GBP Health / Biotech News 05-28-2010:
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EurekAlert - Biology:
Public Release: 27-May-2010
Physical Review Letters
NIST scientists gain new 'core' understanding of nanoparticles
A NIST research team has uncovered a mystery in the magnetic response of iron-oxide nanoparticles, one that may be a key to controlling nanoparticle magnetism for future applications.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Chad Boutin
boutin@nist.gov
301-975-4261
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Public Release: 27-May-2010Biomaterials
Scaffold gradients: Finding the right environment for developing cells
A research team from NIST and NIH has developed a way to offer cells a 3-D scaffold that varies over a broad range of degrees of stiffness to determine where they develop best. Their technique is a way to rapidly optimize 3-D cell growth media to meet the developmental needs of specific cell types for a wide variety of potential tissue-replacement therapies.National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Michael Baum
michael.baum@nist.gov
301-975-2763
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Public Release: 27-May-2010PLoS Pathogens
Flu doesn't die out, it hides out
Every autumn, as predictably as falling leaves, flu season descends upon us. Every spring, just as predictably, the season comes to a close. This cyclical pattern, common in temperate regions, is well known, but the driving forces behind it have been in question.Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation
Contact: Nancy Ross-Flanigan
rossflan@umich.edu
734-647-1853
University of Michigan
Public Release: 27-May-2010Nature Methods
UT Southwestern researchers use novel sperm stem-cell technique to produce genetically modified rats
For two decades, the laboratory mouse has been the workhorse of biomedical studies and the only mammal whose genes scientists could effectively and reliably manipulate to study human diseases and conditions.National Institutes of Health, Bundesministerium for Bildung und Forschung, UT Southwestern's Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences
Contact: Amanda Siegfried
amanda.siegfried@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Public Release: 27-May-2010Science
New bacterial signaling molecule could lead to improved vaccines
In a 20-year quest to determine why Listeria bacteria produce a uniquely strong immune response in humans, UC Berkeley scientists have found part of the answer: an unsuspected signaling molecule that the bacteria pump out and which ramps up production of interferon by the host. Interferon mobilizes the immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses. According to Daniel Portnoy, the finding could help improve vaccines.nih/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley
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.
Novel Therapeutic Approach Shows Promise Against Multiple Bacterial Pathogens
May 28, 2010 — A team of scientists from government, academia and private industry has developed a novel treatment that protects mice from infection with the bacterium that causes tularemia, a highly infectious ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100527170957.htm
Piece of the Puzzle for Individualized Cancer Therapy Via Gene Silencing Discovered
May 28, 2010 — In a major cancer-research breakthrough, researchers have discovered that a small segment of a protein that interacts with RNA can control the normal expression of genes -- including those that are ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526170246.htm
Modified Measles Virus Shows Potential for Treating Childhood Brain Tumors
May 28, 2010 — The use of modified measles virus may represent a new treatment for a childhood brain tumor known as medulloblastoma, according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526124711.htm
If You Don't Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day, You're More Likely to Develop Heart Disease, Study Finds
May 28, 2010 — Individuals who have poor oral hygiene have an increased risk of heart disease compared to those who brush their teeth twice a day, finds new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100527204227.htm
Shark Cartilage Shows No Benefit as a Therapeutic Agent for Lung Cancer, Study Finds
May 28, 2010 — In the first scientific study of its kind, shark cartilage extract, AE-941 or Neovastat, has shown no benefit as a therapeutic agent when combined with chemotherapy and radiation for patients with ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526170035.htm
Lengthening Time a Drug Remains Bound to a Target May Lead to Improving Diagnostics, Therapy
May 27, 2010 — Studies indicate that modifications that enhance the time a drug remains bound to its target, or residence time, may lead to better diagnostic and therapeutic ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100425151141.htm
Ultrasound Could Boost Tissue Implant Success
May 27, 2010 — New research shows low-intensity ultrasound stimulation would be able to enhance the survival of implanted tissue graft, which could vastly increase the rates of success of a broad range of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100527101508.htm
Indoor Tanning to Melanoma Definitively Linked in New Study, Researchers Say
May 27, 2010 — Researchers say a new study definitively links the use of indoor tanning devices to increased risk of melanoma, the most serious form of skin ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100527101502.htm
Blocking Tumor's 'Death Switch' Paradoxically Stops Tumor Growth
May 27, 2010 — Every cell contains machinery for self-destruction, used to induce death when damaged or sick. But according to a new research study, a receptor thought to mediate cell suicide in normal cells may ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526134148.htm
Vaccine Hope for Skin Cancer Sufferers
May 27, 2010 — Scientists have been given the green light to test a vaccine which they hope could reverse, and even cure malignant melanoma, the most deadly type of skin ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100526095814.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: May 28, 2010
- For Some, Heroin Treatment Beats Methadone to Ease Addiction
- Americans Need Some Enlightening on Mental Illness: CDC
- AAP Retracts Support for 'Ritual Nick' of Girls' Genitalia
- Healthy Weight Loss in Childhood Cuts Women's Odds for Adult Diabetes
Making Your Way Through the Fog of Chemotherapy
Though accepted as real, 'chemo brain' still befuddles patients and researchers.
Experts Advise At-Risk Diabetics to Begin Daily Aspirin Later
In a change, heart & diabetes groups push age threshold up from 40, to 50 for men, 60 for women
Clinical Trials Update: May 28, 2010
- Shingles Pain
- Menopause Hot Flash Study
- Ulcerative Proctitis
Laser Used to Blast Away Cells Causing Irregular Heartbeat
Treatment worked in people and pigs in study, but more research needed
Tanning Beds Can Greatly Boost Melanoma Risk
Odds for deadly skin cancer rise more than fourfold with some devices, research shows
Anti-HIV Drugs May Help Prevent Spread of Virus
Nearly all partners in study remained uninfected, but 'safe sex' still urged, experts say
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Bioheart Announces Cell Therapies Program in the Middle East for Congestive Heart Failure and Peripheral Arterial Disease Patients- PR Newswire - 2 hours, 21 minutes ago
Bioheart, Inc., announced today plans for establishing two Centers of Excellence in the Middle East to provide its cell therapy procedures to patients suffering from congestive heart failure and peripheral arterial disease .
New Progression-Free Survival Data From Peregrine's Bavituximab in Phase II Refractory Breast Cancer Trial to Be Presented at ASCO- Marketwire - Fri 8:00 am ET
Source - Google Health News:
ASGCT: Gene Therapy Reverses Muscle Weakness in MD Research shows promise for ...
ModernMedicine
... digitorum brevis muscle received genetic therapy while the control side received saline to evaluate whether long-term gene expression was achievable. ...
Should pharmaceutical companies be required to give up patents ...
Helium
But to just give up the patents on developing a vaccine, even one as needed as one in a pandemic (such as the much-touted but yet to materialize H5N1 'Bird ...
Source - Medical News Today :
Stimulating Immune System To Fight Range Of Bacteria Could Be New Alternative To Antibiotics Researchers in the US have developed a new type of treatment that could herald a new approach to fighting infectious diseases that stimulates the immune system to protect the body against a range of bacteria instead of relying onantibiotics to attack them directly, which can lead to the emergence of resistant strains of pathogens. The team, comprising scientists from government, academia and private industry, wrote a paper about their study that was published in the May issue of the open access journal PLoS Pathogens, available online.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190205.php
Medical Researcher's Discovery May Explain How Certain Cancers Develop
A Florida State University College of Medicine researcher has discovered a new interaction between a cell signaling system and a specific gene that may be the cause of B-cell lymphoma . The finding suggests a similar interaction could be occurring during the development of other types of cancer , leading to further understanding of how cancer works and how it might be stopped. Yoichi Kato, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, and his lab team found that the gene known in scientific shorthand as BCL6 can inhibit one of the pathways cells use to transmit signals to other cells. Called the Notch signaling pathway, it's an important mechanism for cells to control gene regulation.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190186.php
The Wistar Institute Launches New Melanoma Research Center
In an effort to meet the rising rates of melanoma head-on, The Wistar Institute announced the creation of The Wistar Institute Melanoma Research Center. The Center brings together scientists, physicians, the life sciences industry, and melanoma advocates in saving lives by advancing new and better therapies for this deadly disease. "Melanoma is in desperate need of therapeutic options, but there is no cure on the horizon," said the Center's director, Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M., D.Sc., professor and leader of Wistar's Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program. "Through this Center, we aim to take a comprehensive look at the nature of melanoma and plan out exactly the steps we need to take to develop new methods of detection, prevention and therapy."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190187.php
Data from the CREST (Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs. Stenting Trial) study were published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. In this trial, stenting and surgery had similar initial safety and longer-term outcomes for symptomatic and asymptomatic men and women. Adverse event rates of death, strokeand heart attack were also similar for both therapies. Abbott's ACCULINK® Carotid Stent System and ACCUNET® Embolic Protection System were used in the study, which was sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and partially funded by Abbott. "As the worldwide market leader in the interventional treatment of carotid artery disease, we are proud of our long-standing commitment to expanding treatment options for patients and to advancing clinical evidence in the field, including our support of the landmark CREST study," said Robert Hance, senior vice president, vascular, Abbott. "Based on the strength of the CREST data, we plan to file an application in the U.S. by the end of this year seeking an expanded indication for the ACCULINK Carotid Stent System to treat patients with carotid artery disease who are at standard risk for surgery."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190129.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review :
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25430/?a=f
