Public release date: 3-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: John Easton john.easton@uchospitals.edu 773-795-5225 University of Chicago Medical Center A high percentage of African-American women with breast cancer who were evaluated at a university cancer-risk clinic were found to carry inherited genetic mutations that increase their risk for breast cancer. The finding suggests that inherited mutations may be more common than anticipated in this understudied group and may partially explain why African-Americans more often develop early onset and "triple-negative" breast cancer, an aggressive and difficult-to-treat form of the disease. It also demonstrates the potential benefits of increased access to genetic counseling and testing for women with breast cancer and their close relatives. Through these services, family members who are found to share the same genetic risk factor for breast cancer can be offered personalized strategies for early detection and prevention of breast cancer. "Our study confirms the importance of screening for mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes in all African-American breast cancer patients diagnosed by age 45, those with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, or with triple-negative breast cancer before age 60," said study author Jane Churpek, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of … Continue reading →

Public release date: 3-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Mark Michaud mark_michaud@urmc.rochester.edu 585-273-4790 University of Rochester Medical Center A multi-institutional team of researchers have pinpointed the genetic traits of the cells that give rise to gliomas the most common form of malignant brain cancer. The findings, which appear in the journal Cell Reports, provide scientists with rich new potential set of targets to treat the disease. "This study identifies a core set of genes and pathways that are dysregulated during both the early and late stages of tumor progression," said University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) neurologist Steven Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., the senior author of the study and co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine. "By virtue of their marked difference from normal cells, these genes appear to comprise a promising set of targets for therapeutic intervention." As its name implies, gliomas arise from a cell type found in the central nervous system called the glial cell. Gliomas progress in severity over time and ultimately become highly invasive tumors known as glioblastomas, which are difficult to treat and almost invariably fatal. Current treatments, which include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, can delay disease progression, but ultimately prove ineffective. … Continue reading →

BOUDRY, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Celgene International Srl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation (CELG), today announced data from a study comparing melphalan, prednisone and REVLIMID (lenalidomide) (MPR) with high-dose chemotherapy and tandem autologous stem cell transplant (MEL200), as well as evaluating the effect of lenalidomide maintenance in patients with newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma were presented during a June 3rd oral session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2013 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill. In the study, conducted by the Gruppo Italiano Malattie EMatologiche dellAdulto (GIMEMA), and presented by lead investigator, Prof. Antonio Palumbo, Chief of the Myeloma Unit, Department of Oncology, at the University of Torino, a total of 402 patients received four 28-day courses of lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone at diagnosis, and then were randomly assigned to receive six cycles of MPR (n=202) or MEL200 (n=200), and to receive either continuous lenalidomide maintenance treatment or to be followed by observation. After a median follow-up of 49 months from diagnosis, median progression-free survival (PFS), the primary endpoint of the study, was 24 months with MPR compared to 38 months with MEL200 (HR 1.69, p In the maintenance analysis, with a median follow-up of 35 months, patients receiving lenalidomide maintenance following … Continue reading →

Sarasota, Florida (PRWEB) June 03, 2013 Guy DaSilva, MD, ABAARM, will begin conducting clinical trials for many degenerative diseases using adipose-derived stem cell therapy at the DaSilva Institute in Sarasota, Florida. The independent review board of the International Stem Cell Society will oversee the trials. Following the IRB-approved protocols, Dr. DaSilva will treat patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Type 2 Diabetes, osteoarthritis, critical limb ischemia and erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, Alzheimers disease, dementia and Parkinsons disease are pending approval, and approximately five new protocols are added each month. While stem cell therapy is most often associated with the controversial use of embryonic stem cells, Dr. DaSilva will be exclusively using adult autologous stem cells, harvested from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue or bone marrow if fat is not available. Because patients are receiving their own cells, there is no risk of rejection, and success rates are far greater compared to the more contentious therapies. Autologous stem cell therapy works by mimicking the bodys natural healing process, but at a more potent, concentrated level. Stem cells, which are unspecialized cells with the potential to develop into any cell, are stored throughout the body. When disease or injury strikes, … Continue reading →

Cellular Surgeons: The New Era of Nanomedicine The presentation is recorded at World Science Festival 2013 at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. http://worldsciencefestival.com/events/cellular_surgeons?/events/kavli_nanoscience Robert... By: Dennis O. … Continue reading →

PARIS--(Marketwired - Jun 3, 2013) - NANOBIOTIX (EURONEXT PARIS: NANO), a clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer, announces positive Phase I interim results of its lead nanoparticle-based product, NBTXR3, in patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS). The open-label, single-arm Phase I clinical trial (NCT01433068) is designed to primarily assess the safety and feasibility of NBTXR3, administered by injection to 27 adult patients with STS with radiotherapy treatment according to established protocols. Interim results from this on-going Phase I clinical trial in 12 patients have demonstrated that a single injection of NBTXR3 provides adequate distribution of nanoparticles within the tumor for over five weeks of radiation therapy, without leakage of nanoparticles to the adjoining healthy tissues and with marginal passage to systemic circulation, even for large tumors (up to 3,684 mL in size). These results were consistent to all patients tested, were independent of tumor histology, bone invasion and tumor size, and allowed subsequent surgical resection of the tumor, as planned. The treatment was safe with no serious adverse events and allowed the patients to complete all their radiotherapy sessions. Few mild or moderate adverse events related to NBTXR3 were observed, with spontaneous resolution in … Continue reading →