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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: 18-Sep-2009
Nano Letters
Using magnetism to turn drugs on and off
Many medical conditions, such as chronic pain, cancer and diabetes, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period of time. Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have devised a drug delivery solution that combines magnetism with nanotechnology.
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Contact: James Newton
james.newton@childrens.harvard.edu
617-919-3112
Children's Hospital Boston
Public Release: 18-Sep-2009
Cell
Antioxidant controls spinal cord development
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have discovered how one antioxidant protein controls the activity of another protein, critical for the development of spinal cord neurons. The research, publishing this week in Cell, describes a never-before known mechanism of protein control.
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Muscular Dystrophy Association
Contact: Audrey Huang
audrey@jhmi.edu
410-614-5105
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 17-Sep-2009
Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
Metabolic syndrome risk factors drive significantly higher health-care costs
Risk factors for metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, high blood pressure and elevated blood lipid levels, can increase a person's health-care costs nearly 1.6 fold, or about $2,000 per year. For each additional risk factor those costs rise an average of 24 percent, according to an illuminating article in a recent issue of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc.
Contact: Vicki Cohn
vcohn@liebertpub.com
914-740-2156
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
Public Release: 17-Sep-2009
Journal of Cell Science
Scientists pinpoint protein link to fat storage
A protein found present in all cells in the body could help scientists better understand how we store fat. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found that the protein invadolysin, which is essential for healthy cell division, is present in lipid droplets -- the parts of cells used to store fat.
Contact: Tara Womersley
tara.womersley@ed.ac.uk
44-131-650-9836
University of Edinburgh
Public Release: 17-Sep-2009
The wonders of wine
A conversation over a glass of wine turned into Eureka-backed research effort to create new, healthy wine-flavored products. The German and Spanish partners of Eureka project E! 4008 ProVino say they have invented a way of making powder from by-products of red wine production, which could be used in everything from yogurt and chocolates to creams and face masks.
Eureka
Contact: Dr. Gabriele Randele
randel@spectralservice.de
49-223-696-9470
EUREKA
Public Release: 17-Sep-2009
PLoS Pathogens
Vaccine to prevent urinary tract infections shows early promise
University of Michigan scientists have made an important step toward what could become the first vaccine in the US to prevent urinary tract infections, if the robust immunity achieved in mice can be reproduced in humans. The findings are published September 18 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Contact: Mary Kohut
plospathogens@plos.org
415-568-3457
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 17-Sep-2009
Blood
Rare genetic disease successfully reversed using stem cell transplantation
A recent study by Scripps Research Institute scientists offers good news for families of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, cystinosis. In research that holds out hope for one day developing a potential therapy to treat the fatal disorder, the study shows that the genetic defect in mice can be corrected with stem cell transplantation.
Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu
858-784-8134
Scripps Research Institute
Public Release: 17-Sep-2009
Molecular Cell
Regulatory role of key molecule discovered at Hebrew U.
The discovery by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers of an additional role for a key molecule in our bodies provides a further step in world-wide efforts to develop genetic regulation aimed at controlling many diseases, including AIDS and various types of cancers.
Contact: Jerry Barach
jerryb@savion.huji.ac.il
972-258-82904
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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.
Rare Genetic Disease Successfully Reversed Using Stem Cell Transplantation
September 18, 2009 — A recent study offers good news for families of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, cystinosis. In research that holds out hope for one day developing a potential therapy to treat the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917131656.htm
How To Improve Vaccines To Trigger T Cell As Well As Antibody Response
September 18, 2009 — Most successful vaccines stimulate antibodies that attack and kill viruses as they scoot from one cell to another. But what about viruses and other pathogens that never leave the cell? A new theory ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904071654.htm
Researchers Isolates Liver Cancer Stem Cells Prior To Tumor Formation
September 18, 2009 — Researchers have taken an important step in understanding the role of stem cells in development of liver cancer. Using a unique approach that involves study of individual cells, the team has ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917161744.htm
Killing Cancer Like A Vampire Slayer: New Drug Cuts Off Blood Supplies To Starve Cancer Tumors
September 18, 2009 — A researcher in Israel has developed a new drug carrier to deliver compounds straight to the cancer tumor, cutting off blood supplies to the tumor and improving the efficacy of anti-cancer ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917111621.htm
Chemobrain: The Flip Side Of Surviving Cancer
September 18, 2009 — Breast cancer survivors tell their story in a descriptive study of the effects that cognitive impairment has on women's work, social networks and dealings with the health care ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917111518.htm
New Marker For Alzheimer's Discovered
September 17, 2009 — Researchers have discovered a previously unknown substance in spinal fluid that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914131906.htm
What Happens When Immune Cells Just Won't Die?
September 17, 2009 — X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is a rare inherited immunodeficiency most commonly caused by deficiency in the protein SAP. New research now provides an explanation as to how SAP ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914172334.htm
Alzheimer’s Disease Results In Greater Language Impairments In More Highly-educated Than Less Learned Patients, New Study Suggests
September 16, 2009 — Alzheimer’s Disease results in greater language impairments in more highly-educated than less learned patients, according to a new study. The research also revealed that women with the disease ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101545.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: Sept. 18, 2009
- VA Facilities Improve Endoscopic Safety: Report
- FDA Warns About Stolen Respiratory Medicines
- Swine Flu Vaccine Production Lower Than Expected: WHO
- U.S. Will Share 10 Percent of Swine Flu Vaccine With Other Nations
Swine Flu Shots Safe for People With Weak Immune Systems: Experts
Another study outlines risks of catching H1N1 from various routes.
Researchers Perfect the View of Heart Disease
CT technology could provide more detail at less cost, study suggests
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 18, 2009
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Overactive Bladder
- Healthy Volunteers
Lack of Insurance to Blame for Almost 45,000 Deaths: Study
Going without coverage greatly increases mortality, researchers conclude
More Whole Grains May Mean Less Fat
In older eaters, fiber content of cereals has biggest effect, study finds
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 17, 2009
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Overactive Bladder
- Healthy Volunteers
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Sanofi buys Merck's half of animal health business - AP - Fri 10:41 am ET
French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA has completed its $4 billion purchase of Merck & Co.'s half interest in their veterinary medicine business, Merial Ltd., the companies said Friday.
Source - Google Health News:
Pandemic vaccine licence weeks away for Europe
Emerging Health Threats Forum
Because the swine flu vaccine is made in exactly the same way that the H5N1 vaccine was made, it should work in the same way, Robertson explains. ...
Flu database relaunches, ruffling feathers
CNET News
... hoarding crucial information about the H5N1 avian influenza in a private database in Los Alamos, NM, which only a handful of laboratories could access. ...
Color Blind Monkeys Treated with Gene Therapy
WiredPRNews.com (press release)
Press Release Service – Wired PR News – A therapy used to cure color blindness in monkeys may one day prove to be beneficial for curing vision disorders in ...
Research lab in NO to make big strides in stem cell research
WWL
The Louisiana Gene Therapy Research Consortium says this opens doors. "Once you land that first contract, that establishes credibility so that the rest of ...
Seeking justice for my son
Philadelphia Inquirer
He died in a gene-therapy trial. Penn and the FDA should release the records. By Paul Gelsinger Ten years ago today, my 18-year-old son, Jesse Gelsinger, ...
Source - Medical News Today:
Novartis Receives FDA Approval For Valturna(R), A Single-Pill Combination Of Valsartan And Aliskiren, To Treat High Blood Pressure
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Valturna((R)) (aliskiren and valsartan) tablets, the first and only medicine to target two key points within the renin system, also known as the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), an important regulator of blood pressure. This is the first approval for Valturna, which is indicated for the treatment of high blood pressure in patients not adequately controlled on aliskiren or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) monotherapy and as initial therapy in patients likely to need multiple drugs to achieve their blood pressure goals. "This unique combination brings together the powerful blood pressure lowering effects of valsartan and aliskiren," said Joe Jimenez, CEO of the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Division. "It offers an important additional treatment option for physicians and hypertension patients, many of whom are not at their blood pressure goal. Valturna builds upon our strong cardiovascular franchise and is consistent with our long-term commitment to developing effective and innovative therapies. It further strengthens our growing portfolio of single-pill combinations to treat high blood pressure."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164361.php
Top Research Advances Highlight New Approaches To Cardiovascular Risk Prediction
The Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) Coalition announced the Coalition's third annual Best PAD Research Awards for papers published in 2008 at the organization's sixth annual meeting in Washington, DC. The Best PAD Research Awards honor the work of investigators and acknowledge the creation of new clinical research relevant to the understanding and/or treatment of peripheral arterial disease. The Best PAD Research Award in Epidemiology/Preventive Medicine was presented to Gerry Fowkes, professor of Epidemiology, Public Health Sciences Section, Division of Community Health Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Fowkes and his fellow researchers that comprise the international Ankle Brachial Index Collaboration were recognized for their work on the research study, "Ankle Brachial Index Combined With Framingham Risk Score to Predict Cardiovascular Events and Mortality: A Meta-analysis," published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA. 300:197-208, 2008).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164372.php
Phase III Study Showed Patients Lived Longer Without Low-Grade Lymphoma Progressing When Rituxan Was Used First-Line For Maintenance
Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq:BIIB), today announced that a Phase III study (PRIMA) showed that patients with follicular lymphoma who continued receiving Rituxan ® (rituximab) alone after responding to Rituxan and chemotherapy lived longer without their disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS) than those who did not continue to receive Rituxan. Because PRIMA met its endpoint during a pre-planned interim analysis, the study was stopped early on the recommendation of an independent data and safety monitoring board. The safety profile of Rituxan observed in the study was consistent with that previously reported. Genentech, Roche and Biogen Idec will discuss next steps for a potential new indication for Rituxan with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European regulatory authorities. The full study results will be submitted for presentation at a future medical meeting.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164312.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Plug-and-Play Medicine
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23490/
Color-Blind Monkeys Get Full Color Vision
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23483/
------ Forwarded Message
From: Joshua Zelig
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: 16-Sep-2009
Cell Host & Microbe
How HIV cripples immune cells
In order to be able to ward off disease pathogens, immune cells must be mobile and be able to establish contact with each other. The working group around Professor Dr. Oliver Fackler in the Virology Department of the Hygiene Institute of the Heidelberg University Hospital has discovered a mechanism in an animal model revealing how HIV, the AIDS pathogen, cripples immune cells: Cell mobility is inhibited by the HIV Nef protein.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Oliver T. Fackler
Oliver_Fackler@med.uni-heidelberg.de
062-215-61322
University Hospital Heidelberg
Public Release: 16-Sep-2009
Nature
Yale team finds mechanism that constructs key brain structure
Yale University researchers have found a molecular mechanism that allows the proper mixing of neurons during the formation of columns essential for the operation of the cerebral cortex, they report in the Sept. 16 online issue of the journal Nature.
National Institutes of Health, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience
Contact: Bill Hathaway
william.hathaway@yale.edu
203-432-1322
Yale University
Public Release: 15-Sep-2009
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Treating bone loss in breast cancer survivors
Osteoporosis is a growing concern among breast cancer survivors and their doctors, because certain cancer drugs can cause bone loss. A new study has found that bone loss can be halted with a comprehensive regimen that includes both osteoporosis drugs and treatments that target secondary causes of bone loss.
Contact: Jim Ritter
jritter@lumc.edu
708-216-2445
Loyola University Health System
Public Release: 15-Sep-2009
URI researcher trips amputees in effort to develop improved prosthetic legs
A URI engineer has been tripping amputees in a laboratory study that seeks to improve the safety of prosthetic legs by developing a reliable and responsive stumble detection system.
Contact: Todd McLeish
tmcleish@uri.edu
401-874-7892
University of Rhode Island
Public Release: 15-Sep-2009
FASEB Journal
UT scientists discover link between protein and lung disease
In a development that could lead to a novel approach to the treatment of a devastating lung disease, biochemists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston report they are the first to link the osteopontin protein to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Findings appear online and will be in the January 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal, the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Research Resources
Contact: Robert Cahill
Robert.Cahill@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-3030
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Public Release: 15-Sep-2009
Space-related radiation research could help reduce fractures in cancer survivors
A research project looking for ways to reduce bone loss in astronauts may yield methods of improving the bone health of cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment. The scientists are seeking to understand radiation-induced bone loss and to determine which treatments can be used to reduce that loss and lower the risk of fractures. The results could be beneficial to cancer patients, especially those who receive radiation therapy in the pelvic region.
National Space Biomedical Research Institute
Contact: Brad Thomas
rbthomas@bcm.edu
713-798-7595
National Space Biomedical Research Institute
Public Release: 14-Sep-2009
Journal of Controlled Release
New 'adjuvant' could hold future of vaccine development
Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new "adjuvant" that could allow the creation of important new vaccines, possibly become a universal vaccine carrier and help medical experts tackle many diseases more effectively.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Contact: Zhengrong Cui
zhengrong.cui@oregonstate.edu
541-737-3255
Oregon State University
Source - Science Daily:
Please note: Due to the format restrictions of Science Daily articles, you must click on the URL (web address) below the article summary, rather than the article title.
Diabetes Drug Kills Cancer Stem Cells In Combination Treatment In Mice
September 16, 2009 — In tumors formed by human breast cancer cells in mice, a diabetes drug was more effective than chemotherapy alone in prolonging remission. Mice appeared tumor-free for the two months after treatment ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914110530.htm
Comprehensive Cardiac CT Scan May Give Clearer Picture Of Significant Heart Disease
September 16, 2009 — Researchers have developed a computed-tomography-based protocol that identifies both narrowing of coronary arteries and areas of myocardial ischemia -- restricted blood flow to heart muscle tissue -- ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915113536.htm
Anticancer Nanotech: Protein Can Be Used To Carry Radioactive Isotopes To Cancerous Tumor
September 16, 2009 — Tiny particles of albumin, a protein found in the blood, can be used to carry radioactive isotopes to the site of a cancerous tumor in the body and so avoid many of the side-effects of conventional ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916092651.htm
Reactive Oxygen's Role In Metastasis
September 15, 2009 — Researchers have discovered that reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, play a key role in forming invadopodia, cellular protrusions implicated in cancer cell migration ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916090911.htm
Laser Processes Promise Better Artificial Joints, Arterial Stents
September 15, 2009 — Researchers are developing technologies that use lasers to create arterial stents and longer-lasting medical implants that could be manufactured 10 times faster and also less expensively than is now ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915113540.htm
Remodeling Tumor Vasculature: A New Approach To Therapy
September 15, 2009 — Life-threatening tumors are fed by the uncontrolled growth of blood vessels within them that allows them to thrive – and to halt disease-fighting cells in their tracks. Reversing or ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101641.htm
Master Gene That Switches On Disease-fighting Cells Identified By Scientists
September 14, 2009 — The master gene that causes blood stem cells to turn into disease-fighting "natural killer" immune cells has been identified. The discovery could one day help scientists boost the body's production ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090913134034.htm
How Stem Cells Make Skin
September 14, 2009 — Scientists have discovered two proteins that control when and how stem cells switch to being skin cells. The findings shed light on the basic mechanisms involved not only in formation of skin, but ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090913134028.htm
New Marker For Alzheimer's Discovered
September 14, 2009 — Researchers have discovered a previously unknown substance in spinal fluid that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914131906.htm
Early Results From Clinical Trials Of 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccines In Healthy Adults
September 13, 2009 — Encouraging reports are now emerging from various clinical trials of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines, conducted by various vaccine manufacturers. Additional companies are expected to announce their ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911133700.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: Sept. 16, 2009
- Senate Introduces $856 Billion Health Care Bill
- Coronary Artery Disease No Longer Top Cause of Hospitalization in U.S.
- Drug Must Carry Warning About Possible Tissue Damage: FDA
- 35 Percent Of Iraq War Vets Will Seek Treatment for PTSD: Study
- Increases Forecast for Employer-Based Health Premiums
- Doctors' Groups Urge Climate Change Action
FDA Approves 4 Swine Flu Vaccines
Agency expects first batches to be available within a month
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 16, 2009
- Hypertension & Type 2 Diabetes
- Depression
- Cholesterol Screening
Antibiotics Bought Easily on the Internet
Study found 138 sites that sold them illegally, without a prescription
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 15, 2009
- Flu Vaccine (Ages 60+)
- High Blood Pressure
- Chronic Low Back Pain
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 14, 2009
- Diabetes
- Endometriosis
- Bipolar Disorder
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Amgen to Present Pivotal Data From Four Phase 3 Studies at the ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 Congress - PR Newswire - Wed 9:00 am ET
Amgen today announced it will present detailed data from four Phase 3 studies as well as other data at the ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 European Multidisciplinary Congress, September 20 - 24, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.
3rd Chinese producer of swine flu shot approved - AP - Wed 3:11 am ET
The government has licensed a science institute in Shanghai to begin producing a single-dose swine flu vaccine, raising the number of such manufacturers in China to three, an official said Wednesday.
Source - Google Health News:
US clears way for swine flu vaccine scheme
Ninemsn
This vaccine will help protect individuals from serious illness and death from influenza." But the FDA has yet to rule on the safety and efficacy of other ...
H1N1 vaccine shows promise with one dose, glaxosmithkline says
Local Tech Wire
“We've made a related vaccine before for the H5N1 (avian flu) pandemic so we're pretty certain the vaccine will work.”
Gene therapy reverses colour blindness in monkeys
Times of India
PARIS: Two monkeys were cured of colour blindness thanks to gene therapy that one day may open the way to treating eye disorders in humans, scientists said ...
Celladon, Developer of Gene Therapy for Heart Failure, Secures ...
Xconomy
Investors haven't completely turned their backs on gene therapy, at least not on Celladon. The San Diego-based company raised another $2.8 million in recent ...
New therapies are not yet in vogue in India
Express Buzz
The young doctor is now doing his research on Oncolytic Viral Gene Therapy, a way of treating cancer cells with genes. He says, gene therapy is based on the ...
Source - Medical News Today:
New Drug That Targets Inherited Breast And Ovarian Cancers May Work Against Other Cancers, Study
A new study suggests that a new type of cancer drug called PARP inhibitors, including a new drug called olaparib that is currently showing promising results in trials as a targeted treatment for inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancer , may also be effective against other cancers. The study was led by scientists from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at the Institute for Cancer Research in London, UK, and is published in the 16 September issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164196.php
Scientists Uncover New Potential For Targeted Cancer Treatment
Breakthrough Breast Cancer scientists have discovered that a new cancer treatment could be used for more types of cancer than previously thought, potentially helping thousands of cancer patients in the UK each year. PARP inhibitors, including the new drug, olaparib, which Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) scientists helped develop, are already showing considerable promise in clinical trials for cancer linked to BRCA mutations, including some breast and ovarian cancers .
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164145.php
Vaccination Against Cancer
Preventive vaccination against infectious diseases has been a major milestone for the health of modern society. The development of therapeutic vaccination against established diseases is much more difficult. For more than 100 years researchers have already tried to develop cancer vaccines and now first promising clinical results raise hopes. A summary of the most attractive new approaches gave Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen, Institut für Medizinische Immunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, at a press conference in Berlin. A new approach based on recent knowledge of peptide-based vaccination will be presented by Cees Melief, Leiden at thee ECI: A vaccine based on synthetic long peptides derived from oncogenic proteins of the human papillomavirus (HPV) was tested in patients with a form of genital cancer, so called intraepithelial neoplasia of the vulva in a clinical phase II study. A complete tumor regression could be observed in a substantial number of patients. (C Melief et al, 2008).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164055.php
A Step Closer To Understanding Skin, Breast And Other Cancers
Stem cells have a unique ability: when they divide, they can either give rise to more stem cells, or to a variety of specialised cell types. In both mice and humans, a layer of cells at the base of the skin contains stem cells that can develop into the specialised cells in the layers above. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, in collaboration with colleagues at the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas (CIEMAT) in Madrid, have discovered two proteins that control when and how these stem cells switch to being skin cells. The findings, published online in Nature Cell Biology, shed light on the basic mechanisms involved not only in formation of skin, but also on skin cancer and other epithelial cancers . At some point in their lives, the stem cells at the base of the skin stop proliferating and start differentiating into the cells that form the skin itself. To do so, they must turn off the 'stem cell programme' in their genes and turn on the 'skin cell programme'. Researchers suspected that a family of proteins called C/EBPs might be involved in this process, as they were known to regulate it in other types of stem cell, but had so far failed to identify which C/EBP protein controlled the switch in skin. Claus Nerlov and his group at EMBL Monterotondo discovered it was not one protein, but two: C/EBPα and C/EBPβ.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163998.php
Is Your Daily Shower Blasting Your Face With Pathogenic Germs?
Most of us have a daily shower to keep us clean, not to infect our faces with potentially pathogenic bacteria. According to a study carried out by scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, 30% of showerheads harbor significant levels of Mycobacterium avium (M avium), a bacterium associated with lung disease that can pose serious health risks for people with weakened immune systems, and can sometimes infect healthy people too. The study, led by Professor Norman Pace, analyzed about 50 showerheads from nine US cities, including New York, Denver and Chicago. Pace said it is not surprising to find pathogens in municipal waters (a pathogen is an organism that can cause disease, such as a bacterium or virus). However, the scientists found that some M avium and other pathogens were accumulated in slimy biofilms that stuck to the inside of showerheads at over 100 times the background levels of municipal water. "If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium, which may not be too healthy," he said.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164004.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
A Device to Spot Autism Early
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23466/
Light Switch for Bladder Control
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23458/
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/ <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-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
New method monitors early sign of oxidative stress in cancer
The growth of cancerous tumors is fueled, at least in part, by the buildup of free radicals -- highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Heart Association
Contact: Nancy Ross-Flanigan
rossflan@umich.edu
734-647-1853
University of Michigan
Public Release: 10-Sep-2009
Neuron
A new protein partnership that leads to pediatric tumor regression
Weizmann Institute scientists have discovered that the cell receptor TrkA may be involved in the spontaneous regression of some pediatric cancers. Further research towards a better understanding of the mechanism of action might hopefully lead, in the future, to the development of drugs that will be able to induce regression of certain tumors.
Contact: Yivsam Azgad
news@weizmann.ac.il
972-893-43856
Weizmann Institute of Science
Public Release: 10-Sep-2009
APS International Conference on Endothelin
Endothelin drugs benefit those with pulmonary hypertension
Research on new drugs to block endothelin has led to successful treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and provides hope for treating other chronic diseases. Whether the new drugs can treat congestive heart failure is less clear. Researcher Matthias Barton describes the progress of endothelin research at an APS conference.
Contact: Donna Krupa
dkrupa@the-aps.org
301-634-7209
American Physiological Society
Public Release: 10-Sep-2009
Science
Scientists discover mechanism to make existing antibiotics more effective at lower doses
A new study published in the Sept. 11, 2009, issue of Science by researchers at the NYU School of Medicine reveals a conceptually novel mechanism that plays an important role in making human pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis resistant to numerous antibiotics.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Dorie Klissas
dorie.klissas@nyumc.org
212-404-3555
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Public Release: 10-Sep-2009
Nature Biotechnology
Pandemic flu can infect cells deep in the lungs, says new research
Pandemic swine flu can infect cells deeper in the lungs than seasonal flu can, according to a new study published today in Nature Biotechnology. The researchers, from Imperial College London, say this may explain why people infected with the pandemic strain of swine-origin H1N1 influenza are more likely to suffer more severe symptoms than those infected with the seasonal strain of H1N1.
Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Contact: Lucy Goodchild
lucy.goodchild@imperial.ac.uk
44-207-594-6702
Imperial College London
Public Release: 9-Sep-2009
ACS Nano
UCSB researchers develop drug delivery system using nanoparticles and lasers
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a new way to deliver drugs into cancer cells by exposing them briefly to a non-harmful laser. Their results are published in a recent article in ACS Nano, a journal of the American Chemical Society.
Contact: Gail Gallessich
gail.g@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-7220
University of California - Santa Barbara
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.
Genes Identified May Help Breast Cancer Diagnosis
September 12, 2009 — Researchers have identified two genes which may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients. They found that the survival rate for patients with a low expression of a gene ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910121852.htm
New Method Monitors Early Sign Of Oxidative Stress In Cancer
September 12, 2009 — The growth of cancerous tumors is fueled, at least in part, by the buildup of free radicals--highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules. It stands to reason, then, that cancer should respond to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911114306.htm
Two Genes Identified As Potential Therapeutic Targets For Multiple Sclerosis
September 11, 2009 — A new study has found that two genes in mice were associated with good central nervous system repair in multiple ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911083327.htm
Scientists Discover Mechanism To Make Existing Antibiotics More Effective At Lower Doses
September 11, 2009 — A new study reveals a conceptually novel mechanism that plays an important role in making human pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis resistant to numerous ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142356.htm
Major Clinical Study Rejects Cancer Safety Fears Of Most Common Heartburn Treatment
September 11, 2009 — Fears about the cancer-causing effects of the second most prescribed group of drugs in the Western world have been put to rest, following the largest ever study into their ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909103011.htm
In The Middle Of Brain Surgery, Patients Wake Up And Begin Talking
September 11, 2009 — Kim Delvaux was undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor when doctors woke her up. Her doctor talked to her about her favorite topics -- NASCAR and her kids during the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911132802.htm
Drug Detection: Space-age Technology And Crime Research Combine For New Development
September 10, 2009 — Researchers have combined crime research and space-age technology in ways that could lead to the quick detection of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in a black market currently worth an estimated $40 ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908084737.htm
Melanosome Dynamics And Sensitivity Of Melanoma Cells To Chemotherapy
September 10, 2009 — Manipulating the functions of melanosomes -- the organelles in pigment-producing cells -- may enhance the activity of anticancer drugs used against melanoma, according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824182433.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: Sept. 11, 2009
- Japan Home to 40,000 Centenarians
- Ghostwriting Rampant in Medical Journals: Study
- Prescription Drug Abuse Declines, Survey Finds
- U.S. Uninsured Reaches 46.3 Million: Census
Two Genes May Determine How Well MS Patients Do
Study in mice provides clues to variations in disease progression
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 11, 2009
- High Blood Pressure
- Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
- Type 2 Diabetes
U.S. Faces Shortage of Heart Surgeons
Too many aging Americans, too few new doctors spell trouble, experts say
Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 10, 2009
- Schizophrenia
- Epilepsy
- Depression
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Genzyme's Alemtuzumab for Multiple Sclerosis Shows Durable Treatment Benefit in Review of Four-Year Phase 2 Trial Data - Business Wire - 2 hours, 34 minutes ago
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.----Genzyme Corporation reported today that four-year follow-up data from its completed Phase 2 multiple sclerosis trial continued to show durable reductions in relapse rate and sustained accumulation of disability three years after the majority of patients received their last course of the investigational compound alemtuzumab.
Amylin and Biocon to partner on diabetes drug - AP - Thu 5:43 pm ET
Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Thursday it will partner with Biocon Ltd. of India to develop and market a biotech diabetes drug.
Source - Google Health News:
Japan to buy H1N1 vaccine from Novartis, GSK: media
Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's health ministry is set to buy enough H1N1 flu vaccine for nearly 50 million people from British drug maker glaxosmithkline and ...
Cross-Reactive Antibody Responses to the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 ...
New England Journal of Medicine (subscription)
Antigenically distinct MF59-adjuvanted vaccine to boost immunity to H5N1. N Engl J Med 2008;359:1631-1633. [Free Full Text] Davenport FM, Hennessy AV, ...
Inhalable H1N1 Vaccine Will Be Available Soon
WCPO
It will be an inhalable form of the vaccine, similar to the flu mist available for the seasonal flu vaccine. But only people between the ages of 5 and 49 ...
SENS4 Antiaging conference: Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells, Gene ...
Next Big Future
Gabor Forgacs gave a very interesting talk about using bioprinting to build entire organs from scratch. He argued that while traditional scaffold-based ...
ANALYSIS-Flu pandemic giving tiny companies big stage
Alibaba News Channel
Novavax has been using the technology to develop a vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza and said last month its seasonal flu vaccine was effective in a ...
Source - Medical News Today:
FDA Panel Recommends Approval Of HPV Vaccine Cervarix For Women, Gardasil For Male Warts
An FDA panel on Wednesday recommended that the agency approve GlaxoSmithKline's human papillomavirus vaccine, Cervarix, to prevent cervical cancer , as well as expand approval of Merck's HPV vaccine, Gardasil , to include use in men ages nine to 26 for the prevention of genital warts , the Wall Street Journal reports. Though FDA is not obligated to follow the panel's guidance, it typically does. The panel voted 12-1 that Cervarix is safe and effective in preventing the transmission of two strains of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer and that it should be approved for use in women ages 10 to 26 (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 9/9). The National Vaccine Information Center 's Vicky Debold, a staunch critic of vaccine safety, cast the sole vote against Cervarix (McCullough, Philadelphia Inquirer , 9/10). Both Cervarix and Gardasil protect against HPV strains 16 and 18, which cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. Gardasil also protects against two other strains that cause genital warts in both men and women. Gardasil is FDA-approved for girls and women ages nine to 26, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine vaccination for girls ages 11 and 12 (Wall Street Journal, 9/9). The vaccine also is recommended for girls and women ages 13 through 26 who have not yet been vaccinated or who have not received all three doses (Women's Health Policy Report , 9/9). If Cervarix is approved by FDA, the vaccine would later go before a CDC advisory panel, which develops written recommendations for the routine administration of vaccines to children and adults. Private insurers often wait for a CDC panel's endorsement before agreeing to pay for a new vaccine, the Journal reports (Wall Street Journal, 9/9).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163649.php
Vaccination Of Children And 70 Percent Of U.S. Population Could Control Swine Flu Pandemic
An aggressive vaccination program that first targets children and ultimately reaches 70 percent of the U.S. population would mitigate pandemic influenza H1N1 that is expected this fall, according to computer modeling and analysis of observational studies conducted by researchers at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VIDI) at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Published in the Sept. 11 issue of Science Express, the early online edition of the journal Science, the study which includes the first estimate of the transmissibility of pandemic H1N1 influenza in schools recommends that 70 percent of children ages 6 months to 18 years be vaccinated first, as well as members of high-risk groups as identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These groups include health care and emergency services personnel and those at risk for medical complications from pandemic H1N1 illness such as persons with chronic health disorders and compromised immune systems. Two doses of vaccine, delivered three weeks apart, may be needed to confer adequate protection to the virus.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163629.php
Researchers Discover Clues About PML Infection
Research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine has described how progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) infection may occur in people taking Tysabri , a drug licensed for use in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). PML is a serious and often fatal infection of the brain that is estimated to occur in approximately one in 1,000 people taking Tysabri over the course of 18 months.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163604.php
If H1N1 Flu Outbreak Worsens, Four-Fifths Of Businesses Foresee Problems Maintaining Operations
In a national survey of businesses that looks at their preparations for a possible widespread H1N1 outbreak, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that only one-third believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1 (also known as "swine flu "). Just one-fifth believe they could avoid such problems for one month with half their employees out. The survey also found that while 74% of businesses offer paid sick leave for employees, only 35% of businesses offer paid leave that would allow employees to take care of sick family members, and even fewer would allow paid time off to care for children if schools/daycares were closed (21%). The survey is part of an ongoing series about the country's response to the H1N1 flu outbreak undertaken by the Harvard Opinion Research Program at HSPH. The polling was done July 16-August 12, 2009.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163567.php
New Role Of Vitamin C In Skin Protection Revealed By Study
Scientists have uncovered a new role played by Vitamin C in protecting the skin. Researchers at the University of Leicester and Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology in Portugal studied new protective properties of vitamin C in cells from the human skin, which could lead to better skin regeneration.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163447.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Flu Data Goes Mobile
http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/23414/?a=f
Complete Genomics Sequences 14 Genomes
http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/23414/?a=f
