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Tumor-penetrating microparticles may offer treatment hope for those suffering with pancreatic cancer

Tiny particles that can carry drugs and target cancer cells may offer treatment hope for those suffering with pancreatic cancer. New research to be presented in November at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles reveals that tumor-penetrating microparticles (TPM) have been specifically designed to break through hard-to-infiltrate barriers and deliver drugs more effectively and efficiently than the standard form of chemotherapy such as those injected through a vein.

3 Nov 2009

Pateamine A found to inhibit yet another anti-cancer mechanism

Pateamine A (PatA), a natural product first isolated from marine sponges, has attracted considerable attention as a potential anti-cancer agent, and now a new activity has been found for it, which may reveal yet another anti-cancer mechanism. That's the assessment of Daniel Romo, a Texas A&M chemistry professor, and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins University who are pioneers in research involving this novel marine natural product.

3 Nov 2009

Mechanical force switches T cell from disease-scanning to disease-fighting mode

The immune system's T cells have the unique responsibilities of being both jury and executioner. They examine other cells for signs of disease, including cancers or infections, and, if such evidence is found, rid them from the body. Precisely how T cells shift so swiftly from one role to another, however, has been a mystery.

3 Nov 2009

GICD, Stanford University collaborate to develop stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and Stanford University School of Medicine will collaborate in a new consortium funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to develop stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies. GICD investigators, led by GICD Director Deepak Srivastava, MD, will collaborate with a Stanford team led by Robert Robbins, MD, professor and chair of cardiothoracic surgery, to investigate how to use induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, to repair damaged heart muscle.

3 Nov 2009

Cancer Cell publishes a paper on ARIAD Pharmaceuticals' Pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the scientific journal, Cancer Cell, has published a comprehensive paper describing the design and preclinical characterization of AP24534, ARIAD’s investigational, multi-targeted kinase inhibitor.

3 Nov 2009

ISB and Complete Genomics embark on the largest complete human genome disease association study

The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and Complete Genomics Inc. announced today that they are embarking on a large-scale human genome sequencing study of Huntington’s disease (HD). ISB has engaged Complete Genomics to sequence 100 genomes, the majority of which will be used to investigate this disease, with samples from affected individuals, family members, and matched controls to study modifiers of disease presentation and progression.

2 Nov 2009

VEGF from the retinal pigment epithelium to the choriocapillaris leads to degeneration of the CC, study finds

Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have found that when the eye is missing a diffusible form of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), i.e. one that when secreted can reach other cells at a distance, the retina shows defects similar to "dry" macular degeneration, also called geographic atrophy (GA).

2 Nov 2009

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents new data from its transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis program

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it presented new pre-clinical research findings from its transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR) program at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (“The Liver Meeting”).

2 Nov 2009

NOXXON Pharma commences human dosing in Spiegelmer NOX-A12 clinical trial

NOXXON Pharma AG, the biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel drugs based on its unique proprietary Spiegelmer® technology, announced today the successful initial dosing of healthy volunteers in a first-in-human clinical trial with Spiegelmer® NOX-A12. NOX-A12 is NOXXON’s second drug candidate entering the clinical stage of development within only five months.

2 Nov 2009

Scientists discover gene that controls the metabolism of fat

Scientists at the University of Bonn have discovered a previously unknown fruit fly gene that controls the metabolism of fat. Larvae in which this gene is defective lose their entire fat reserves.

2 Nov 2009

InteRNA Technologies and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute team up for cancer research

InteRNA Technologies B.V. and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, USA) have entered into a research agreement to develop microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cancer.

2 Nov 2009

Combination of inhibitor and antioxidants may help prevent diabetes complications

In diabetes patients, high blood glucose levels can end up killing certain cells in the eyes and kidneys, which is why diabetes is the leading cause of adult blindness and of kidney failure. Years ago, scientists identified one main route for this destruction—high glucose produces oxidative stress through the NF-kB molecular pathway—but success has been elusive for drugs targeting that pathway.

2 Nov 2009

Study: Charcoal lessens atherosclerotic lesions in mice with kidney damage

Charcoal may provide a new approach to managing the high rate of heart disease in patients with advanced kidney disease, according to preliminary research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA.

2 Nov 2009

Bacteria use a well-studied communication system to resist antibiotics

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells - preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system.

1 Nov 2009

Stress-evoked changes can precipitate low mood and re-ignite drug-seeking behaviors

Stress-evoked changes in circuits that regulate serotonin in certain parts of the brain can precipitate a low mood and a relapse in cocaine-seeking, based on mouse studies published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

31 Oct 2009

Lipid may be vital to learning

Saturated fats have a deservedly bad reputation, but Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a sticky lipid occurring naturally at high levels in the brain may help us memorize grandma's recipe for cinnamon buns, as well as recall how, decades ago, she served them up steaming from the oven.

31 Oct 2009

Johns Hopkins researchers find life in blood-starved retinas; shed light on vision loss

Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. While many of the molecules involved in guiding the development of the intricate blood vessel architecture are known, only now are we learning how these molecules work and how they might affect sight.

31 Oct 2009

Immunotherapy, a new therapeutic area to destroy tumor cells

Targeted immunotherapy has been an attractive new therapeutic area for a number of cancers because it has the potential to destroy tumor cells without damaging surrounding normal tissue. New study results demonstrate high success rates using specialized white blood cells to prevent or treat lymphoma associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV-lymphoma) in patients who have received a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).

31 Oct 2009

Study: Gene therapy can reduce symptoms of Huntington's disease

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have shown that a highly specific intrabody (an antibody fragment that works against a target inside a cell) is capable of stalling the development of Huntington's disease in a variety of mouse models.

31 Oct 2009

Geron plans to advance clinical program for spinal cord injury

Geron Corporation today announced the company’s plan to advance clinical development of its human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based product, GRNOPC1, for the treatment of spinal cord injury.

31 Oct 2009

Medical Science News

Tumor-penetrating microparticles may offer treatment hope for those suffering with pancreatic cancer

Pateamine A found to inhibit yet another anti-cancer mechanism

Mechanical force switches T cell from disease-scanning to disease-fighting mode

GICD, Stanford University collaborate to develop stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies

Cancer Cell publishes a paper on ARIAD Pharmaceuticals' Pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor

ISB and Complete Genomics embark on the largest complete human genome disease association study

VEGF from the retinal pigment epithelium to the choriocapillaris leads to degeneration of the CC, study finds

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents new data from its transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis program

NOXXON Pharma commences human dosing in Spiegelmer NOX-A12 clinical trial

Scientists discover gene that controls the metabolism of fat

InteRNA Technologies and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute team up for cancer research

Combination of inhibitor and antioxidants may help prevent diabetes complications

Study: Charcoal lessens atherosclerotic lesions in mice with kidney damage

Bacteria use a well-studied communication system to resist antibiotics

Stress-evoked changes can precipitate low mood and re-ignite drug-seeking behaviors

Lipid may be vital to learning

Johns Hopkins researchers find life in blood-starved retinas; shed light on vision loss

Immunotherapy, a new therapeutic area to destroy tumor cells

Study: Gene therapy can reduce symptoms of Huntington's disease

Geron plans to advance clinical program for spinal cord injury

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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