GBP Health/Biotech 12-23-2009

GBP Health / Biotech News 12-25-2009:

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Source - EurekAlert - Biology:

Public Release: 24-Dec-2009

Neuron

UCLA scientists find molecular switch to prevent Huntington's disease in mice

UCLA scientists have identified a molecular switch that prevents Huntington's disease from developing in mice. Published in the Dec. 24 edition of the journal Neuron, the discovery suggests a new approach to treating the genetic disorder, which ultimately leads to death in as little as 10 years.

Hereditary Disease Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Contact: Elaine Schmidt Haber

ehaber@mednet.ucla.edu

310-794-2272

University of California - Los Angeles

Public Release: 24-Dec-2009

Cell Stem Cell

Citrus surprise: Vitamin C boosts the reprogramming of adult cells into stem cells

Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing the aging process. Now, a study published online on Dec. 24 by Cell Press in the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers an unexpected new role for this natural compound: facilitating the generation of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells.

Contact: Cathleen Genova

cgenova@cell.com

617-397-2802

Cell Press

Public Release: 23-Dec-2009

Nature

Research yields new agent for some drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancers

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have discovered a compound capable of halting a common type of drug-resistant lung cancer. The researchers report that non-small cell lung cancers that had become invulnerable to the drugs Iressa and Tarceva were stymied by a compound designed and formulated at Dana-Farber. The compound (WZ4002), whose basic chemical framework is different from that of other cancer drugs, acts against an epidermal growth factor receptor kinase that carries a specific structural defect.

National Institutes of Health, Cecily and Robert Harris Foundation, Uniting Against Lung Cancer, Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute, Hazel and Samuel Bellin research fund, Damon Runyon Foundation

Contact: Bill Schaller

william_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu

617-632-5357

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Public Release: 23-Dec-2009

Neuron

Synergistic interaction enhances pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

Scientists have identified a synergistic interaction that disrupts normal intracellular transport mechanisms and leads to the accumulation of neuron-damaging clumps of protein associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by a specific loss of neurons in the midbrain and brainstem. The research, published by Cell Press in the Dec. 24 issue of the journal Neuron, identifies a new potential therapeutic option for preventing PD-associated neuropathology.

Contact: Cathleen Genova

cgenova@cell.com

617-397-2802

Cell Press

Public Release: 23-Dec-2009

Nature

Columbia scientists discover 2 genes that drive aggressive brain cancers

A team of Columbia scientists have discovered two genes that, when simultaneously activated, are responsible for the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. This finding was made possible by the assembly of the first comprehensive network of molecular interactions that determine the behavior of these cancer cells, a map so complex and elusive that, until now, it could not be constructed. The discovery may lead to novel strategies to diagnose and treat these incurable tumors.

Contact: Elizabeth Streich

cumcnews@columbia.edu

212-305-3900

Columbia University Medical Center

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.

Sensitizing Leukemic Cells to Death-Inducing Compounds

December 25, 2009 — Recent research has indicated that in the process of generating energy, leukemic cells use a cellular pathway known as fatty acid oxidation, rather than pyruvate oxidation, as had been previously ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091221215552.htm

Good Cholesterol Not as Protective in People With Type 2 Diabetes

December 24, 2009 — HDL, known as "good cholesterol," helps protect blood vessels and the heart, but a small European study shows that HDL in men with type 2 diabetes lacks this protective capacity. However, preliminary ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222105307.htm

Alzheimer's Disease May Protect Against Cancer and Vice Versa

December 24, 2009 — People who have Alzheimer's disease may be less likely to develop cancer, and people who have cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a new ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223164207.htm

Heart Transplant Patients Appear to Have Elevated Risk for Multiple Skin Cancers

December 24, 2009 — Many heart transplant patients develop multiple skin cancers, with increased risk for some skin cancers among patients with other cancers and with increasing age, according to a new ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091221212750.htm

Synergistic Interaction Enhances Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease

December 24, 2009 — Scientists have identified a synergistic interaction that disrupts normal intracellular transport mechanisms and leads to the accumulation of neuron-damaging clumps of protein associated with ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223125121.htm

Broken Genomes Behind Breast Cancers, Research Finds

December 23, 2009 — A detailed search has revealed how the human genome is rearranged in 24 cases of breast cancer. Researchers were astounded by the number and complexity of genomic rearrangements found in some cases. ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223133501.htm

Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Dec. 24, 2009

Seniors' Flu Vaccine Approved by FDA

Teresa Heinz, Battling Cancer, Supports Regular Mammograms

Texas Must Destroy 5 Million Blood Specimens From Babies

No Proof of Vytorin Cancer Link: FDA

Senate Passes Health Reform Package

Next step is compromise with House plan, before proposal can become law.

Progress Reported in Regenerating Blood Vessels

Successful tests in mice might one day help people with cardiovascular damage

Clinical Trials Update: Dec. 24, 2009

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

Hot Flashes

Constipation

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:

Large-Cap Biotechs Face Familiar Problem - Investor's Business Daily - Thu 5:59 pm ET

It looks as if Big Pharma and Big Biotech shares have begun a period of role reversal.

Pfizer Expands Chinese Presence - Zacks.com - Thu 4:23 am ET

Pfizer is looking to increase its presence in one of the most sought-after emerging markets.

Source - Google Health News:

Stealthy Kala Pharmaceuticals lands $2M

Mass High Tech

Hanes' principal field of research is gene therapy, cancer immunotherapy and pulmonary drug delivery, according to the Johns Hopkins website. ...

Gene Therapy Holds Promise for Emphysema

Ethiopian Review

A single treatment with a new method of gene therapy may offer lifetime protection against the progression of the lung disease emphysema, according to the ...

Source - Medical News Today:

Adverse Consequences Of Obesity May Be Greater Than Previously Thought, UK

The link between obesity and cardiovascular mortality may be substantially underestimated, while some of the adverse consequences of being underweight may be overstated, concludes a study published on bmj.com . This means that the adverse influence of higher BMI and obesity in a population is of greater magnitude than previously thought, say the authors.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174663.php

New Human Reproductive Hormone Could Lead To Novel Contraceptives And New Cancer Treatments

Nearly 10 years after the discovery that birds make a hormone that suppresses reproduction, University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have established that humans make it too, opening the door to development of a new class of contraceptive and possible treatments for cancer or other diseases. The hormone, gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH), has the opposite effect from gonadotropin releasing hormone, a key reproductive hormone. While GnRH triggers a cascade of hormones that prime the body for sex and procreation, GnIH puts a brake on the cascade.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174762.php

Source - MIT 's Technology Review:

From the Labs: Biomedicine

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24180/?a=f