Stem cell researchers at Harvard University have devised a method for creating large quantities of human insulin-producing beta cells, which could soon lead to a cure for type 1 diabetes as well as a new treatment for type 2 diabetes. The cells are currently being trialled in animals and non-human primates with hopes human trials could take place in the near future.. The researchers built a three-dimensional cell culture system using 500 ml spinner flasks containing undifferentiated human pluripotent stem cells. The flasks were placed on a magnetic stirrer and the cells were fed special proteins over a 33-day period. After further treatment and imaging, the insulin-secreting stem-cell-derived- cells were transplanted into diabetic mice, which had a higher survival rate and lower blood glucose level than the control group under three different scenarios. The cells produced were found to mimic the function of human islets (clusters of cells scattered throughout the pancreas), which are crucial in regulating blood sugar. Type 1 diabetics lack the beta cells that monitor blood sugar levels and release insulin to normalize it because their immune system attacks and destroys these cells. Transplanted beta cells grown in a lab may provide a long-term solution, but until … Continue reading →

Hatfield, Uk (ots/PRNewswire) PRESS RELEASE FOR EU MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR SWISS/U.S. JOURNALISTS Fycompa(R) (perampanel), Eisais first-in-class epilepsy treatment, will be made available throughout the Middle East through a partnership with Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC. The partnership will commence immediately, with perampanel launches throughout the region expected to follow in 2015. In the EU, perampanel is indicated for the adjunctive treatment of partial onset seizures, with or without secondarily generalised seizures, in patients with epilepsy aged 12 years and older.[1] We are very pleased to announce the partnership with Hikma, who is well positioned to help us ensure that people throughout the Middle East will soon be able to access our innovative epilepsy treatment Fycompa, commented Gary Hendler, President CEO, Eisai EMEA. Perampanel is the only licensed anti-epileptic drug (AED) to selectively target AMPA receptors, a protein in the brain which plays a critical role in the spread of seizures.[2] This mechanism of action is different to other currently available AEDs. In addition, perampanel has the added benefit of convenient, once-daily dosing at bedtime.[1] We are committed to our partnership with Eisai, which supports our strategy of working with global partners to strengthen our product portfolio in growing therapeutic areas and … Continue reading →

STORY HIGHLIGHTS (CNN) -- They've come from as far away as Australia and Canada, or as close as Oklahoma. They are of different backgrounds and ages, but they've all moved to Colorado for the same thing: medical marijuana to treat their sick children. "Jordan had her first seizure at 6 months old. I had never seen a seizure before," says her mother, Paula Lyles. "We took her to the hospital. The doctors said that would probably be the only one she'd have and sent us home." But when Jordan was 18 months old, the seizures began in earnest. But she didn't receive a diagnosis until she was nearly 11. It was Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy characterized by uncontrolled, continuous seizures. Jordan was put on a combination of three anti-seizure medications. But "the drugs take her personality away. The side effects of the cure are horrible," Lyles says. Jordan started having "drop seizures" -- which caused her muscles to go limp. The medications took her speech away for two weeks, along with her ability to eat. "I would rather have her lost to a seizure than watch her stolen away by the side effects of the medicine," Lyles … Continue reading →