Archive for the 'Bioinformatics' Category
February 2nd, 2011 by admin
Another week, another nano-prefixed word to add to the lexicon: NanoPopcorn. This one comes courtesy of researchers at Jackson State University in Mississippi who created a popcorn-shaped nanoparticle that can perform three separate tasks. First, it can detect as few as 50 prostate cancer cells, then it switches into thermal scalpel mode to cook the cancer cells to death, and it can track the response of cancer cells to the therapy.
Continue reading ‘NanoPopcorn Targets, Cooks and Tracks Prostate Cancer Cells’
January 18th, 2011 by admin
Several big biotech and pharma companies have been buzzing about their plans to launch biosimilar programs now that the FDA is laying out a regulatory pathway for the therapies. Reuters pinned down several CEOs at the JP Morgan event, and Amgen’s Kevin Sharer as well as Biogen Idec’s George Scangos talked up plans to fire up some follow-up programs of their own.
Continue reading ‘Big Biotech Joins Big Pharma in Hunt for Biosimilars’
January 13th, 2011 by admin
As investors lay down their final bets on the FDA’s looming decision on MannKind’s Afrezza, the company’s wealthy CEO has opted to put his money where his mouth has been–doubling down on an ambitious wager that the much-maligned inhaled insulin treatment Afrezza will get a green light from regulators.
Continue reading ‘Alfred Mann Doubles Down on Biotech’
January 11th, 2011 by admin
Researchers in the United States have developed a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a patient’s own bone marrow. The research, published in Stem Cells, is especially relevant for paediatric patients suffering from abnormally developed bladders, but also represents another step towards new organ replacement therapies.
Continue reading ‘Bladder Regeneration Using Stem Cells from Patients Own Bone Marrow’
January 10th, 2011 by admin
Big upfront fees are out. Milestones are in. Partnerships will stay hot. The IPO window will stay open, despite a lackluster record in 2010. And investor confidence will grow, helping public biotech companies outperform the general market.
Continue reading ‘Burrill Predicts Big Surge in Biotech Buyouts for 2011′
January 6th, 2011 by admin
Remarkable progress in understanding how stem cell biology works has been reported by a team of leading scientists, directed by experts at UC Santa Barbara. Stem cell biology is making waves around the world with great hope for the eventual repair of parts of the body. While many scientists see these breakthroughs as viable, there are hurdles that must be overcome, including the worrisome potential for introducing cancer when making a repair to an organ.
Continue reading ‘Scientists Peer into the Future of Stem Cell Biology’
January 5th, 2011 by admin
The aggregated proteins strewn about the brain are the hallmark of one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer’s disease. But while these irregular, gunky proteins, called amyloid-β, are believed to contribute to the deterioration of memory and cognitive ability in Alzheimer’s patients, no one knows how they lead to these symptoms, and the severity of the dementia doesn’t directly depend on the amount of amyloid-β plaques found in diseased brains.
Continue reading ‘Alzheimer’s: Therapy for Brain Disease Could Target Blood’
January 4th, 2011 by admin
Studying how bacteria incorporate foreign DNA from invading viruses into their own regulatory processes, Thomas Wood, professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is uncovering the secrets of one of nature’s most primitive immune systems.
Continue reading ‘Bacteria Provide Example of One of Nature’s First Immune Systems’
January 3rd, 2011 by admin
UCSF researchers have shown for the first time that the human fetal immune system arises from an entirely different source than the adult immune system, and is more likely to tolerate than fight foreign substances in its environment. The finding could lead to a better understanding of how newborns respond to both infections and vaccines, and may explain such conundrums as why many infants of HIV-positive mothers are not infected with the disease before birth, the researchers said.
Continue reading ‘Human Fetal Immune System Arises from Entirely Different Source than Adult Immune System’
December 29th, 2010 by admin
A new study is unraveling the earliest events associated with neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal accumulation of tau protein. The research reveals how tau disrupts neuronal communication at synapses and may help to guide development of therapeutic strategies that precede irreversible neuronal degeneration.
Continue reading ‘Alzheimer’s: Tau Disrupts Neural Communication Prior to Neurodegeneration’
