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.
EurekAlert - Biology:
Public Release: 7-May-2010
Circulation Research
Transplanted adult stem cells provide lasting help to injured hearts
Human adult stem cells injected around the damage caused by a heart attack survived in the heart and improved its pumping efficiency for a year in a mouse model, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online ahead of publication in Circulation Research. Injection of a patient's own adult stem cells into the heart has shown some efficacy in assisting recovery after a heart attack in early human clinical trials. But how they work has been unknown, until now.
National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Public Release: 7-May-2010
Science
Brain's master switch is verified by Iowa State University researcher
The protein that has long been suspected by scientists of being the master switch allowing brains to function has now been verified by Iowa State University researcher Yeon-Kyun Shin. The professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology has shown that the protein called synaptotagmin1 is the sole trigger for the release of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Contact: Yeon-Kyun Shin
colishin@iastate.edu
515-294-2530
Iowa State University
Public Release: 6-May-2010
Journal of Experimental Medicine
New atherosclerosis vaccine gives promising results
A new study by researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that the immune defense's T cells can attack the "bad" LDL cholesterol and thereby cause an inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis. By producing a vaccine against the T cell receptors, the researchers have managed to inhibit the development of atherosclerosis in animals. The study is presented in the Journal of Experimental Medicine and is expected to be of significance to the treatment of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.
Contact: Katarina Sternudd
katarina.sternudd@ki.se
46-085-248-3895
Karolinska Institutet
Public Release: 6-May-2010
IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference
Annals of Oncology
Genome breakthrough allows scientists to identify and profile tumor cells from very small samples
Researchers in the USA have developed a powerful new technique for analyzing the genome of single tumor cells. The breakthrough allows them to study in fine detail the biology of how tumors develop.
Contact: Vanessa Pavinato
media@esmo.org
European Society for Medical Oncology
Public Release: 6-May-2010
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Milk and risk of renal cell cancer: Genetic research sheds new light
While previous research had suggested that drinking milk was related to factors that may increase the risk of renal cell cancer, results of a recent study exploiting the genetic contribution to variation in milk consumption suggest that this may not be the case.
Contact: Tara Yates
tara.yates@aacr.org
267-646-0558
American Association for Cancer Research
Public Release: 5-May-2010
Journal of Biomedical Engineering
UH engineers to improve test for cardiovascular disease
Two University of Houston professors are working to help keep your heart beating stronger and longer simply by monitoring the temperature of your fingertip. VENDYS, a device mechanical engineering professors Stanley Kleis and Ralph Metcalfe helped develop, is allowing doctors to monitor how changes in blood flow affect finger temperature to measure an individual's risk for cardiovascular disease. They recently published a paper about it in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering.
Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston
Public Release: 5-May-2010
Cancer Research
Multistage nanovector system provides sustained delivery of siRNA cancer therapeutic in mice
New research by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center could make it easier for patients to use a family of promising experimental cancer therapeutics known as small interfering RNA.
US Department of Defense, State of Texas Emerging Technology Fund, NASA, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Program
Contact: Robert Cahill
Robert.Cahill@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-3030
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Public Release: 5-May-2010
8th European Conference on Supercritical Fluids Applications
New inhalable measles vaccine may lead to vaccines for other diseases
A team of researchers led by the University of Colorado at Boulder believe a dry powder, inhalable vaccine developed for measles prevention and slated for human clinical trials later this year in India will lead to other inhalable, inexpensive vaccines for illnesses ranging from tuberculosis to cervical cancer.
Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative
Contact: Robert Sievers
Bob.Sievers@colorado.edu
303-492-7943
University of Colorado at Boulder
Public Release: 5-May-2010
New England Journal of Medicine
Discovery of rare genetic mutation could help battle Tourette syndrome
A single, very unusual family with Tourette syndrome has led Yale School of Medicine researchers to identify a rare mutation in a gene that is required to produce histamine. The finding provides a new framework to understand many years of data on the role of histamine function in the brain and points to a potentially novel approach to treatment of tics and Tourette.
NIH/National Institute Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Contact: Karen N.Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University
Public Release: 4-May-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Researchers find melanoma not caused by early UVA light exposure
Early life exposure to ultraviolet A light does not cause melanoma in a fish model that previously made that connection, scientists from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center reported May 4 in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. UVA exposure is unlikely to have contributed to the rise in the incidence of melanoma, the researchers conclude, because the fish model had been the only animal model to link UVA exposure and melanoma.
NIH/National Cancer Institute, NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Public Release: 4-May-2010
Digestive Disease Week 2010
Latest breakthroughs in technology expand options for diagnosing and treating disease
Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation is an effective treatment in eliminating Barrett's esophagus, an electronic "nose" offers a fast and effective way to detect inflammatory bowel disease, artificial replacements are now being developed to replace gastrointestinal tissue that is removed, and researchers find that endoscopic ampullectomy for treating ampullary adenoma (tumors of the bile duct) is more precise than surgery with fewer side effects. These are among the studies being presented at Digestive Disease Week 2010.
Contact: Amy Levey
alevey@gymr.com
202-745-5116
Digestive Disease Week
Source - Science Daily 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.
May 7, 2010 — Endometrial stem cells injected into the brains of mice with a laboratory-induced form of Parkinson's disease appeared to take over the functioning of brain cells eradicated by the disease. The ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506141608.htm
Genome Breakthrough Allows Scientists to Identify and Profile Tumor Cells from Very Small Samples
May 7, 2010 — Researchers have developed a powerful new technique for analyzing the genome of single tumor cells. The breakthrough allows them to study in fine detail the biology of how tumors ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506112555.htm
Scientists Create Human Embryonic Stem Cells With Enhanced Pluripotency
May 6, 2010 — For the first time, researchers have converted established human induced pluripotent stem cells and human embryonic stem (ES) cells to state that corresponds to that of mouse embryonic stem cells. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503161235.htm
Brain May Use Clot-Busting Drug Naturally as Protection Against Stroke
May 6, 2010 — New research on the properties of the clot-busting stroke drug tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) suggests that tPA can act as a neuroprotectant and may form the keystone of an adaptive response ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503174018.htm
Gold Nanoparticles Promise to Enrich Everyday Products
May 6, 2010 — Durable paint, water purification, faster computers, tougher shoe soles, and lighter and cheaper televisions are all possibilities now that an Australian scientist has discovered a way to disperse ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100505092004.htm
New Detection Technology Identifies Bacteria, Viruses, Other Organisms Within 24 Hours
May 6, 2010 — Law enforcement authorities seeking to detect bioterrorism attacks, doctors diagnosing diseases and regulatory agencies checking product safety may find a new ally in a new detection ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100505143126.htm
May 6, 2010 — Researchers have previously showed that a very high percentage of those naturally HIV-immune people, who represent about one in 200 infected individuals, carry a gene called HLA B57. Now a team of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100505133250.htm
Survival in Metastatic Breast Cancer Directly Linked to Circulating Tumor Cells
May 6, 2010 — A new study of metastatic breast cancer shows that the number of circulating tumor cells patients have in their blood directly correlates with the length of their ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506112601.htm
Whole Body MRI Is Highly Accurate in the Early Detection of Breast Cancer Metastases
May 6, 2010 — Whole body magnetic resonance imaging should be the imaging modality of choice for the detection of breast cancer metastases (when the cancer has spread beyond the breast) as it is highly accurate ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506083436.htm
Viruses Effective Against Brain Cancer in Animals: Human Trials Set to Start
May 5, 2010 — Advanced gliomas were shown to regress completely in rats after treatment with parvoviruses, and the animals survived significantly longer than untreated animals. Parvoviruses do not cause any ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100504095106.htm
Broccoli Component Limits Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Study Finds
May 5, 2010 — A compound derived from broccoli could help prevent or treat breast cancer by targeting cancer stem cells -- the small number of cells that fuel a tumor's growth -- according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503135432.htm
May 5, 2010 — New antibodies and recombinant proteins with a key signaling role in immune response to disease have been produced. The proteins have their own direct uses in immunization and are also the starting ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100318132502.htm
Everolimus-Eluting Stent Safer, More Effective Than Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent, Study Suggests
May 5, 2010 — Results from the SPIRIT IV clinical trial, which were first presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 2009 scientific symposium, were just ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100505173018.htm
By 2030, Cardiovascular Disease and Death Rates Will Surge in China, Researchers Predict
May 4, 2010 — By 2030, researchers project that aging and increases in risk factors will raise annual heart disease and stroke rates in China by up to 73 percent. This could translate into 21.3 million more ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100504163115.htm
Researcher Details Next-Era Advances in Use of Scopes for Cancer Detection
May 4, 2010 — Just as cameras and televisions have been reinvented in the last decade with improved optics, sharpness and brightness, so have the tiny imaging scopes that physicians use to peer into the body's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100504142106.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: May 6, 2010
- More Nighttime Driving Deaths Among Young Blamed on Cell Phones
- CPSC Investigating Concerns About New Pampers Diapers
- Record Number of Births to Unmarried Women in 2008: Study
- Congress Investigates Recall of Children's Medicines
- Children More Likely to Eat 'Fun' Fruit: Study
Hepatitis Infections Behind U.S. Rise in Liver Cancer
More people need to be vaccinated, diagnosed and treated, CDC report
Pig Pancreas Cells Help Type 1 Diabetics
Early trial finds technique is safe, improves blood sugar control
If Your Spouse Gets Alzheimer's, You Might, Too
Risk is 6 times higher than for other husbands, wives, study finds
Clinical Trials Update: May 6, 2010
- Healthy Volunteers (Females 21-45)
- HPV Vaccine (11-15 Years Old)
- Cholesterol (High Triglycerides)
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Genzyme Announces $2 Billion Stock Repurchase - Business Wire - Thu 1:15 pm ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.----Genzyme Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has voted to pursue several actions to increase shareholder value. The company will initiate a $2 billion stock buyback, under which $1 billion of stock will be repurchased in the near term and financed with debt.
The New England Journal of Medicine Publication of SPIRIT IV Trial Results Confirm Superior Safety and Efficacy of Abbott's XIENCE V(R) Drug Eluting Stent Compared to TAXUS - PR Newswire - Wed 5:00 pm ET
Findings from Abbott's SPIRIT IV trial, one of the largest randomized clinical trials comparing two drug eluting stents, with 3,690 U.S.-based patients, were published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Source - Google Health News:
Epeius Biotechnologies Reports Major Clinical Advances: Noteworthy Clinical ...
PR Newswire (press release)
The second article, entitled "Noteworthy Clinical Case Studies in Cancer Gene Therapy" (Intl. J. Oncology, April, 2010) highlights important aspects of ...
A personal fight against a lethal childhood illness
The Republic
Other advances include gene therapy — inserting a healthy copy of the mutated gene into the body to treat disease — that will begin human trials this year ...
Gene Therapy Experiencing a Revival
Patent Docs (blog)
By James DeGiulio -- After over a decade of suspicion following the death of an 18-year-old patient, gene therapy is experiencing a revival among scientists ...
Source - Medical News Today :
New Nerve Cells -- Even In Old Age
After birth the brain loses many nerve cells and this continues throughout life - most neurons are formed before birth, after which many excess neurons degenerate. However, there are some cells that are still capable of division in old age - in the brains of mice, at least. According to scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology in Freiburg, different types of neuronal stem cells exist that can create new neurons. While they divide continuously and create new neurons in young animals, a large proportion of the cells in older animals persist in a state of dormancy. However, the production of new cells can be reactivated, for example, through physical activity or epileptic seizures. What happens in mice could also be applicable to humans as neurons that are capable of dividing also occur in the human brain into adulthood. (Cell Stem Cell, May 7th 2010) You can't teach an old dog new tricks. The corresponding view that the brain loses learning and memory capacity with advancing age prevailed for a long time. However, neuronal stem cells exist in the hippocampus - a region of the brain that plays a central role in learning and memory functions - that can produce new nerve cells throughout life. It is known from tests on mice that the newly formed cells are integrated into the existing networks and play an important role in the learning capacity of animals. Nonetheless, the formation of new cells declines with age and the reasons for this were unknown up to now.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/188074.php
Environmental Causes Of Cancer Underestimated And Understudied Says US Presidential Panel
The true burden of cancer caused by carcinogens in the environment is largely underestimated and understudied says a new report released by an expert panel that advises the US President. You can download a PDF version of the full 240-page report "Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now" that was released today by the US President's Cancer Panel (PCP), a body set up in the 1970s to monitor and report on the National Cancer Program.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/187945.php
Bone Marrow Stem Cells Show Exciting Potential For Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
A groundbreaking trial to test bone marrow stem cell therapy with a small group of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been shown to have possible benefits for the treatment of the disease. Bone marrow stem cells have been shown in several experimental studies to have beneficial effects in disease models of MS. The research team, led by Neil Scolding, Burden Professor of Clinical Neurosciences for the University of Bristol and North Bristol NHS Trust, have now completed a small trial in patients with MS to begin translating these findings from the laboratory to the clinic.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/187840.php
Radiologists Discuss Ways To Reduce Patient Exposure, Cancer Risk
USA Today: "Doctors are exploring ways to reduce the amount of radiation exposure from medical imaging tests in light of renewed concerns about the cancer risk, according to research presented at a radiology conference this week. Medical radiation from exams such as CTs, or computed tomography, causes 29,000 new cancers a year, a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed in December. ... The Food and Drug Administration is considering safeguards for CT scanners and other imaging machines."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/187881.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review :
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25250/?a=f
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25243/
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