Researchers in the US have identified several promising drug
compounds, which when combined, show the potential to treat
Huntingdon's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
UK company Biocompatibles has teamed up with a microfluidics
specialist Q Chip to develop a system to improve the manufacture of
microspheres used in drug delivery and medical devices.
A silicon-based drug delivery system, developed by Australian
nanotechnology company pSivida, has passed an important
proof-of-concept hurdle in a clinical trial involving patients with
inoperable liver cancer.
Hana Biosciences announced today the clinical trial initiation of
PT-523 to evaluate this compound as a single agent in relapsed
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung cancer continues to carry
the poorest prognosis of cancer,...
Researchers in the US have shown that nanoparticles can be used to
deliver genetic material into cells safely and effectively,
potentially overcoming the primary obstacle to the development of
gene therapy.
Allos Theraputics have initiated a phase 1 study of its
investigational drug PDX (pralatrexate) that has so far proved
effective against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This
treatment has the potential to surpass Methotrexate...
The identification of an oncogene, which is associated with cancers
such as leukaemia, could lead to the development of targeted
molecular therapeutics, controlling cancer development through
regulation of the errant gene.
The pharmaceutical industry took further damage to its reputation
after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and healthcare
professionals were warned of the anaemia drug Aranesp, after
studies on similar drugs showed higher doses...
Researchers have shed new light on the activation of a protein key
to the development of cancers, particularly breast and prostate
cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States.
A widely used drug to treat breast cancer has been significantly
improved by the use of a new technology that binds it to albumin, a
common constituent of human blood.
A new method to produce paclitaxel, the potent anti-tumour drug
from yew needles has been discovered which provides a solution to
the problem of finding a viable source of the raw material at a
relatively low cost.
UCB subsidiary Celltech has joined forces with the University of
Durham and another UK-based company to develop an unusual approach
to treating cancer using magnetic fields.
Nanotechnology for molecular targeting and drug delivery is set to
become a trillion-dollar industry with the drug sector's economic
and technological leadership key to the growth of the technology.
Guava Technologies have introduced a new cell cycle assay to add to
its range of personal cell analysis systems, which intends to make
drug discovery applications in the areas of immunology and oncology
more sensitive and accurate.
Researchers from medical charity Cancer Research UK have discovered
a new gene that protects against lung cancer, according to a study
published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences..
US researchers have revealed the results of a study that show an
enzyme that normally alters the activity of other protein molecules
in cells may also help prevent lung cancer.
Researchers have used engineered stem cells to zero in on tumours
to become part of the supporting tissue. They can then act as
vehicles for drugs that are pumped into the cancer, sparing normal
tissue.
Biopharmaceutical company, Insmed, are to commence clinical
development of a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which
has demonstrated anti-tumour activity in preclinical studies of
breast, lung, pancreatic and prostate tumours.
Researchers in the US believe the discovery of a technique, which
once applied to an enzyme that degrades anti-cancer drugs in
humans, may improve such drugs' design and effectiveness.
Nanotechnology company pSivida has announced the results of the
BrachySil trial, which has confirmed expectations that the compound
(32P-BioSilicon) is safe and effective at tumour progression and
raises possibilities of an effective...
US company Molecular Devices has extended the range of reagents for
its IMAP assay system with the launch of a new product intended for
use in the discovery of drugs targeting kinases.
Cancer treatment to kill tumours could be made more effective by a
revolutionary approach to angiogenesis which takes the unusual
approach of opening up the tumour blood supply allowing better
access for cancer drugs and more effective...
Pharmaceutical scientists at Cardiff University, UK, have developed
a new method of delivering drugs for treating breast cancer that
promises to be more effective than current treatments
A drug derived from a natural source - the cottonseed rape plant -
could find a new application as a cancer drug after failing to
prove itself as a male contraceptive.
One of the first trials of pharmacogenetics in a clinical setting
has revealed that the approach allowed a cancer drug to be used
more effectively in patients with a rare and virulent form of brain
cancer,
A molecular 'switch' allowing cancer cells to detach
themselves from the host of other cancer cells and move away to a
different parts of the body has been discovered Researchers believe
this molecular step is a viable target...
A new report into pharmaceutical R&D worldwide identifies a
changing trend in increasing R&D focus of drugs for breast
cancer treatment compared with those for prostate cancer. This may
account for prostate cancer becoming...
An experimental drug that block signals promoting uncontrolled
growth of blood cells, characteristic of Myeloproliferative Disease
(MPD) reported improvement in a sufferer's symptoms raising the
possibility of an effective cancer...
Cancer therapy specialists, Ziopharm, has announced it has entered
into a licensing agreement for a new class of organic arsenicals
with the intention of developing them for a wide range of cancers
A 'tail' at one end of the Ubc 12 protein has been found to
play a key role in accelerating cell replication. The determination
of its structure and role bodes well for the development of new
types of drugs targeting the...
Austrian biotech company, Austrianova, has received approval from
the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) for its product
Novacaps, a new category of therapeutic for pancreatic cancer.
EMEA's latest decision ensures trial...
A study, which compares the use of colormetric versus infrared
detection for reverse-phase protein microarrays, concludes that the
emergence of this infrared technology brings significant advantages
to reverse phase array analysis.
The European Union has granted nearly €25 million to two
large-scale research projects coordinated by the University of
Helsinki in the area of protein kinases, a promising class of new
drug targets.
A new information database consisting of genes associated with
multidrug resistance in cancerous tumours has been created which
identifies transport protein expression and drug resistance in
cancer cells.
Pharmaceutical companies seeking to design more effective
chemotherapy drugs will be encouraged by the latest discovery that
has isolated the independent mechanisms of action of two anticancer
drugs. This revelation provides drug...
Applied Imaging has announced the release of Ariol 2.0, the latest
generation of its Ariol imaging analysis system, providing a suite
of advanced image analysis technologies for cancer testing and drug
discovery.
The identification of an oncogene, which is associated with brain
cancers, could lead to the development of targeted molecular
therapeutics, controlling brain cancer development through
regulation of the errant gene.
Emerging nanomedicine technologies could find an increasing place
in various areas and applications of the healthcare sector
including drug discovery and development, drug delivery and
providing targeted therapy, according to a new...
Technology holding company Coastal Holdings, has purchased a
significant equity interest in another biotechnology business,
adding to its portfolio of acquisitions and investments in the
biotechnology and nanotechnology fields.
The first grants given in the UK for drug development in early
phase clinical experiments have been awarded to gene therapy trials
that may herald a breakthrough in intra-abdominal cancer which has
an average survival rate of less...
A potential new drug target for treatment of cancer has amazed
scientists who believe it plays such a key role in preventing
cancer onset that it opens up a range of different targeting
options for multiple types of cancer.
In the first study of its kind, researchers have identified the
genes in non-cancerous supporting cells that can encourage the
growth of breast cancer cells. The findings suggest aiming
chemotherapy at both normal and cancer cells...
Clinomics Biosciences has signed a collaboration agreement with the
Moffitt Cancer Centre with a primary objective to jointly develop
new technologies for use in cancer research.
A strong indicator of the potential of a new type of drug to treat
cancer - the Aurora kinase inhibitors - has come with Merck &
Co's decision to invest up to $350 million (€288m) in a license for
the lead compound in the...
Drug therapies that focus on the vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF) in treating advanced or metastasised cancer represents a
huge slice of drug treatments currently in development. This
molecular target paves the way for...
In the build up to the American Society of Clinical Oncology's
(ASCO) annual conference, drug companies from around the world have
been showcasing potential drug treatments, with a number of new
molecular targets for cancer,...
Phylonix has been awarded a grant approaching $1 million (€815,000)
by the US National Cancer Institute to develop an assay for
apoptosis using zebrafish suitable for high throughput drug
screening.
Germany's Xerion Pharmaceuticals has discovered a protein that
seems to be intrinsically involved in the spread of cancers and
could be a new target for drug therapies. The finding is also a
validation of the firm's Xstream...
RNA interference is a promising new treatment approach for a range
of diseases, but delivering the RNAi compounds to the right
location has been a major obstacle to their development. Now, US
researchers have succeeded in getting...
Researchers in the US have identified an interaction between a
known cancer-related gene and a cellular enzyme that could be the
target of a new generation of drugs aimed at cancer and parasitic
infections.
