Inflammatory Bowel Disease News and Research

Latest Inflammatory Bowel Disease News and Research

Santarus expands development pipeline, adds two novel biologic drug candidates

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, has expanded its development pipeline with the addition of two novel biologic drug candidates focused on specialty markets.

13 Sep 2010

NIH announces award to improve human microbiome research

The National Institutes of Health today announced it has awarded approximately $42 million to expand the scope of eight demonstration projects designed to link changes in the human microbiome to health and disease.

8 Sep 2010

Researchers dispute study findings that show greater incidence of surgery for children with CD

A new multi-center study of 854 children with Crohn's disease shows a 5-year cumulative risk of bowel surgery is significantly lower than reported in recent studies. The findings of the study, led by Hasbro Children's Hospital, also indicate that children diagnosed between ages 13 and 16 had an increased risk of bowel surgery, and that a common treatment that begins at diagnosis, immunomodulator therapy, did not alter the risk of surgery.

2 Sep 2010

Research finds link between chronic heart failure, iron deficiency

Iron plays a key role in human homeostasis. It is essential for growth and survival, and is a vital ingredient in numerous processes including erythropoiesis, oxygen transport and storage, oxidative metabolism in the skeletal and heart muscle, synthesis and degradation of lipids, carbohydrates, DNA and RNA. Important though it is, iron metabolism must be precisely controlled because iron is insoluble and excess levels can be toxic.

2 Sep 2010

Prometheus launches Crohn's Prognostic test

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, today announced the commercial launch of its proprietary PROMETHEUS® Crohn's Prognostic test. This novel and unique diagnostic represents a significant advance in the Prometheus Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) franchise of diagnostic and prognostic tests, and complements the market-leading PROMETHEUS® IBD Serology 7.

2 Sep 2010

Plantain and broccoli fiber help in Crohn’s disease: Study

New research suggests that plant fibers in plantains and broccoli can help prevent relapses of Crohn's disease. This disease is a long term disease of the gut that is characterized by inflammation of the lining of the digestive system, with symptoms including diarrhea and abdominal pain. Crohn's disease affects between 400,000 and 600,000 people in North America. Scientists believe that rise in processed food and decrease in fibers in diet could be a reason for rise of incidence of this disease.

25 Aug 2010

Study finds occurrence of low BMD in inflammatory bowel disease patients

A thesis from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) is the first in Scandinavia to study the occurrence of low bone mineral density in children and teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease. Half of the patients in the study showed signs of low bone mineral density.

23 Aug 2010

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims of key Tuschl III patent covering Mir-155

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed claims in a patent application (US Serial No. 12/550,579) derived from the "Tuschl III" patent series. The allowed claims relate to human microRNA miR-155, a microRNA that is a potential target for immuno-inflammatory indications, and a lead program of the Regulus-GSK Strategic Alliance.

11 Aug 2010

Athersys second-quarter revenues increase to $1.9 million

Athersys, Inc. today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Apte wins Elkeles Prize for outstanding scientist in field of medicine

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Professor Ron N. Apte has been awarded the 2010 Samuel and Paula Elkeles Prize for Outstanding Scientist in the Field of Medicine.

9 Aug 2010

Scientific findings reveal combination antibiotic therapy effective for ulcerative colitis

The link between Hormone Replacement Therapy and reduced risk of distal large bowel cancer in women; a promising combination antibiotic therapy for ulcerative colitis patients; and the high-rate of alcoholic liver disease mortality, are among the scientific findings featured in the August issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

6 Aug 2010

Targacept licenses Cornerstone technology for inflammatory disorders program

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics(TM), today announced that it has added to its program for inflammatory disorders by entering into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. The agreement grants Targacept rights to Cornerstone's NNR-based patents, as well as its library of preclinical compounds that act on the alpha7 or other nicotinic receptors.

4 Aug 2010

PHD1 useful for pharmacologic inhibition in IBD: Research

Research into inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) led by UCD Conway Institute scientists with national and international collaborators has identified a key regulator involved in maintaining the functional integrity of the gut lining. The findings, published recently in the scientific journal, Gastroenterology, provide information that may be important in developing a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of the disease.

3 Aug 2010

FDA approves N30 Pharma's NDA for N6022 GSNOR

N30 Pharmaceuticals, LLC today announced the approval of its Investigational New Drug Application for N6022 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. N6022, a first-in-class inhibitor of s-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR), has the potential to be an important new treatment for acute exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

3 Aug 2010

Study explores role of genetic influence on ulcerative colitis

Adults diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after age 50 are more likely to achieve remission from their symptoms than patients diagnosed at younger ages, even when those patients receive similar treatments, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

3 Aug 2010

Immunosuppressive properties of TNF blockers may increase risk of malignancy in children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of malignancies in children using tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, raising concerns of an associated risk and prompting an investigation. Researchers from the FDA set out to identify all reports of malignancy in children using infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab and their report is published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

30 Jul 2010

TNF blockers may increase the risk of malignancy in children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of malignancies in children using tumor necrosis factor a (TNF) blockers, raising concerns of an associated risk and prompting an investigation.

29 Jul 2010

Positive results from phase I clinical trial of MultiStem in patients with AMI announced

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and partner Athersys, Inc. announced positive results from its phase I clinical trial of MultiStem, its allogeneic cell therapy product, administered to individuals following acute myocardial infarction, more commonly referred to as a heart attack.

29 Jul 2010

Athersys reports positive results from MultiStem phase I clinical trial in heart attack patients

Athersys, Inc. announced today positive results from its phase I clinical trial of MultiStem®, its allogeneic cell therapy product, administered to individuals following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), more commonly referred to as a heart attack. The study results, based on four months of post-treatment patient data, demonstrate that MultiStem was well tolerated at all dose levels and also suggest improvement in heart function in treated patients.

29 Jul 2010

New model of inflammatory bowel disease explores interactions of cells in immune system

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have constructed a mathematical and computational model of inflammatory bowel disease that allows researchers to simulate the cellular and molecular changes underlying chronic inflammation in humans. The model allows scientists to explore different interactions of cells in the immune system, check how these cells are linked to inflammation in the colon, and identify intervention points to perhaps stop the disease in its tracks.

23 Jul 2010