Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Autophagy research offers clues to new weight loss treatment

According to a new study when the body is starved brain cells along with other parts of the body begin to eat themselves. The body responds by producing fatty acids, which turn up the hunger signal in the brain and increase the impulse to eat.

3 Aug 2011

GSK, NPS enter agreement to evaluate ronacaleret in new indications

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing orphan therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, today reported that it has entered into a new agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), that terminates and replaces a prior collaborative research and license agreement between NPS and GSK from 1993, which focused on the discovery and development of small molecule antagonists of the calcium receptor that increase secretion of parathyroid hormone.

3 Aug 2011

Nature Biotechnology publishes BGI, GT Life Sciences' study on CHO K1 genome

BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, and GT Life Sciences, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company that utilizes a proven metabolic modeling and experimental platform to drive the discovery and design of new products and processes for the life sciences field, announced today that their collaborative study on the genomic sequence of the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) K1 cell line was published July 31, 2011 online in Nature Biotechnology.

1 Aug 2011

Stealth presents Bendavia at AHA's Cardiovascular Scientific Sessions

Stealth Peptides Inc. (Stealth), a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative mitochondrial therapies for diseases with unmet medical needs, presented its lead clinical candidate, Bendavia, during the 2011 American Heart Association's (AHA) Cardiovascular Scientific Sessions.

1 Aug 2011

AACE declares obesity as a disease state

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has declared that there is significant clinical evidence to declare obesity as a disease state. The decision was made in a unanimous vote of the AACE Board of Directors at their quarterly meeting, July 23, in Dallas, TX.

30 Jul 2011

WARFARIN Study initiated to assess utility of genetic testing to reduce warfarin-related adverse events

Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. announced that the WARFARIN Study was initiated at Colorado Heart & Vascular, P.C. in Denver and other major hospital systems nationwide to assess the utility of genetic testing to determine a personalized warfarin dose for individual patients to reduce their risk of serious bleeding or clotting events.

30 Jul 2011

Human kinome RNAi screening performed using Roche’s xCELLigence MP Instrument

RNA interference studies are a powerful technology for high-throughput screening. However, endpoint analyses only provide a snapshot of the analyzed cellular phenotype, as it is not possible to measure developmental changes over time.

29 Jul 2011

WSU professor receives NIH grant for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease research

Kezhong Zhang, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular medicine and genetics and of immunology and microbiology in the School of Medicine at Wayne State University, was awarded $1.7 million by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to explore how molecular elements in the body regulate the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

29 Jul 2011

High fructose corn syrup consumption may promote heart disease

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that adults who consumed high fructose corn syrup for two weeks as 25 percent of their daily calorie requirement had increased blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which have been shown to be indicators of increased risk for heart disease.

29 Jul 2011

Patients with diabetes, depression more likely to develop serious eye disease

Patients with diabetes who also suffer from depression are more likely to develop a serious complication known as diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the eye's retina, a five-year study finds.

29 Jul 2011

Muscle mass may influence risk for diabetes: Study

According to a new study greater muscle mass may reduce the odds of developing diabetes. There have been studies that show having less body fat reduces diabetes risk and that exercise can help too, but the new study by UCLA scientists suggests a link between higher muscle mass and a lower risk of diabetes.

29 Jul 2011

Amylin, Lilly and Alkermes submit reply to FDA complete response letter for BYDUREON

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the companies have submitted their reply to a complete response letter issued in October 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding BYDUREON™ (exenatide extended-release for injectable suspension), an investigational medication for type 2 diabetes.

28 Jul 2011

Relative muscle mass inversely linked with insulin resistance and pre-diabetes

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that the greater an individual's total muscle mass, the lower the person's risk of having insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes.

28 Jul 2011

Mitochondrial genome undergoes random reorganisation during reprogramming

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are truly talented multi-taskers. They can reproduce almost all cell types and thus offer great hope in the fight against diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. However, it would appear that their use is not entirely without risk: during the reprogramming of body cells into iPS cells, disease-causing mutations can creep into the genetic material.

28 Jul 2011

Report on versatility of nitric oxide in arming hosts against pathogens

A new target for nitric oxide has been revealed in studies of how it inhibits the growth of Salmonella. This bacterium is a common cause of food-poisoning.

25 Jul 2011

UCSF, Kaiser Permanente achieve first major milestone in genomics project

One of the nation's largest and most diverse genomics projects has reached its first major milestone in just 15 months. Scientists have genotyped the DNA and analyzed the length of chromosome tips in more than 100,000 Kaiser Permanente members who agreed to be part of the research.

22 Jul 2011

Scientists directly link lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia

Scientists from Graz, Austria, have now directly linked lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia. Science reports via its online channel Science Express that mice deficient in the lipid degrading enzyme Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL) are fully protected against cancer-associated cachexia.

22 Jul 2011

Roche's cobas KRAS Mutation Test for colorectal cancer now available in Europe

Roche announced today that the cobas KRAS Mutation Test is now commercially available in Europe for use in colorectal cancer.

22 Jul 2011

Metabolic syndrome linked to increased risk of primary liver cancers

Incidence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) have increased in the U.S. This population-based study publishing in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, found that metabolic syndrome significantly increases risk of developing these primary liver cancers.

22 Jul 2011

Identification of third microRNA target triggers milestone payment from GSK to Regulus

Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs, today announced that it has identified a third microRNA target in its alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), triggering a preclinical milestone payment from GSK.

21 Jul 2011