GBP Health / Biotech News 06-30-2009

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.


Source - EurekAlert – Biology


Public Release: 30-Jun-2009
Applied Physics Letters
University of Leicester researchers discover new fluorescent silicon nanoparticles
Researchers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester have developed a new synthesis method, which has led them to the discovery of fluorescent silicon nanoparticles and may ultimately help track the uptake of drugs by the body's cells.
Contact: Dr Klaus von Haeften
kvh6@le.ac.uk
01-162-523-525
University of Leicester

Public Release: 30-Jun-2009
Journal of Leukocyte Biology
Harvard scientists solve mystery about why HIV patients are more susceptible to TB infection
Harvard scientists took an important first-step toward the development of new treatments to help people with HIV battle Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. In a report appearing in the July 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology they describe how HIV interferes with the cellular and molecular mechanisms used by the lungs to fight TB infection. This information is crucial for researchers developing new treatments.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Public Release: 30-Jun-2009
ESHRE 2009
New test can detect both genetic and chromosomal abnormalities in embryos
One-step screening for both genetic and chromosomal abnormalities has come a stage closer as scientists announced that an embryo test they have been developing has successfully screened cells taken from spare embryos that were known to have cystic fibrosis
Contact: Mary Rice
mary@mrcommunication.org
European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology

Public Release: 30-Jun-2009
Nature Cell Biology
Neural stem cell differentiation factor discovered
Neural stem cells represent the cellular backup of our brain. These cells are capable of self-renewal to form new stem cells or differentiate into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. The receptors of the Notch family play a significant role in this process. So far, only stimulating extracellular ligands of Notch receptors had been described. Biochemists of Goethe University Medical School now describe a long time assumed but not yet identified soluble Notch inhibitor.
Contact: Mirko Schmidt
mirko.schmidt@kgu.de
49-069-630-184-157
Goethe University Frankfurt

Public Release: 29-Jun-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
MIT: Extending the shelf life of antibody drugs
A new computer model developed at MIT can help solve a problem that has plagued drug companies trying to develop promising new treatments made of antibodies: Such drugs have a relatively short shelf life because they tend to clump together, rendering them ineffective.
Novartis Pharma AG, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Contact: Elizabeth Thomson
thomson@mit.edu
617-258-5402
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Public Release: 29-Jun-2009
Journal of Medical Devices
Stanford researchers publish comprehensive model for medical device development
In an effort to increase understanding of the medical device development process and help companies execute the bench-to-bedside process of product development more effectively, researchers at Stanford University have published the first comprehensive model representing the medical device development process.
Institute for Health Technology Studies
Contact: Robyn Stein
Robyn.Stein@gabbe.com
212-220-4444
InHealth: The Institute for Health Technology Studies

Public Release: 29-Jun-2009
Nature Biotechnology
New biomarker method could increase the number of diagnostic tests for cancer
A team of researchers, including several from UCSF, has demonstrated that a new method for detecting and quantifying protein biomarkers in body fluids may ultimately make it possible to screen multiple biomarkers in hundreds of patient samples, thus ensuring that only the strongest biomarker candidates will advance down the development pipeline.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Elizabeth Fernandez
efernandez@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco

Public Release: 29-Jun-2009
Genome Biology
Gene map aims to combat blood flukes
The first microsatellite-based genetic linkage map has been published for Schistosoma mansoni, a blood fluke that is known to infect over 90 million people in Africa, the Middle East and the New World. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open-access journal Genome Biology hope the map will stimulate research and open doors to new advances in combating this neglected human pathogen.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-203-192-2165
BioMed Central


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.

Mouse Model Of Parkinson's Reproduces Nonmotor Symptoms
June 30, 2009 — Nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's include digestive and sleep problems, loss of sense of smell and depression. A mouse with a mutation in a gene responsible for packaging neurotransmitters like ..
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623091123.htm

Four Out Of 106 Heart Replacement Valves From Pig Hearts Failed, Study Finds
June 30, 2009 — Pig heart valves used to replace defective aortic valves in human patients failed much earlier and more often than expected, says a new report from cardiac surgeons. This is the first report to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165554.htm

Key Culprits In Lupus Discovered
June 30, 2009 — The more than 1.5 million Americans with systemic lupus erythematosus (or lupus) suffer from a variety of symptoms that flare and subside, often including painful or swollen joints, extreme fatigue, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200811.htm

How Much Is Life Worth? The $440 Billion Question
June 30, 2009 — The decision to use expensive cancer therapies that typically produce only a relatively short extension of survival is a serious ethical dilemma in the United States that needs to be addressed by the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165552.htm

DNA Mutation That Occurs At Beginning Point Of T-cell Lymphoma Identified
June 30, 2009 — Researchers have identified a key mechanism that causes chromosomes within blood cells to break -- an occurrence that marks the first step in the development of human ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090612092743.htm

Hunt For The Blood Test To Determine Melanoma Survival Rates
June 30, 2009 — New research will be breaking new ground in the search for a simple blood test that could tell whether a patient with melanoma has the condition in an aggressive form. Melanoma is the most aggressive ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630075447.htm

Nanotechnology Combats Fatal Brain Infections
June 29, 2009 — Scientists have developed novel peptide nanoparticles that effectively seek out and destroy bacteria and fungal cells that could cause fatal ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090628171955.htm

Synthetic Biology: Gene Therapy Gets Under The Skin
June 29, 2009 — Vaseline, a known molecule from apples and a gene network encapsulated in algal gelatin are the components of a possible gene therapy which literally gets under the skin. An important part in this is ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623193112.htm

Blood Flow In Alzheimer's Disease
June 29, 2009 — Scientists have discovered that endothelin converting enzyme-2 (ECE-2) may cause the decrease in cerebral blood flow seen in Alzheimer's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624211135.htm

New Biomarker Method Could Increase The Number Of Diagnostic Tests For Cancer
June 29, 2009 — A new method for detecting and quantifying protein biomarkers in body fluids may ultimately make it possible to screen multiple biomarkers in hundreds of patient samples, thus ensuring that only the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629132208.htm

Best Heart Disease And Stroke Treatments For Patients With Diabetes Found With New Tool
June 29, 2009 — Researchers have developed a computer model that medical doctors can use to determine the best time to begin using statin therapy in diabetes patients to help prevent heart disease and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629112633.htm


Source - Health Day:


Health Highlights: June 30, 2009

• E. Coli Found in Nestlé Cookie Dough: FDA
• Daily Sex Improves Sperm Quality: Study
• Too Few Young Adults Treated for Alcohol, Drug Problems: Study
• Studies Detail New Ovary Preservation, Transplant Methods
  

Younger People Appear More at Risk From New Swine Flu
Not just the infirm should be vaccinated, experts urge

New Drug Promising Against Rheumatoid Arthritis
Golimumab might help where similar drugs failed, research finds

Clinical Trials Update: June 29, 2009

• Weight Loss
• Bipolar Disorder
• Migraine
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:


XenoPort shares rise on positive study data - AP - 37 minutes ago
Shares of XenoPort Inc. jumped Tuesday after the biotechnology company said its experimental spinal cord injury drug met key treatment goals in a midstage study.

Geron and GE Alliance Sends Stem Cell Stocks Higher - Indie Research - 2 hours, 22 minutes ago
A new deal between Geron and GE Healthcare sent the former flying on Tuesday.

BioSante Pharmaceuticals and Cell Genesys Sign Definitive Merger Agreement - Business Wire - Tue 8:00 am ET
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. & SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.----BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cell Genesys , today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement by which the companies will merge in an all-stock transaction, with BioSante as the surviving company.

Vical H1 Influenza Vaccine Delivers Robust Preclinical Results With 100% Response - GlobeNewswire - Tue 6:30 am ET


Source - Google Health News:


H1N1 Shows No Signs of Weakening; Numbers Rising
HSToday - Germantown,MD,USA
They are especially concerned about what could happen if H1N1 combines with the highly virulent H5N1 bird flu. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said ...


New Flu Vaccine Approved — for Dogs
New York Times - United States
... the first vaccine for it. While fears of a flu pandemic among humans have shifted from the lethal H5N1 avian flu to the relatively mild H1N1 swine flu, ...


States Should Plan for H1N1 Vaccinations as Numbers Rise More
Wall Street Journal Blogs - New York,NY,USA
They ignored science for worst-case CFR (refused to use the H5N1 CFR for pandemic planning purposes) and now are not being honest nor science-based about ...

Large-scale H1N1 vaccine production begins -Sanofi
Reuters - USA
PA) has begun large-scale production of a vaccine for the H1N1 swine flu at its facilities in the United States and France, the company said on Thursday. ...

Source - Medical News Today:

System Accurately Predicts Spread Of H1N1
A new scientific system developed by a St. Michael's Hospital physician, designed to rapidly evaluate the world's air traffic patterns, accurately predicted how the H1N1 virus would spread around the world, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. St. Michael's Hospital scientist and infectious disease physician Dr. Kamran Khan and colleagues analyzed the flight itineraries of the more than 2.3 million passengers departing Mexico on commercial flights during the months of March and April to predict the spread of H1N1. The findings show the international destinations of air travelers leaving Mexico were strongly associated with confirmed importations of the H1N1 virus around the world.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155893.php

The 90-Year Evolution Of Swine Flu
The current H1N1 swine flu strain has genetic roots in an illness that sickened pigs at the 1918 Cedar Rapids Swine Show in Iowa, report infectious disease experts at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their paper, published online and slated for the July 16 print issue, describes H1N1's nearly century-long and often convoluted journey, which may include the accidental resurrection of an extinct strain. "At the same time the 1918 flu pandemic was rapidly spreading among humans, pigs were hit with a respiratory illness that closely resembled symptoms seen in people," said senior author Donald S. Burke, M.D., dean, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. "Early experiments confirmed that this 1918 swine virus and a human strain emerged about the same time. Since then, this ancestor virus has re-assorted genetically with other influenza strains at least four times, leading to the emergence of the new 2009 strain, which has retained some similarities to the original virus."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155878.php

88% Of Chronic Phase Patients With Ph+ CML Who Are Intolerant Or Resistant To Glivec Are Still Alive At 2 Years When Treated With Tasigna
New data show that at 24 months, patients in the chronic phase of Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) who are intolerant or resistant to current first-line therapy (Glivec) experienced a rapid response and significant reduction in leukaemia burden when treated with 400mg Tasigna twice-daily1. Furthermore, the research shows that the majority of patients in both the chronic and accelerated phases of the disease are still alive at 2 years when treated with Tasigna1,2. The results, presented at the 14th Congress of the European Haematology Association (EHA) in Berlin, Germany are based on a phase II single treatment study of 321 chronic phase, adult patients with Ph+ CML and 137 accelerated phase patients with Ph+ CML who were intolerant or resistant to the current gold-standard treatment Glivec1,2. The results substantiate data presented at the American Society of Haematology meeting in San Francisco last year.

Personalized Anti-Cancer Vaccine, BiovaxID(R), Targeting B-Cell Lymphomas Available In Europe On A Named-Patient Basis
Biovest International, Inc. (Other OTC:BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Other OTC:ABPIQ), today announced that BiovaxID®, Biovest's personalized therapeutic anti-cancer vaccine, is available on a named-patient (compassionate-use) basis in Europe. Following compliance with local regulatory protocols, BiovaxID will be supplied by idis Limited to European healthcare professionals for the treatment of follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and potentially for other B-cell blood cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Physicians in non-European countries may also contact idis to inquire about the potential availability of BiovaxID, as idis manages named-patient programs in more than 100 countries. According to world-renowned hematologist and lymphoma research pioneer, Professor Volker Diehl, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Cologne, "With the availability of this truly patient-specific vaccine, I believe hematologists now have a new, safe lymphoma treatment option capable of enhancing existing chemotherapeutic and monoclonal antibody treatment options by training the patient's own immune system to selectively recognize and attack cancer cells, resulting in potentially longer lasting remissions. As follicular lymphoma so far is supposed to be a generally incurable and fatal blood cancer, it is with great hope and expectations that I welcome such a highly personalized therapeutic approach in addressing an urgent unmet need." Prof. Dr. Diehl founded the German Hodgkin Study Group and is a recipient of the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany), awarded by the German government for his lifetime achievements in the field of lymphoma research.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155794.php

Stem Cell Surprise For Tissue Regeneration
Scientists working at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Embryology, with colleagues, have overturned previous research that identified critical genes for making muscle stem cells . It turns out that the genes that make muscle stem cells in the embryo are surprisingly not needed in adult muscle stem cells to regenerate muscles after injury. The finding challenges the current course of research into muscular dystrophy, muscle injury, and regenerative medicine, which uses stem cells for healing tissues, and it favours using age-matched stem cells for therapy. The study is published in the June 25 advance on-line edition of Nature. Previous studies have shown that two genes Pax3 and Pax7, are essential for making the embryonic and neonatal muscle stem cells in the mouse. Lead researcher Christoph Lepper, a predoctoral fellow in Carnegie's Chen-Ming Fan's lab and a Johns Hopkins student, for the first time looked at these two genes in promoting stem cells at varying stages of muscle growth in live mice after birth.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155545.php


Source - MIT's Technology Review:

Medicine's New Toolbox
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22832/?nlid=2140

Making Tumors More Sensitive to Chemotherapy
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22941/?nlid=2136

Climate Change and Our Health

Jack Welch clearly touched a nerve with Felix Salmon (See: http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/) by referencing a slanted WSJ piece regarding climate change. Is "slanted WSJ" redundant, especially since Murdoch bought the paper?

Felix stated, "Jack Welch’s reputation takes another downward lurch as he pushes denialist nonsense from the WSJ editorial page"

Climate change could be man made, man-altered, environmentally altered, or some combination of the above. I ascribe to the combination theory. Regardless, it totally misses the point that we need to get off of our dependency on fossil fuels. Here are just a few reasons:

1. It's unhealthy in areas of high population to breathe the exhausts from cars, buses, diesel trucks, etc. If there's any doubt about this, go visit your nearest urban area or the urban areas of China and Mongolia, where they are bringing online one coal burning plant per day - sans the scrubbers. In the words of Al Gore, "There is no such thing as a clean coal burning plant."

2. It's unhealthy to our import/export ratio to use fossil fuels. When we buy most of our fossil fuels from abroad, we are simply exporting US dollars abroad. Just because we have always done that for the last many decades, it does not mean it's a good thing.

3. Jack's own former company, GE, has an extremely cool technology that uses spent uranium from nuclear power plants to take care of all of our energy needs forever and get rid of the issue of storing the waste, and they have a fairly large stake in wind power, as well. If anyone should be in favor of getting off of fossil fuels, it should be Jack Welch.

4. Rather than import fossil fuels, we could leverage our innovative know how and export clean energy solutions. There's a lot of wind and sun in the Middle East and elsewhere. Here's where an economic stimulus could have a large multiplier effect. As anyone who has read my blogs knows, the best economic stimulus for this country is to get rid of capital gains tax for venture capital. That would spurn innovation, boost the stock market, create wealth, and provide new technologies to improve productivity, prolonged healthy living, and exports.

5. Fossil fuels are just plain bad for the environment, if not the climate. From strip mining for coal to dealing with the sludge from oil and gas drilling and tanker bottoms to the exhausts. There's nothing clean about it. It's a filthy business, and we ought to do everything as a nation to get rid of it.

The list can go on, but let's stop debating climate change and move the debate to human and environmental health. After all, a couple of large undersea volcanos, periods of hyperactive sun spots or a super gamma ray burst, and climate change will happen fast, regardless of what source of fuel we use, so we may as well use the cleanest, most efficient possible. After all, the planet would be a much more beautiful place.

In the meantime, to further promote a healthier environment, stop reading newspapers, like the WSJ. They are a waste of trees, and most of the editorial content is so slanted, they are a waste of time and money. All of the news, and then some, is online - most of it is free, like Felix Salmon's column on Reuters.

_______________________

GBP Health / Biotech News 06-26-2009

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.


Source - EurekAlert – Biology


Public Release: 26-Jun-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Xie Lab uncovers molecular machinery related to stem cell fate
The Stowers Institute's Xie Lab has revealed how the BAM protein affects germline stem cell differentiation and how it is involved in regulating the quality of stem cells through intercellular competition. The work was published today by PNAS Early Edition.
Contact: Marie Jennings
mfj@stowers.org
816-926-4015
Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Public Release: 26-Jun-2009
Small
Making nanoparticles in artificial cells
Two processes can be used to control the size of nanoparticles, which could serve as tiny light sources.
Contact: Dr. Rumiana Dimova
Rumiana.Dimova@mpikg.mpg.de
49-331-567-9615
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft


Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Gene Therapy
Like burrs on your clothes, molecule-size capsules can deliver drugs by sticking to targeted cells
It is now possible to engineer tiny containers the size of a virus to deliver drugs and other materials with almost 100 percent efficiency to targeted cells in the bloodstream.

Contact: Blaine Friedlander
bpf2@cornell.edu
607-254-8093
Cornell University

Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
MU scientists convert pigs' connective tissue cells into stem cells
Scientists at the University of Missouri have developed the ability to take regular cells from a pig's connective tissues, known as fibroblasts, and transform them into stem cells, eliminating several of the hurdles associated with stem cell research. The new study appeared in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Contact: Christian Basi
BasiC@missouri.edu
573-882-4430
University of Missouri-Columbia


Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Molecular Cell
MicroRNAs help control HIV life cycle
Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research have discovered that specific microRNAs (non-coding RNAs that interfere with gene expression) reduce HIV replication and infectivity in human T-cells. In particular, miR29 plays a key role in controlling the HIV life cycle. The study suggests that HIV may have co-opted this cellular defense mechanism to help the virus hide from the immune system and antiviral drugs.
Contact: Josh Baxt
jbaxt@burnham.org
858-795-5236
Burnham Institute


Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Nature Medicine
Effective pain treatment for cancer patients?
Cancer patients often suffer from severe pain that cannot be effectively treated with conventional medication. Researchers at the Pharmacology Institute of the University of Heidelberg have found the possible reasons for this -- tumors release two signal substances that make nerve cells especially sensitive and enhance tumor growth. In animal tests, when the researchers blocked the effect of the signal substances on the nerve cells, the sensitivity of the nerve cells and tumor growth were reduced.
Contact: Dr. Rohini Kuner
rohini.kuner@pharma.uni-heidelberg.de
49-622-154-8289
University Hospital Heidelberg

Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Journal of American Chemical Society
New nanoparticles could revolutionize therapeutic drug discovery
A revolutionary new protein stabilization technique has been developed by scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council which could lead to 30 per cent more proteins being available as potential targets for drug development -- opening up exciting possibilities in drug discovery.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Contact: Matt Goode
press.office@bbsrc.ac.uk
44-179-341-4694
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Science
STAT3 protein found to play a key role in cancer
A protein called STAT3 has been found to play a fundamental role in converting normal cells to cancerous cells, according to a new study led by David E. Levy, Ph.D., professor of pathology and microbiology at NYU Langone Medical Center. The study, published in the June 26 issue of the journal Science, found that STAT3, in addition to its role in the cell nucleus regulating gene expression, is also present in mitochondria, and regulates the activity of the electron transport chain in tumors cells.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Contact: Dorie Klissas
Dorie.Klissas@nyumc.org
212-404-3555
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine

Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Cell
Vitamin A derivative provides clues to better breast cancer drugs
A comparison of the effects of estrogen and retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, on the genome of breast cancer cells showed that they have a "yin-yang" effect, with estrogen tipping the scales towards cell proliferation and retinoic acid inhibiting cellular growth. The finding could lead researchers to a new set of drug targets for this disease.
National Institutes of Health, Chicago Biomedical Consortium
Contact: John Easton
john.easton@uchospitals.edu
773-702-6241
University of Chicago Medical Center

Public Release: 25-Jun-2009
Nature
Stem cell surprise for tissue regeneration
Scientists working at the Carnegie Institution's department of embryology have overturned previous research that identified critical genes for making muscle stem cells. It turns out that the genes that make muscle stem cells in the embryo are surprisingly not needed in adult muscle stem cells to regenerate muscles after injury. The finding challenges the current course of research into muscular dystrophy, muscle injury and regenerative medicine; it also favors using age-matched stem cells for therapy.
Carnegie Institution, National Institutes of Health, Riley Children's Foundation
Contact: Christoph Lepper
lepper@ciwemb.edu
410-246-3039
Carnegie Institution

Public Release: 24-Jun-2009
Proteins in gel
Biochips carrying thousands of DNA fragments are widely used for examining genetic material. Experts would also like to have biochips on which proteins are anchored. This requires a gel layer which can now be produced industrially.
Contact: Dr. Andreas Hollaender
andreas.hollaender@iap.fraunhofer.de
49-331-568-1404
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft


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.

Fish Protein Link To Controlling High Blood Pressure
June 26, 2009 — Medical scientists are investigating how a species of fish from the Pacific Ocean could help provide answers to tackling chronic conditions such as hereditary high blood pressure and kidney disease. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622064716.htm

Unique Portion Of Enzyme Fights Lung Infection
June 26, 2009 — An enzyme known to play a key role in the development of emphysema serves as the first line of defense against bacterial infection of the lung, according to researchers. They also found that the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617131358.htm

Pushmi-pullyu Of B-cell Development Discovered
June 26, 2009 — Scientists have identified two "molecular motors" that work in opposing directions to control the development of B cells in the immune ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625100351.htm

New Piece Found In Colorectal Cancer Puzzle
June 26, 2009 — Prostasin, a relatively unknown protease enzyme expressed in most epithelial cells, may play a role in the genesis of colorectal cancer. Researchers have associated a reduction in the expression of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624193457.htm

Virus Filters For Medical Diagnosis
June 26, 2009 — In biomedicine and biotechnology the smallest, complex, compound sample quantities must be reliably processed. Microsystems with new mechanisms of action for pumping, filtering and separating will ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625074820.htm

Gene Findings Revealing Reasons For Neuroblastoma Risk
June 26, 2009 — Two new studies advance the search for genetic events that result in neuroblastoma, a puzzling, often-deadly type of childhood cancer. Scientists performed a genome-wide association study to discover ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617131352.htm

Enzyme Fights Mutated Protein In Inherited Parkinson's Disease
June 26, 2009 — An enzyme that naturally occurs in the brain helps destroy the mutated protein that is the most common cause of inherited Parkinson's disease, researchers have ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626091133.htm

Uncovering How Cells Cover Gaps In Wound Healing And Embryonic Development
June 26, 2009 — Scientists develop a clearer picture of dorsal closure and shed light on wound healing. Researchers came a step closer to understanding how cells close gaps not only during embryonic development but ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626084427.htm

New And Efficient Breast Biopsy Technique Developed
June 25, 2009 — Researchers have developed a new breast biopsy technique that could lead to decreased procedure times, and reduced patient discomfort and morbidity, according to a new study. The new technique uses a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623133527.htm

Effective Pain Treatment For Cancer Patients?
June 25, 2009 — Cancer patients often suffer from severe pain that cannot be effectively treated with conventional medication. Researchers have found the possible reasons for this -- tumors release two signal ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625100347.htm

New Approach To Treating Heart Attacks Reduces Risk Of Life-threatening Complications
June 25, 2009 — Transferring heart attack patients to specialized hospitals to undergo angioplasty within six hours after receiving clot-busting drugs reduces the risk of life-threatening complications including ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624193506.htm

Anti-inflammatory Drugs May Defeat Treatment-resistant Type Of Cancer
June 25, 2009 — Effective drugs for treating a chemotherapy-resistant form of lymphoma might already be on the market according to a study that has pieced together a chemical pathway involved in the disease. By ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624161636.htm

Study Challenges Routine Use Of MRI Scans To Evaluate Breast Cancer
June 25, 2009 — Reviewing the records of 577 breast cancer patients, researchers found that women with newly diagnosed breast cancer who receive a breast MRI are more likely to receive a mastectomy after their ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625202012.htm

Diabetes Is Significant Economic Burden For US Health-care System
June 25, 2009 — Excess medical expenses and reduced productivity due to diabetes costs the US economy more than $174 billion annually, a figure that could be reduced by lifestyle modifications and preventive ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625202004.htm

Early Alzheimer's: Not Remembering What Is Important To Remember
June 25, 2009 — People in very early stages of Alzheimer's disease already have trouble focusing on what is important to remember, psychologists ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625152933.htm

Controversial Cancer Stem Cells Offer New Direction For Treatment
June 25, 2009 — Researchers sort out the controversy and promise around a dangerous subtype of cancer cells, known as cancer stem cells, which seem capable of resisting many modern ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625141456.htm

Non-invasive Method For Early, Serological Diagnosis Of Parkinson’s Disease Developed
June 24, 2009 — Researchers in Spain have developed a non-invasive method for serological diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. The scientists have analyzed and purified proteins associated with this disease, such ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090612122457.htm

Genetic Markers To Help Fight Diabetes Discovered
June 24, 2009 — Scientists have identified five genetic biomarkers that could help lead to improved treatments, with fewer side effects, for patients with ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616103215.htm

'Chemical Nose' May Sniff Out Cancer Earlier
June 24, 2009 — Using a "chemical nose" array of nanoparticles and polymers, researchers have developed a fundamentally new, more effective way to differentiate not only between healthy and cancerous cells but also ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623164539.htm

Biomarkers Predict Brain Tumor's Response To Therapy
June 24, 2009 — A new biomarker may be useful in identifying patients with recurrent glioblastoma, or brain tumors, who would respond better to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, specifically ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623133520.htm


Source - Health Day:


Health Highlights: June 26, 2009

• Pop Star Michael Jackson Dies at 50
• Actress Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62
• New York State Will Buy Women's Eggs for Stem Cell Research
• European Regulator Wants Painkiller Off Market
• E. coli Scare Spurs Big Beef Recall
  

HIV Patients May Have Stiffer Arteries
But not significant enough to halt drug therapy, researchers say

FDA Seizes All Drugs From Generics Maker
Agency cites poor quality at Michigan plants, warns of potential shortage of one pain reliever

Cell Protein Could Help Spur Malignancy
Discovery may lead to new cancer treatments, scientists say

Clinical Trials Update: June 25, 2009

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Diabetes Mellitus, Types 1 and 2
• Atrial Fibrillation
  

Clinical Trials Update: June 24, 2009

• Osteoarthritis
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C)
• Asthma
• Healthy Patient Studies
• Smoking Cessation
• Women's Health
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:


Insmed shares plummet on Iplex study results - AP - Thu 9:56 am ET
Shares of Insmed Corp. plunged Thursday after the company said its drug Iplex failed to treat the most common form of muscular dystrophy in a midstage study.

Bristol diabetes drug gets positive EU review - AP - Thu 2:02 pm ET
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and AstraZeneca PLC said Thursday that a European Union regulatory panel gave a positive recommendation to their type 2 diabetes drug candidate Onglyza.


Source - Google Health News:


Swine flu virus 'stable,' WHO head says
CBC.ca - Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Health officials are looking for any signs the pandemic virus could be combining with the deadlier H5N1 avian flu virus. "The virus is still very stable," ...


Pandemic reveals strengths of new flu database
CIDRAP - Minneapolis,MN,USA
Jun 25, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – Against the backdrop of a global struggle to solve a dispute related to H5N1 avian influenza virus sharing and an anxious watch ...
Cleveland stem cell projects receive $10 million commercialization ...
MedCity News - Cleveland,OH,USA
Lentigen, a Maryland gene delivery company, to develop a gene therapy approach to treating brain tumors. Oakwood Laboratories, a Cleveland area drug ...


Like Burrs On Your Clothes, Molecule-size Capsules Can Deliver ...
Science Daily (press release) - USA
The research is published in the journal Gene Therapy. "This study greatly extends the range of therapies," said Michael King, Cornell associate professor ...

Prototype developed for gene therapy through the skin
HealthJockey.com - Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
Professor Marc Gitzinger seems to have developed a prototype for gene therapy through the skin. A key role in this study was believed to have been played by ...

Blacksburg firm gets $10 million infusion
Roanoke Times - Roanoke,VA,USA
Last month, the company announced the availability of an experimental treatment for people with advanced metastatic melanoma in which gene therapy and cell ...

New vaccine process proposed
Worcester Telegram - Worcester,MA,USA
There are no peptide vaccines approved for use in the United States, but Antigen Express has been testing peptides against H5N1 avian influenza in Lebanon ...


Source - Medical News Today:


Alcohol Contributes To 1 In 25 Deaths Worldwide
Research led by scientists in Canada suggests that alcohol is a factor in 1 in 25 deaths worldwide, prompting calls that an international framework is needed to reduce the harm that alcohol is causing to global health. The research was conducted by first author Dr Jürgen Rehm, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, and the University of Toronto, and colleagues and is published as part of a cluster of studies and commentary papers on alcohol and health in the 27 June issue of The Lancet. Rehm also holds posts at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany, and the World Health Organization.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155447.php

MicroRNAs Help Control HIV Life Cycle
Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that specific microRNAs (non-coding RNAs that interfere with gene expression) reduce HIV replication and infectivity in human T-cells. In particular, miR29 plays a key role in controlling the HIV life cycle. The study suggests that HIV may have co-opted this cellular defense mechanism to help the virus hide from the immune system and antiviral drugs. The research was published today in the journal Molecular Cell. Tariq Rana, Ph.D., director of the Program for RNA Biology at Burnham, and colleagues, found that the microRNA miR29 suppresses translation of the HIV-1 genome by transporting the HIV mRNA to processing-bodies (P-bodies), where they are stored or destroyed. This results in a reduction of viral replication and infectivity. The study also showed that inhibition of miR29 enhances viral replication and infectivity. The scientists further demonstrated that strains of HIV-1 with mutations in the region of the genome that interact with miR29 are not inhibited by miR29.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155430.php

Blood Flow In Alzheimer's Disease
Dr. Jennifer C Palmer and colleagues at the University of Bristol have discovered that endothelin converting enzyme-2 (ECE-2) may cause the decrease in cerebral blood flow seen in Alzheimer's disease. These results are presented in the July 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Aβ peptide, which accumulates in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients, is thought to lead to tightening of the blood vessels and reduction of cerebral blood flood. ECE-2 may contribute to these symptoms by converting an inactive precursor to endothelin-1, which constricts blood vessels.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155387.php

Thousands Of Older People Dying Prematurely From Cancer, Say Researchers
As many as 15,000 people over 75 could be dying prematurely from cancer each year in the UK, according to research presented today at the National Cancer Intelligience Network (NCIN) conference. These premature deaths could be prevented if cancer mortality rates in the UK dropped to match countries in Europe and America which have the lowest rates.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155360.php

Drug May Prolong Survival In Melanoma Patients
The Northern California Melanoma Center (NCMC)'s research showed patients who received GM-CSF (Sargramostim, trade name Leukine ) may experience prolonged survival. The study appears in next month's Journal of Immunotherapy (July/August issue) and will appear online today. The Northern California Melanoma Center (NCMC) Director, Lynn Spitler, MD and her associates' research involved treating patients who had been diagnosed clinically free of melanoma after surgery but were at high risk of recurrence. Their research titled, "Recombinant Human Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF, Sargramostim) Administered for Three Years as Adjuvant Therapy of Stage II (T4), III, and IV Melanoma" found that using GM-CSF in these patients may prolong survival. GM-CSF stimulates the patient's immune response to the tumor and allows the patient's body to recognize tumor cells and throw them off as they would a common cold or infection.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155280.php

Specialized Solutions For Brain Mapping And Soft Tissue Imaging
Carl Zeiss has developed a unique series of solutions addressing the different methods for brain mapping and soft tissue imaging. "Scientists are right now attacking one of the last secrets of mankind: imaging and reconstruction of the brain," Dr. Dirk Stenkamp, Member of the Board at Carl Zeiss SMT explains. "We specifically enable the acquisition and analysis of cell images at ultra-high resolution. For that purpose we have developed an extensive range of solutions, based on the sophisticated use of advanced electron and ion-beam microscopes," Stenkamp adds. At center stage, with a combination of a special detector system and large framestore, the SIGMA™ FE-SEM is enabling extremely fast imaging of huge areas of thin sections. "With this system, which is currently being evaluated by several leading research institutes worldwide, throughput is increased by a factor of 100," application product specialist Dr. Stewart Bean from Carl Zeiss SMT´s Cambridge facilities says.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155275.php

Study Finds Skin Cancer Rates Higher Among Athletes
With skin cancer rates on the increase, most individuals know the importance of applying sunscreen regularly, but in a recent literature study published in the July/August issue of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, athletes may be even more at risk for developing the deadly disease. "Studies further confirm that although exposure to the sun or UV light may help maintain vitamin D levels, exposure also results in a higher risk for developing skin cancers. This is especially true of summer and winter outdoor athletes, who are exposed to higher amounts of UV light due to training and competition schedules. Sun protection strategies, including sunscreens and sun protective clothing, may help to reduce this risk for athletes," said author Wilma Bergfeld, MD, Senior Staff, of the Department of Dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155242.php


Source - MIT's Technology Review:

New Drug Kills Cancer with Few Side Effects
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22928/?nlid=2130

Repairing the Stroke-Damaged Brain
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22921/?nlid=2126