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CUMC researchers identify mechanism of kidney transplant tolerance

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have pinpointed the immune system mechanism that allows a kidney transplant to be accepted without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, a significant step toward reducing or eliminating the need for costly and potentially toxic immunosuppressant drugs and improving long-term transplant success.

17 Mar 2015

CTCA in Philadelphia installs TomoHDA TomoTherapy machine to provide precise treatment to patients

Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia has announced the installation of the TomoHDA TomoTherapy machine. TomoTherapy combines an advanced form of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), with the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) scanning technology, all in one machine.

16 Mar 2015

Minimally invasive surgery helps elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis live longer

Elderly patients once considered too frail or too sick for aortic valve replacement surgery are living longer, with better quality of life, following a minimally invasive surgery, compared to patients who did not undergo surgery, according a study published in The Lancet today.

16 Mar 2015

Metabolic derangement may facilitate cell proliferation in PAH

An enzyme that facilitates modification of proteins via a glucose metabolism pathway may promote cell proliferation in the lung tissue of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, say researchers.

13 Mar 2015

Today’s “World Kidney Day” promotes kidney health for all

Recent surveys have shown that the general public’s understanding about what our kidneys do and what the risk factors for kidney disease are, is astoundingly poor. In the UK, five leading kidney charities are joining forces in the campaign “Kidney Charities Together,” which calls for urgent action to be taken to raise awareness of kidney disease.

12 Mar 2015

Medicine-loaded nanoparticles could help patients achieve corneal transplant success

There are about 48,000 corneal transplants done each year in the U.S., compared to approximately 16,000 kidney transplants and 2,100 heart transplants. Out of the 48,000 corneal transplants done, 10 percent of them end up in rejection, largely due to poor medication compliance. This costs the health care system and puts undue strain on clinicians, patients and their families.

12 Mar 2015

Researchers take important step in repairing the cerebral cortex of adult mouse

A team led by Afsaneh Gaillard (Inserm Unit 1084, Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences Laboratory, University of Poitiers), in collaboration with the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Human and Molecular Biology (IRIBHM) in Brussels, has just taken an important step in the area of cell therapy: repairing the cerebral cortex of the adult mouse using a graft of cortical neurons derived from embryonic stem cells.

12 Mar 2015

Implantable defibrillators help patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy live longer

Newly published research led by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and Tufts Medical Center in Boston shows that implantable defibrillators (ICDs), along with other modern treatments, have reduced mortality rates and are helping patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) live longer, including normal life expectancy.

12 Mar 2015

New stem cell treatment reverses disability in certain MS patients

A PIONEERING new stem cell treatment ‘rebooting’ the immune system in some multiple sclerosis sufferers is being hailed as an encouraging step forward in the treatment of the disease in sufferers who fail to respond to standard therapies.

11 Mar 2015

United Therapeutics announces FDA approval of dinutuximab for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma

United Therapeutics Corporation announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved Unituxin (dinutuximab) Injection (formerly called ch14.18), in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and 13-cis-retinoic acid (RA), for the treatment of pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who achieve at least a partial response to prior first-line multiagent, multimodality therapy.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers use stem cells from sickle cell disease patients to grow mature red blood cells

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have successfully corrected a genetic error in stem cells from patients with sickle cell disease, and then used those cells to grow mature red blood cells, they report. The study represents an important step toward more effectively treating certain patients with sickle cell disease who need frequent blood transfusions and currently have few options.

10 Mar 2015

1 in 5 of the UK population could be walking around with ‘ticking time bomb’

Kidney Research UK polled 2,000 adults across the UK to find out just how much people know about the disease. Startlingly, almost three quarters (74%) of those polled claim to have limited or no knowledge of kidney disease, its causes or its symptoms.

6 Mar 2015

RBFox2 protein plays critical role in heart failure

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a key piece in the complex molecular puzzle underlying heart failure - a serious and sometimes life-threatening disorder affecting more than 5 million Americans.

5 Mar 2015

NYBC launches new mobile app to enhance donation experience for blood donors

New York Blood Center recently launched a new mobile app providing a convenient, user friendly platform for blood donors to find donation locations, make and manage appointments, view donation history and donor profiles, and access the full NYBC website to manage Donor Advantage accounts, redeem points, and much more.

5 Mar 2015

Study explores outcomes of lung transplantations after implementing need-based allocation system

Since implementation of a medical need-based allocation system of donor lungs in 2005, double-lung transplantation has been associated with better graft survival than single-lung transplantation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); at 5 years, there has been no survival difference between single- and double-lung transplant recipients in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study in the March 3 issue of JAMA.

4 Mar 2015

New study shows who benefits most from statin therapy

Research has demonstrated that the risk for developing coronary heart disease depends on a host of risk factors that are related both to lifestyle and genetics. In a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers tested whether a composite of genetic variants could identify the risk of cardiovascular death and heart attacks as well as identify individuals who derived greater clinical benefit from statin therapy.

4 Mar 2015

OTC medications, dietary and herbal supplements cause drug-induced acute liver failure

Drug-induced acute liver failure is uncommon, and over-the-counter medications and dietary and herbal supplements -- not prescription drugs -- are its most common causes, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

4 Mar 2015

EMA's CHMP backs JINARC (tolvaptan) for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has recommended JINARC (tolvaptan) for approval.

3 Mar 2015

CLL patients discontinue ibrutinib drug due to disease progression during clinical trials

About 10 percent of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) discontinued therapy with the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor drug ibrutinib because of disease progression during clinical trials, according to a study published online in JAMA Oncology.

28 Feb 2015

Findings reveal variations between countries and regions in use of HSCT procedure

Since the first experimental bone marrow transplant over 50 years ago, more than one million hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT) have been performed in 75 countries, according to new research charting the remarkable growth in the worldwide use of HSCT, published in The Lancet Haematology journal.

28 Feb 2015

Transplant News and Research

CUMC researchers identify mechanism of kidney transplant tolerance

CTCA in Philadelphia installs TomoHDA TomoTherapy machine to provide precise treatment to patients

Minimally invasive surgery helps elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis live longer

Metabolic derangement may facilitate cell proliferation in PAH

Today’s “World Kidney Day” promotes kidney health for all

Medicine-loaded nanoparticles could help patients achieve corneal transplant success

Researchers take important step in repairing the cerebral cortex of adult mouse

Implantable defibrillators help patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy live longer

New stem cell treatment reverses disability in certain MS patients

United Therapeutics announces FDA approval of dinutuximab for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma

Researchers use stem cells from sickle cell disease patients to grow mature red blood cells

1 in 5 of the UK population could be walking around with ‘ticking time bomb’

RBFox2 protein plays critical role in heart failure

NYBC launches new mobile app to enhance donation experience for blood donors

Study explores outcomes of lung transplantations after implementing need-based allocation system

New study shows who benefits most from statin therapy

OTC medications, dietary and herbal supplements cause drug-induced acute liver failure

EMA's CHMP backs JINARC (tolvaptan) for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

CLL patients discontinue ibrutinib drug due to disease progression during clinical trials

Findings reveal variations between countries and regions in use of HSCT procedure

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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