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Genencor Sells Its Therapeutic Vaccine Program to Innogenetics

Genencor International, Inc. today announced that it has agreed to sell its therapeutic vaccine program to Belgian biotechnology company Innogenetics N.V. Innogenetics will develop and commercialize current product candidates in Genencor’s vaccine product portfolio as well as future products based on intellectual property and technology held by Genencor.

30 Mar 2004

WHO says more pregnant women getting antenatal care

The number of pregnant women in developing countries receiving antenatal care during pregnancy has increased significantly since 1990, signalling that an untapped opportunity exists to reach poor women with a whole package of life-saving health services, according to a joint report issued today by UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

30 Mar 2004

Study to look at whether patients needing surgery the most are those receiving it

Researchers from Otago University's Wellington and Dunedin Schools of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Victoria University's Health Services Research Centre aim to find out what happens to patients GPs think would benefit from surgery. They will be looking at how long patients wait, who has surgery in public hospitals, who goes to private hospitals, what the costs of waiting are to patients and to the health system and what the benefits are of having surgery.

29 Mar 2004

36 million Americans have inadequate health care

New data indicate 36 million Americans do not have access to health practitioners and therefore do not receive adequate health care, regardless of the fact that many are insured or are eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.

29 Mar 2004

Program to help health-carers reduce hospital falls by up to 30%

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have developed a program that could help health-carers reduce by up to 30% the number of falls incurred by patients while in hospital.

29 Mar 2004

Renowned researchers, scientists share advances in prevention, diagnosis, therapy

Leading researchers are gathering today for the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the premier multidisciplinary assembly, which features the latest developments in basic, prevention, translational and clinical cancer research. The meeting occurs from March 27 – 31, 2004 at the Orlando Convention Center, Fla.

27 Mar 2004

New oral test for HIV approved by FDA

FDA today approved the use of oral fluid samples with a rapid HIV diagnostic test kit that provides screening results with over 99 percent accuracy in as little as 20 minutes. Until now, all rapid HIV tests required the use of blood in order to get such rapid results.

27 Mar 2004

St. John’s wort may interfere with cancer-fighting drug’s ability to prevent relapse in leukemia patients

St. John’s wort, an herb thought to be a safe, natural remedy for mild depression, may interfere with a powerful cancer-fighting drug’s ability to prevent relapse in leukemia patients, a University of Florida pharmacy researcher will report March 27 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

26 Mar 2004

Joint Research Collaboration to Predict 3-D Protein Structures and Support Drug Discovery

IBM today announced that the University at Buffalo (UB) Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics, The State University of New York, will use IBM technologies and research expertise to study the structure and behavior of human proteins. The outcome of this research could lead to more targeted drugs to treat diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

25 Mar 2004

Risk Assessment of Diabetic Retiopathy Improved by Screening Methods

Eli Lilly and Company as part of a continued commitment to innovation in the area of diabetes, announced today the creation of a strategic relationship with EyeTel Imaging, Inc. to improve screening and detection of diabetic retinopathy, one of the potentially devastating diabetic microvascular complications. The agreement, which expands the relationship between the two companies, will provide EyeTel with on-going operational support from Lilly, allowing EyeTel to provide primary care physicians access to state-of-the-art patient risk assessment tools and education programs.

23 Mar 2004

EU gives 32 million Euro for vaccines to stop tuberculosis

The European Commission today launched the largest-ever collaborative tuberculosis (TB) initiative for World TB-day, March 24. Fifty-two research teams from academia and industry from 15 European and African countries are joining forces with the European Commission to help eradicate TB. Globally, TB kills 2 million people a year, with one-third of the world's population currently infected with the bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). While most cases and deaths occur in developing countries, resistant Mtb strains are mainly found among the poorest people in developed countries, as incomplete treatment increases drug resistance. The European Union is confronting the re-emerging threat of TB by investing €32 million in two overlapping research projects. This cash will be used in an accelerated effort to develop new, effective vaccines to fight TB.

23 Mar 2004

70% of Americans not aware of their blood glucose (sugar) level

A new national survey conducted by the American Diabetes Association reveals that 7 out of 10 Americans are not aware of their blood glucose (sugar) level, critical information for determining the presence of diabetes or pre-diabetes. This awareness level is considered extremely low, especially as it relates to individuals' knowledge of blood pressure and cholesterol.

23 Mar 2004