Monthly Archives: May 2012

UC San Diego Scientists Net $12 Million For Stem Cell Research

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

Five UC San Diego scientists have received almost $12 million combined from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to pay for stem cell-based research, the university announced today. A team led by Lawrence Goldstein, of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and director of the UC San Diego Stem Cell Program, was given $1.8 million to continue looking for new methods to find and test possible medications for Alzheimer's disease, according to UCSD. They use reprogrammed stem cells in their work. Dr. Mark Tuszynski, professor of neurosciences and director of the Center for Neural Repair, received $4.6 million to develop more potent stem cell-based treatments for spinal cord injuries. Gene Yeo, assistant professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, was awarded $1.6 million to continue research into treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. His research hopes to take advantage of recent discoveries about ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, which center on mutations in RNA-binding proteins that cause dysfunction and death in neurons. Dr. Eric David Adler, an associate clinical professor of medicine and cardiologist, was granted $1.7 million to screen potential drugs for Danon disease, a type of inherited heart failure that frequently kills patients by their 20s. … Continue reading →

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City of Hope Receives $5 Million Grant to Develop T Cell Treatment Targeting Brain Tumor Stem Cells

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

DUARTE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- City of Hope was granted a $5,217,004 early translational research award by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support the development of a T cell-based immunotherapy that re-directs a patients own immune response against glioma stem cells. City of Hope has been awarded more than $49.7 million in grant support from CIRM since awards were first announced in 2006. City of Hope is a pioneer in T cell immunotherapy research, helping to develop genetically modified T cells as a treatment for cancer. This strategy, termed adoptive T cell therapy, focuses on redirecting a patients immune system to specifically target tumor cells, and has the potential to become a promising new approach for treatment of cancer. In this research, we are genetically engineering a central memory T cell that targets proteins expressed by glioma stem cells, said Stephen J. Forman, M.D., Francis and Kathleen McNamara Distinguished Chair in Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and director of the T Cell Immunotherapy Research Laboratory. Central memory T cells have the potential to establish a persistent, lifelong immunity to help prevent brain tumors from recurring. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 22,000 people in the U.S. will … Continue reading →

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Cell therapy may ease chronic pain

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

Washington, May 25 : A new study has described how a cell therapy might one day be used not only to quell some common types of persistent and difficult-to-treat pain, but also to cure the conditions that give rise to them. UCSF scientists, working with mice, focused on treating chronic pain that arises from nerve injury -- so-called neuropathic pain. In their study, the scientists transplanted immature embryonic nerve cells that arise in the brain during development and used them to make up for a loss of function of specific neurons in the spinal cord that normally dampen pain signals. A small fraction of the transplanted cells survived and matured into functioning neurons. The cells integrated into the nerve circuitry of the spinal cord, forming synapses and signaling pathways with neighbouring neurons. As a result, pain hypersensitivity associated with nerve injury was almost completely eliminated, the researchers found, without evidence of movement disturbances that are common side effects of the currently favoured drug treatment. 'Now we are working toward the possibility of potential treatments that might eliminate the source of neuropathic pain, and that may be much more effective than drugs that aim only to treat symptomatically the pain that … Continue reading →

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New Drug For Destroying Human Cancer Stem Cells

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

Editor's Choice Main Category: Cancer / Oncology Article Date: 25 May 2012 - 13:00 PDT Current ratings for: 'New Drug For Destroying Human Cancer Stem Cells' 3.67 (3 votes) 3 (2 votes) Mick Bhatia, lead researcher of the study and scientific director of McMaster's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, said: "The unusual aspect of our finding is the way this human-ready drug actually kills cancer stem cells; by changing them into cells that are non-cancerous." Findings from the study could pave the way for the development of anticancer drugs in the treatment of various cancers. In addition to thioridazine, the team have identified another 12 drugs that also have good potential for the same response. The study is published in the journal CELL. Cancer stem cells were first identified in certain types of leukemia by Canadian researchers over a decade ago. Since then they have been identified in ovarian, prostate, lung, brain, breast, blood, and gastrointestinal cancer. The researchers developed an automated robotic system in order to identify different compounds of several drugs, including thioridazine. Bhatia explained: "Now we can test thousands of compounds, eventually defining a candidate drug that has … Continue reading →

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EMA Seeks Stronger Pradaxa Guidance for Bleeding Side Effects

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

Regulators in Europe have again asked Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturer of the blood thinner Pradaxa, to update the drugs label with additional information regarding Pradaxa bleeding side effects. According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the new guidance should include more specific information on when Pradaxa must not be used, as well as advice on managing patients and reversing the anticoagulant effect if Pradaxa bleeding occurs. Pradaxa was approved in Europe in March 2008 for the prevention of venous thromboembolic events following hip or knee replacement surgery. The blood thinner recently had its European approval expanded to cover patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation to prevent stroke and systemic embolism. According to a report from Pharma Times, the number of fatal bleeding events among Pradaxa users spiked following that expansion. The EMAs Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) had concluded an earlier review of Pradaxa in November 2011, after it had been linked to 250 patient deaths. At the time, CHMP asked that label information on bleeding risks be strengthened. The Committee also advised caution when using Pradaxa, and said it should be prescribed at lower doses to older patients and those with kidney problems. On Friday, CHMP pointed … Continue reading →

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New Drug Kills Cancer Cells Without Toxic Effects

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

May 25, 2012 Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com A group of researchers from McMaster University have found a new drug that can kill cancer stem cells in humans while avoiding the toxic side effects of other traditional cancer treatments. Over the past 15 years, researchers have thought that stem cells were the cause of many cancers. Canadian researchers first discovered cancer stem cells in particular types of leukemia in 1997. Since then, cancer stem cells have been found in blood, breast, brain, gastrointestinal, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancer. The unusual aspect of our finding is the way this human-ready drug actually kills cancer stem cells; by changing them into cells that are non-cancerous, explained Mick Bhatia, the principal investigator for the study and scientific director of McMasters Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, in a prepared statement. The anti-psychotic drug, thioridazine, showed to have no effect on normal stem cells in the study. In the past, thioridazine had been used to treat schizophrenia. The research, published in a recent edition of the science journal CELL, describes the new method and alludes to possible development of anticancer drugs to treat different cancers. Thioridazine … Continue reading →

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Mexico election: Drugs war in spotlight

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

24 May 2012 Last updated at 22:46 ET By Will Grant BBC News, Michoacan Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Rosa Isela Caballero Garcia, the wife of a Mexican journalist missing for more than five years, says not knowing if he is dead or alive is like "physical torture" There is an area of western Mexico called Tierra Caliente. The name is a reference to the soporific and oppressive heat in the region. But in this part of the world, caliente can also mean "dangerous" as well as "hot". Unfortunately, for many residents in the state of Michoacan, "Dangerous Land" is an all-too-accurate description of their towns and villages. It was here that the government declared war on the drug cartels. In December 2006, barely a week after taking office, President Felipe Calderon ordered 6,500 troops into his home state to restore order after a surge in drug-related killings. Many had expected the army's deployment to be temporary. Fast-forward almost six years, and the soldiers are still there, fighting drug traffickers on the Pacific coast and in the mountains. In fact, there are more than ever. Follow this link: Mexico election: Drugs war in spotlight … Continue reading →

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Drugs worth €2m seized in two raids

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Friday, May 25, 2012, 21:36 The Irish Times takes no responsibility for the content or availability of other websites ANNA CAOLLA and BARRY ROCHE, Southern Correspondent Four people are in custody after garda seized drugs worth an estimated 2m in separate raids in Co Donegal and Co Cork today. Cannabis plants with a value of 1.6 million were seized in a raid on an "elaborate" drug cultivation operation in Laghey, Co Donegal. Two men were arrested. Garda from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, assisted by members of the Garda National Drugs Unit discovered an estimated 2,000 cannabis plants at the premises at Trummon, Laghey. Garda described the cannabis growing operation as "elaborate". One man in his 30's and another in his 40's were arrested at the scene and both are are being questioned at Ballyshannon Garda Station under Section 2 Criminal Justice ( Drug Trafficking) Act 1996. In Cork, garda are continuing to question a Chinese man and woman arrested in city this morning following the discovery by customs officers of an estimated 400,000 worth of drugs. The duo were arrested at a house in the Greenmount area on Corks southside by garda at around 11am after they … Continue reading →

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Police: woman stole drugs from Manchester pharmacy

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

MANCHESTER, N.H. - A woman stole a bottle of oxycodone from a supermarket pharmacy in Manchester on Friday morning, police said. Manchester police said a clerk at the Osco pharmacy inside the Shaw's supermarket on South Willow Street said that a woman showed a note demanding drugs and implying she had a weapon. The woman made a motion to her waistband, indicating she was armed, but the clerk didn't see a weapon, police said. The clerk handed over a bottle of oxycodone pills, and the woman left, police said. The robber was described as a short, white woman with a heavy build. She was wearing a red baseball cap, sunglasses, a dark, hooded sweatshirt and light grey sweatpants. She had dark hair that was possibly long but pulled up under her cap. Anyone with information is asked to call Manchester police at 603-668-8711 or leave an anonymous tip with Manchester Crimeline at 603-624-4040 or online at manchestercrimeline.org. See the article here: Police: woman stole drugs from Manchester pharmacy … Continue reading →

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Pharmacy Robbery Suspect Crashes After Police Chase

Posted: Published on May 26th, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A man is in custody after allegedly robbing an east-side pharmacy and leading police on a chase Friday. According to police, a man entered the Walgreens store at Brice Road and Scarborough Blvd. at about noon and implied he had a gun. Police said the suspect robbed the pharmacy of narcotics and ran from the store. According to on-scene officials, a police officer in the area followed the suspect and a chase ensued. The chase reached speeds of up to 60 mph and ended when the suspect spun out at Refugee Road and Springoak Circle. The suspect was apprehended at treated at the scene. At some point during the chase, police said, the suspect crashed into another vehicle near Tussing and Hines roads. No further information was immediately released. For additional information, stay with NBC4 and refresh nbc4i.com. To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com. MORE: NBC4 Local News | Local Crime News NBC4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video NBC4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video Read the original here: Pharmacy Robbery Suspect Crashes After Police Chase … Continue reading →

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