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Boston University's Technology Development Office completes exclusive license of Project RED to Engineered Care

Boston University's Technology Development Office, on behalf of Boston Medical Center, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has completed the exclusive license of Project RED (Re-Engineered Discharge) to Engineered Care, Inc.

17 Mar 2010

Despite accomplishments and improvements, cancer remains too common disease in the U.S.

Although there have been achievements in the battle against cancer, including a decrease in the rate of death and new diagnoses, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., with a need for continued improvement in the areas of prevention, detection and treatment, according to a commentary in the March 17 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on cancer.

17 Mar 2010

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

In a breakthrough that may help fill a critical need in stem cell research and patient care, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have demonstrated that skin cells found in human amniotic fluid can be efficiently "reprogrammed" to pluripotency, where they have characteristics similar to human embryonic stem cells that can develop into almost any type of cell in the human body. The study is online now and will appear in print in the next issue of the journal Cellular Reprogramming, to be published next month.

16 Mar 2010

Promedior raises $12M in Series C financing

Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, today announced that it has raised $12 million in a Series C financing round. Forbion Capital Partners led the round, with participation from existing investors Morgenthaler Ventures, HealthCare Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners, and Easton Capital. The Series C financing brings the total capital raised by Promedior over the past year to $27 million.

16 Mar 2010

Mortality in CAD patients: Key predictor identified

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) hospitalizes more than 160,000 Canadians every year, and almost one quarter of those patients die from this common form of heart disease. But now a team of Vancouver-based researchers has identified a key predictor of mortality in CAD patients, which means that specialists can better determine how to treat and improve outcomes for patients with CAD.

16 Mar 2010

Hybrid revascularization procedure is safe and feasible for left main coronary artery stenosis

The left main coronary artery provides most of the blood to the heart, and current guidelines call for patients with blockages in this artery to undergo bypass surgery.

16 Mar 2010

Dual role of Notch signalling pathway

Scientists headed by ICREA researcher Marco Mil-n, at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), reveal a surprising new function of Notch protein that contrasts with the one known to date. Found in the cell membrane, this protein activates a signalling pathway that regulates the expression of genes that make the cell divide, grow, migrate, specialise or die.

16 Mar 2010

Endobronchial ultrasound: More precise and less invasive than other lung cancer staging methods

A new technique being used by thoracic surgeons at Rush University Medical Center offers a more precise, less invasive and more versatile way of assessing a patient's lymph nodes and chest tumors to determine if lung cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

16 Mar 2010

Obesity limits body's ability to fight infections

Obesity may limit the body's ability to develop immunity to influenza viruses, particularly secondary infections, by inhibiting the immune system's ability to "remember" how it fought off previous similar bouts of illness, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

16 Mar 2010

Most influential advances in cardiopulmonary imaging: High-resolution CT and CT pulmonary angiography

Advances in computed tomography providing high-resolution images of the lungs and a new approach to diagnosis of pulmonary embolism are "the most influential" changes in cardiopulmonary imaging over the past 25 years, according to a panel of experts surveyed in the February Journal of Thoracic Imaging official journal of the Society of Thoracic Radiology and the Japanese and Korean Societies of Thoracic Radiology.

16 Mar 2010

Concurrent use of proton-pump inhibitor and clopidogrel does not elevate cardiovascular risk

Heart patients who took a stomach acid-suppressing proton-pump inhibitor along with clopidogrel - a drug that prevents blood clots - were only half as likely to be hospitalized for upper digestive tract bleeding than those who used clopidogrel alone, according to a new study supported by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

16 Mar 2010

New cerebral protection device prevents stroke during treatment to clear blocked carotid arteries

An important interventional radiology advancement-the use of a new cerebral protection device in combination with FDA-approved carotid stents in high-surgical-risk patients-provides a minimally invasive, safe and effective way to prevent stroke from occurring during treatment to clear blocked carotid arteries, according to research released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

16 Mar 2010

Study offers new possibilities for breast and other cancer therapies

Conventional biological wisdom holds that living cells interact with their environment through an elaborate network of chemical signals. As a result many therapies for the treatment of cancer and other diseases in which cell behavior goes awry focus on drugs that block or disrupt harmful chemical signals.

16 Mar 2010

Poniard Pharmaceuticals sells over 4.2M common shares to Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund

Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative oncology therapies, today announced the sale of 4,229,000 of its common shares to Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund, Ltd. for gross proceeds of approximately $6.3 million, or approximately $1.49 per share, under its existing committed equity financing facility with Commerce Court.

16 Mar 2010

Vertebroplasty helps patients become better equipped to continue with treatment for multiple myeloma

Treating non-osteoporotic compression fractures in patients with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, shows that the use of vertebroplasty-a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional radiologists using imaging guidance that stabilizes collapsed vertebrae with the injection of medical-grade bone cement into the spine-results in a reduction of pain, medication usage and disability, according to researchers in the largest study of its kind at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

16 Mar 2010

Vertebroplasty: Patient selection vital

Patient selection is key for vertebroplasty—a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional radiologists in individuals with painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures that fail to respond to conventional medical therapy—to be effective and successful, according to a study of more than 1,500 persons who were followed over seven years. Additionally, collaboration between an interventional radiologist and other medical experts in treating a patient is imperative, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

15 Mar 2010

CPF, PFF applaud PF patients' efforts to plead with FDA Advisory Panel regarding lack of treatment options

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation are applauding the efforts of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) patients and family members for their work to convey to the FDA and an FDA Advisory Committee the sense of urgency and desperation regarding the disease and the lack of treatment options.

15 Mar 2010

Researchers discover microtentacles that play key role in spreading cancer to distant locations in body

Researchers at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center have discovered that "microtentacles," or extensions of the plasma membrane of breast cancer cells, appear to play a key role in how cancers spread to distant locations in the body. Targeting these microtentacles might prove to be a new way to prevent or slow the growth of these secondary cancers, the scientists say.

15 Mar 2010

Study finds new way to reduce risk of life-threatening bloodstream infections in newborns

Hospitals may reduce the risk of life-threatening bloodstream infections in newborns with peripherally inserted central venous catheters by replacing the device every 30 days or so, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study.

15 Mar 2010

Mitral regurgitation: MitraClip safe, effective alternative option to open heart surgery

NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) interventional cardiologist, Ted Feldman, MD, presented data today at the American College of Cardiology annual scientific sessions from the EVEREST II trial (Endovascular Valve Edge-to-Edge REpair STudy) demonstrating the MitraClip, a novel, first-in-class catheter-based device, is a safe and effective alternative to open heart surgery for select patients with mitral regurgitation.

15 Mar 2010

Lungs News and Research

Boston University's Technology Development Office completes exclusive license of Project RED to Engineered Care

Despite accomplishments and improvements, cancer remains too common disease in the U.S.

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

Promedior raises $12M in Series C financing

Mortality in CAD patients: Key predictor identified

Hybrid revascularization procedure is safe and feasible for left main coronary artery stenosis

Dual role of Notch signalling pathway

Endobronchial ultrasound: More precise and less invasive than other lung cancer staging methods

Obesity limits body's ability to fight infections

Most influential advances in cardiopulmonary imaging: High-resolution CT and CT pulmonary angiography

Concurrent use of proton-pump inhibitor and clopidogrel does not elevate cardiovascular risk

New cerebral protection device prevents stroke during treatment to clear blocked carotid arteries

Study offers new possibilities for breast and other cancer therapies

Poniard Pharmaceuticals sells over 4.2M common shares to Commerce Court Small Cap Value Fund

Vertebroplasty helps patients become better equipped to continue with treatment for multiple myeloma

Vertebroplasty: Patient selection vital

CPF, PFF applaud PF patients' efforts to plead with FDA Advisory Panel regarding lack of treatment options

Researchers discover microtentacles that play key role in spreading cancer to distant locations in body

Study finds new way to reduce risk of life-threatening bloodstream infections in newborns

Mitral regurgitation: MitraClip safe, effective alternative option to open heart surgery

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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