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Researchers devise new approach to treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Brandeis University has devised a wholly new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease involving the so-called retromer protein complex. Retromer plays a vital role in neurons, steering amyloid precursor protein (APP) away from a region of the cell where APP is cleaved, creating the potentially toxic byproduct amyloid-beta, which is thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's.

21 Apr 2014

Hydrogen sulfide regulates bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, shows study

Stem cells in bone marrow need to produce hydrogen sulfide in order to properly multiply and form bone tissue, according to a new study from the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC.

18 Apr 2014

Agios begins AG-348 Phase 1 study to treat PK deficiency

Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the fields of cancer metabolism and inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), today announced dose administration of AG-348 in a Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers.

18 Apr 2014

Researchers develop new technique for discovering natural compounds that form basis of novel therapeutic drugs

Researchers at Griffith University's Eskitis Institute have developed a new technique for discovering natural compounds which could form the basis of novel therapeutic drugs.

17 Apr 2014

Researchers show development of new cell models that track, report clock gene function

The consequences of modern life -- shift work, cell phone addiction, and travel across time zones -- all disturb internal clocks. These are found in the brain where they regulate sleep and throughout the body where they regulate physiology and metabolism.

11 Apr 2014

Assembly Pharmaceuticals, BioCrossroads develop novel drugs that have potential to treat chronic HBV infection

Assembly Pharmaceuticals and BioCrossroads today announced that the BioCrossroads Indiana Seed Fund II has made an investment in Assembly Pharmaceuticals. Assembly is developing novel drugs for the treatment and potential cure of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

10 Apr 2014

Rice University research targets Parkinson's, Huntington's and other proteasomal diseases

Synthetic genetic circuitry created by researchers at Rice University is helping them see, for the first time, how to regulate cell mechanisms that degrade the misfolded proteins implicated in Parkinson's, Huntington's and other diseases.

9 Apr 2014

Eli Lilly presents early-stage data from several targeted cancer therapies at AACR 2014

Eli Lilly and Company will present early-stage data from several targeted cancer therapies – including bemaciclib "beh meh sye' klib" (LY2835219), its oral, cell-cycle inhibitor of CDK4/6 – that make up its diverse clinical oncology pipeline during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2014 held in San Diego, Calif. from April 5 – 9.

7 Apr 2014

Sanford-Burnham to present new cancer research data at AACR 2014

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute will present a wide range of new research data at the annual American Association for Cancer Research Meeting in San Diego starting Saturday, April 5, at the San Diego Convention Center. The presentations will cover a variety of topics including breast, melanoma, and prostate cancer, as well as novel methods of delivering drugs to tumors.

4 Apr 2014

UT Southwestern professor honored with 2014 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research

Dr. Benjamin P. Tu, associate professor of biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, was honored today with the 2014 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research. Dr. Tu was recognized for innovative studies of once-unappreciated molecules that may someday improve treatments for cancer or conditions associated with aging.

28 Mar 2014

Researchers use retro approach to produce new drugs

This alternative approach to creating artificial organic molecules, called bioretrosynthesis, was first proposed four years ago by Brian Bachmann, associate professor of chemistry at Vanderbilt University. Now Bachmann and a team of collaborators report that they have succeeded in using the method to produce the HIV drug didanosine.

25 Mar 2014

Specific protein has vital role in controlling symptoms of allergic asthma, say researchers

An enzyme that helps maintain immune system function by "throwing away" a specific protein has a vital role in controlling symptoms of allergic asthma, new research in mice suggests.

6 Mar 2014

Metabolon agrees to provide biochemical profiling services to Human Longevity

Metabolon, Inc., the world's leading commercial-stage metabolomics company, announces the signing of an agreement with newly-launched Human Longevity Inc., whereby Metabolon will provide biochemical profiling services to assist HLI in its mission to tackle diseases of aging by building the world's largest and most complete human genotype, microbiome and phenotype database.

5 Mar 2014

Researchers identify drug using yeast model that reduces levels of toxic protein in brains of AD patients

Using a yeast model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a drug that reduces levels of the toxic protein fragment amyloid-β (Aβ) and prevents at least some of the cellular damage caused when Aβ accumulates in the brains of AD patients.

4 Mar 2014

Researcher uses computational approach to speed up process of drug discovery

OIST researcher uses a computational approach in identifying proteins that will interact with potential drugs to speed up the process of drug discovery.

24 Feb 2014

Researchers find new ways to elucidate creation of toxic oligomers associated with Alzheimer's disease

Researchers studying peptides using the Gordon supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have found new ways to elucidate the creation of the toxic oligomers associated with Alzheimer's disease.

19 Feb 2014

Scientists develop new approach to design drugs from genome sequence

In research that could ultimately lead to many new medicines, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a potentially general approach to design drugs from genome sequence. As a proof of principle, they identified a highly potent compound that causes cancer cells to attack themselves and die.

10 Feb 2014

Gladstone-led study represents important step towards cure for type 1 diabetes

A cure for type 1 diabetes has long eluded even the top experts. Not because they do not know what must be done-but because the tools did not exist to do it. But now scientists at the Gladstone Institutes, harnessing the power of regenerative medicine, have developed a technique in animal models that could replenish the very cells destroyed by the disease.

7 Feb 2014

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals announces treatment of first cancer patient with KTN3379

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, today announced treatment of the first cancer patient with Kolltan's lead drug candidate, KTN3379, as part of a Phase 1 clinical study evaluating safety, preliminary evidence of antitumor activity, and pharmacokinetics. KTN3379 is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks the activity of ErbB3, a member of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases.

21 Jan 2014

Research reveals new therapy for preventing production of sphingolipids by lymphoma cells

Christopher Parsons, MD, Director of the HIV Malignancies Program at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the senior author of a paper that is the first to report that specialized fat (lipid) molecules, called sphingolipids, play a key role in the survival of aggressive lymphomas caused by viruses.

15 Jan 2014