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Advanced Cell Technology’s MA09-hRPE cells for treatment of SMD: FDA grants orphan drug designation

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company applying cellular technology in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation for the company’s MA09-hRPE cells for use in the treatment of Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD). As a result, the company is eligible to receive a number of benefits, including tax credits, access to grant funding for clinical trials, accelerated FDA approval and allowance for marketing exclusivity after drug approval for a period of as long as seven years.

3 Mar 2010

Study shows cryoablation technique offers a potential treatment for breast cancer

Freezing a cancer kills it in its place, and also appears to generate an immune response that helps stop the cancer's spread, leading to improved survival rates over surgery, according to a new study in mice from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3 Mar 2010

Study suggests mental activity could stave off age-related cognitive and memory decline

UC Irvine neurobiologists are providing the first visual evidence that learning promotes brain health - and, therefore, that mental stimulation could limit the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind.

3 Mar 2010

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics receives Notice of Allowance on ICT-69 monoclonal antibody

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd., a biotechnology company that is developing immune based therapies for the treatment of various forms of cancer, announced today it received a Notice of Allowance on monoclonal antibody ICT-69 which targets multiple myeloma and ovarian cancers. The antibody has demonstrated high specificity to these cancers by targeting a novel cell surface antigen.

2 Mar 2010

Affymetrix introduces GeneAtlas System for processing arrays and characterizing changes in gene expression

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced the launch of the GeneAtlas™ System, a complete, personal solution for processing Affymetrix arrays and characterizing changes in gene expression in a variety of research applications.

2 Mar 2010

NJIT researcher awarded patent for functional coating compositions of perfluoroalkyl perfluoro-phthalocyanine compounds

Sergiu M. Gorun, PhD, associate professor of chemistry at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), was awarded a patent today for a novel composition of matter. “Functional Coating Compositions of Perfluoroalkyl Perfluoro-Phthalocyanine Compounds” (US Patent Number 7,670,684) discloses a new self-contained subclass of molecules.

2 Mar 2010

Imaging technique combining ultrasound and microscopic bubbles help visualize tumor activity at molecular level

An imaging technique combining ultrasound and specially modified contrast agents may allow researchers to noninvasively detect cancer and show its progression, according to research published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM). The technique enables researchers to visualize tumor activity at the molecular level.

2 Mar 2010

Discovery of two new compounds opens new approach to drug design against HIV protease

A team of researchers at the renowned Scripps Research Institute has discovered two new compounds that prove the existence of new binding sites on HIV protease. Associate Professor C. David Stout, senior author of the study, explained "These results open the door to a whole new approach to drug design against HIV protease," which is an enzyme used by HIV to create new, infectious viral particles.

2 Mar 2010

Greffex Group signs Strategic Alliance Framework Agreement with UPMC and ISMETT

The Greffex Group of regenerative medicine companies announces the signing of a Strategic Alliance Framework Agreement with UPMC and ISMETT, Italy.

2 Mar 2010

Stress increases resistance to influenza infection

A new study using mice suggests that a repeated stressful situation that triggers the animals' natural "fight-or-flight" response may actually enhance their ability to fight disease when re-exposed to the same pathogen.

2 Mar 2010

Sea squirts help in fight against Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 27 million people worldwide. It is the most common form of age-related dementia, possibly the most feared disease of old age. There is no cure, and the available drugs only help to relieve symptoms without slowing progression of the disease. One of the characteristic changes in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is the accumulation of plaques and tangles; currently, the best hope for curing or at least slowing the disease lies in developing drugs that target this buildup.

2 Mar 2010

Causal relation between multiple factors and occurrence of neurodegenerative disorders: ANNs help understand better

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often considered an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). An analysis of genetic risk factors predisposing to MCI is critical for accessing individual predisposition and reliably evaluating the effectiveness of early treatment. In a groundbreaking study published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease investigators successfully used artificial neural networks (ANNs) to help understand the causal relation between multiple factors and the occurrence of neurodegenerative disorders.

2 Mar 2010

Simvastatin impairs ability of macrophages to kill pathogens, and enhances cytokine production

Simvastatin might help us control our cholesterol, but when it comes to infection, it's an entirely different story says a new research study published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. In the research report, scientists from Italy show that simvastatin delivers a one-two punch to the immune system. First it impairs the ability of specialized immune cells, called macrophages, to kill pathogens. Then, it enhances production of molecules, called cytokines, which trigger and sustain inflammation.

2 Mar 2010

ZyGEM introduces new RNAGEM Tissue RNA extraction kits

ZyGEM Corp. Ltd., a provider of innovative enzyme-based products for DNA and RNA extraction and other life sciences applications, today announced the launch of its new RNAGEM™ Tissue RNA extraction kits. This product represents a significant advance in sample preparation for RNA-based testing and analysis.

2 Mar 2010

New class of breast cancer: Overexpression of LRP6 gene could be a potential marker

A newly identified cancer biomarker could define a new subtype of breast cancer as well as offer a potential way to treat it, say researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Their findings will be published in the March 1 online early edition issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2 Mar 2010

febit releases updated Geniom Biochip containing 58 new miRNA sequences

febit today announced that an updated version of the company's Geniom Biochip containing 58 new discovered sequences in addition to all of the Homo sapiens microRNAs (miRNA) from miRBase version 14 is now available for cancer research. The 58 new miRNA sequences were found by deep sequencing in a miRNA discovery study performed on an Applied Biosystems SOLiD 3 sequencing system. All 58 miRNAs have been validated using the ABI TaqMan miRNA qRT-PCR assay and are now available for further studies using febit's microarray technology for miRNA-profiling.

2 Mar 2010

Research focuses on DYRK1A gene in association with Down's syndrome

Research undertaken in recent years on Down's syndrome has focused on the DYRK1A gene. The superexpression of this gene affects transmission in the neurones, according to Mr Garikoitz Azkona. In his PhD thesis, The molecular bases of neuropathology in Down's syndrome: the role of DYRK1A, Mr Azkona argues that this failure in neurone transmission could be behind the problem that persons with Down's syndrome have regarding visual-spatial memory.

2 Mar 2010

Life Technologies announces early stage results from SMS technology

Life Technologies Corporation today announced early stage results from its single molecule sequencing (SMS) technology. The technology promises to combine virtually unlimited continuous long read lengths with unmatched accuracy to deliver targeted genomic sequence data in a matter of hours, paving the way for sequencing to become a commonplace tool in research laboratories and clinical settings worldwide.

2 Mar 2010

High levels of anti-aging hormone may increase cancer mortality in older men

According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), older men with high levels of the hormone IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor 1) are at increased risk of cancer death, independent of age, lifestyle and cancer history.

2 Mar 2010

Gene research offers new hope for targeted breast cancer treatment

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have developed a system to identify faulty or missing genes that could prevent specific chemotherapy regimes from working. This opens the doors for targeted breast cancer treatment, according to research published in the Lancet Oncology* today (Monday).

2 Mar 2010

Medical Science News

Advanced Cell Technology’s MA09-hRPE cells for treatment of SMD: FDA grants orphan drug designation

Study shows cryoablation technique offers a potential treatment for breast cancer

Study suggests mental activity could stave off age-related cognitive and memory decline

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics receives Notice of Allowance on ICT-69 monoclonal antibody

Affymetrix introduces GeneAtlas System for processing arrays and characterizing changes in gene expression

NJIT researcher awarded patent for functional coating compositions of perfluoroalkyl perfluoro-phthalocyanine compounds

Imaging technique combining ultrasound and microscopic bubbles help visualize tumor activity at molecular level

Discovery of two new compounds opens new approach to drug design against HIV protease

Greffex Group signs Strategic Alliance Framework Agreement with UPMC and ISMETT

Stress increases resistance to influenza infection

Sea squirts help in fight against Alzheimer's disease

Causal relation between multiple factors and occurrence of neurodegenerative disorders: ANNs help understand better

Simvastatin impairs ability of macrophages to kill pathogens, and enhances cytokine production

ZyGEM introduces new RNAGEM Tissue RNA extraction kits

New class of breast cancer: Overexpression of LRP6 gene could be a potential marker

febit releases updated Geniom Biochip containing 58 new miRNA sequences

Research focuses on DYRK1A gene in association with Down's syndrome

Life Technologies announces early stage results from SMS technology

High levels of anti-aging hormone may increase cancer mortality in older men

Gene research offers new hope for targeted breast cancer treatment

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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