The future for Novartis' experimental cancer drug looked grim after
an ongoing clinical trial suggested that it was unlikely to boost
survival rates of patients with colon cancer. This is the second
setback for the drug this...
Scientists have developed a nanoparticle that can penetrate a
tumour, cut off its blood supply and release a lethal dose of
anti-cancer toxins, while leaving healthy cells unscathed.
Maxim Pharmaceuticals has been issued with a US patent that covers
a novel class of potent apoptosis inducers with vascular targeting
activity that inhibits microtubule formation - a prime drug target
in the fight against cancer.
Provectus Pharmaceuticals are to begin phase 1 clinical trials of
new cancer treatment, PV-10, the company's new drug candidate for
the treatment of metastatic melanoma (the most aggressive form of
skin cancer), in which 53,000...
A first-in-class small molecule with a novel mechanism of action
that selectively induces cancer cell death is to undergo phase I
clinical trials. Its makers, Cylene Pharmaceuticals have claimed
the drug candidate has shown efficacy...
Infinity Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a phase I
clinical trial of the company's lead investigational anticancer
agent for the development of a potential treatment for patients
with multiple myeloma. The compound...
The drug resistance encountered by scientists when treating cancer
cells has been the subject of research by German scientists who
believe they have identified a cellular protein, which mediates a
death signal.
Eastman Kodak has announced it will offer a virtual colonoscopy
application for use with its Kodak Directview PACS System 5,
automatically processing CT images into 3D models for viewing,
diagnosis and report generation.
German pharmaceutical firm, Schering took the opportunity, during
the company’s annual financial meeting, to provide an update on its
drug development pipeline, which concentrates on the disease areas
of hormonal therapies, cancer...
Researchers, for the first time, have revealed the forms taken by
structures of tubulin during the construction of microtubules. The
discovery is of use to drug researchers and developers as tubulin
is a target for anticancer drugs,...
New drug treatments and therapies for the management of bowel
cancer is a distinct possibility after researchers made a
surprising discovery about the immune system that details how the
body expels parasitic worms.
Scientists have created the nanotechnology equivalent of a Trojan
horse to smuggle a powerful chemotherapeutic drug inside tumour
cells - increasing the drug's cancer-killing activity and reducing
its toxic side effects.
A new laboratory technique that displays a more effective way of
testing which mutations cause cancer and which are research
distractions has been discovered by scientists, who are hopeful
this application could become a standard...
New anti-breast cancer drugs could be developed after latest
research suggested that Omega-3, a fatty acid found in oily fish,
could be combined with an anaesthetic to reduce the ability of
breast cancer cells to develop into malignant...
Researchers have come up with a unique method of detecting cancer
in which gold nanoparticles that were bound to a specific antibody
displayed a 600 per cent greater affinity for cancer cells than for
noncancerous cells.
Chiron and the multiple myeloma research consortium have announced
the initiation of a phase I clinical trial for CHIR-258 - the first
drug candidate to undergo clinical study through the MMRC - an
organisation that integrates leading...
Targepeutics has announced the issuance of a patent that targets
brain cancer compounds, specifically used to treat malignant
glioma. The more specific targeting should allow broader and safer
application of recombinant cytotoxins.
Scientists have reported that a molecule previously thought to play
a purely structural and inert role in cells may play a key role in
bringing about multidrug resistance in cancer.
According to a new survey, there are currently 399 new medicines in
development now to treat cancer. The survey shows that many of
these medicines represent potential breakthrough cancer treatments,
while others involve possible new...
US researchers have developed the first animal model that clearly
defines cancer metastasises in all the same places that human
pancreatic cancer spreads to such as the liver, lungs, diaphragm,
and adrenal glands.
In the wake of the latest American Society of Clinical Oncology's
(ASCO) annual conference, drug companies from around the world
showcased potential drug treatments, with a number of new molecular
targets as well as therapy strategies...
Biotechnology company, ArQule, have reported evidence of
anti-tumour activity of its drug candidate that has a mechanism of
action based on its Activated Checkpoint Therapy (ACT) platform and
represents the latest monotherapeutic...
According to a latest study, which revealed the presence of a
unique genetic biomarker, the quality of life for patients
undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer may be significantly
improved, potentially minimising the unwanted...
Biopharmaceutical company, Cytogen, and contract services provider
Dowpharma have announced a collaboration to create a targeted
oncology product designed to treat prostate and other cancers. The
new treatment also demonstrates the...
US researchers think they have found promising new molecular
targets and treatment approaches for malignant brain tumours,
suggesting a new therapy for anti-cancer drugs.
Isis Pharmaceuticals is developing its first inhaled antisense drug
for the treatment of asthma and related pulmonary diseases. The
drug represents a potentially effective therapy for these diseases
that continue to see cases rising...
Cytopia has received the green light to trial a promising new drug
that could prove effective in the fight against advanced solid
tumours. In animal studies, the drug candidate has already shown
efficacy in killing cancer cells in...
Exelixis has submitted an investigational new drug application
(IND) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for XL820, a
novel small molecule anticancer compound that inhibits receptor
tyrosine kinases (RTKs) implicated in tumour...
US researchers have developed a new approach to fighting cancer,
which uses nanoscale particles that can detect and destroy
cancerous cells. This ability differentiates it from current
molecular imaging approaches, which only detect...
Researchers have explained how and why different forms of ovarian
cancer evolve in a discovery that could lead to earlier detection
and perhaps more personalised treatment for a disease that will
claim an estimated 16 000 women's...
Scientists have hailed an experimental drug, which fights tumours
linked to two faulty genes in breast cancer, as a breakthrough in
the fight against cancer. Animal tests have shown the drug prevents
the growth of tumours so effectively...
Researchers have identified several proteins on the surface of
cancer cells that contribute to the cells' ability to metastasise.
The finding provides unique drug targets to prevent the cancer
spread and a basis for which new...
UK company Atomising Systems Ltd has completed construction of a
cleanroom facility at its plant in Sheffeld, UK, that will be used
to produce a delivery vehicle used in Brachysil, a candidate drug
for liver cancer.
The wealth of new targets identified from genomics and the
discoveries made in the molecular pathology of cancer will give
rise to a new generation of cancer treatment, moving one step
closer to individualised, target therapy.
US researchers have found that three types of leukaemias are all
caused by acquired mutations that alter a specific enzyme
controlling blood cell proliferation. Identifying the genetic
malfunction may give rise to a targeted therapy,...
A study suggesting combination therapy could stop the spread and
halt the growth of skin melanomas could pave the way for a better
understanding of the disease, and thus, the development of more
effective long-term treatment options...
Drug giants Novartis and Schering have announced a central review
of study data failed to prove the results of its experimental
cancer drug was "statistically significant" and was unable to
exclude the possibility that the...
With the absence of any truly effective drug treatment for brain
tumours, news of researchers working on innovative treatments for
one of the deadliest tumour types raises the possibility of
readdressing the current situation and...
Roche has started the roll-out its colorectal cancer treatment
Avastin (bevacizumab) - the first drug to reach the market that
works by inhibiting blood vessel formation in tumours - in Europe.
A team of researchers have discovered how a key enzyme involved in
repairing DNA is put together and how it works, a development that
opens up new drug therapies for making cancer cells more vulnerable
to attack.
Researchers have found a protein, which plays a significant role in
colorectal carcinoma. The protein blocks the ability of tumours to
activate a natural self-destruct mechanism that would clear the
cancer from the body.
Cyclacel has received a US patent that covers a novel series of
pyrimidine small molecules shown to inhibit the progress of cells
through the cancer cell cycle. The patented compounds may be useful
as therapeutics for cancer, inflammatory...
Nanotechnology for molecular targeting and drug delivery is set to
become a trillion-dollar industry, fuelled by the pharmaceutical
industry, which faces increasingly challenging market conditions.
This has lead to an intensified...
Researchers in the US have shed light on how tumours acquire
resistance to kinase inhibitors. The discovery may help explain the
acquired resistance observed in chemotherapy, which currently
blights existing cancer treatments.
Cyclacel researchers and collaborators have solved the 3-D atomic
structure of human Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA), a
protein involved in cancer. The discovery should prove crucial in
designing and developing drugs that...
Millenium Pharmaceuticals has announced final results from a
clinical trial of MLN2704, a novel antibody intended for the
chemotherapeutic treatment of advanced hormone-refractory prostate
cancer.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals has licensed a new technology that could
enhance the delivery of drugs to tumours, improving the treatment
of solid cancers while also reducing side effects.
Researchers have presented findings, which go some way in
understanding a communication pathway inside of cells that
contributes to development of brain and prostate cancers. The
discovery may present drug makers with a significant...
Researchers have built and demonstrated a prototype for a new class
of miniature devices to study synthetic cell membranes in an effort
to speed the discovery of new drugs for a variety of diseases,
including cancer.