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AzTe and Zcube: Innovative treatment of chronic respiratory diseases

Zcube, Srl, the research venture of Italian pharmaceutical company Zambon Co., SpA, and Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE), the technology venturing arm of Arizona State University, have entered into a licensing agreement that will allow Zcube to use ASU technology to develop and commercialize next-generation medical devices that can better monitor and treat chronic respiratory diseases like asthma.

15 Dec 2010

CMS increases reimbursement rate for Cylex's immune cell function assay by 267%

Cylex Incorporated® today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) nearly tripled the reimbursement for ImmuKnow®, the immune cell function assay FDA-cleared for the detection of cell-mediated immune response in populations undergoing immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplant. This significant increase was granted in a time when the overall CMS clinical fee schedule experienced a comprehensive decrease in laboratory reimbursement rates.

15 Dec 2010

Researchers develop synthetic circuits to detect changes in state of health

Using yeast cells, a group of researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has taken a groundbreaking step towards being able to build complex systems in the future where the body's own cells help to keep us healthy.

15 Dec 2010

Federal judge in Virginia voids key provision of health law

A federal court judge in Virginia issued a decision Monday striking at a key element of the health care law — the individual mandate. This ruling marked the first time a court decision invalidated a part of the sweeping overhaul.

15 Dec 2010

Positive results from large, multi-center Canadian trial with On-X Prosthetic Heart Valve

On-X® Life Technologies, Inc., today announced the publication of results of a large, prospective multi-center Canadian trial with the On-X® Prosthetic Heart Valve in the November issue of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.1 According to the results of the report, "The On-X mechanical prosthesis provides favorable intermediate-term results with regard to major thromboembolism, hemorrhage and composites of valve-related complications."

15 Dec 2010

Ipsen discontinues development of chimeric compound BIM 23A760 for acromegaly

Ipsen announced today that the preliminary data from the ongoing phase IIb study in patients with acromegaly for its chimeric compound BIM 23A760 does not meet the expected inhibition of growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 levels after repeat dosing. Preliminary phase IIb data showed a strong dopaminergic activity but only weak evidence of somatostatinergic activity.

15 Dec 2010

DSM licenses c-LEcta's alcohol dehydrogenases for enzyme screening programs

DSM Pharmaceutical Products, the custom manufacturing organization of Royal DSM NV, today announces a license agreement with c-LEcta GmbH for proprietary screening technology.

15 Dec 2010

New device gathers reliable data about risky sexual behavior among Ethiopian teenagers

Brown University sociologists have developed a device to gather more reliable data about risky sexual behavior among Ethiopian teenagers and young adults than conventional face-to-face interviews can produce.

15 Dec 2010

Cell Biosciences receives US Patent for NanoPro assay technology

Cell Biosciences, Inc. today announced the issuance of Patent No. 7,846,676 for "Methods and Devices for Analyte Detection" by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

15 Dec 2010

Study broadens understanding of role of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations in AML

Agios Pharmaceuticals, the leading biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs in the rapidly emerging field of cancer metabolism, today announced the publication of a paper in Cancer Cell that illuminates the mechanism by which 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), and the mutations in the metabolic genes IDH1 and IDH2 that produce it, may be driving the growth of tumors in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

15 Dec 2010

Illegal online drug sellers prey upon 36 million Americans

Illegal online drug sellers have provided tens of millions of Americans prescription medication via the Internet without a valid prescription, recent research has found. These rogue sellers have preyed upon thirty-six million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, exposing them to the potential of taking counterfeit and unapproved medications.

15 Dec 2010

HUP launches Penn Hand Transplant Program

The Penn Transplant Institute, the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) have collaborated to form the Penn Hand Transplant Program.

15 Dec 2010

Study examines the impact on asthmatics related to common environmental mould

Scientists investigating the allergic reactions that asthmatics suffer towards a common mould have discovered that many people with asthma actually had the mould growing in their own lungs.

15 Dec 2010

New hypothesis emphasizes the value of anti-inflammatory approaches to prevent Alzheimer's disease

Karl Herrup thinks that the national research effort to understand Alzheimer-s disease has gone about as far as it can go with its current theories.

15 Dec 2010

Study suggests unexpected role for NLRP3 protein in cancer vaccine development

The promise of vaccines targeted against various types of cancer has raised the hopes of patients and their families. The reality, however, is that these promising treatments are difficult to develop. One of the challenges is identifying a discrete cellular target to stop cancer growth without inactivating the immune system. Scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center report a laboratory finding that has the potential to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic cancer vaccines.

15 Dec 2010

Sniffer rats detect TB more accurately than traditional microscopic analysis

Trained giant African rats increased positive TB detection rates by 44 percent over microscopy, the most commonly-used technique for diagnosing TB, according to a new study released in the December issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

15 Dec 2010

Reuters looks at cost-effectiveness of pursuing malaria vaccine, eradication

Reuters examines the effort to create an effective malaria vaccine and asks: "[I]s the vaccine - and the global health community's aim of completely eradicating a disease that kills a child every 45 seconds - really worth the money?"

15 Dec 2010

Myotec, Hybrid merge to form PsiOxus Therapeutics

Myotec Therapeutics, Ltd. and Hybrid BioSystems, Ltd. today announced their merger to form PsiOxus Therapeutics, Ltd. (PsiOxus), a new, development stage biotechnology company using non-traditional approaches to novel therapeutics for cancer and wasting diseases. PsiOxus, which will be led by CEO Dr. John Beadle, boasts a combined pipeline of phase I and II clinical stage assets.

15 Dec 2010

Case study sheds light on pathological course of Alzheimer's disease

A case study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet sheds light on the pathological course of Alzheimer's disease. The brain of the first Alzheimer's patient to display amyloids demonstrable with a PET scanner has been studied, both during progression of the disease and after death.

15 Dec 2010

Leeds scientists develop new vaccine to eliminate polio disease

Scientists at the University of Leeds are joining the global fight to eradicate polio by developing a new type of vaccine that can trick the body to develop immunity against the disease.

15 Dec 2010