Cancer Research

Long DNA sequences, or palindromes, change the shape of the molecule from double helix to hairpin-like formation, which causes replication to stall. Altered or stalled replication causes chromosomal breaking, resulting in cancers and diseases. In the past 10 years, researchers in genome stability have observed that many kinds of cancers are associated with areas where human chromosomes break. More recently, scientists have discovered that slow or altered replication causes chromosomal breaking. But why does DNA replication stall? In a Tufts University study published in the July 14 issue of…

More than one million Americans currently participate in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program. AA participants are stereotyped as being heavy coffee drinkers and cigarette smokers but very little research has quantified their consumption of these two products. Recent findings confirm that coffee and cigarette use among this population is greater than among the general U.S. population: most AA members drink coffee and more than half smoke. "Drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes are part of the culture of AA, but we knew little about the degree to which this occurred, how much more…

LONDON, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Silence Therapeutics plc (London AIM: SLN), a leading European RNAi focused biotechnology company, announces that for personal reasons, Jeffery Vick has resigned as Group CEO and left the Company. The Board of Directors has appointed Iain Ross, currently Non-Executive Chairman, full time Chairman and Group CEO with immediate effect. Jeremy Curnock Cook, a Non-Executive Director of the Company has been appointed Senior Independent Non-Executive Director. LONDON, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of the Board of Silence Therapeutics plc, Jeremy Curnock Cook said…

Every moment we live, cells in our bodies are dying. One type of cell death activates an immune response while another type doesn't. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis have figured out how some dying cells signal the immune system. They say the finding eventually could have important implications in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer. In the July 18 issue of the journal Immunity, the researchers report a molecule, called high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1), which cells release when…

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- - Based on the Largest Ever Clinical Program for Acne in Japan Galderma Pharma S.A., a global specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology, announced today that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved Differin(R) Gel 0.1% (adapalene), a novel topical treatment for acne vulgaris in Japan. The drug will be marketed in Japan by Galderma KK, the fully-owned Japanese arm of Galderma, and strategic alliance partner Shionogi. Differin(R) has been available for over 15 years and is currently marketed in more than 80…

NOVATO, California, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- - Raptor to Support Phase 2a Clinical Trial at UCSD Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. ("Raptor" or the "Company") (OTC Bulletin Board: RPTP), today announced the execution of a collaboration agreement (the "Agreement") with the University of California, San Diego ("UCSD") to include a Phase 2a clinical trial to evaluate a delayed-release preparation of cysteamine bitartrate ("Cysteamine") in adolescents diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis ("NASH"). NASH is a progressive form of liver disease that accounts for approximately 10% of newly…

PRINCETON, New Jersey, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- BioWa, Inc. and Medarex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDX) announced today that they have entered into a license agreement which provides Medarex with the first ever access to BioWa's COMPLEGENT(TM) Technology for enhancing the complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) of select Medarex therapeutic antibodies. The license grants Medarex non-exclusive rights to research, develop and commercialize therapeutic antibodies based on COMPLEGENT(TM) Technology for an undisclosed number of targets. In return, BioWa will receive upfront payment, license fees, development…

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (Euronext: AMT), a leader in the field of human gene therapy, today announced the start of a collaboration with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, on the development of a gene therapy treatment for Hemophilia B. Under the deal, AMT will receive the exclusive commercial rights to the final product. The combination of this gene with AMT's proprietary adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy platform could potentially cure this seriously debilitating disease with a single…

NOVATO, California, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: RPTP), today announced the appointments of Richard L. Franklin, M.D., Ph.D. to the Company's board of directors and Stephen C. Blacklow, M.D., Ph.D. to its scientific advisory board. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071022/NYM074LOGO ) Christopher M. Starr, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp., stated, "I would like to welcome Drs. Franklin and Blacklow as valuable additions to our board of directors and scientific advisory board, respectively. Dr. Franklin's…

Remnants of the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, Helicobacter pylori, (H. pylori) have been discovered in gastric tissue from North American mummies. A study of human remains believed to predate Columbus' discovery of the New World has shown for the first time that H. pylori infection occurred in native populations, according to research published in BMC Microbiology. As well as stomach ulcers, H. pylori causes gastritis, duodenitis, and cancer. It is a helix-shaped bacteria that is believed to be transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with faecal matter. Credit:…