Cancer Research

Scientists in Portugal just found a new molecular mechanism behind colorectal cancer in which a mutated and a normal, but over-expressed, gene cooperate and are both needed to create the disease. The research, published in the journal Gastroenteroloy1, also reveals how a technique called RNA interference can – by inactivating both genes - kill, in just 48 hours, as much as 80% of cancer cells. These are extremely promising results if transferred into new therapies for humans against a disease, which is still one of the most common cancers in the western world. Colorectal cancer affects the…

PLEASANTON, California, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- - Tests identify genetic mutations that can affect patient response to certain cancer drugs Roche and DxS Ltd. have signed an exclusive distribution agreement for the DxS TheraScreen K-RAS Mutation Test and TheraScreen EGFR 29 Mutation Test. The tests are intended, when considered with other clinically relevant factors, to aid doctors in identifying suitable patients likely to benefit from a specific cancer therapy based on their mutation status. "There is a growing demand for tests to indicate disease prognosis and identify patient groups more…

FRIMLEY, England, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- - Randomised Phase II data show RAD001 significantly increased efficacy of letrozole in women with newly diagnosed hormone-positive breast cancer - Phase I studies suggest RAD001 may help overcome a major pathway of resistance to trastuzumab - Novartis to further explore potential of RAD001 in breast cancer by initiating new trial in early 2009 Early proof-of-concept studies presented today show RAD001 (everolimus) may offer a novel treatment strategy for breast cancer by enhancing the efficacy of, and overcoming resistance to, several commonly used…

CALGARY, Canada, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) announced that interim results of a Phase II study of intravenous REOLYSIN(R) in patients with sarcomas metastatic to the lung were presented yesterday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting. The presentation, entitled "A Phase II Study of Intravenous REOLYSIN (Wild-type Reovirus) in the Treatment of Patients with Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas Metastatic to the Lung" was delivered by Dr. Monica Mita, the study principal investigator and her team at the Institute of Drug…

COLLEGEVILLE, Pennsylvania, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), today announced the initiation of the INTORACT (Investigation of TORISEL And bevacizumab Combination Therapy) study, a worldwide randomized, open-label, phase 3b study comparing TORISEL(R) (temsirolimus) plus Avastin(R) (bevacizumab) versus Avastin plus interferon-alfa for first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Wyeth Research is conducting the INTORACT study with the support and assistance of Roche and Genentech. "Several therapies have been…

In 1928 Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, which was subsequently developed into a medicine by Florey and Chain in the 1940s. The antibiotic was hailed as a 'miracle cure' and a golden age of drug discovery followed. However, frequent rediscovery of known natural products and technical challenges forced pharmaceutical companies to retreat and stop looking for new molecules. Big pharmacy companies gave up on soil bacteria as a source of antibiotics too soon, according to research published in the June issue of Microbiology. Scientists have been mining microbial genomes for new natural…

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated a window into how abnormalities in microRNAs, a family of molecules that regulate expression of numerous genes, may contribute to the behavioral and neuronal deficits associated with schizophrenia and possibly other brain disorders. Maria Karayiorgou, M.D., professor of psychiatry, and Joseph A. Gogos, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of physiology and neuroscience at Columbia University Medical Center explain how they uncovered a previously unknown alteration in the production of microRNAs of a mouse modeled to have the same…

FRIMLEY, England, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- - Zometa When Added to Hormone Therapy, Following Surgery, Significantly Reduced the Risk of Cancer Returning or Death by 36% Beyond Clinical Benefits Achieved With Hormone Therapy Alone (1) - Findings may Allow Clinicians to Improve Standard of Care for Premenopausal Women Diagnosed With Hormone-Sensitive, Early-Stage Breast Cancer - These are the First Data From a Large Clinical Programme Exploring the Direct Anticancer Effect of Zometa in Breast, Lung and Prostate Cancer New data presented today showed that Zometa(R) (zoledronic acid) offered a…

CHICAGO and DARMSTADT, Germany, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- - New Data Provides the Basis for the Future Role of Erbitux (cetuximab) as a Standard in Combination With Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in the 1st-Line Treatment of Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) - Location: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2008, Chicago, USA The addition of Erbitux(R) to a platinum-based chemotherapy significantly increased overall survival in the 1st-line treatment of NSCLC.(1) This data was presented today at the plenary session of the 44th American Society of…

BASEL, Switzerland, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- - Results Confirm Previously Demonstrated Survival Advantages of Tarceva in This Difficult-to-Treat Disease - ABSTRACT No: 4507 Adding Avastin (bevacizumab) to a combination of Tarceva (erlotinib) and chemotherapy significantly improves the time patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer live without their disease getting worse ("progression free survival"). These data, presented for the first time today at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, also showed a trend towards extending life expectancy.…