GBP Health / Biotech News 03-16-2010:
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EurekAlert - Biology:
Public Release: 16-Mar-2010
Cancer Cell
2 at 1 stroke -- how cells protect themselves from cancer
Cells have two different protection programs to safeguard them from getting out of control under stress and from dividing without stopping and developing cancer. Now for the first time, using an animal model for lymphoma, cancer researchers in Berlin, Germany, have shown that these two protection programs work together through an interaction with normal immune cells to prevent tumors. Their findings may be of fundamental importance in the fight against cancer.
Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, European Union, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Deutsche Krebshilfe
Contact: Barbara Bachtler
bachtler@mdc-berlin.de
49-309-406-3896
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 16-Mar-2010
2010 SIR 35th Annual Scientific MeetingJournal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Stem cells build new blood vessels to treat peripheral arterial disease
Bone marrow stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles dramatically improve the body's ability to build new blood vessels in the upper leg -- providing a potential future treatment for those with peripheral arterial disease or PAD, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.
Contact: Maryann Verrillo
mverrillo@SIRweb.org
703-460-5572
Society of Interventional Radiology
Public Release: 16-Mar-20102010 SIR 35th Annual Scientific MeetingJournal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Going for gold with a novel interventional radiology treatment for pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer -- known as the most fatal cancer with no known effective treatment-- requires a radical new therapy. A promising approach may come in the form of tiny gold nanoparticles -- loaded with a therapeutic agent to kill cancer -- in a novel procedure called "nanoembolization," said researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.
Contact: Maryann Verrillo
mverrillo@SIRweb.org
703-460-5572
Society of Interventional Radiology
Public Release: 16-Mar-20102010 SIR 35th Annual Scientific MeetingJournal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
The hot -- and cold -- interventional radiology treatments for recurrent prostate cancer
The first known patient cases using magnetic resonance-guided heat (laser interstitial thermal therapy) or cold (cryoablation) to treat prostate cancer recurrence after surgical removal of the prostate gland were presented by physicians at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa.
Contact: Maryann Verrillo
mverrillo@SIRweb.org
703-460-5572
Society of Interventional Radiology
Public Release: 16-Mar-20102010 SIR 35th Annual Scientific MeetingJournal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Shutting out soft tissue cancers in the cold
Cryotherapy, an interventional radiology treatment to freeze cancer tumors, may become the treatment of the future for cancer that has metastasized in soft tissues (such as ovarian cancer) and in bone tumors. Such patients are often not candidates for surgery and would benefit from minimally invasive treatment, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.
Contact: Maryann Verrillo
mverrillo@SIRweb.org
703-460-5572
Society of Interventional Radiology
Public Release: 16-Mar-20102010 SIR 35th Annual Scientific MeetingJournal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Freezing out breast cancer
Interventional radiologists have opened the door to an encouraging potential future treatment for the nearly 200,000 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year: image-guided, multiprobe cryotherapy. In the first reported study, researchers were able to successfully freeze breast cancer in patients who refused surgery; the women did not have to undergo surgery after treatment to ensure that tumors had been killed, note researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.
Contact: Maryann Verrillo
mverrillo@SIRweb.org
703-460-5572
Society of Interventional Radiology
Public Release: 15-Mar-20102010 SIR 35th Annual Scientific MeetingJournal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Emerging interventional radiology treatment with drug-eluting stents saves limbs
In the United States, more than 100,000 amputations are performed each year on individuals with critical limb ischemia, the most severe form of peripheral arterial disease. The number one priority in treating these patients is to re-establish blood flow to avoid limb amputation.
Contact: Maryann Verrillo
mverrillo@SIRweb.org
703-460-5572
Society of Interventional Radiology
Public Release: 12-Mar-2010Oncogene
'Microtentacles' on tumor cells appear to play role in how breast cancer spreads
Researchers at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center have discovered that "microtentacles," or extensions of the plasma membrane of breast cancer cells, appear to play a key role in how cancers spread to distant locations in the body. Targeting these microtentacles, which are linked to a protein called "tau," might prove to be a new way to prevent or slow the growth of these secondary cancers, the scientists say.NIH/National Cancer Institute, USA Medical Research and Materiel Command, Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute
Contact: Karen E. Warmkessel
kwarmkessel@umm.edu
410-328-8919
University of Maryland Medical Center
Public Release: 12-Mar-2010F1000 Medicine Reports
Preventing gastric cancer with antibiotics
Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium found in about 50 percent of humans worldwide, can cause stomach ulcers and, in extreme cases, gastric cancer. In an article for F1000 Medicine Reports, Seiji Shiota and Yoshio Yamaoka discuss the possible eradication of H. pylori infections
Contact: Steve Pogonowski
press@f1000.com
44-207-631-9134
Faculty of 1000: Biology and Medicine
Public Release: 11-Mar-2010Science Express
Discovery of cellular 'switch' may provide new means of triggering cell death, treating disease
A research team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has discovered a previously unknown cellular "switch" that may provide researchers with a new means of triggering programmed cell death, findings with implications for treating cancer.Burroughs Wellcome Fund, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Ding Xue
ding.xue@colorado.edu
303-492-0271
University of Colorado at Boulder
Public Release: 11-Mar-2010Science Express
Discovery of cellular 'switch' may provide new means of triggering cell death, treating disease
A research team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has discovered a previously unknown cellular "switch" that may provide researchers with a new means of triggering programmed cell death, findings with implications for treating cancer.Burroughs Wellcome Fund, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Ding Xue
ding.xue@colorado.edu
303-492-0271
University of Colorado at Boulder
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.
Golden Bullet for Cancer? Nanoparticles Provide Targeted Version of Photothermal Therapy for Cancer
Nanocages that efficiently convert light to heat are the basis for a targeted form of phototherapy that would destroy tumors without ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100312164701.htm
Neuroimaging Study Describes Alzheimer's Disease-Like Changes in Elderly People Without the Disease
March 16, 2010 — Researchers have related the findings that are emerging from PET-PIB imaging to changes in the function of brain ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315103936.htm
Scientists Identify microRNA as Possible Cause of Chemotherapy Resistance
March 12, 2010 — Scientists may have uncovered a mechanism for resistance to paclitaxel in ovarian cancer, microRNA-31, suggesting a possible therapeutic target for overcoming chemotherapy ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311074125.htm
Seaweed Extract May Hold Promise for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Treatment
March 12, 2010 — Seaweed extract may eventually emerge as a lymphoma treatment, according to laboratory research. Seaweeds containing fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide similar to heparin in chemical structure, have ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311074123.htm
Breast Cancer Drug Fulvestrant Appears More Effective in the Presence of CK8 and CK18
March 12, 2010 — Women's responsiveness to the second-line breast cancer drug fulvestrant may depend on whether the cancer cells are expressing two key proteins, scientists ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100310101724.htm
Novel Stroke Treatment Passes Safety Stage of Clinical Trial
March 11, 2010 — A clinical research trial of a new treatment to restore brain cells damaged by stroke has passed an important safety stage, according to the neurologist who led the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100310134200.htm
Fewer Platelets Could Be Used for Some Cancer and Bone-Marrow Transplantation Patients
March 11, 2010 — Physicians may be able to safely lower the platelet dosage in transfusions for cancer and bone-marrow transplant patients without risking increased bleeding, according to new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100310134308.htm
Poorer Breast Cancer Survival Associated With Micrometastases in Axillary Lymph Nodes
March 11, 2010 — Metastases that were 2 millimeters or less in diameter ("micrometastases") in axillary lymph nodes detected on examination of a single section of the lymph nodes were associated with poorer ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100226161426.htm
Pancreatic Cancer Study Reveals Mechanism Initiating Disease, in Mice
March 11, 2010 — Scientists have discovered how a mutated gene known as Kras is able to hijack mouse cells damaged by acute pancreatitis, putting them on the path to becoming pancreatic cancer ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100312091407.htm
New Way to Get Physical in Fight Against Cancer
March 11, 2010 — Researchers have shown that the biochemical activity of a key player in cancer metastasis can be altered by the application of a direct physical force. This new way in which cells can sense and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311175041.htm
New Tool to Help Study Prostate Cancer Developed
March 11, 2010 — Researchers have developed a new method to better study the cells that line and protect the prostate in relation to the development of cancer. Using the model, they found that normal cells and cancer ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311141220.htm
Brain Tumor's 'Grow-or-Go' Switch Discovered
March 11, 2010 — High energy levels cause glioblastoma cells to proliferate; low levels cause them to grow less and to migrate. This study discovered that a molecule called miR-451 coordinates this grow-or-go ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311151730.htm
New Alzheimer's Test Offers Better Opportunities for Early Detection
March 11, 2010 — Early detection is key to more effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive impairment, and recent research shows that a new test is more than 95 percent effective in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311111733.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: March 16, 2010
- Reports of Pine Nut Syndrome Increasing
- Michelle Obama Speaks to Food Makers
- Drug Combo Reduces Heart Patients' Risk of Bleeding Ulcers
- Study Links Early Baldness, Reduced Prostate Cancer Risk
- Boston Scientific Recalls Heart Defibrillators
Health Highlights: March 12, 2010
- Settlement in Ground Zero Lawsuit
- Rudolph Bracelets Have High Levels of Cadmium: CPSC
- Men Feel Less Guilt Than Women
- More Food Products Added to Recall List
Papaya Could Be a Cancer Fighter
Extract slows growth in lab cultures, researchers say
Clinical Trials Update: March 15, 2010
- Adolescent Migraine
- Peripheral Neuropathic Pain (PNP)
- Heart Disease
Clinical Trials Update: March 12, 2010
- Flu
- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
- Osteoporosis in Females Over 65 Not Taking Hormone Therapy
Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers in the Millions and Rising
Numbers have grown steadily since the 1990s; baby boomer epidemic predicted
Medicine's Future Could Lie in Each Patient's Genome
In two studies, scientists quickly scanned individuals' DNA to get at causes of disease
Scientists Find Stem Cells in Hair That Can Become Skin
Finding could lead to better wound care, baldness treatments, experts say
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Ligand Announces Approval for Revolade � in Europe- Business Wire - 2 hours, 34 minutes ago
SAN DIEGO----Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that GlaxoSmithKline was granted marketing authorization from the European Commission for Revolade® for the oral treatment of thrombocytopenia in adults with the blood disorder chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura .
XOMA 052 Phase 2 Trial Initiated in Type 1 Diabetes Patients- GlobeNewswire - Fri 9:00 am ET
BERKELEY, Calif. -- XOMA Ltd. , a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of XOMA 052, its antibody to interleukin-1 beta , in Type 1 diabetes patients.
Analyst: Merck's Vytorin sales will keep dropping- AP - 48 minutes ago
Sales of Merck & Co.'s blockbuster cholesterol drug Vytorin likely will continue to fall amid rising competition from rival brands and generic versions in the same class of pills, an analyst predicted Friday.
Source - Google Health News:
Using Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Technologies to Treat Parkinson's Disease
Student Pulse
As a result, current focus on PD research has shifted to the development of novel intervention strategies such as Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Therapy, which, ...
Genetix Pharma Raises $35M from Third Rock, Genzyme for Gene Therapy
Xconomy
Venture capitalists are giving the risky field of gene therapy a new dose of confidence—and cash. Genetix Pharmaceuticals, a 17-year-old developer of gene ...
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy renewed as NIH center
BCM News
HOUSTON -- (March 10, 2010) -- The Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and The Methodist Hospital has ...
Start of Phase I/II Gene Therapy Clinical Trial for Hemophilia B
PipelineReview.com (press release)
Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase I/II exploratory clinical trial with a gene therapy product ...
Source - Medical News Today :
In Cancer Diagnostics, The Profit Is In Test Services
The majority of new cancer tests coming to market are proprietary assays with the test services being provided by certified labs opened by the IVD companies that developed the tests. All the major reference labs in North America and Europe are also offering a slew of in-house developed diagnostic tests. This shift is leading to greater profits for those companies offering test services, notes healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information in its new report "The Worldwide Market for Cancer Diagnostics, 4th Edition." Test services are not a new business model. Myriad Genetics was the first company, in the mid 1990s, to offer its patented and proprietary cancer assays as a service in its own laboratory. The first generation of these tests targeted small markets where the financial investment for FDA market clearance would be difficult to recuperate with a commercial test kit.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182103.php
Technology May Reduce Need For Repeat Cancer Surgery
Every year more than 100,000 women in the United States undergo a lumpectomy, a conservative procedure to remove cancerous tumors while preserving the breast. The surgeon's goal is to attain a tumor-free, or negative, surgical margin the first time they operate. Current surgical tools may cause heat damage to the tissue samples needed for examination by a pathologist in order to identify the presence of cancerous cells on the edges of tumors. Surgeons at Moores UCSD Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center based at UC San Diego, are conducting a clinical trial to evaluate whether a FDA-approved device that uses radiofrequency energy may cause less collateral damage to excised tissue, therefore making it easier to examine the tumor and ensure it is entirely removed. The effects of the device will then be studied.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182050.php
Destroying Cancers By Exploiting Their Architecture
After making a diagnosis of cancer , clinicians have a number of treatment options. Most of these involve coordinating multiple attacks on the tumor using an arsenal of cancer-killing therapies. Chemotherapy, where toxic drugs are used to specifically kill cancer cells, is a very powerful weapon in this arsenal. It is extremely effective in treating some cancers, such as testicular cancer and Hodgkin's Disease, but works poorly in other cancer types. Although the reasons for these different responses are complex, one of the known limitations for solid tumors is that sometimes killer drugs injected into the bloodstream are not delivered efficiently to the tumor tissue, and even if they do reach their target, are not retained long enough to administer their lethal hit. Professor Lisa Coussens and her coworkers, based at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, have now discovered a way of enhancing drug delivery to tumors: using the cancer's own architecture to bring about its downfall. Solid tumors need a good blood supply in order to grow, and the blood vessels nourishing the tumors are frequently disorganized and leaky, allowing drugs to leach into the tumor. However, this useful property is counteracted by high tissue pressure within the tumor itself, which creates a barrier for drug uptake. Coussens' team have found a way of tipping the balance in favor of the blood vessels. Using a mouse model of cancer, they show that blocking the action of a signaling molecule called ALK5 makes tumor blood vessels even leakier for a short period of time, and this window of leakiness can be used to "open up" the tumor for more efficient delivery of drugs.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/181964.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Leakier Tumor Vessels Enhance Drug Delivery
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24757/
Hunting Disease Origins with Whole-Genome Sequencing
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24720/
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