Tag Archive for 'cancer'

Gold-plated Liposomes an Anti-Cancer Stocking Stuffer

No, gold-plated liposomes are not a luxury gift that you’d find in your Christmas stocking, but they could someday give cancer patients the gift of life by selectively knocking out cancer cells while leaving healthy ones alone. This holiday gift comes courtesy of Marek Romanowski, an associate professor of biomedical engineering in the University of [...]

Biotech start-Up Tackles Cancer Stem Cells

A fledgling biotech company is pursuing some of the research into cancer stem cells undertaken by Robert Weinberg at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Verastem raised $16 million a few weeks ago with an eye on developing new treatments tailored for fighting the unique stem cells, which are [...]

Expert Panel Recommends Gardasil for Anal Cancer

A panel of experts has recommended that the FDA approve Gardasil for the prevention of anal cancer and anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN). Anal cancer is a relatively rare disease, affecting about 5,000 people in the U.S. each year. An overwhelming majority of anal cancer cases are thought to be the result of HPV infection. Merck’s [...]

Nanotechnology Promises Big Benefits for Cancer Patients

A $145-million U.S. Federal Government effort to harness the power of nanotechnology to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer is producing innovations that will radically improve care for the disease. That’s the conclusion of an update on the status of the program, called the National Cancer Institute Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer. It [...]

Charity Funds Brain Cancer Vaccine Trial

Cancer Research UK is set to begin a Phase I trial for glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. Forty-five patients have been recruited to receive the vaccine IMA950. The drug contains 11 peptides that are found in tumors but not healthy tissue. They “train” T cells in the immune system to recognize cancer cells [...]

Molecule Increases Survival of Stomach Cancer Patients

Stomach cancer patients with a high expression of the molecule microRNA 451 show greater survival rates. This molecule could be a biomarker for treatment response. “The high presence of microRNA 451 enhances the response to treatment with chemo-radiotherapy and increases the survival of patients with stomach cancer,” explained Dr. Jesús García-Foncillas, chief researcher of the [...]

Experts Urge Making Cigarettes Non-Addictive a Research Priority

After a major review of scientific information, six leading tobacco research and policy experts have concluded that a nicotine reduction strategy should be an urgent research priority because of its potential to profoundly reduce the death and disease from tobacco use. Their findings were published in the journal Tobacco Control.

Frances Wouldn’t Be Alive Without Cord Blood

Doctors once suggested her parents take her home to die, but a young Auckland girl’s winning determination to fight off cancer – and the unique treatment that helped – is now being used to save other lives. In 2007, Frances Everall, just four years of age, was not expected to survive an aggressive stage four [...]

Drug Counterfeiting – a $200 Billion Business

Drug counterfeiting has become a $200-billion business annually, according to the World Customs Organization. By some calculations, the counterfeiting trade has become more lucrative than the narcotics business. It’s a global problem. The World Health Organization estimates that counterfeit drugs make up ten percent of the drug market worldwide. And experts say that solving it–or [...]

FDA Bans Cancer Drug on Facebook

Pharmaceuticals promoting their products through Facebook “Shares” have been warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)… and they’re apparently heeding that warning. Pharmaceutical company Novartis removed it’s Facebook Share after receiving a letter from the FDA warning that the Facebook Share button it is using to promote its cancer medication, Tasigna, violates FDA [...]