Connecting You to Tomorrow's Biotechnology Innovations
Two preliminary trials have found that either of two triple-drug regimens could potentially benefit 90 percent of people with cystic fibrosis. The short-term trials found that the drug combinations improved adult patients’ lung function over four weeks. But experts said they were optimistic the results will hold up in the larger, longer-term trials already underway. […]
A new derivative of a compound found in the bark of a rare Chinese tree has powerful anticancer properties and a low toxicity profile, according to researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Results of their study of the effects of the compound F118 in pancreatic cancer were published in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical […]
Measuring the percentage of weight regained following the maximum amount of weight lost after bariatric surgery can help predict a patient’s risk of several serious health problems, according to a long-term, multicenter study led by University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health researchers. The results, published today in JAMA, also found that, while on average study participants […]
For the first time ever, Mount Sinai researchers have identified a protein as a marker that can indicate whether a cancer patient will develop a reoccurrence of lethal, metastatic cancer, according to a clinical study published in Breast Cancer Research in October. The researchers found that when cells from a breast cancer patient’s original tumor metastasized into […]
Women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer experience improved postsurgical pain relief and reduced opioid consumption when given a pectoralis nerve plane (PECS) block prior to surgery, suggests research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2018 annual meeting. The PECS block is a newer regional anesthesia technique that works by injecting long-acting anesthetics, guided by ultrasound, to numb the front […]
Ted Turner recently announced that he has Lewy body dementia, a diagnosis that the late comic and actor Robin Williams was given after his death. The disease is frequently unrecognized even by doctors, despite the fact that Lewy body dementia is the second most common dementia. In one study, almost 70 percent of people diagnosed […]
PathogenDx, Inc., the innovative provider of DNA-based pathogen testing technology for the cannabis industry, announced today the release of the first quantitative microarray-based test for cannabis, PDx-Quant™, which can determine whether or not a sample exceeds a state or a federal regulatory agency’s specific standards. This one-stop microbial testing technology delivers a completely different level […]
A research team at the Krembil Research Institute in Toronto has developed an innovative strategy that could help to restore breathing following traumatic spinal cord injury. The team, led by principal investigator Dr. Michael Fehlings – a neurosurgeon/neuroscientist, specialist in spinal cord injury and senior scientist at UHN – published its findings today in the […]
Peter Konrad, MD, presents exciting findings that show Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in early stage Parkinson’s Disease may slow tremor progress at the Congress of Neurological Surgeon’s (CNS) 2018 Annual Meeting, on Wednesday, October 10, in the General Scientific Session. “DBS is the first therapy to show disease modifying effect—it can […]
A new study by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers suggests that targeting a protein known as collagen XIII could be key for suppressing breast cancer metastasis. Breast cancers begin in the epithelial cells, which are the cells that line organs and tissues in the body. Generally, most epithelial cells will die after detaching from their […]
Combination checkpoint blockade before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) produced a high response rate among patients with high-risk stage 3 melanoma, with nearly half having no sign of disease at surgery, but a high incidence of side effects caused the trial to be closed early. The phase II study was led by researchers at The University of […]
A large multi-ethnic study of healthy individuals found that high circulating levels of an inflammatory marker are linked with long-term decline of kidney function. The results, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), may lead to new insights on the mechanisms behind the development of kidney […]
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center received a $3.1 million grant to study the resistance of limited stage small cell lung cancer to a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy (chemoradiation). The National Institutes of Health awarded the grant to researchers from The Johns Hopkins University, co-led by Luigi Marchionni, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of […]
A technique using umbilical cord blood stem cells could be a promising new approach for repair of cleft palate in infants, reports a paper in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. Performed as part of reconstructive surgery when the infant is a few months old, the stem cell procedure provides good results in growing new bone to close the upper […]
When recovering from a brain injury, getting back in the swing of things may be more effective than a prolonged period of rest, according to a new Columbia study in mice. These findings offer a compelling example of the brain’s remarkable capacity to adapt in response to trauma. They also point to new, activity-centered treatment […]
Fixing or replacing faulty genes has emerged as a key to unlocking cures for numerous devastating diseases. But if the new, engineered genes can’t find their way into the patient’s genomic sequence, they won’t help. Johns Hopkins gastroenterologists Florin Selaru and Vivek Kumbhari believe they’ve taken a major step in the direction of helping patients with certain liver disorders […]
Approximately 10-20 percent of diagnosed breast cancers are found to be triple-negative, meaning the breast cancer cells test negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors as well as HER2 receptors, genes that can play a role in the development of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer can be more aggressive and difficult to treat as the cancer […]
In the wake of media and public reports about increased mortality linked to a new drug for treating Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) — a symptom of the progressive nervous system disorder in which patients experience hallucinations and delusions — researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine conducted a retrospective study of qualifying […]
A novel therapy technique invented by researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas has been shown in a pilot study to double the rate of upper limb recovery in stroke patients, a leap forward in treating the nearly 800,000 Americans who suffer strokes each year. The results of the study, funded by UT Dallas […]
September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and subjective cognitive decline, or SCD, can be a warning sign for the disease. Symptoms can include losing one’s train of thought, forgetting the content of a movie soon after the credits roll and feeling overwhelmed when making plans or coordinating events. Kim Innes, an epidemiology professor from the West Virginia University School of […]