Copying
The 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to three American scientists Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak, who solved a major puzzle in biology; they discovered that chromosomes don't degrade when they replicate because it's all to do with how telomerase makes telomeres to protect the ends of the chromosomes. Their discoveries led to a new understanding of how cells work and opened new avenues for researching and treating many diseases. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, announced on Monday that the three Nobel Laureates won their award for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase".
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166480.php
A Simple Way For Older Adults To Asses Arterial Stiffness: Reach For The Toes
How far you can reach beyond your toes from a sitting position - normally used to define the flexibility of a person's body - may be an indicator of how stiff your arteries are. A study in the American Journal of Physiology has found that, among people 40 years old and older, performance on the sit-and-reach test could be used to assess the flexibility of the arteries. Because arterial stiffness often precedes cardiovascular disease, the results suggest that this simple test could become a quick measure of an individual's risk for early mortality from heart attack
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166413.php
Tissue Regeneration Promoted By Enhanced Stem Cells
Results:
MIT engineers have boosted stem cells
Why it matters:
Stem cells hold great potential as a way to promote tissue regeneration. However, this approach has been limited because stem cells don't produce enough growth factors after transplantation. The researchers' new super-charged stem cells could be used to treat an infarction (death of tissue caused by blockage of the blood supply, by a clot or another obstruction), or to induce blood supply for engineered tissues.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166350.php
Einstein To Develop Anti-HIV Drug Delivery System
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a four-year, $7.2 million grant to develop a microbicide-releasing vaginal ring to prevent HIV
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166240.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Sequencing Tumors to Target Treatment
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23621/
Light-Switched Drug Delivery
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23618/
Big Blue's DNA-Reading Chips
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23589/
Startup That Builds Biological Parts
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23567/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.