The discovery relates to the activity of telomeres - thimble-like caps that are added to the ends of chromosomes in order to protect DNA from damage....
Researchers in the UK have devised a means of using bacteria as a
means of delivering proteins into tumour cells and killing them,
raising the hope that this could form the basis of a new treatment
for cancer.
A booster dose of a growth factor naturally present in the body
appears to be safe and non-toxic for the treatment of pancreatic
cancer, and shows signs of arresting pancreatic cancer cell growth
in patients, according to researchers...
Growing knowledge about how to manage the risks of gene therapy
could improve the chances of developing successful treatments, said
experts meeting last week to weigh up the progress made on the
technology to date.
Two medical charities - Cancer Research UK and the Netherlands
Cancer Institute - have completed the first stage of a pioneering
initiative to systematically uncover the function of human genes.
A new study has challenged the current thinking that there is a
fundamental difference in the way that solid tumours and leukaemias
developing, and suggests a new way of tackling cancer, reports
Phil Taylor.
Germany's Munich Biotech has reported encouraging data on a new
cancer treatment that takes a tried and tested drug and improves
its safety and efficacy, according to preliminary trial results.
Researchers in the US have developed a drug delivery technology
that could improve the treatment of cancer, avoid side effects and
even report back on the success of treatment.
Inhibitors of the enzyme histone deacetylase (HDAC) have entered
clinical testing in cancer, but may also prevent a serious and
life-threatening complication of bone marrow transplants.
Switzerland's Roche made a piece of medical history on Friday after
receiving the first approval for a drug designed to treat cancer
blocking the growth of blood vessels required to feed a growing
tumour.
An antisense compound developed by Hybridon could be of value in a
much broader range of human cancers than previously thought,
according to new research.
Boehringer Ingelheim has won a contract to develop a
commercial-scale manufacturing process for a new prostate cancer
drug in development at fellow German company Micromet.
One of the hallmarks of cancer is that errors occur when the
chromosomes of cells divide and separate during cell division.
Researchers have spent many years trying to identify the cellular
mechanisms that are involved in keeping...
A new finding may lead to new treatments for multiple myeloma, an
incurable cancer of immune cells called plasma cells that are
present in the blood and bone marrow.
Schering-Plough last week stopped enrollment in a Phase III trial
of its new anticancer agent, Sarasar (lonafarnib), after saying it
would not provide sufficient evidence of efficacy as a first-line
treatment for non-small cell lung...
Scientists at Switzerland's Roche have developed a small molecule
that interferes with the binding of p53 - a protein that blocks the
development of cancer - to its natural inhibitor. The discovery
could open the door to novel,...
Researchers from Vertex Pharmaceuticals have identified the first
crystal structure of Flt-3, a member of the receptor tyrosine
kinase family that is implicated in the development and progression
of leukaemia, paving the way for the...
Scientists at the Babraham Institute in the UK have discovered that
a tiny change in a protein involved in cell survival is responsible
for abnormal cell activity in the early stages of cancer.
Understanding how the cancer gets going...
A protein that forms part of the cytoskeleton of cells could be a
new target for medicines that prevent the spread of tumour cells
around the body, according to new research published on Nature's
website.
Researchers in the USA have uncovered a cellular mechanism that
could lead to a larger role for retinoids, compounds derived from
vitamin A, in the treatment of cancer.
China has become the first country in the world to grant a
commercial license to a gene therapy medication. The new drug,
called Gendicine, will be launched for the treatment of head and
neck cancer in January.
UK firm Astex Technology says that it has acquired German cancer
specialist metaGen, a spin-out from European drug major Schering
AG, in an all-share transaction.
Danish biotech company T-cellic has just completed its second round
of financing, raising DK 40 million (€5.4m) in a deal that will set
the company up to take its T cell-based technologies, used for both
the localisation and treatment...
San-Diego based FeRx has received a slice of funding to support
research to evaluate the use of its MagneTarg drug delivery system
in the site-specific localisation of gemcitabine, a
chemotherapeutic agent already approved for the...
Dow Chemical has entered into an agreement to manufacture a
potential drug for cancer in transgenic plants. The deal, with
Sunol Molecular, covers production of the protein in plants and a
comparison with a version grown in mammalian...
Alex Matter is to direct the Novartis Institute for Tropical
Diseases (NITD) in Singapore after his retirement as Novartis
oncology chief later ths month.
GPC reports progress with its anti-MHC class II antibody, with
potential in a range of haematological malignancies, and says it
now has sufficient quantities to start a clinical trials programme.
There is a growing reliance on the use of tissue microarrays to
accelerate the examination of histological samples used in drug
discovery, according to a new report from BioInformatics.
Roche has licensed exclusive marketing rights outside the USA to
Avastin (bevacizumab), a drug for colorectal cancer, from
Genentech. The latter company will retain all rights to the drug in
its home market.
A UK Phase I trial has been initiated for XR5944 (also known as
MLN944), a DNA targeting agent under evaluation for the treatment
of advanced cancers. The product is under development by USA-based
firm Millennium Pharmaceuticals and...
Syrrx has determined the atomic structure of c-Kit kinase, a
receptor-associated tyrosine kinase which has been associated with
a number of malignant cancers.
Xenova of the UK has been awarded a two-year contract by Sweden's
Pharmexa for the manufacture of a vaccine in clinical trials as a
treatment for breast cancer and other tumours.
Canadian drug development company Ecopia BioSciences on Monday
announced that it had filed patent applications for the first two
novel compounds using its proprietary drug discovery platform -
suggesting investments by the company...
