Monthly Archives: July 2012

EXTON, Pa., July 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --ViroPharma Incorporated (VPHM) today announced the publication of data demonstrating that routine prophylactic use of Cinryze (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) provided effectiveness and maintained a generally favorable safety profile in the majority of treated subjects with hereditary angioedema (HAE). HAE is a rare, severely debilitating, life-threatening genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of a human plasma protein called C1 inhibitor. The paper entitled Safety and Efficacy of Prophylactic Nanofiltered C1-inhibitor in Hereditary Angioedema by Drs. Bruce L. Zuraw and Ira N. Kalfus describes the maintenance of effectiveness and the safety profile of Cinryze as continuing prophylactic therapy in a large cohort of subjects with HAE. These data have been published in the July 14th online edition of The American Journal of Medicine (AJM). The company expects the data to appear in the September print issue. According to the publication, subjects were to be treated with Cinryze 1000 units every 3 to 7 days based on the decision of the investigator; subjects in the study experienced a 93.7 percent reduction in attacks while taking prophylactic Cinryze (median of 0.19 attacks per month) compared with the median historical rate at baseline (3 attacks per month). Some … Continue reading →

By Lynne Friedmann A genetic test to predict the risk for prostate cancer could reduce the need for repeat biopsies in men who have previously had negative biopsies. In a clinical trial, 1,654 men who had prostate biopsies also had genetic studies conducted that looked for the presence of genetic variations that may have an association with prostate cancer risk. The genetic test outperformed the widely used PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test in assessing cancer risk. Because this genetic score is available at any time in a mans lifetime it could be used as a pre-screening test thus leaving aggressive PSA screening only to men at higher genetic risk. The goal is to avoid, particularly in older men, unnecessary repeat biopsy procedures which carry with them the risk of infection and potential hospitalizations. Findings appear in the journal of European Urology. News release at http://bit.ly/M7iaHV Inhibiting malaria parasite development Malaria is responsible worldwide for more than 1.2 million human deaths annually. Severe forms of the disease are caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum transmitted to humans by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Lack of vaccines, together with the parasites ability to develop drug resistance, has thwarted eradication efforts. An international … Continue reading →

The University of California, Davis, scored a major coup in stem cell funding with a $53 million award Thursday for research into Huntington's disease, limb ischemia and osteoporosis. The grants were approved Thursday afternoon by CIRM the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. They are a major milestone for the university, which had received $73 million in past funding from the state agency. "We're here to bring this new era of medicine to patients," UC Davis stem cell program director Jan Nolta said. For Melissa Biliardi of Santa Maria, the vote symbolizes hope. Her son, James Birdsall, 32, was diagnosed four years ago with Huntington's disease. The degenerative brain disorder could prove fatal over the next 10 to 15 years. There is currently no cure or treatment, but with the grant, UC Davis researchers hope to deliver an effective therapy in four years. "This is the most hope we've ever had for a cure or treatment," Biliardi said. Her son suffers from involuntary movement and fatigue, all symptoms of the disease, and relies on a wheelchair to get around. Birdsall is one of 30,000 Americans living with the genetic disorder, according to Nolta. Another 150,000 are at risk, but many aren't … Continue reading →

Public release date: 27-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Cathy Lawhon clawhon@uci.edu 949-824-1151 University of California - Irvine Irvine, Calif., July 26, 2012 Efforts to begin human clinical trials using stem cells to treat cervical spinal cord injury in the U.S. received a $20 million boost Thursday, July 26, from the state's stem cell research funding agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The award will be shared by Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings, associate professors of physical medicine & rehabilitation at UC Irvine's Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, and Nobuko Uchida of StemCells Inc. in Newark, Calif. Anderson and Cummings proved that transplanting human neural stem cells discovered and developed by Stem Cells, Inc. into rodents with thoracic spinal cord injury could restore mobility. The CIRM award announced Thursday will fund the collection of data necessary to establish human clinical trials in the U.S. "Our therapeutic approach is based on the hypothesis that transplanted human neural stem cells integrate into the injured spinal cord to repair the protective myelin sheath and spinal circuitry," Anderson said. "Any therapy that can partially reverse some of the effects of spinal cord injury could substantially change the quality … Continue reading →