GBP Health / Biotech News 08-14-2009

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: 14-Aug-2009
PLoS Pathogens
New strategy for inhibiting virus replication
Viruses need living cells for replication and production of virus progeny. Thus far, antiviral therapy primarily targets viral factors but often induces therapy resistance. New improved therapies attempt to targets cellular factors that are essential for viral replication.
Contact: Dr. Ralf Bartenschlager
Ralf_Bartenschlager@med.uni-heidelberg.de
062-215-64569
University Hospital Heidelberg

Public Release: 14-Aug-2009
Science
Bionanomachines -- proteins as resistance fighters
Friction limits the speed and efficiency of macroscopic engines. Is this also true for nanomachines?
Max Planck Society
Contact: Florian Frisch
frisch@mpi-cbg.de
49-035-121-02840
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft


Public Release: 13-Aug-2009
Nature Chemistry
Molecules wrestle for supremacy in creation of superstructures
Research at the University of Liverpool has found how mirror-image molecules gain control over each other and dictate the physical state of superstructures.
Contact: Kate Spark
kate.spark@liv.ac.uk
01-517-942-247
University of Liverpool

Public Release: 13-Aug-2009
Molecular Cell
MRC scientists advance understanding of cell death
Medical Research Council scientists have made an important advance in understanding the biological processes involved when cells are prompted to die. The work may help scientists to eventually develop new treatments for the many common diseases and conditions which occur when cell death goes wrong.
Medical Research Council
Contact: Nicola Osmond-Evans
press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
020-767-05138
University of Leicester

Public Release: 13-Aug-2009
Leukemia
New study suggests possible genetic links between environmental toxins and multiple myeloma
Several SNPs associated with bone disease in myeloma have been identified and reported in a paper in the current issue of Leukemia. Several of these SNPs are believed to be associated with toxin metabolism and/or DNA repair. Although these findings are still preliminary, they could explain an increasing incidence of myeloma, including the unexpected findings of myeloma among younger (under 45 years old) responders to the 9/11 World Trade Center site reported separately this week.
Contact: Jennifer Anderson
212-918-4642
BioCom Partners

Public Release: 13-Aug-2009
Nature Biotechnology
Technique enables efficient gene splicing in human embryonic stem cells
A novel technique allows for precise, efficient gene editing into the genomes of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. For years, scientists have easily swapped genes in and out of mouse ESC or iPS cell genomes, but have had a notoriously difficult time disrupting or inserting genes into their human equivalents. This hurdle has hampered efforts to create specific cell types for modeling genetic diseases, like Parkinson's.
National Institutes of Health, Life Sciences Research Foundation
Contact: Nicole Giese
giese@wi.mit.edu
617-258-6851
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Public Release: 13-Aug-2009
First compound that specifically kills cancer stem cells found
The cancer stem cells that drive tumor growth and resist chemotherapies and radiation treatments that kill other cancer cells aren't invincible after all. Researchers reporting online on August 13 in the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, have discovered the first compound that targets those cancer stem cells directly.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Public Release: 13-Aug-2009
Cell
New method takes aim at aggressive cancer cells
A multi-institutional team has discovered a chemical that works in mice to kill the rare, aggressive cells within breast cancers that can seed new tumors. These cells, known as cancer stem cells, are thought to enable cancers to spread -- and to reemerge after seemingly successful treatment. Although work is needed to determine whether this chemical holds promise for humans, the study shows that it is possible to find chemicals that selectively kill cancer stem cells.
NIH/National Cancer Institute, Initiative for Chemical Genetics
Contact: Matt Fearer
fearer@wi.mit.edu
617-452-4630
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Public Release: 13-Aug-2009
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Cancer mortality rates experience steady decline
The number of cancer deaths has declined steadily in the last three decades. Although younger people have experienced the steepest declines, all age groups have shown some improvement, according to a recent report in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Contact: Jeremy Moore
jeremy.moore@aacr.org
267-646-0557
American Association for Cancer Research

Public Release: 12-Aug-2009
Annual Meeting of the Human Brain Mapping Organization
A window into the brain
Dr. Yaniv Assaf of Tel Aviv University has pioneered a new way to track the effect of memory on brain structure with a methodology called "Diffusion Imaging MRI."
Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Public Release: 12-Aug-2009
New England Journal of Medicine
Gene therapy 1 year later: Patients healthy and maintain early visual improvement
Three young adults who received gene therapy for a blinding eye condition remained healthy and maintained previous visual gains one year later, according to an August online report in Human Gene Therapy. One patient also noticed a visual improvement that helped her perform daily tasks, which scientists describe in an Aug. 13 letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine.
NIH/National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health
Contact: National Eye Institute
neinews@nei.nih.gov
301-496-5248
NIH/National Eye Institute


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.

Cancer Mortality Rates Experience Steady Decline: Conventional Method May Underreport Declining Death Rate For All Age Groups
August 14, 2009 — The number of cancer deaths has declined steadily in the last three decades. Although younger people have experienced the steepest declines, all age groups have shown some improvement, according to a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142359.htm

White Tea Could Keep You Healthy And Looking Young
August 14, 2009 — Next time you're making a cup of tea, new research shows it might be wise to opt for a white tea if you want to reduce your risk of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or even just age-associated wrinkles. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810085312.htm

Discovery Brings Hope To Treatment Of Lymphatic Diseases
August 14, 2009 — Researchers have discovered the first naturally occurring molecule that selectively blocks lymphatic vessel ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122141.htm

Novel, Orally Inhaled Migraine Therapy Is Effective, Study Shows
August 14, 2009 — A new study shows an investigational, orally-inhaled therapy is effective in treating migraines. The multi-center, phase three FREEDOM-301 trial for the orally-inhaled migraine therapy, LEVADEX, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143546.htm

Mediterranean Diet, Physical Activity Linked With Lower Risk Of Alzheimer Disease
August 13, 2009 — Elderly individuals who had a diet that included higher consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereal and fish, and was low in red meat and poultry and who were physically active had an ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811161306.htm

Multiple Types Of White Blood Cells Made Directly From Embryonic And Adult Stem Cells
August 13, 2009 — In an advance that could help transform embryonic stem cells into a multipurpose medical tool, scientists have transformed these versatile cells into progenitors of white blood cells and into six ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810174223.htm

New No-needle Approach To Prevent Blood Clots
August 13, 2009 — Scientists have found a better way to prevent deadly blood clots after joint replacement surgery -- a major problem that results in thousands of unnecessary deaths each ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811191705.htm

Estrogen-dependent Switch Tempers Killing Activity Of Immune Cells
August 13, 2009 — The sex hormone estrogen tempers the killing activity of a specific group of immune cells, the cytotoxic T cells, which are known to attack tumor cells and cells infected by viruses. The key player ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810104805.htm

Discovery Of A Mechanism Controlling The Fate Of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
August 13, 2009 — Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of manufacturing all types of blood cells. But which factors influence the production of a specific type of cell? Until now, it was thought that this was a random ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730233126.htm

Bypassing Bypass Surgery: New Blood Vessels Grown To Combat Heart Disease
August 13, 2009 — Although open-heart surgery is a frequent treatment for heart disease, it remains extremely dangerous. Now groundbreaking research has shown the potential for an injected protein to regrow blood ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142438.htm

New Method Takes Aim At Aggressive Cancer Cells
August 13, 2009 — Researchers have discovered a chemical that works in mice to kill the rare, aggressive cells within breast cancers that can seed new tumors. These cells, known as cancer stem cells, are thought to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142135.htm

MRI May Cause More Harm Than Good In Newly Diagnosed Early Breast Cancer
August 13, 2009 — A new review says using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery to assess the extent of early breast cancer has not been shown to improve surgical planning, reduce follow-up surgery, or ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813083331.htm

Novel Tumor Suppressor Discovered
August 12, 2009 — Researchers studying an enzyme believed to play a role in allergy onset, instead have discovered its previously unknown role as a tumor suppressor that may be important in myeloproliferative diseases ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803122719.htm

Viral Mimic Induces Melanoma Cells To Digest Themselves
August 12, 2009 — Recent research has uncovered an unexpected vulnerability in deadly melanoma cells that, when exploited, can cause the cancer cells to turn against themselves. The study identifies a new target for ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803122717.htm

Cell Reproduction Research May Point To 'Off Switch' For Cancer
August 12, 2009 — New insight into how human cells reproduce could help scientists move closer to finding an "off switch" for cancer. Cancer cells divide uncontrollably and can move from one part of the body to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812163756.htm

Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Aug. 14, 2009

• Fewer Full-Time, Low-Income Workers Have Insurance
• Fatty Foods Impair Memory and Exercise Performance: Study
• Stent Study Expanded
• Canadian Isotope Reactor Down Till 2010
  

Compound Targets, Destroys Cancer Stem Cells in Mice
Finding could lead to new therapeutic possibilities, researchers say

Device May Offer Alternative to Warfarin for Arrhythmia
Implantation in people at risk for stroke could reduce medication use, study suggests

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 14, 2009

• Atopic Dermatitis
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Insomnia
  

They Snooze Less, But They Don't Lose
Genetic mutation could explain why some function fine on six hours a night

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 13, 2009

• Acne
• Schizophrenia
• Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
  

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 12, 2009

• Chronic Knee Pain
• Adolescent Depression
• Smoking
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:


Schering-Plough gets FDA approval for Saphris - AP - 1 hour, 54 minutes ago
Schering-Plough Corp. says the Food and Drug Administration approved its drug Saphris for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.


Source - Google Health News:


Experts expect flu pandemic at some point
Coastal Courier
There is no current vaccine for the H5N1 avian virus but a new swine influenza vaccine has finished its trial run and will be available in a few months. ...

Vaccine R&D takes national priority
Bangkok Post
Vaccine research and development is being rushed on to the national agenda amid fears the absence of a vaccine against deadly diseases could affect national ...

Homeless people die after bird flu vaccine trial in Poland
Center for Research on Globalization
The suspects said that the all those involved knew that the trial involved an anti-H5N1 drug and willingly participated. The news of the investigation will ...

Gene Therapy Offers Hope Against Inherited Blindness
U.S. News & World Report
12 (HealthDay News) -- Gene therapy for an inherited form of blindness shows promise, a US study shows. The phase I trial included three patients, aged 22, ...

Cash for Cardiovascular: Who Might Be Next?
Seeking Alpha
Several of these approaches, including gene therapy and stem cell therapy, are making significant progress in the preclinical and clinical space. ...

Landmark finding on cystic fibrosis gave CWRU's Mitch Drumm an ...
The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com
The discovery raised hopes that the disease would soon be eliminated through gene therapy. So far, gene therapy for CF hasn't paid off. ...


Source - Medical News Today:

Scientists Develop Way To Seek And Destroy Cancer Stem Cells
Scientists in the US have developed a way of identifying chemicals that specifically seek and destroy cancer stem cells and showed it worked by finding a compound that was toxic only to breast cancer stem cells in mice. The study was the work of first author Dr Piyush B Gupta, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues, who wrote a paper about it in the 13 August online issue of the journal Cell.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160741.php

Wine May Provide Radioprotective Effect For Breast Cancer Patients
Drinking wine while undergoing radiation treatment for breast carcinoma may reduce the incidence of skin toxicity in breast cancer patients, according to a study in the August issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Preventing radiation therapy-induced side effects is an important part of a patient's cancer treatment management. Several medications are available to help protect healthy organs from the effects of radiation, but they are often expensive, have side effects themselves and can provide protection to tumor cells as well as healthy cells.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160653.php

Human Genome Sequenced For Less Than $50K
With the help of two other people, the resources of one lab and a commercially available, refrigerator-sized machine, a US university professor has sequenced his entire genome at a cost of less than $50,000. In 2001 when scientists started mapping the DNA of humans, such a feat would have cost hundreds of million of dollars and involved enough people to fill half a jumbo jet, and even last year, the lowest reported cost for this was quarter of a million dollars and needed 200 people. Dr Stephen Quake, a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford, California, and his two colleagues, research manager Dr Norma F Neff and doctoral student Dmitry Pushkarev, have written a paper about it in the 10 August online issue of Nature Biotechnology.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160563.php


Source - MIT's Technology Review:

Gene Therapy Creates a New Fovea
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23239/

Killing Cancer Stem Cells
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23222/

Molecular Condom Blocks HIV
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23214/

GBP Health / Biotech News 08-11-2009

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: 11-Aug-2009
FASEB Journal
High-fat diet affects physical and memory abilities of rats after 9 days
Rats fed a high-fat diet show a stark reduction in their physical endurance and a decline in their cognitive ability after just nine days, a study by Oxford University researchers has shown.
British Heart Foundation, Wellcome Trust
Contact: Genevieve Maul
Genevieve.maul@admin.cam.ac.uk
44-012-233-32300
University of Cambridge

Public Release: 10-Aug-2009
Journal of Neuroscience
Life and death in the living brain
Like clockwork, brain regions in many songbird species expand and shrink seasonally in response to hormones. Now, for the first time, neurobiologists have interrupted this natural "annual remodeling" of the brain and have shown that there is a direct link between the death of old neurons and their replacement by newly born ones in a living vertebrate.
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
Contact: Joel Schwarz
joels@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington

Public Release: 10-Aug-2009
European Journal of Pharmacology
Taking the needle's sting out of diabetes
A new anti-Ras compound developed at Tel Aviv University may lead to the first tablet-based treatment for children and adults with type 1 diabetes.
Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University

Public Release: 10-Aug-2009
Stem Cells
STAT3 gene regulates cancer stem cells in brain cancer
Tufts researchers find that the STAT3 gene regulates the growth of cancer stem cells in the brain cancer Glioblastoma multiforme. This evidence is consistent with the controversial theory that a minority of cells within a tumor -- cancer stem cells -- are essential for tumor growth.
National Brain Tumor Society, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Siobhan Gallagher
617-636-6586
Tufts University, Health Sciences

Public Release: 10-Aug-2009
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Estrogen-dependent switch tempers killing activity of immune cells
The sex hormone estrogen tempers the killing activity of a specific group of immune cells, the cytotoxic T cells, which are known to attack tumor cells and cells infected by viruses. The key player in this process is a cytotoxic T cell molecule which has been known for a long time and which scientists have named EBAG9. Cancer researchers in Berlin, Germany, have now unraveled the function of EBAG9.
Deutsche Krebshilfe, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Contact: Barbara Bachtler
bachtler@mdc-berlin.de
49-309-406-3896
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

Public Release: 10-Aug-2009
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Scientists make multiple types of white blood cells directly from embryonic and adult stem cells
In an advance that could help transform embryonic stem cells into a multipurpose medical tool, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have transformed these versatile cells into progenitors of white blood cells and into six types of mature white blood and immune cells.
Contact: Igor Slukvin
islukvin@wisc.edu
608-263-0058
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Public Release: 9-Aug-2009
Advanced Functional Materials
An HIV-blocking gel for women
University of Utah scientists developed a new kind of "molecular condom" to protect women from AIDS in Africa and other impoverished areas. Before sex, women would insert a vaginal gel that turns semisolid in the presence of semen, trapping AIDS virus particles in a microscopic mesh so they can't infect vaginal cells.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Lee Siegel
leesiegel@ucomm.utah.edu
801-581-8993
University of Utah

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.

Gene Therapy Trial Succeeds In Boosting Protective Protein In Patients With Hereditary Lung Disease
August 11, 2009 — Gene therapy researchers have safely given new, functional genes to patients with a hereditary defect that can lead to fatal lung and liver diseases, according to clinical trial findings. Three ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810174259.htm

Genetic Circuit That Regulates Behavior Of Stem Cells Discovered
August 11, 2009 — This circuit explains the fact that stem cells are always prepared to change into any type of cell. The discovery will greatly increase the ability of researchers to maintain embryonic stem cells in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720083208.htm

Avian Influenza Strain Primes Brain For Parkinson's Disease
August 11, 2009 — At least one strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus leaves survivors at significantly increased risk for Parkinson's disease and possibly other neurological problems later in life, according to new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162146.htm

Potential Alzheimer's Disease Drug: New Class Of Compounds Discovered
August 11, 2009 — A new class of molecules capable of blocking the formation of specific protein clumps that are believed to contribute to Alzheimer's disease pathology has been discovered. By assaying close to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162015.htm

Advanced Targeted Therapies Effective As First-line Treatment For Lung Cancer
August 11, 2009 — Several new studies show that targeted therapies, as first-line treatment, have the potential to slow cancer growth and improve patient ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801133135.htm

Physicians Bust Myths About Insulin
August 11, 2009 — People diagnosed with type 2 diabetes often resist taking insulin because they fear gaining weight, developing low blood sugar and seeing their quality of life decline. A study suggests that those ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811015711.htm

A Step Toward Preventing Lung Cancer From Spreading To The Brain And New Clinical Trial Results
August 10, 2009 — Medical researchers have announced two significant advances in treating lung cancer. New research could eventually help prevent lung cancer from spreading to the brain. Researchers have also ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807135058.htm

Two Lines Account For Most Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Researcher Finds
August 10, 2009 — For the past eight years, scientists who wanted to use federal funds for research on human embryonic stem cells had to restrict their studies to 21 cell lines approved by the National Institutes of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807141852.htm

Gene Signature For Cancer Stem Cells May Provide Drug Targets
August 10, 2009 — A subset of tumor cells that remain after a woman with breast cancer undergoes treatment with either anti-cancer or anti-hormone therapy shows a "gene signature" that could be used to define targets ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803172942.htm

New Cancer Drug Delivery System Is Effective And Reversible
August 10, 2009 — Cancer drugs must be effective. But they must also target cancer cells and spare healthy cells. And -- ideally -- they'll come with an easy antidote. Researchers report that they have developed a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806112359.htm

New DNA And RNA Aptamers Offer Unique Therapeutic Advantages
August 10, 2009 — A novel class of drugs composed of single strands of DNA or RNA, called aptamers, can bind protein targets with a high strength and specificity and are currently in clinical development as treatments ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805133021.htm

Basic Mechanism Of Skin Cancer Development Illuminated
August 10, 2009 — Scientists reveal the function of a protein in the Ras signalling pathway. Their findings provide the basis for research on novel therapeutic strategies in Ras-induced skin cancers, e.g. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803212053.htm

Metastatic Cancer And Macrophages: Cells Thought To Protect Against Cancer May Actually Promote It
August 10, 2009 — The deadliest part of the cancer process, metastasis, appears to rely on help from macrophages, potent immune system cells that usually defend vigorously against disease, researchers ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810174303.htm

Tumors Feel The Deadly Sting Of Nanobees
August 10, 2009 — When bees sting, they pump poison into their victims. Now the toxin in bee venom has been harnessed to kill tumor cells. Researchers attached the major component of bee venom to nano-sized spheres ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810174226.htm

New Light-emitting Biomaterial Could Improve Tumor Imaging, Study Shows
August 10, 2009 — A new material -- an oxygen nanosensor that couples a light-emitting dye with a biopolymer -- simplifies the imaging of oxygen-deficient regions of tumors. Such tumors are associated with increased ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162107.htm

Study Identifies Risk Factors For Transformation Of Eye Growths Into Melanoma
August 10, 2009 — Eight factors may predict whether a choroidal nevus -- a benign, flat, pigmented growth inside the eye and beneath the retina -- may develop into melanoma, according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810161915.htm

What Makes Stem Cells Tick?
August 9, 2009 — Investigators have made the first comparative, large-scale phosphoproteomic analysis of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and their differentiated ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141739.htm

Crystal Ball For Brain Cancer? New Method Predicts Which Brain Tumors Will Respond To Drug
August 8, 2009 — Researchers have uncovered a new way to scan brain tumors and predict which ones will be shrunk by the drug Avastin -- before the patient ever starts treatment. By linking high water movement in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730073609.htm

Antibody Linked To Chemotherapy Drug Inhibits Ovarian Cancer In Lab
August 8, 2009 — A novel anticancer agent, consisting of a monoclonal antibody linked to a chemotherapy drug, showed substantial anti-tumor activity in ovarian cancer cell lines and in mice, according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729170642.htm


Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Aug. 11, 2009

• Longest Single Heart-Transplant Survivor Dies of Cancer
• U.S., Canada, Mexico to Unite Against Swine Flu
• Antiviral Drugs Little Protection Against Flu Complications in Kids
• U.S. Birth Rate Declined in 2008
  

New Bone-Building Drug Promising Against Prostate Cancer
Monoclonal antibody denosumab counters effects of hormone therapy, study finds.

Stem Cell Advance May Further Disease Research
Uses for newly engineered white blood cells could include drug testing, researchers say

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 11, 2009

• Asthma
• Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
• Migraine Study for Asthma Suffers
  

9/11 Responders May Be At Raised Myeloma Risk
Cases are appearing at a younger age than is normal, researchers note

Radiation for Brain Tumors May Affect Cognition
Whether finding applies to today's treatments remains unclear, experts say

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 10, 2009

• Osteoarthritis
• Overactive Bladder
• Diabetes Type 2
  

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 7, 2009

• Mild to Moderate Asthma
• Female Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (Low Libido)
• Psoriasis
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:


Studies Published in the New England Journal of Medicine Highlight Potential New Option in the Treatment of Bone Loss - PR Newswire - 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
Amgen Inc. today announced the publication of results from two pivotal Phase 3 studies investigating the safety and effectiveness of denosumab at reducing fracture risk in more than 7,800 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis and in more than 1,400 men with non-metastatic prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy leading to bone loss.

Anadys says hepatitis C drug shows potential - AP - 2 hours, 14 minutes ago
Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday its hepatitis C drug candidate ANA-773 could be extremely effective at treating the diseases.

Javelin pain drug misses key study goal - AP - Tue 8:53 am ET
Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday its pain treatment candidate Ereska failed to meet the key goal of reducing pain during a late-stage study on postoperative patients.


Source - Google Health News:

Inovio Biomedical and NIH Vaccine Research Center Sign Research ...
WELT ONLINE
... H3N2, and H5N1, which make up the majority of seasonal and pandemic influenza. A resulting vaccine could target seasonal as well as pandemic-potential ...


Scientists alter cells to produce insulin
United Press International
For reasons unknown, the gene therapy worked best on mice less than 1 month old, completely counteracting the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, Collombat said. ...

Gene Therapy Trial Succeeds In Boosting Protective Protein In ...
Science Daily (press release)
"This trial represents a very important step toward a potential gene therapy for the 100000 or more Americans who suffer with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency ...

Combination Therapy Increasingly Popular for Mesothelioma Treatment
Blogger News Network
... and some of the combinations that may be used in this treatment include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, gene therapy, surgery, and immunotherapy. ...

Mesothelioma multimodality therapy gaining favor
TransWorldNews (press release)
These methods may include radiation therapy, surgery, gene therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. Treatment regimens can use a wide range of combinations. ...


Source - Medical News Today:

Researchers Identify Potential Target For Metastatic Cancer
The deadliest part of the cancer process, metastasis, appears to rely on help from macrophages, potent immune system cells that usually defend vigorously against disease, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University report. In a new study published online in PLoS ONE, Einstein cancer research specialist Jeffrey W. Pollard, Ph.D., and seven colleagues analyzed the movement of breast cancer cells in mice to show that a distinct population of macrophages helps malignant cells set up shop at distant sites. This process, known as metastasis, is the main reason cancer patients die.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160279.php

Dogs' Intelligence On A Par With 2-Year-Old Humans, Renowned Canine Researcher Says
Although you wouldn't want one to balance your checkbook, dogs can count. They can also understand more than 150 words and intentionally deceive other dogs and people to get treats, according to psychologist and leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia. He spoke Saturday on the topic "How Dogs Think" at the American Psychological Association's 117th Annual Convention.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160242.php

Converting Noninsulin-Producing Alpha Cells In The Pancreas To Insulin-Producing Beta Cells
In findings that add to the prospects of regenerating insulin-producing cells in people with type 1 diabetes , researchers in Europe -- co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation -- have shown that insulin-producing beta cells can be derived from non-insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. In results of a study published in the journal Cell, the researchers, led by Patrick Collombat of the Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Germany and Ahmed Mansouri of the University of Göttingen in Germany, in collaboration with researchers at the JDRF Center for Beta Cell Therapy in Diabetes in Brussels, discovered in mice that new insulin-producing beta cells can be generated from alpha cells in the islets of the pancreas by modifying the expression of a specific gene (Pax4) in alpha cells. (Alpha cells generate the hormone glucagon in response to low blood sugar to restore normal blood sugar levels.) They also discovered that the alpha cells that give rise to new beta cells originate from progenitor cells in the pancreas. The newly formed beta cells result in better glucose control and prolonged survival of younger mice with diabetes.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160086.php

Common Trigger In Cancer And Normal Stem Cell Reproduction Discovered By Stanford Scientists
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered, for the first time, a common molecular pathway that is used by both normal stem cells and cancer stem cells when they reproduce themselves. In a paper published Aug. 7 in the journal Cell, Michael Clarke, MD, the Karel H. and Avice N. Beekhuis Professor in Cancer Biology, and his colleagues showed that breast cancer stem cells and normal breast stem cells turn down the creation of a specific group of cell signals when they are reproducing. Increasing the amount of one of these signals, called miR-200c, strongly suppressed the ability of both cancer stem cells and normal stem cells to divide and reproduce.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160132.php


Source - MIT's Technology Review:

Nanoconstruction with Curved DNA
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23155/

GBP Health / Biotech News 08-07-2009

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: 6-Aug-2009
Angewandte Chemie
New cancer drug delivery system is effective and reversible
Cancer drugs must be effective. But they must also target cancer cells and spare healthy cells. And -- ideally -- they'll come with an easy antidote. University of Illinois researchers report that they have developed a cancer drug delivery system that achieves all of the above.
National Science Foundation, Siteman Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology
Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Public Release: 6-Aug-2009
Cell
Yale researchers find key to keeping cells in shape
Yale University researchers have discovered how a protein within most cell membranes helps maintain normal cell size, a breakthrough in basic biology that has implications for a variety of diseases such as sickle cell anemia and disorders of the nervous system.
National Institutes of Health, Leducq Foundation
Contact: Bill Hathaway
william.hathaway@yale.edu
203-432-1322
Yale University

Public Release: 6-Aug-2009
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Women often opt to surgically remove their breasts, ovaries to reduce cancer risk
Many women at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer are choosing to undergo surgery as a precautionary measure to decrease their cancer risk, according to a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Contact: Tara Yates
tara.yates@aacr.org
267-646-0558
American Association for Cancer Research

Public Release: 6-Aug-2009
Science
Penn researchers show that protein unfolding is key for understanding blood clot mechanics
Fibrin, the chief ingredient of blood clots, is a remarkably versatile polymer. On one hand, it forms a network of fibers -- a blood clot -- that stems the loss of blood at an injury site while remaining pliable and flexible. On the other hand, fibrin provides a scaffold for thrombi, clots that block blood vessels and cause tissue damage, leading to cardiovascular disease. The answer is a process known as protein unfolding.
NIH/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Science Foundation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Public Release: 6-Aug-2009
Cell
More insulin-producing cells, at the flip of a 'switch'
Researchers have found a way in mice to convert another type of pancreas cell into the critical insulin-producing beta cells that are lost in those with type I diabetes. The secret ingredient is a single transcription factor, according to the report in the Aug. 7 issue of Cell, a Cell Press journal.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Public Release: 6-Aug-2009
Cell Stem Cell
Johns Hopkins researchers make stem cells from developing sperm
The promise of stem cell therapy may lie in uncovering how adult cells revert back into a primordial, stem cell state, whose fate is yet to be determined. Now, cell scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have identified key molecular players responsible for this reversion in fruit fly sperm cells. Reporting online this week in Cell Stem Cell, researchers show that two proteins are responsible redirecting cells on the way to becoming sperm back to stem cells.
Contact: Audrey Huang
audrey@jhmi.edu
410-614-5105
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Public Release: 6-Aug-2009
Cell Host and Microbe
Got influenza? Blood genomic signature provides clues to etiology of respiratory infections
Scientists have shown that they can identify and characterize an individual's response to a respiratory viral infection by examining the pattern of gene expression in their blood. The research, published by Cell Press online on Aug. 6 in the journal Cell Host and Microbe, is the first step toward a blood test that may someday be used to decide who would benefit from an antiviral versus antibiotic treatment and possibly even determine prognosis after viral infection or therapeutic intervention.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Public Release: 5-Aug-2009
Sensitizing tumor response to cancer therapy
University of Arizona researchers are working to find natural, biologically active compounds that will sensitize cancerous tumors to therapy without damaging normal tissue.
Contact: Johnny Cruz
cruzj@email.arizona.edu
520-621-1879
University of Arizona

Public Release: 3-Aug-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Chemists explain the switchboards in our cells
Our cells are controlled by billions of molecular "switches" and chemists at UC Santa Barbara have developed a theory that explains how these molecules work. Their findings may significantly help efforts to build biologically based sensors for the detection of chemicals ranging from drugs to explosives to disease markers.
Contact: Gail Gallessich
gail.g@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-7220
University of California - Santa Barbara

Public Release: 3-Aug-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Epilepsy halted in mice
Scientists in Leeds have prevented epilepsy caused by a gene defect from being passed on to mice offspring -- an achievement which may herald new therapies for people suffering from the condition.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Contact: Jo Kelly
jokelly@campuspr.co.uk
44-113-258-9880
University of Leeds


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.

Gene Shut-down May Offer Early Warning Of Chronic Leukemia
August 7, 2009 — A new study shows that certain genes are turned off early in the development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), before clinical signs of the disease appear. The study examined cancer cells from ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805164919.htm

Common Trigger In Cancer And Normal Stem Cell Reproduction Found
August 7, 2009 — Researchers have discovered, for the first time, a common molecular pathway that is used by both normal stem cells and cancer stem cells when they reproduce ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806121722.htm

New Alzheimer's Gene Discovered
August 7, 2009 — A new study has found that a gene called TOMM40 appears twice as often in people with Alzheimer's disease than in those without it. Alzheimer's, for which there is no cure, is the leading cause of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806201916.htm

Finding Key To Cancer Drug Gleevec's Limitations
August 7, 2009 — Researchers have learned why imatinib, marketed as Gleevec, helps patients with chronic myeloid leukemia survive longer, but does not keep the disease from returning if treatment ends. The team is ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805084953.htm

Cancer Cells Are Protected By Our Own Immune System
August 7, 2009 — During the very first few days of development of a cancer, our immune system recognizes cancer cells not as abnormal cells requiring eradication but as cells of the body that need to be ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807091437.htm

High Cholesterol In Midlife Raises Risk Of Late-life Dementia, Study Finds
August 6, 2009 — Elevated cholesterol levels in midlife -- even levels considered only borderline elevated -- significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia later in life, according to a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804071408.htm

All-in-One Nanoparticle: A 'Swiss Army Knife' For Nanomedicine
August 6, 2009 — Nanoparticles are being developed to perform a wide range of medical uses -- imaging tumors, carrying drugs, delivering pulses of heat. Rather than settling for just one of these, researchers have ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191923.htm

Decoding Leukemia Patient Genome Leads Scientists To Mutations In Other Patients
August 6, 2009 — Scientists have sequenced the complete genome of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia, discovering a suite of genetic changes in the cancer cells. Their research has revealed that one of these ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805171107.htm

MRI May Help Physicians Diagnose, Stage And Treat Diabetes
August 6, 2009 — Noninvasive imaging may aid physicians in the early diagnosis, staging and treatment of diabetes, according to a new study. This is the first study of its kind to apply noninvasive imaging techniques ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805110732.htm

Cardiovascular Risk After Ischemic Attack Predicted By Ultrasound
August 6, 2009 — Ultrasound can be used to determine a patient's heart risk after a transient ischemic attack. An evaluation of transcranial and extracranial Doppler ultrasonography has shown that both future stroke ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729203652.htm

Tumor Mutations Can Predict Chemo Success
August 6, 2009 — Cancer biologists show that the interplay between two key genes that are often defective in tumors determines how cancer cells respond to chemotherapy. The findings should have an immediate impact on ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806170723.htm

Promising Candidate Protein For Cancer Prevention Vaccines
August 5, 2009 — Researchers have learned that some healthy people naturally developed an immune response against a protein that is made in excess levels in many cancers, including breast, lung, and head and neck ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804111730.htm

Unraveling How Cells Respond To Low Oxygen
August 5, 2009 — Scientists have elucidated how the stability of the REDD1 protein is regulated. The REDD1 protein is a critical inhibitor of the mTOR signaling pathway, which controls cell growth and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805164915.htm

Cardiovascular Diseases: Researchers Have Found A Way To Treat Ischemic Pathologies
August 5, 2009 — Scientists have developed a new area of research which looks extremely promising regarding the development of new therapeutic responses to ischemic pathologies and cardiovascular diseases in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805075753.htm

'Brain Exercises' May Delay Memory Decline In Dementia
August 4, 2009 — People who engage in activities that exercise the brain, such as reading, writing, and playing card games, may delay the rapid memory decline that occurs if they later develop dementia, according to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803172940.htm

Tiny Device To 'Sniff Out' Disease, Heart Attacks, Poison And Environmental Pollution Developed
August 4, 2009 — Scientists have coupled biological materials with an electrode-based device to create a customizable sensor that can detect pathogens and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803132744.htm


Source - Health Day:

Health Highlights: Aug. 7, 2009

• FDA Head Promises Stronger Enforcement Of Food/Drug Safety
• Scientists Identify Itch-Transmitting Cells
• Ground Beef Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns
• Seasonal Flu Vaccines Shipped Early
• Clinton-Brokered Deal to Bring Low-Cost HIV Meds to Poorer Nations
  

Stroke Doubles Risk of Hip, Thigh Fractures
Preventive measures urgently needed, researcher says.

Rapid Swine Flu Test Misses Many Infections
Doctors should diagnose based on symptoms and strains in circulation, experts say

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 6, 2009

• Major Depression
• High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
• Osteoarthritis
  

U.S. Spending on Mental Health Care Soaring
Rate of increase now outstrips that for heart disease, cancer, data shows

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 5, 2009

• Overactive Bladder
• Healthy Male Volunteers
• Pain After Shingles
  

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 4, 2009

• High Cholesterol and High Triglyceride
• Endometriosis
• Atrial Fibrillation
  

Source - Yahoo Biotech News:


When a $6M Company Signs a Potentially $50M Deal... - Indie Research - 1 hour, 35 minutes ago
Opexa shares quadrupled on news of a deal that could be worth almost ten times its market cap from yesterday.

Celgene slips as analyst doubts Revlimid sales - AP - Thu 1:07 pm ET
Shares of Celgene Corp. gave up some of their recent gains Thursday after an analyst downgraded the stock, saying the biotechnology company and its cancer drug Revlimid may not meet Wall Street's expectations.

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Announces Initiation of Phase I/II Clinical Trial of Novel Vaccine for Patients With Advanced Prostate Cancer - PR Newswire - Thu 8:00 am ET
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced dosing of the first patient in a Phase I/II clinical trial of BP-GMAX-CD1, a novel pharmacologically regulated dendritic cell vaccine for the treatment of prostate cancer.

President Clinton, Pfizer, and Mylan Announce New Agreements to Lower Prices of Medicines for Patients with Drug-Resistant HIV in Developing Countries - Business Wire - Thu 12:30 pm ET
NEW YORK----President Bill Clinton announced two important and complementary agreements today to enable better, more affordable treatments for patients on second-line antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS in the developing world.


Source - Google Health News:


How Safe Is The Swine Flu Vaccine?
Free Internet Press
In 2004, a new type of killer bird flu virus known as H5N1 made headlines when it became known that the resulting illness was fatal in 60 percent of those ...

WHO sees swine flu vaccination from next month
Reuters
Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research, said manufacturers had initially reported poor yields in making vaccine, ...

Gene therapy
The Engineer
Patients suffering from a rare congenital liver disease could be cured with a technique that delivers gene therapy directly to the organ. ...

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Awards 100 Projects, $30 ...
Media Newswire (press release)
... awards that fund more than 100 studies in gene therapy, robotics, public education, neurological disorders, tobacco's effect on health and more. ...

Stemming Sickle Cells
ColorsNW
The third type of treatment is gene therapy, one of the areas of research being conducted at UW. Sickle cell, Blau explains, is caused by a mutation in one ...

Testing Gene Therapy to Improve Brain Function in Alzheimer's ...
UCSD Medical Center
... of California San Diego are about to launch a Phase 2 clinical trial to test a gene therapy treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) called CERE-110. ...

'Batman' cancer treatment lands U of M funding for clinical trial
KARE
Pluhar, a veterinary surgeon at the College of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary Medical Center, and Ohlfest, head of the neurosurgery gene therapy program ...

Nanoparticles an Option Over Viruses in Gene Therapy
Medgadget.com
Viruses are popular delivery vehicles for gene therapy applications, but they suffer from numerous potential side effects. In order to bypass their use ...

Source - Medical News Today:

Breakthrough Breast Cancer Scientists Reveal New Sensitive Method For Identifying Additional Women Who Could Benefit From Herceptin
Research by Breakthrough Breast Cancer scientists has revealed a new sensitive method that may help identify additional women who could benefit from the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin ). Results published in the Journal of Pathology on Friday 6 August suggest that the way in which HER2 positive breast cancers are currently identified may miss a small number of patients that could benefit from targeted therapies against HER2. HER2 positive breast cancer makes up about one in five of the nearly 46,000 cases of the disease diagnosed in the UK each year. Herceptin is a targeted therapy for this type of breast cancer.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160136.php

WHO Maintains That 2B Worldwide Could Get H1N1
The WHO on Tuesday maintained that roughly two billion people could become infected with the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, Reuters reports. "By the end of a pandemic, anywhere between 15-45 percent of a population will have been infected by the new pandemic virus," WHO spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi said, adding that 30 percent, or 2 billion people worldwide, is the mid point of that estimate. "But the estimate comes with a big health warning: no one knows how many people so far have caught the new strain ... and the final number will never be known as many cases are so mild they may go unnoticed," the news service writes (Lynn, 8/4). Also on Tuesday, the WHO reported that the H1N1 virus has claimed the lives of 1,154 worldwide since the virus emerged in April, including "338 deaths reported in the week leading up to last Friday," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. "More than 300 of the new deaths were in the Americas, bringing the death toll in that region to 1,008 since the virus first emerged in Mexico and the United States, and developed into the global epidemic," the news service writes (8/4).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159982.php

Fountain Of Youth? Cutting Calories May Add Years To Your Life
Growing scientific evidence indicates that people who adhere to a special calorie-restricted diet can improve their health and could potentially add years to their lifespan, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. C&EN contributing editor Laura Cassiday notes in the article that researchers have known for decades that calorie restriction - reducing calorie intake without compromising nutrition - slows aging, extends lifespan, and fights disease in animals. Mice fed a calorie-restricted diet, for example, had a 30 percent increase in lifespan, while calorie-restricted monkeys were healthier and had a three-times lower rate of death from age-related causes than controls, the article notes. Recent studies suggest that people on these diets may gain similar benefits.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159917.php

First Human Demonstration Of Significant, Persistent Antibody Response Using Electroporation-Delivered DNA Vaccine Published In Human Gene Therapy
Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE Amex: INO), a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today new data representing what Inovio believes to be the first demonstration of a significantly increased and persistent level of antibody response generated by a DNA vaccine delivered using electroporation. The results, generated in a clinical study conducted by Inovio's collaborators, the University of Southampton and The Institute of Cancer Research in the U.K., were published in the medical journal Human Gene Therapy, July 20, 2009, in a paper entitled, "DNA vaccination with electroporation induces increased antibody responses in patients with prostate cancer." The DNA vaccine is designed to induce a strong helper T-cell response, with the aim of enhancing induction of a cytotoxic T-cell response against tumor cells. Measuring antibody (humoral) responses against the helper sequence in the vaccine may help judge the vaccine's potential performance. It may also allow predictions of vaccine performance in other settings, for example, against viral and bacterial diseases, where strong antibody responses are imperative in providing protection.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159908.php

Largest Lung Cancer Study, MAGRIT, Shows Collective Commitment To Development Of Tailored Cancer Therapy
Data presented on Sunday at the The International Society of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in San Francisco highlight the screening of over 3,000 patients for MAGRIT (MAGE-A3 as Adjuvant Non-Small Cell LunG CanceR ImmunoTherapy)1, the largest-ever treatment trial in lung cancer. The rapid screening of patients into the MAGRIT trial is unprecedented given so few eligible lung cancer patients (less than 1% in the U.S.2) traditionally enter clinical trials and benefit from the potential hope of novel treatments. MAGRIT is a phase III study investigating the efficacy of MAGE-A3 (Melanoma AntiGEn-A3) Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic (ASCI) in preventing cancer relapse, when given after tumor resection in patients with MAGE-A3-positive stages IB, II and IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The large trial population also provides a unique opportunity for translational research on other important questions about the prognosis and treatment of NSCLC.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159893.php

University Of Miami Researchers Demonstrate How Stem Cell Line Regenerates New Cardiac Cells
As the field of stem cell based therapies has progressed, there have been numerous questions about the exact way one of the most promising lines of adult stem cells works to repair damaged heart muscle. Although cells obtained from adult bone marrow are proving to be useful to treat heart disease, there has been a major controversy over whether they are true stem cells capable of forming new heart muscle. Cardiologists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have definitively shown that mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow do in fact form new heart muscle and blood vessels, leading to major degrees of tissue repair in hearts damaged by a heart attack. Their findings have been published in the August 3 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159786.php

Researchers Identify New Method To Selectively Kill Metastatic Melanoma Cells
An international team of researchers has identified a new method for selectively killing metastatic melanoma cells, which may lead to new areas for drug development in melanoma - a cancer that is highly resistant to current treatment strategies. Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, in collaboration with a team of researchers led by Maria S. Soengas, Ph.D., with the Spanish National Cancer Research Center in Madrid, Spain, found that activation of a specific molecular pathway triggers melanoma cells to begin a process of self-destruction - through self-digestion and programmed cell death. The study is published in the August 4 print issue of the journal Cancer Cell.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159739.php

Source - MIT's Technology Review:

Cell on a Chip
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23122/

Rapid TB Detector
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23110/