GBP Health / Biotech News 06-28-2010:
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: 28-Jun-2010
Cell
'Copy-and-paste DNA' more common than previously thought
Researchers at the University of Leicester have demonstrated that movable sequences of DNA, which give rise to genetic variability and sometimes cause specific diseases, are far more common than previously thought.
Wellcome Trust
Contact: Dr. Richard Badge
rmb19@leicester.ac.uk
44-116-252-5042
University of Leicester
Public Release: 28-Jun-2010
BMC Medicine
Dark chocolate lowers blood pressure
For people with hypertension, eating dark chocolate can significantly reduce blood pressure. Researchers writing in the open-access journal BMC Medicine combined the results of 15 studies into the effects of flavanols, the compounds in chocolate which cause dilation of blood vessels, on blood pressure.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-203-192-2165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 28-Jun-2010
Nature Genetics
International study identifies 12 new genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes
An international consortium including Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen and the German Diabetes Center, Duesseldorf, has identified 12 new gene variants which impact the individual's risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study represents a major contribution towards elucidating the complex pathogenesis of this important widespread disease. Nature Genetics has published the findings of this study in its current issue.
Contact: Sven Winkler
presse@helmholtz-muenchen.de
49-989-318-73946
Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health
Public Release: 27-Jun-2010
Nature Nanotechnology
Carbon nanotubes form ultrasensitive biosensor to detect proteins
Boston College researchers have used carbon nanotubes and molecular imprinting to develop a biosensor capable of detecting proteins, according to a report in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Seaver Institute, NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Ed Hayward
ed.hayward@bc.edu
617-552-4826
Boston College
Public Release: 25-Jun-2010
Journal of Molecular Diagnostics
New diagnostic test for bladder cancer
Researchers from the Danish Cancer Society and the Herlev University Hospital of Copenhagen have developed a novel assay to test for multiple tumor markers in bladder cancer. The related report by Serizawa et al, "Custom-designed MLPA using multiple short synthetic probes: application to methylation analysis of five promoter CpG islands in tumor and urine specimens from patients with bladder cancer," appears in the July 2010 issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
Contact: Angela Colmone, Ph.D.
acolmone@asip.org
301-634-7953
American Journal of Pathology
Public Release: 24-Jun-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Researchers at UH work to prevent neurological diseases
Many diseases of brain function, such as epilepsy and schizophrenia, are caused by problems in how neurons communicate with each other. University of Houston researchers are analyzing these commands and connections in an attempt to prevent those diseases. Dr. Jan-Åke Gustafsson describes his team's findings in a paper appearing in the current online issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston
Public Release: 24-Jun-2010
Gene therapy a step closer to mass production
Researchers in Latvia and Finland have synthesized and studied a range of organic compounds able to carry genetic material into individual cells where it can remedy the diseases caused by defective genes. Still under development, these compounds are much more readily produced than the viral carriers now in use and avoid their side-effects. Most importantly, they are much more effective than other organic carrier substances developed so far.
EUREKA
Contact: Piotr Pogorzelski
piotr.pogorzelski@eurekanetwork.org
322-777-0979
EUREKA
Public Release: 23-Jun-2010
Blood
To predict atherosclerosis, follow the disturbed blood flow
A new animal model of atherosclerosis shows that "disturbed flow" in an artery leads to inflammation followed by clogging of the artery. The model provides insight into how bad blood flow initiates atherosclerosis or good flow such as that improved by aerobic exercise protects against the disease and allows the identification of hundreds of genes turned on or off in atherosclerosis' initial stages.
NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professorship at Emory and Georgia Tech, Ewha Womans University
Contact: Holly Korschun
hkorsch@emory.edu
404-727-3990
Emory University
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.
Do Spending Cuts Cost Lives?
June 28, 2010 — Radical cuts to social welfare spending to reduce budget deficits could cause not just economic pain but cost lives, warn experts in a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624214312.htm
Scientists Grow New Lungs Using 'Skeletons' of Old Ones
June 28, 2010 — Tissue engineers' progress toward growing new lungs for transplantation or research has long been frustrated by the problem of coaxing stem cells to develop into the varied cell types that populate ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624092522.htm
Immune System Important in Fight Against Stomach Cancer
June 28, 2010 — Researchers have identified cells in the immune system that react to the stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori, one of the risk factors for the development of stomach cancer. This discovery ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628075752.htm
Higher Cancer Rates Found in Liver Transplant Patients Receiving Cyclosporine for Immunosuppression
June 27, 2010 — Researchers have found that cyclosporine treatment is a significant risk factor for the development of de novo cancer in liver transplant ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624112312.htm
Profiling Prostate Cancer
June 27, 2010 — A large scale genetic analysis of multiple prostate cancer samples is providing exciting new insight into the disease and may lead to more effective treatment strategies. In addition, the freely ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624121944.htm
Novel Radiotracer Shines New Light on the Brains of Alzheimer's Disease Patients
June 26, 2010 — A trial of a novel radioactive compound readily and safely distinguished the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients from healthy volunteers on brain scans and opens the doors to making such imaging ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624214318.htm
Ingredient in Red Wine May Prevent Some Blinding Diseases
June 26, 2010 — Resveratrol -- found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and other plants -- stops out-of-control blood vessel growth in the eye, according to vision researchers. The discovery has implications ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100625101106.htm
Detecting Eye Injury
June 26, 2010 — Scientists have developed a noninvasive imaging technique to detect early stages of eye ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100625101100.htm
Consumer-Grade Camera Detects Cancer Cells in Real Time
June 25, 2010 — Using an off-the-shelf digital camera, biomedical engineers have created an inexpensive device that is powerful enough to let doctors easily distinguish cancerous cells from healthy cells simply by ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624122100.htm
Alzheimer's Disease: Some Cells More Prone to Death
June 25, 2010 — Scientists have discovered that hyperploid neurons, which have greater than the normal number of chromosomes, are more prone to cell death in Alzheimer's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100625124544.htm
Immune Cells and Atherosclerosis
June 25, 2010 — Researchers demonstrate that neutrophils may contribute to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100625124501.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: June 25, 2010
Hot Cars Can Be Deadly for Children, Experts Warn
More American Women Childless: Study
House Approves Plan To Reverse Doctors' Medicare Fee Cuts
Family Ties Improve Obesity Surgery Results: Study
Diabetes Drug Avandia Ups Heart Risk, Reviews Conclude
Two studies published in advance of FDA hearing on drug's fate.
Combo Vaccine Raises Risk of Fever-Related Seizures in Kids
MMR, varicella vaccines given separately seem safer, though real risk still rare, study finds.
Artificial Pancreas Continues to Show Promise
New research finds it improves blood sugar control overnight in type 1 diabetics
U.S. Report Finds Too Few Clinics Target Diabetes, Obesity
Local centers need to face growing threat, federal researchers say
Clinical Trials Update: June 28, 2010
· Ulcerative Colitis
· Type 2 Diabetes
· Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Clinical Trials Update: June 25, 2010
· Menstrual Migraines
· Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
· Overweight Volunteers
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
CEL-SCI Collaborator Presents Data Showing LEAPS Vaccine Technology Generates Dendritic Cells That Can Protect Animals against Viral Illness and Other Diseases- Business Wire - 2 hours, 50 minutes ago
VIENNA, Va.----CEL-SCI Corporation and researchers at the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy jointly announced today that a LEAPSTM–based vaccine study has demonstrated the technology’s potential using dendritic cells to stimulate the immune system to fight viral illnesses and other diseases.
Alnylam Scientists and Collaborators Publish Research in Nature Chemical Biology on a Novel Mechanism for Regulation of Gene Expression with Anti-Gene RNAs (agRNAs)- Business Wire - Mon 8:00 am ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.----Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has published a new paper in the journal Nature Chemical Biology with collaborators at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center .
Source - Google Health News:
Children's Hospital on cusp of gene therapy breakthrough
Cincinnati.com
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has gotten permission from the US Food and Drug Administration to test a gene therapy treatment against ...
Gene Therapy Reverses Type 1 Diabetes in Mice
Fars News Agency
Using gene therapy, the team from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston tried to counter the two defects that cause Type 1 diabetes: autoimmune attack and ...
Fat and muscle turned into bone and cartilage
Telegraph.co.uk
The gene therapy technique takes advantage of a defect that is found in patients suffering from an extremely rare disease, known as fibrodysplasia ...
Blind Mice See Again
U.S. News & World Report
By Gwenyth Dickey, Science News Researchers have restored sight to blind laboratory mice by using gene therapy. The new treatment, published online June 24 ...
New gene therapy effective in treating severe heart failure
The Virtual Medical Centre
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new gene therapy that is safe and effective in reversing advanced heart failure. ...
AGTC and Icagen Announce Technology Transfer Agreement
MarketWatch (press release)
Under the terms of the agreement, Icagen has assigned ownership of the patents to AGTC, which intends to use the patented technology for gene therapy as a ...
Source - Medical News Today :
Living, Breathing, Human Lung-On-A-Chip Developed By Researchers
Researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston have created a device that mimics a living, breathing human lung on a microchip. The device, about the size of a rubber eraser, acts much like a lung in a human body and is made using human lung and blood vessel cells. Because the lung device is translucent, it provides a window into the inner-workings of the human lung without having to invade a living body. It has the potential to be a valuable tool for testing the effects of environmental toxins, absorption of aerosolized therapeutics and the safety and efficacy of new drugs. Such a tool may help accelerate pharmaceutical development by reducing the reliance on current models, in which testing a single substance can cost more than $2 million.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/192994.php
Potential For Early Noninvasive Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease
The nerve cell-damaging plaque that builds up in the brain with Alzheimer's disease also builds up in the retinas of the eyes - and it shows up there earlier, leading to the prospect that noninvasive optical imaging of the eyes could lead to earlier diagnosis, intervention and monitoring of the disease, according to new research. Scientists discovered characteristic amyloid plaques in retinas from deceased Alzheimer's disease patients and used a noninvasive optical imaging technique to detect retinal plaques in live laboratory mice genetically modified to model the human disease. The combined results suggest the possibility that noninvasive retinal imaging may be helpful in early diagnosis of the disease.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/193008.php
Surgery To Treat High Cholesterol?
Gastric bypass surgery can help lower cholesterol and improve the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol, according to a new study presented here at the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The study reported that within just six months of gastric bypass, nearly all patients with high cholesterol had normal blood cholesterol levels and 91 percent of patients who were on statins or other lipid-lowering drugs before surgery no longer needed them. Even after six years, all patients were off medication. Patients, who before surgery had an average body mass index (BMI) of 50, lost nearly 40 percent of their body mass index or 80% of their excess body weight .
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/192985.php
Efforts To Make Medicine Cheaper, More Efficient Underway
The Minneapolis Star Tribune : "One of Minnesota's largest providers of supportive housing for seniors will begin testing telemedicine and sensor technology to help frail seniors stay healthier and delay institutional care under an $8 million grant announced Wednesday. It will be the largest project of its kind in the nation, involving about 1,600 clients in 40 rural cities." That's according to the grant recipient, the Good Samaritan Society (Wolfe, 6/23). The Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Herald : "Urgent care facilities are becoming a popular alternative to primary care doctors and emergency rooms for treating common ailments. These centers offer convenience and can be an attractive, affordable option for uninsured patients. More than 600 facilities opened in the United States between 2008 and 2010, according to the Urgent Care Association of America" (Sackett, 6/24).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/192955.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review :
Building a Substitute Pancreas for Diabetics
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25659/
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
GBP Health/Biotech 06-17-2010
GBP Health / Biotech News 06-17-2010:
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: 16-Jun-2010
Chaos
Understanding robustness in organisms -- a potential weapon against infectious diseases
"Robust" is an adjective appreciatively applied to certain vintage wines, but when describing viruses and pathogens, robustness is a property that may be much less desirable. It evokes drug resistant microbes and other superbugs that can wreak havoc as researchers struggle to deal with new pandemics. How can we undercut this robustness? A new study in the AIP journal Chaos examines the ability of organisms to survive in the face of various kinds of change.
Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi
jbardi@aip.org
301-209-3091
American Institute of Physics
Public Release: 16-Jun-2010Nature
Defects in immune system enzyme may increase risk of autoimmune disorders
A multi-institutional research team has found that rare variants in the gene coding an enzyme that controls the activity of a key immune cell occur more frequently in individuals with autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Their report identifies a pathway that could be a therapeutic target and may present a model for future investigations of the role of rare gene variants in common disorders.
National Institutes of Health, Alliance for Lupus Research
Contact: Sue McGreevey
smcgreevey@partners.org
617-724-2764
Massachusetts General Hospital
Public Release: 14-Jun-2010Journal of Thoracic Oncology
TGen-VARI-SHC research helps predict success with cancer drugs
Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, the Van Andel Research Institute and the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare have discovered a biomarker that could help in the treatment of patients with an aggressive type of lung cancer.American Cancer Society, a Sylvia Chase Pilot Grant and the IBIS Foundation of Arizona
Contact: Steve Yozwiak
syozwiak@tgen.org
602-343-8704
The Translational Genomics Research Institute
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.
June 16, 2010 — The new cancer medication sorafenib looks promising. Sorafenib is used for advanced liver and kidney cancer and also appears to be effective against cancer stem cells in pancreatic cancer. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100615105243.htm
Association of Genetic Factors and Brain Imaging Findings in Alzheimer's Disease
June 16, 2010 — By investigating the association between genetic loci related to Alzheimer's disease and neuroimaging measures related to disease risk, researchers may have uncovered additional evidence that several ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614161436.htm
Many Clinicians May Be Screening for Cervical Cancer Too Frequently
June 16, 2010 — Clinical guidelines recommend screening low-risk women for cervical cancer every three years after age 30, but most primary care clinicians report that they would advise testing for the disease more ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614161353.htm
Tumor Target Suggests Personalized Treatment for Melanoma
June 16, 2010 — IKK-beta, a component of a pathway involved in melanoma development, may offer new leads for developing targeted melanoma therapies, researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100615191753.htm
Heart Attack: Could Giving Oxygen Be Doing More Harm Than Good?
June 16, 2010 — There is no evidence that the common practice of giving patients oxygen to inhale during a heart attack is beneficial, according to a new review by researchers. Until further research is carried out, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100615191651.htm
Apple Juice Improves Behavior but Not Cognition in Alzheimer's Patients, Study Finds
June 16, 2010 — Apple juice can be a useful supplement for calming the declining moods that are part of the normal progression of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease, according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614160239.htm
Experts Explore Emerging Evidence Linking Diabetes and Cancer
June 16, 2010 — A new consensus statement of experts assembled by the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society reviews emerging evidence that suggests cancer incidence is associated with ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100616090023.htm
June 15, 2010 — New research shows that a simple, inexpensive and noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound of the neck can be used as a preliminary diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD). This may be an ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614171909.htm
Taking Aim at Metastatic Lung Tumors
June 15, 2010 — A new study uses a sophisticated genomic analysis to unravel some of the complex cellular signals that drive the deadly invasive spread of lung cancer. The research identifies specific molecules ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100614121552.htm
June 15, 2010 — Scientists believe they may have identified the true in vivo structure of the senile plaques that are characteristically found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100610104726.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: June 16, 2010
- 'Female Viagra' Pill Has Little Effect on Libido: FDA
- Men Less Likely To Seek Routine Health Care: Study
- Oil Spill Health Concerns Could Last Years: Experts
- McNeil Expands Odor-Related Recall of Medicines
- FDA Warns Against Too Much Vitamin D For Infants
- FDA Web Site Offers Safety Reports on New Drugs
Gene Therapy for HIV Inches Forward
Viable treatment is still a long way off, researchers say.
Clinical Trials Update: June 16, 2010
- Acne
- High Cholesterol
- Low Back Pain
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Curis shares fall on colon cancer study - AP - 2 hours, 58 minutes ago
Shares of drug developer Curis Inc. fell Wednesday after the company said a potential colon cancer treatment failed to meet its goal in a midstage study.
FDA: 'Female Viagra' falls short
AP - 13 minutes ago
Source - Google Health News:
Agencies move to tap promise of gene therapy
ModernHealthcare.com
The FDA's program will work to develop an effective and timely pathway for the review and approval of new gene-therapy drugs. FDA and NIH officials said the ...
GenVec explores sale, other options
Bizjournals.com
GenVec discontinued an advanced trial of a gene-therapy drug called TNFerade in March after studies showed the treatment wouldn't provide enough benefit to ...
The Path to Personalized Medicine
New England Journal of Medicine (subscription)
Just as the NIH served as an initial home for human gene therapy, the Hatfield Center can provide specialized diagnostic services for rare and neglected ...
Source - Medical News Today :
New Combination Effective Against Pancreatic Cancer
The new cancer medication sorafenib looks promising. Sorafenib is used for advanced liver and kidney cancer and also appears to be effective against cancer stem cells in pancreatic cancer . The team led by Professor Dr. Ingrid Herr, Head of the Department of Molecular Oncosurgery, a group of the Department of Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital, (Managing Director: Professor Dr. Markus W. Büchler) in cooperation with the German Cancer Research Center, tested the new substance in mice and pancreatic cancer cells. It inhibits resistant tumor stem cells and is also especially effective in combination with sulforaphane, an organic compound found in broccoli. The results has been published online in the prestigious medical journal Cancer Research. About 12,900 people in Germany develop pancreatic cancer every year. The disease is frequently noticed too late and very few people survive the diagnosis longer than one year. In particular, early precursor cells of the tumor known as cancer stem cells are responsible for uncontrollable growth of the cancer, metastasization to other organs, and recurrence shortly after surgery. They are extremely resistant to conventional therapy and are the focus of new treatment strategies.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/191875.php
The Associated Press/Arizona Republic : "It's an unthinkable notion for a generation raised on the message that early cancer detection saves lives, but specialists say more tumors actually are being found too early. That is raising uncomfortable questions about how aggressively to treat early growths -- in some cases, even how aggressively to test -- along with a push for more of the informed-choice programs. ... Today's cancer screenings can unearth tumors that scientists say never would have threatened the person's life. The problem is there aren't surefire ways to tell in advance which tumors won't be dangerous. ... Work is under way to better predict that, and even the staunchest supporters of screening call overdiagnosis a problem that needs tackling. ... Nowhere is the disconnect more obvious than with prostate cancer screening. Most men over 50 have had a PSA blood test to check for it even though major medical groups don't recommend routine PSAs, worried they may do more harm than good for the average man" (Neergaard, 6/15). Meanwhile, Reuters reports that a lack "of solid evidence doesn't seem to hamper doctors' use of new technology, as long as they can get reimbursed for it, researchers said on Monday. They found that after the U.S. Congress had mandated Medicare coverage of a digital tool to help detect breast cancer , health providers were quick to pick it up even though it hadn't showed clear-cut benefits for the women. The technology, known as computer-aided detection, costs more than $100,000 to install, according to the researchers, whose findings are published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. ... Based on Medicare data, [Joshua J.] Fenton, of the University of California, Davis, and his colleagues found that in 2001, doctors used computer-aided detection in less than 5 percent of screening mammograms. Two years later, that number had swollen more than five times" (6/14).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/191928.php
Cheap Injection Could Stop Thousands Of People Dying Of Severe Bleeding From Accidents, Injuries
Results from an international trial involving over 20,000 participants in 40 countries suggest that if recently injured patients with serious bleeding were to be given an injection of a cheap, widely available drug, it could save the lives of tens of thousands of people every year worldwide, including victims of traffic accidents, shootings, stabbings and land mine injuries. The results of the CRASH-2 study, a large, randomised trial involving over 20,000 adult patients in 274 hospitals in 40 countries, are published in the 14 June online issue of The Lancet, along with other information and an editorial commentary.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/191852.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review :
Startup to Offer Patients a Genetic Profile of their Cancer
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25593/
Plastic Antibodies Fight Toxins
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25591/?a=f
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