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Rice, TMC team wins stimulus funds for nanoparticle standardization

One of the promises of nanomedicine is the design of tiny particles that can home in on diseased cells and get inside them. Nanoparticles can carry drugs into cells and tag cells for MRI and other diagnostic tests; and they may eventually even enter a cell's nucleus to repair damaged genes. Unfortunately, designing them involves as much luck as engineering.

11 Dec 2009

UT researchers identify new molecule that slows ALS progression in mice

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a molecule produced naturally by muscles in response to nerve damage can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

11 Dec 2009

Speaker Pelosi lauds lift of ban on federal funding for syringe exchange initiatives

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today applauding the inclusion of language in the fiscal year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange initiatives to prevent the spread of HIV. The omnibus bill passed the House this afternoon by a vote of 221 to 202.

11 Dec 2009

RetireSafe urges vote against Senator Dorgan's drug importation amendment

Today, the senior advocacy group RetireSafe notified the Senate in letter that they will key vote Senator Dorgan's Importation Amendment SA 2793.

11 Dec 2009

Drug information interface could address visual and motor impairments

A drug information interface system developed by two University of Alberta researchers has been shown to help in dealing with visual and motor impairments, which can make sorting, holding and indentifying pills a challenge as we age.

11 Dec 2009

COA: Current health reform legislation does not address major inadequacies in Medicare reimbursement

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) today issued a statement warning that oncologists throughout the U.S. may face closing their practices if critical Medicare reimbursement fixes for treating cancer patients are not made as a part of health care reform.

11 Dec 2009

Stroke drug kills cancer cells and leaves normal cells intact, report researchers

A never-approved drug developed to prevent the death of nerve cells after a stroke can efficiently kill cancer cells while keeping normal cells healthy and intact, an international team led by a Tel Aviv University researcher is reporting in the journal Breast Cancer Research.

11 Dec 2009

Prize4life partners with Jackson Laboratory on AML research

Prize4Life, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease), is partnering with The Jackson Laboratory to help more researchers identify treatment candidates that increase the lifespan of mice that model ALS.

11 Dec 2009

Winners of the 2010 ASBMB-Merck Award

James A. Wells, professor and chairman of the department pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, and director of UCSF's small molecule discovery center, has been named the winner of the 2010 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology-Merck Award for his pioneering studies in the field of protein engineering.

11 Dec 2009

Chemotherapy improves overall survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients

Chemotherapy generally improves survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients, according to a landmark study led by Dr. Kathy Albain of Loyola University Health System.

11 Dec 2009

Asymmetrical arm swings while walking can be an early sign of Parkinson's disease

Irregular arm swings while walking could be an early sign of Parkinson's disease, according to neurologists who believe early detection may help physicians apply treatments to slow further brain cell damage until strategies to slow disease progression are available.

11 Dec 2009

Latest findings on how blood clots form can open door to the development of new drugs

The latest findings on how blood clots form could open the door to the development of new and better-targeted drugs for patients at risk of strokes or heart attacks.

11 Dec 2009

BioWorld highlights the development of 97 drugs and vaccines to treat HIV/AIDS

BioWorld Today recently highlighted a new report published by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) that identifies 97 new drugs and vaccines in development to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS and related conditions.

11 Dec 2009

FDA Drugs Advisory Committee recommends approval for Gilead Sciences' aztreonam for inhalation solution

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the Anti-Infective Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that aztreonam for inhalation solution be approved for the treatment of infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

11 Dec 2009

Cequent Pharmaceuticals' IND application for CEQ508 approved for clinical trial

Cequent Pharmaceuticals, a pioneer in the development of novel products to deliver RNAi-based treatments to prevent and treat human disease, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) approved Cequent's first IND (investigational new drug) application yesterday.

10 Dec 2009

Flu vaccine shortages in developing countries could destabilize global security, says former WHO deputy head

"Flu vaccine shortages in developing nations may destabilize global security should the H1N1 [swine flu] virus become more deadly … David Heymann, a former deputy head of the World Health Organization" said Monday, Bloomberg reports.

10 Dec 2009

ARTs safe without routine lab tests, Lancet study finds

A Lancet study published online Tuesday validates the safety of administering first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) to patients with HIV without routine toxicity and efficacy lab tests, "[b]ut tests of immune-system function might still be a good idea to monitor the progression of the disease and guide the second year of treatment," HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports. Patients in Africa "often receive [HIV] drug treatment ... without routine laboratory monitoring," according to the article.

10 Dec 2009

Pelosi: Depending on Senate, House could work part of Christmas week

CQ Politics: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she wouldn't rule out keeping the House in session for part of Christmas week, if that could lead to final action this year on a health care overhaul. Right now, however, such a scenario appears unlikely." In the Senate, Democratic leaders are waiting for an updated Congressional Budget Office analysis -- a report not expected before next week -- that includes the most recent round of proposals to the bill they are considering.

10 Dec 2009

AFP examines insecticide resistance's effect on malaria fight in Nigeria

Agence France-Presse examines the increase in insecticide-resistant mosquitoes in Nigeria - "the latest threat to combating malaria" in the country. "Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, contributes more than a quarter of the one million malaria deaths in Africa, according to official statistics," AFP writes.

10 Dec 2009

Drug importation takes center stage on Senate floor

Debate on a proposal that would make it easier to bring prescription drugs into the country from abroad is taking center stage on the Senate floor as part of the health care reform debate.

10 Dec 2009