GBP Health/Biotech 01-09-2010

GBP Health / Biotech News 01-09-2010:

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.

Source - EurekAlert - Biology:

Public Release: 8-Jan-2010

A virtual liver, a better chance of life

Surgeons can now use 3-D, accurate images of the liver to rehearse keyhole tumor removal before real surgery -- reducing the risk to the patient and enabling them to take expert advice.

Contact: Piotr Pogorzelski

piotr.pogorzelski@es.eureka.be

322-777-0979

EUREKA

Public Release: 8-Jan-2010

Regenerative Medicine

China a rising star in regenerative medicine despite world skepticism of stem cell therapies

Chinese researchers have become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to peer-reviewed scientific literature on clock-reversing regenerative medicine even as a skeptical international research community condemns the practice of Chinese clinics administering unproven stem cell therapies to domestic and foreign patients.

Contact: Terry Collins

terrycollins@rogers.com

416-538-8712

Program on Life Sciences, Ethics and Policy,McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health

Public Release: 8-Jan-2010

Gene Therapy

Sleeping Beauty hooks up with herpes to fight brain disease

Neuroscientists have forged an unlikely molecular union as part of their fight against diseases of the brain and nervous system, bringing together the herpes virus and a molecule known as Sleeping Beauty to improve gene therapy. The work has allowed scientists to reach a long-sought goal: shuttling into brain cells a relatively large gene that can remain on for an extended period of time.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Contact: Tom Rickey

tom_rickey@urmc.rochester.edu

585-275-7954

University of Rochester Medical Center

Public Release: 7-Jan-2010

Nature

CSHL scientists uncover role of protein critical for activating DNA replication

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered how a protein long known to be an essential activator of DNA replication actually triggers this process in cells. The protein, called DDK (for Ddf4-dependent protein kinase), is one of two cell-cycle-regulated protein kinases that facilitate coordination with other processes during cell division. DDK is now shown to block the inhibitory activity of a domain within the DNA unwinding enzyme Mcm4, thereby promoting DNA replication.

Contact: Hema Bashyam

516-367-6822

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Public Release: 7-Jan-2010

Cell Stem Cell

Biologists develop efficient genetic modification of human embryonic stem cells

Biologists have developed an efficient way to genetically modify human embryonic stem cells. Their approach, which uses bacterial artificial chromosomes to swap in defective copies of genes, will make possible the rapid development of stem cell lines that can both serve as models for human genetic diseases and as testbeds on which to screen potential treatments, they say.

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Contact: Yang Xu

scinews@ucsd.edu

University of California - San Diego

Public Release: 7-Jan-2010

Science Signaling

Discovery at JGH opens door to new treatments for prostate, brain and skin cancers

Researchers at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University in Montreal have discovered a previously unsuspected link between two different genetic pathways which suppress the growth of cancer tumors. This breakthrough, they say, could lead to new treatments for some of the deadliest and most intractable forms of cancer; including prostate cancer, brain cancer and melanoma.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Contact: Mark Shainblum

mshainblum@jgh.mcgill.ca

514-340-8222 x6592

Jewish General Hospital

Public Release: 6-Jan-2010

Diabetes Rising

Incidence of type 1 diabetes doubles in 20 years, continues rising at 3 percent per year -- but why?

The incidence of type 1 diabetes is now twice as high among children as it was in the 1980s, and 10 to 20 times more common than 100 years ago, according to peer-reviewed research uncovered in a new book from Kaplan Publishing.

Contact: Jessica Jonap

Jessica@JonapPR.com

305-864-5521

Jessica Jonap Public Relations

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.

New Brain Scan Better Detects Earliest Signs of Alzheimer's Disease in Healthy People

January 9, 2010 — A new type of brain scan, called diffusion tensor imaging, appears to be better at detecting whether a person with memory loss might have brain changes of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106193204.htm

Alzheimer's Discovery Could Lead to Long-Sought Preventive Treatment

January 8, 2010 — Researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that may drive the early brain function deterioration of Alzheimer's victims, thus opening a new exploratory path in the quest for an ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100108090951.htm

Blood Test Could Improve Graft-Versus-Host Disease Treatment

January 8, 2010 — Researchers have identified the first biomarker of graft-versus-host disease of the skin. The discovery makes possible a simple blood test that should solve a treatment dilemma facing doctors with ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100108090953.htm

Evolutionary Surprise: Eight Percent of Human Genetic Material Comes from a Virus

January 8, 2010 — About eight percent of human genetic material comes from a virus and not from our ancestors, according to a new study. The research shows that the genomes of humans and other mammals contain DNA ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107103621.htm

Discovery Opens Door to New Treatments for Prostate, Brain and Skin Cancers

January 8, 2010 — Researchers have discovered a previously unsuspected link between two different genetic pathways which suppress the growth of cancer tumors. This breakthrough, they say, could lead to new treatments ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107133401.htm

Epigenetics: Protein Linked to Leukemia 'Bookmarks' Highly Active Genes During Cell Division

January 7, 2010 — Scientists have discovered how some epigenetic instructions get stably transferred from one generation of cells to the next. They report that newly formed cells learn which genes need to become ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105150652.htm

Cell Phone Exposure May Protect Against and Reverse Alzheimer's Disease

January 7, 2010 — The millions of people who spend hours every day on a cell phone may have a new excuse for yakking. A new indicates long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves emitted by cell phones may protect ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106193217.htm

Research Unlocks Secrets of Protein Linked to Spread of Viruses

January 6, 2010 — Researchers have unlocked some of the secrets of a viral protein, known as Rev, which plays an essential role in the propagation mechanism of certain types of viruses within an ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105112301.htm

New Figures on Cancer in Europe Show a Steady Decline in Mortality but Big Variations

January 6, 2010 — New figures on deaths from cancer in Europe show a steady decline in mortality between the periods 1990-1994 and 2000-2004. Deaths from all cancers in the European Union between these two periods ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091129210539.htm

Researchers Discover Antibody Receptor Identity, Propose Renaming Immune-System Gene

January 6, 2010 — Researchers have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders. The ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118161639.htm

Vaccine Appears to 'Mop Up' Leukemia Cells Gleevec Leaves Behind

January 6, 2010 — Preliminary studies show that a vaccine made with leukemia cells may be able to reduce or eliminate the last remaining cancer cells in some chronic myeloid leukemia patients taking the drug Imatinib ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107114737.htm

Alzheimer's: Immune System Alterations in Mouse Brain Reduces Two Characteristic Features of Disease

January 6, 2010 — Using laboratory mice that had been bred to have brain changes similar to Alzheimer's disease, scientists were able to reduce two characteristic features of the disease by modifying the mice's immune ...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107114726.htm

Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Jan. 8, 2010

More Seniors Qualify for Prescription Drug Help

Soda Fountains Dispense Fecal Bacteria: Study

Shorter People More Likely to Develop COPD

Nutrient 'Cocktail' Appears to Improve Dementia Symptoms

Combination of uridine, choline and DHA boosted memory of Alzheimer's patients in study

Clinical Trials Update: Jan. 8, 2010

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Ragweed Allergy

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:

Cytori gets FDA approval for PureGraft system - AP - 2 hours, 39 minutes ago

Cytori Therapeutics Inc. said Friday it received approval to sell its PureGraft system, which can remove fat tissue from a patient and prepare it for re-injection in about 15 minutes.

StemCells, Inc. Strengthens Patent Position in Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology Platforms - Business Wire - Tue Dec 15

PALO ALTO, Calif.----StemCells, Inc. announced today that it has received a Notice of Allowance and a Notice of Issuance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for two patents claiming technologies for the establishment and maintenance of cell pluripotency , including the reprogramming of cells to create pluripotent stem cells.

Source - Google Health News:

Epidemics predicted to break out in 2010

VOVNews.vn

Meanwhile, there is no A/ H5N1 vaccine available in both domestic and foreign markets. Such vaccine is still in the making and in the experimental process. ...

Insect Cells Instead of Eggs for Swine Flu Vaccine?

BusinessWeek

6 (HealthDay News) -- A method that uses insect cell-based technology produces vaccines for swine flu faster than traditional egg-based vaccine production, ...

Optogenetics Illuminates Brain Function

Journal of American Medical Association (subscription)

... to those used in gene therapy and that the activity of the opsin-producing cells could be controlled with light delivered through fiberoptic filaments ...

AMT Receives Innovation Credit From Dutch Government for Duchenne Muscular ...

PR Newswire (press release)

"This credit will allow us to prioritize the development of our gene therapy for this progressive and devastating disease." Recently, AMT has reported it ...

Source - Medical News Today:

"Cocktail" Of Cooperative Nanoparticles Seeks And Destroys Cancer Tumors

US scientists have developed a "cocktail" of nanoparticles that work together in the bloodstream to seek, stick to and kill cancer tumors. A paper describing the results of the project, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, is to appear in a forthcoming print issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS, meanwhile an online version has been viewable since 28 December. The team behind the study comprises chemists from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), bioengineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and cell biologists from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175502.php

Everolimus-Eluting Stent Is Superior To Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent In Unselected Patients (COMPARE Study)

The conclusions of the COMPARE study are published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet. Based on the findings, the authors suggest that paclitaxel-eluting stents should no longer be used in everyday clinical practice. The everolimus-eluting stent is superior to the second generation paclitaxel-eluting stent in unselected patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in terms of safety and efficacy. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is commonly known as coronary angioplasty. It is a therapeutic procedure used to treat the narrowed arteries of the heart in patients with coronary heart disease. The term balloon angioplasty is commonly used to describe PCI, which describes the inflation of a balloon within the coronary artery to crush the 'plaque' causing the narrowing into the walls of the artery. Stents can then be inserted to prevent the artery re-narrowing. The article is the work of Dr Pieter Cornelis Smits, Dr. Elvin Kedhi, and Dr. Eugene McFadden, Department of Cardiology, Maasstad Ziekenhuis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175274.php

University Hospitals Case Medical Center Testing Gene Therapy For Alzheimer's Disease

University Hospitals Case Medical Center is one of 12 sites conducting the first Phase 2 clinical trial of a gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study uses a viral-based gene transfer system called CERE-110, which is designed to deliver nerve growth factor (NGF) into the brain. University Hospitals (UH) is the only site in the Midwest for the study. The study is sponsored by a contract to Case Western Reserve University from the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) through a grant from the National Institute on Aging in association with Ceregene, Inc., which developed and will provide the active agent CERE-110. NGF is a naturally occurring protein that may prevent nerve cells in the brain from dying and may help these cells function better. During the study, CERE-110 will be injected by a neurosurgeon into the nucleus basalis of Meynert, an area of the brain where nerve cells die in patients with AD.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175495.php

Cardiologists Repair The Heart Through The Wrist

A new approach to common cardiac procedures called transradial angiography might lead to reduced patient complications and recovery time and decreased hospital costs. Cardiologists at the University of Illinois and Jesse Brown VA medical centers are among the first in the Chicago area to offer the approach to heart angiograms and clearing blocked arteries.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175400.php

New Approach To Fighting Alzheimer's Shows Potential In Clinical Trial

In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, patients typically suffer a major loss of the brain connections necessary for memory and information processing. Now, a combination of nutrients that was developed at MIT has shown the potential to improve memory in Alzheimer's patients by stimulating growth of new brain connections. In a clinical trial of 225 Alzheimer's patients, researchers found that a cocktail of three naturally occurring nutrients believed to promote growth of those connections, known as synapses, plus other ingredients (B vitamins, phosopholipids and antioxidants), improved verbal memory in patients with mild Alzheimer's.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175334.php

Source - MIT's Technology Review:

Startup Tests Drugs Aimed at Autism

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24325/

A Helmet to Prevent Paralysis

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24312/