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NanoViricides files FluCide pre-IND briefing document with the FDA

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a pre-IND briefing document to the US FDA. This submission provides the required information for the Company's highly effective anti-influenza drug candidate, FluCide, in support of a pre-IND Meeting.

1 Feb 2012

Certain strains of P. aeruginosa cause WBCs to produce high levels of histamine

Could some cases of asthma actually be caused by an allergic reaction to a common environmental bacteria? New research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that this idea may not be as far-fetched as it seems. In a research report appearing in the February 2012 print issue, researchers show a link between common environmental bacteria and airway inflammation.

1 Feb 2012

Crizotinib can treat ROS1-driven tumors

A report from investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center has defined the role of a recently identified gene abnormality in a deadly form of lung cancer. Tumors driven by rearrangements in the ROS1 gene represent 1 to 2 percent of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC), the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.

1 Feb 2012

Vertex receives FDA approval for Kalydeco to treat rare form of CF

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kalydeco (ivacaftor) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients ages 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) gene.

1 Feb 2012

Kras gene plays a role in continuous growth of pancreatic cancer

A mutant protein found in nearly all pancreatic cancers plays a role not only in the cancer's development but in its continued growth, according to a new study from University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers. The finding suggests a possible target for developing new ways to treat this deadly disease.

1 Feb 2012

Pneumonic plague bacteria transform lungs into a playground for microbes to flourish

Among medical mysteries baffling many infectious disease experts is exactly how the deadly pneumonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, goes undetected in the first few day of lung infection, often until it's too late for medical treatment.

1 Feb 2012

Milestone for Starpharma's drug delivery program

Starpharma Holdings today released animal data which demonstrated that its dendrimer-docetaxel formulation applying Starpharma’s dendrimer technology to the leading chemotherapy drug docetaxel was significantly more efficacious than docetaxel (Taxotere®) in a breast cancer model.

1 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: ACOs might replace health insurers; Losing a job while pregnant; Barring smokers from the workplace

Here's a bold prediction for the new year. By 2020, the American health insurance industry will be extinct. Insurance companies will be replaced by accountable care organizations -; groups of doctors, hospitals and other health care providers who come together to provide the full range of medical care for patients.

31 Jan 2012

Anti-HER2 dendritic cell vaccine shows promise against DCIS

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report that a short course of vaccination with an anti-HER2 dendritic cell vaccine made partly from the patient's own cells triggers a complete tumor eradication in nearly 20 percent of women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early breast cancer.

31 Jan 2012

GRANITE program to aid in development of new TB fighting methods

A Rutgers-Camden professor is using his expertise in computer science to aid in the development of new methods to fight tuberculosis.

31 Jan 2012

Array second quarter revenue increases to $23.2 million

Array BioPharma Inc. today reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2012.

31 Jan 2012

New mechanism of drug release using 3D superhydrophobic materials

According to a recent study, there is a new mechanism of drug release using 3D superhydrophobic materials that utilizes air as a removable barrier to control the rate at which drug is released.

30 Jan 2012

Hard drug users in 50s more likely to die earlier

Young adults often experiment with hard drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamines and opiates, and all but about 10 percent stop as they assume adult roles and responsibilities. Those still using hard drugs into their 50s are five times more likely to die earlier than those who do not, according to a new study by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers published online Jan. 27, 2012, in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

30 Jan 2012

Medtronic signs exclusive distribution agreement with Miami Instruments

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Miami Instruments, LLC - a company focused on the design of innovative surgical instruments for minimally invasive cardiac surgery procedures - and has introduced the company's first two products in the U.S.

From Medtronic 30 Jan 2012

Researchers study new strategies to treat patients with influenza

Influenza virus can rapidly evolve from one form to another, complicating the effectiveness of vaccines and anti-viral drugs used to treat it. By first understanding the complex host cell pathways that the flu uses for replication, University of Georgia researchers are finding new strategies for therapies and vaccines, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

30 Jan 2012

Pinpoint Genomics makes Pinpoint Dx Lung Assay available to clinicians, patients

Pinpoint Genomics, Inc. announced the publication of key data relating to its Pinpoint Dx Lung Assay in the journal The Lancet, and the availability of its Pinpoint Dx Lung Assay to clinicians and patients exclusively through the company's laboratory in Mountain View, CA.

30 Jan 2012

GenPath, BioReference Labs to introduce OnkoMatch solid tumor genotype test

BioReference Laboratories, Inc. and its GenPath Oncology business unit and through its exclusive commercialization agreement with the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is introducing its groundbreaking solid tumor genotype test.

27 Jan 2012

Two NIH clinical trials to evaluate treatments for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

The National Institutes of Health has launched two multi-site clinical trials to evaluate treatments for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. One will compare continuous chest compressions (CCC) combined with pause- free rescue breathing to standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which includes a combination of chest compressions and pauses for rescue breathing.

27 Jan 2012

CAT can assess exacerbation severity in patients with COPD

Exacerbation severity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be reliably assessed with the COPD Assessment Test- (CAT), according to a new study from the UK.

27 Jan 2012

LCI feasible, sensitive non-invasive marker of early lung disease in young children with CF

The lung clearance index (LCI) is a sensitive non-invasive marker of early lung disease in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a new study from Australian researchers.

27 Jan 2012