Scientists have discovered that induction of a gene known as MDA-7/IL-24 is the molecular mechanism that enables nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to halt the growth of cancer cells, a finding that could eventually lead to the development of targeted cancer treatments.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new website today offering technologies available for commercial licensing that are related to rare diseases or conditions. The listing can be found at http://www.ott.nih.gov/rarediseases and currently consists of more than 500 such technologies, including drugs, biologics, and devices, available to be transferred from the NIH and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the private sector for further research and development and potential commercialization.
A natural substance made from soy appears to have amazing restorative powers when given to animals with a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease.
Scientists collaborating at Cornell University in Ithaca and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have identified a panel of 23 protein biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid that acts as a neurochemical “fingerprint,” which doctors might use someday to identify patients living with Alzheimer’s disease. The research will be published in the December online edition of the journal Annals of Neurology.
Researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported today that MK-0457 (VX-680), a novel multi-kinase inhibitor, is clinically active against multiple target mutations in two types of leukemia and myeloproliferative disorders, and produces few side effects for patients.
Thalidomide is a widely prescribed treatment for multiple myeloma. However, an estimated 15 to 30 percent of patients suffer venous thromboembolisms (VTEs), blood clots, as a major complication. The Bank On A Cure DNA-bank researchers have identified four gene clusters associated with the VTEs. Identifying the associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for use as markers, may lead to the development of screenings and tailored interventions to prevent these side effects, as a major step toward personalized medicine.
The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) — conducting research and providing education, advocacy and support for myeloma patients, families, researchers and physicians — today noted that multiple studies presented at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) illustrate the breadth of the gains being made in the treatment of multiple myeloma and related blood cancers.
While investigating a fungus known to cause an infection in people with AIDS, two grantees of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), unexpectedly discovered a potential strategy for treating metastatic melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
A new study by specialists at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and elsewhere suggests that only one in five inner-city children with chronic asthma gets enough medicine to control dangerous flare-ups of the disease.
A group of scientists at NYU School of Medicine have devised a way to reduce amyloid beta deposition by interfering with the deadly embrace of these proteins.