Cancer Research

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Galderma Pharma S.A., a global specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology, today announced that its U.S. holding company, Galderma Laboratories, Inc., has received clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, through the expiration of the required waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, for its proposed acquisition of CollaGenex (Nasdaq: CGPI). "We are pleased with the quick and orderly review of our proposal by the Federal Trade Commission and are confident in our ability to complete this…

LONDON, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- - New Study Confirms That PROGENSA(TM) PCA3 can Improve Accuracy of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis New clinical data from a study of 570 men published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Urology(1) support the use of PROGENSA PCA3 as a tool for diagnosing prostate cancer. The study confirms that PROGENSA PCA3, the world's first gene-based urine test to help detect prostate cancer, can provide clinicians with valuable information that helps guide diagnosis. As awareness and clinical support for PROGENSA PCA3 grows, a unique new resource regarding prostate cancer has…

Twice in two days Botulinum toxin (Botox) has graced our front page, and it's not just because it makes Joan Rivers look like The Joker. Yesterday we reported that Botox has helped infants with CHARGE Syndrome and today we discovered an article in Medical Hypotheses talking about its many beneficial effects. Not bad press for an often fatal poison produced by a rare type of food poisoning bacteria. Botox blocks the activity of ‘cholinergic’ nerves, basically causing muscles to become paralyzed and some glands to stop secretion. But in tiny doses, write Erle CH Lim and Raymond CS Seet from…

Only two per cent of paediatric drug trials reported that they had established independent safety monitoring committees that can help lead to the early detection of adverse drug reactions, according to a major review in the April issue of Acta Paediatrica. Child health researchers from the University of Nottingham, UK, carried out a detailed analysis of 739 international drug trials published between 1996 and 2002 to see what safety measures were in place and to monitor the levels of adverse drug reactions. Just under three-quarters of the trials (74 per cent) described how safety monitoring…

Scientists from North Carolina State University conducted larger-scale field trials and have shown that silencing a demethylase gene in burley tobacco plants significantly reduces harmful carcinogens in cured tobacco leaves. The finding could lead to tobacco products, especially smokeless products, with reduced amounts of cancer-causing agents. NC State's Dr. Ralph Dewey, professor of crop science, and Dr. Ramsey Lewis, assistant professor of crop science, teamed with colleagues from the University of Kentucky to knock out a gene known to turn nicotine into nornicotine. Nornicotine is a…

MONTREAL, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Aegera Therapeutics announced today the initiation of a Phase 1, first-in-man, clinical trial for AEG33773, a novel, orally bioavailable small molecule in development for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy. The Phase I study will evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of AEG33773 using a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, single ascending dose design in healthy male volunteers. Aegera completed a comprehensive pre-clinical development program on AEG33773, culminating in regulatory clearance from Health Canada…

MADRID, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Data presented today from the first ever Phase III study using a biological treatment in children and adolescents with plaque psoriasis indicate that etanercept (Enbrel(R)) significantly reduces the symptoms in these patient groups.(1) Over half the patients (57 per cent) treated with etanercept for 12 weeks achieved the 'gold standard' in improvement compared to eleven per cent of patients who received placebo.(1) Key trial investigator Professor Alice B. Gottlieb, Chair of Dermatology and Dermatologist-in-Chief, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA…

Stegography is an ancient technique of hiding data within data. Unlike encryption, it isn't obviously encrypted. Today it is used to take advantage of unused bits of data in images or audio/video files to transmit secrets. The basic concept of understanding the hidden data in files can also be used in understanding computer networks and biology, says Weixiong Zhang, Ph.D., Washington University associate professor of computer science. He and his co-authors writing in Physical Review E say they have created an algorithm to automatically discover communities and their subtle structures in…

Crop scientists have cloned a gene that controls the shape of tomatoes, a discovery that could help unravel the mystery behind the huge morphological differences among edible fruits and vegetables, as well as provide new insight into mechanisms of plant development. The gene, dubbed SUN, is only the second ever found to play a significant role in the elongated shape of various tomato varieties, said Esther van der Knaap, lead researcher in the study and assistant professor of horticulture and crop science at Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in…

Bile acid derivatives can turn on the vitamin D receptor (VDR) without causing excess calcium buildup, researchers report, a finding that could lead to vitamin D therapies for conditions beyond just bone and skin disorders. While calcium balance may be the most well-known role of vitamin D, this molecule –through VDR binding– regulates many functions including immunity and cell growth and thus has diverse therapeutic potential. However, while vitamin D-based drugs are effective against some cancers and microbial infections, the risk of excess blood calcium has limited their clinical use.…