Melanoma News and Research

Latest Melanoma News and Research

Dundee Centre to help set the pace for national and international progress in cancer research

Dundee today (Thursday) becomes Scotland's first link in a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK. The launch of the Dundee Centre coincides with World Cancer Day.

4 Feb 2010

BRAF drugs may accelerate tumour growth in cancer patients with faulty RAS gene

A team of UK scientists has made the unexpected discovery that drugs which target a well known fault in a protein called BRAF could actually fuel the progression of cancer in some cases. The findings of this study, which was jointly funded by Cancer Research UK, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Wellcome Trust are published in Cell.

3 Feb 2010

Study identifies disparities in sun protection behavior

Only about 31 percent of African-American adults engage in at least one form of sun protection behavior such as wearing a hat, while 63 percent never use sunscreen, according to a new study.

3 Feb 2010

RECOTHROM topical hemostat exhibits low rate of anti-product antibody formation

ZymoGenetics, Inc., today announced the publication of pooled safety and immunogenicity observations from eight clinical trials of RECOTHROM in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The authors concluded that RECOTHROM is a well-tolerated topical hemostatic agent in numerous surgical settings and has a low rate of anti-product antibody formation. In the pooled data from all trials, less than one percent of treated patients developed product-specific antibodies. None of the antibodies neutralized native coagulation proteins.

2 Feb 2010

IsoRay ships first set of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds to Canada

IsoRay, Inc. announced today that it has successfully shipped the first set of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds to a Canadian customer for the purpose of furthering research and development of Cesium-131 in Canada. Cesium-131 is currently approved by Health Canada for the treatment of low-risk prostate cancers and has been cleared by the US FDA for treatment of a wide variety of malignant disease (e.g. prostate, head and neck, brain, breast, lung, eye, etc.).

28 Jan 2010

Indoor tanning: FTC prohibits ITA from making false health and safety claims

The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) applauds the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial.

28 Jan 2010

MedCI forms new strategic alliance with Genta

MedCI LLC, a life-science business consulting services company, announced the formation of a new strategic alliance with Genta Incorporated to secure licensing partners for Genta’s small molecule oncology compound, tesetaxel.

28 Jan 2010

Researchers challenge prevailing belief about role of protein in abnormal cell proliferation

In a study to be published this week, a research team is challenging a prevailing belief about the behavior of a human protein linked to the formation of cancer, possibly breathing new life into the search for therapies that will inhibit that protein from "turning on" genes involved in abnormal cell proliferation.

27 Jan 2010

Prometheus Laboratories executes commercialization agreement with Novartis

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, today announced the execution of a commercialization agreement with Novartis under which Prometheus acquired exclusive rights to distribute, promote and sell PROLEUKIN® (aldesleukin) in the United States.

27 Jan 2010

Pfizer reports final results from randomized Phase 3 trial of Sutent

Pfizer Inc. today announced final results from a randomized Phase 3 trial of Sutent (sunitinib malate) in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, a type of cancer which originates in the hormone-producing area of the pancreas.

23 Jan 2010

IsoRay expands market awareness program by joining www.StockProfile.com

IsoRay, Inc., announced today that they have expanded their market awareness program by joining www.StockProfile.com, a customized web-based platform showcasing emerging growth stocks.

23 Jan 2010

World’s first Cs-131 implant for colorectal cancer performed at Weill Cornell Medical Center

IsoRay, Inc., announced today that on October 10, 2009, Dr. Bhupesh Parashar, Dr. A Gabriella Wernicke and Dr. KS Clifford Chao from the Department of Radiation Oncology, and Dr. Jeffery Milsom from the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, at Weill Cornell Medical Center performed the world’s first Cesium-131(Cs-131) implant for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

21 Jan 2010

BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals commences patient treatment in Tavocept Phase III trial

BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the treatment of the first patients in a global multi-center Phase III clinical trial of Tavocept (BNP7787) in patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the lung, the most common type of lung cancer. In previous studies, Tavocept demonstrated the potential to substantially increase overall and one year patient survival while concurrently preventing and reducing the incidence and severity of common chemotherapy side-effects as compared to other currently available treatments for advanced lung cancer.

21 Jan 2010

ChromoCure's aneuploidy theory of cancer further validated

ChromoCure, Inc. -- The Company announces that its long-held theory of cancer, aneuploidy, has been further validated by a study published in the January 15, 2010 issue of Cancer Research (Volume 70, Issue 2).

21 Jan 2010

IMUC’s ICT-107 vaccine product candidate targets cancer stem cells

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics today announced the results of a study in which it was shown that certain specific antigens are highly expressed on cancer stem cells (CSCs). This suggests that IMUC’s lead cancer vaccine product candidate ICT-107, which targets those antigens, may effectively target not only the cells that make up the bulk of certain cancerous tumors, but also the CSCs that are widely believed to give rise to them and cause their recurrence.

21 Jan 2010

Extended treatment with active ingredient increases bone volume and calcium content

Genta Incorporated today announced publication of two scientific studies that test the active ingredient in Genta’s program to develop orally available gallium-containing compounds and the Company’s marketed product, Ganite® (gallium nitrate for injection).

13 Jan 2010

Synta Pharmaceuticals presents preclinical results of STA-9090 at AACR-IASLC Joint Conference

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced that preclinical results presented at the AACR-IASLC (American Academy of Cancer Research – International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer) Joint Conference based on work done at Synta and at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston showed that STA-9090, a potent, synthetic inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), demonstrated potent activity against 100% of all non-small cell lung cancer cell lines tested, including those with EGFR, HER2 or KRAS mutations including the EGFR T790 mutation that is present in roughly 50% of cases of erlotinib or gefitinib resistance.

13 Jan 2010

Research reveals how cancers shield themselves from immune attack

Melanoma, if not detected in its early stages, transforms into a highly deadly, treatment-resistant cancer. Although the immune system initially responds to melanoma and mounts anti-tumor attacks, these assaults are generally ineffective, allowing more advanced melanomas to win the battle and spread beyond the primary site.

13 Jan 2010

Abraxis Bioscience awards John Wayne Cancer Institute $1M grant for identifying new cancer biomarkers

A $1 million grant from Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. to a world-famous research laboratory at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center could help save lives of cancer patients by helping doctors more rapidly assess whether a treatment is working or not.

12 Jan 2010

Plexxikon commences dosing in PLX4032 Phase 3 trial for metastatic melanoma

Plexxikon Inc. announces that enrollment has been initiated and the first patient has been dosed in a pivotal Phase 3 trial of PLX4032 (RG7204) in patients with metastatic melanoma. PLX4032 is a novel, oral and highly targeted drug that is designed to inhibit the BRAF cancer-causing mutation that occurs in about 50 percent of melanomas and about eight percent of all solid tumors. The randomized, controlled, Phase 3 “BRAF Inhibitor in Melanoma” (BRIM3) trial in previously untreated patients is part of the planned registration program for PLX4032.

9 Jan 2010