Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

New cooling method uncovers inner workings of key iron-containing enzyme

A team of Michigan State University scientists -- using a new cooling method they created - have uncovered the inner workings of a key iron-containing enzyme, a discovery that could help researchers develop new medicines or understand how enzymes repair DNA.

27 Feb 2010

UAMS researchers identify age-related mechanism as primary cause of osteoporosis

Marking a shift in decades of thought on the cause of osteoporosis, researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences have identified an age-related mechanism - not a decrease of the hormone estrogen - as the primary culprit.

27 Feb 2010

Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA: FDA assigns PDUFA date

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of October 22, 2010, for the review of the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA). The acceptance of the lorcaserin NDA filing confirms that the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review, and the PDUFA date is the goal date for the FDA to complete its review of the NDA.

26 Feb 2010

Over 16% of pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes

Two to three times more pregnant women may soon be diagnosed and treated for gestational diabetes, based on new measurements for determining risky blood sugar levels for the mother and her unborn baby, according to a study that was coordinated by investigators at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

26 Feb 2010

NIH Director announces seven new scientific programs scheduled to begin during fiscal year 2010

Programs to create a new center for the study of stem cells and to increase capacity to deal with global health issues were among seven scientific initiatives announced today by NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. The seven research programs are supported through the NIH Common Fund, which encourages collaborative research programs across the NIH institutes and centers, or ICs, to accomplish work that no single IC could do alone.

26 Feb 2010

Rapid, multiplexed genotyping method to identify SNPs that affect warfarin dose developed

Researchers from the Ohio State University have developed a rapid, multiplexed genotyping method to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect warfarin dose. The related report by Yang et al, "Rapid Genotyping of SNPs Influencing Warfarin Drug Response by SELDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry," appears in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

26 Feb 2010

imaGenes GmbH passes certification process to qualify as Roche NimbleGen CSP for DNA Methylation Analysis

Roche NimbleGen is pleased to announce that imaGenes GmbH, located in Berlin, Germany, has passed the certification process to qualify as a Roche NimbleGen Certified Service Provider for DNA Methylation Analysis. imaGenes is a solution provider for functional genomics and proteomics with a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality services for molecular life sciences.

26 Feb 2010

New dietary supplement blocks triggering mechanism causing breast cell mutations

Every 13 minutes a woman loses her battle with breast cancer and in 2009 alone more than 27,000 men died from prostate cancer. These powerful statistics continue to fuel research and new developments. With tens of millions of dollars in financial support from the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Defense, scientists have identified when estrogen metabolism is out of balance it can start the process leading to breast cell mutations.

26 Feb 2010

FDA sets new PDUFA action date for exenatide once weekly NDA

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. today confirmed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a new Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of March 12 for its review of the exenatide once weekly new drug application (NDA).

25 Feb 2010

Regulus Therapeutics, GSK announce new collaboration on microRNA therapeutics targeting microRNA-122

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. today announced the establishment of a new collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop and commercialize microRNA therapeutics targeting microRNA-122 in all fields with Hepatitis C Viral infection (HCV) as the lead indication. Under the terms of the new collaboration, Regulus will receive additional upfront and early-stage milestone payments with the potential to earn more than $150 million in miR-122-related combined payments, and tiered royalties up to double digits on worldwide sales of products.

25 Feb 2010

NIH panel proposes multiple management strategies for lactose intolerant individuals

Lactose intolerance is a real and important clinical syndrome, but quantifying its public health burden is challenging. An NIH Consensus Development panel was convened this week to assess the available evidence on lactose intolerance and health across the age spectrum and across racial and ethnic groups.

25 Feb 2010

Study examines how individuals utilize benefits and services under Medicare program

Findings released today and detailed in the analysis Low Consumption and Higher Medicare Cost: Consumption Clusters in a Medicare Fee-for-Service Population, examine how individuals utilize benefits and services under the Medicare program.

25 Feb 2010

FDA accepts Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its New Drug Application (NDA) for lorcaserin, Arena's internally discovered and developed drug candidate for weight management, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, has been accepted for filing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Arena submitted the lorcaserin NDA on December 22, 2009, and expects to learn the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date in the next few weeks. The PDUFA date is the target date for the FDA to complete its review of an NDA.

24 Feb 2010

Genetic test for autism: Transgenomic licenses exclusive intellectual property from IntegraGen

Transgenomic, Inc. announced today that it has licensed on an exclusive U.S. basis intellectual property from IntegraGen SA that will enable Transgenomic to develop and commercialize a genetic test designed to assess the risk of autism in children who have older siblings diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Under the agreement Transgenomic will develop the test in the Company's CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, and anticipates launching the new test in the second quarter of 2010. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

24 Feb 2010

PAREXEL International expands capabilities by opening new early phase unit in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that it has expanded its capabilities through the opening of a new early phase unit in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

From Parexel 24 Feb 2010

Forest Laboratories' Bystolic tablets for treatment of stable CHF failed to receive FDA approval

Forest Laboratories, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not approve the additional indication for Bystolic® (nebivolol) tablets as a treatment for stable chronic heart failure (CHF) as requested in the company’s Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA).

23 Feb 2010

Gene study provides new clues to fight infections

Investigators at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston examined for the first time the long-term response to strep throat on a genome-wide level, shedding light on how group A streptococcus interacts with the patient's immune system and attempts to circumvent it.

23 Feb 2010

Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceutical to advance pramlintide/metreleptin combination therapy development

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced today that the companies have selected the combination treatment of pramlintide, an analog of the natural hormone amylin, and metreleptin, an analog of the natural hormone leptin, for advancement toward Phase 3 development. The decision to advance the program followed encouraging results from a 52-week blinded, placebo-controlled Phase 2 extension study. The pramlintide/metreleptin combination met the key target criteria of sustained and robust weight loss.

23 Feb 2010

Chiltern International and Charles River Laboratories to study radiolabelled drug products

Chiltern International Limited, a global contract research organization (CRO), announced its latest collaboration with Charles River Laboratories, Inc. As part of this collaboration, Chiltern Early Phase will partner with Charles River to conduct and support early phase radiolabelled studies.

22 Feb 2010

Children born through assisted reproduction at greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes related defects

More than three million children have been born as a result of assisted reproductive technologies since the birth of the first "test tube baby" in 1978. While the majority of these children are healthy and normal, as a group they are at greater risk of certain kinds of birth defects and being low birth weight, which is associated with obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes later in life.

22 Feb 2010

Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

New cooling method uncovers inner workings of key iron-containing enzyme

UAMS researchers identify age-related mechanism as primary cause of osteoporosis

Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA: FDA assigns PDUFA date

Over 16% of pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes

NIH Director announces seven new scientific programs scheduled to begin during fiscal year 2010

Rapid, multiplexed genotyping method to identify SNPs that affect warfarin dose developed

imaGenes GmbH passes certification process to qualify as Roche NimbleGen CSP for DNA Methylation Analysis

New dietary supplement blocks triggering mechanism causing breast cell mutations

FDA sets new PDUFA action date for exenatide once weekly NDA

Regulus Therapeutics, GSK announce new collaboration on microRNA therapeutics targeting microRNA-122

NIH panel proposes multiple management strategies for lactose intolerant individuals

Study examines how individuals utilize benefits and services under Medicare program

FDA accepts Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA

Genetic test for autism: Transgenomic licenses exclusive intellectual property from IntegraGen

PAREXEL International expands capabilities by opening new early phase unit in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Forest Laboratories' Bystolic tablets for treatment of stable CHF failed to receive FDA approval

Gene study provides new clues to fight infections

Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceutical to advance pramlintide/metreleptin combination therapy development

Chiltern International and Charles River Laboratories to study radiolabelled drug products

Children born through assisted reproduction at greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes related defects

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves