Monthly Archives: February 2012

Liestal, Switzerland, February 24, 2012 - Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) announced today financial results for 2011 and provided an update on the commercial and development portfolio. Net sales of Catena® amounted to CHF 3.3 million, an increase of 6% in local currencies over the previous year. The operating result was CHF -27.2 million and the net result was CHF -27.8 million. With a cash burn of CHF -20.3 million in 2011, the cash position at year-end amounted to CHF 23.4 million. Last year the Company successfully completed a restructuring and is now focusing on Catena® in several orphan indications. Considering its cash reserves, Santhera`s current operations are financed into 2013. Main achievements in 2011 include - Continued commercial success with Catena® in Canada and through the Named Patient Program in Europe and other territories - Marketing Authorization Application in Leber`s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency - Completion of restructuring and strategic focus on Catena® franchise and its several opportunities in orphan diseases Key financial figures 2011 (IFRS, consolidated, in CHF thousands) 2011 2010 Cash and cash equivalents 23,406 43,682 Net change in cash and cash equivalents -20,276 -9,638 Net sales 3,265 3,496 Operating expenses -30,517 -29,694 Operating result -27,213 -8,711 … Continue reading →

Sonia Gobeil can trace her ancestors to the pioneers who first settled the isolated Saguenay region northeast of Quebec City, but she had never heard of the devastating brain disease they passed on through their genes until her son was diagnosed with it. The disease, an inherited form of ataxia, affects the part of the brain that co-ordinates movement. It can skip generations and miss entire branches of family trees, only to pop up according to the laws of genetics and chance, leaving most patients in a wheelchair by the time they are 40. It is more common in the Saguenay and Charlevoix regions of Quebec than anywhere else in the world. More related to this story The history of the disease there begins with a small population of immigrants from France who first settled the Charlevoix region in the 17th century. Researchers suspect that several of those people carried a copy of a rare genetic mutation that on its own is benign, but can wreak havoc in the brains of those unlucky enough to inherit two copies – one from each parent. The population grew and, 100 years later, the migrants pushed the government to open the territory around … Continue reading →

Washington, Feb 24 (ANI): Scientists have identified genes whose expression levels can identify people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as well as tell apart its subtypes. AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, especially in developed countries, and there is currently no known treatment or cure or for the vast majority of AMD patients. It is estimated that 6.5 percent of people over age 40 in the US currently have AMD. There is an inheritable genetic risk factor but risk is also increased for smokers and with exposure to UV light. Genome-wide studies have indicated that genes involved in the innate immune system and fat metabolism are involved in this disease. However, none of these prior studies examined gene expression differences between AMD and normal eyes. In order to address this question, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Utah John Moran Eye Center, and the University of Iowa combined forces and used a human donor eye repository to identify genes up-regulated in AMD. The ability of these genes to recognize AMD was tested on a separate set of samples. The team discovered over 50 genes that have higher than normal levels in … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2012) — Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, especially in developed countries, and there is currently no known treatment or cure or for the vast majority of AMD patients. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Medicine has identified genes whose expression levels can identify people with AMD, as well as tell apart AMD subtypes. It is estimated that 6.5% of people over age 40 in the US currently have AMD. There is an inheritable genetic risk factor but risk is also increased for smokers and with exposure to UV light. Genome-wide studies have indicated that genes involved in the innate immune system and fat metabolism are involved in this disease. However none of these prior studies examined gene expression differences between AMD and normal eyes. In order to address this question, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Utah John Moran Eye Center, and the University of Iowa combined forces and used a human donor eye repository to identify genes up-regulated in AMD. The ability of these genes to recognize AMD was tested on a separate set of samples. The team discovered … Continue reading →

Public release date: 23-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Dr. Habibul Ahsan habib@uchicago.edu 773-834-9956 Public Library of Science A large-scale genomic study conducted in Bangladesh has discovered genetic variants that control arsenic metabolism and elevate the risk of skin lesions in people chronically exposed to arsenic. In PLoS Genetics, researchers from the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research in Bangladesh, and the University of North Carolina report that genetic variants found near the enzyme for metabolizing the chemical into a less toxic form are associated with an individual's risk of developing arsenic-related disease. Since the installation of hand-pumped wells to tap groundwater sources in the 1970s, as many as 77 million people ? about half the population of Bangladesh ? have been accidentally exposed to dangerous levels of arsenic. The World Health Organization calls the exposure "the largest mass poisoning of a population in history" (WHO, 2000). For over a decade, Habibul Ahsan and colleagues have studied the epidemiology of arsenic-related diseases such as skin lesions, diabetes, and cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses in this population, as well as the effectiveness of interventions to prevent toxicity. In this new study, nearly 3,000 Bangladeshis … Continue reading →

FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) may sometimes have a genetic component, a team of German researchers reports. DNA analysis from a small group of infants who succumbed to SIDS revealed that many of the male children carried a particular enzyme mutation that may have impaired their ability to breath properly. This was not the case for female SIDS patients. Study author Dr. Michael Klintschar, director of the Institute for Legal Medicine at Medical University Hannover in Germany, said his team tried to build upon previous research suggesting that "abnormalities in the brain stem, the part of the brain that regulates breathing and other basic functions, lead to SIDS." "The reasons for these abnormalities are unclear," he noted, "but some scientists believe that the genes inherited by the parents might be one of several factors." Klintschar and his colleagues found indications that SIDS risk might be higher among male infants who carry a mutation of an enzyme -- called MAOA -- that appears to impede key neurotransmitter function. "Babies that have this variant inherited might have an impaired breathing regulation," he said. "But the risk conveyed by this gene variant is relatively small compared to … Continue reading →

Public release date: 23-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Robert Mitchum robert.mitchum@uchospitals.edu 773-795-5227 University of Chicago Medical Center One of the first large-scale genomic studies conducted in a developing country has discovered genetic variants that elevate the risk for skin lesions in people chronically exposed to arsenic. Genetic changes found near the enzyme for metabolizing the chemical into a less toxic form can significantly increase an individual's risk for developing arsenic-related disease. The discovery could point the way to new screening and intervention options for people who are exposed to groundwater with high levels of arsenic, said scientists at the University of Chicago Medicine, Columbia University, and in Bangladesh in a study published in PLoS Genetics. "These results add clarity to the genetic architecture that is playing a role in arsenic toxicity and its underlying biology," said senior author Habibul Ahsan, MD, MMedSc, Louis Block Professor of health studies, medicine and human genetics at the University of Chicago Medicine. "It's a rare type of study for a major problem affecting millions of people around the world, and it opens up opportunities for genetic studies of other major public health problems in developing countries." The group's genome-wide association study, … Continue reading →

NEW YORK & PETACH TIKVAH, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB: BCLI.OB - News), a developer of innovative stem cell technologies for neurodegenerative disorders, announced that NurOwn™, its autologous stem cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's Disease, was profiled yesterday on CNBC. In the Feature Story about the impact of Iran's nuclear threat, Israeli business and scientific leaders were interviewed about Israel's thriving economy and cutting edge technologies. Among those leaders that met with CNBC were Brainstorm’s President Mr. Chaim Lebovits and Prof. Dimitrios Karussis, Principal Investigator of Brainstorm's Phase I/II clinical trial currently underway at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. Brainstorm recently announced positive initial results from the clinical trial, resulting in approval from Hadassah's Helsinki committee to proceed with the trial. Accordingly, additional patients have been enrolled in the study, and Brainstorm will announce additional results in the coming months. To see the video online, follow the link at: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000074883 To read the Feature Story online, follow the link at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/46484576 Safe Harbor Statement Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute "forward-looking statements" and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s actual results to … Continue reading →