Pharmaceuticals & Biopharmaceuticals
Siemens Healthcare assay cleared by the FDA
July 18, 2011 8:11 am | News | CommentsThe Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics D-dimer assay for the company's Stratus CS Acute Care Diagnostic System has been cleared by the FDA to exclude pulmonary embolism in conjunction with a non-high clinical pretest probability assessment model in point-of-care.
Neutralizing HIV
July 18, 2011 5:12 am | by Katie Neith | News | CommentsA study involving researchers at Caltech points to the possibility of using neutralizing antibodies in the development of a vaccine for HIV. Their research describes a group of novel antibodies that were isolated from HIV-infected individuals using a new cloning approach.
Molecules 'light up' Alzheimer's roots
July 13, 2011 10:31 am | News | CommentsA breakthrough in sensing at Rice University could make finding signs of Alzheimer's disease nearly as simple as switching on a light. The technique should help researchers design better medications to treat the devastating disease.
Newly developed multiple-compartment gel capsule for drug delivery
July 6, 2011 10:56 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed a multiple-compartment gel capsule that could be used to simultaneously deliver drugs of different types. The researchers used a simple one-pot method to prepare the hydrogel capsules, which measure less than one micron.
Team identifies new breast cancer tumor suppressor
June 27, 2011 10:46 am | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a protein long known to regulate gene expression as a potent suppressor of breast cancer growth. Their study is the first to demonstrate how this protein, known as Runx3, accomplishes this feat.
Hitting moving RNA drug targets
June 27, 2011 4:43 am | News | CommentsBy accounting for the floppy, fickle nature of RNA, researchers at the Univ. of Michigan and the Univ. of California, Irvine have developed a new way to search for drugs that target this important molecule.
Puzzle of natural antifreeze closer to being unlocked
June 23, 2011 1:08 pm | News | CommentsCompounds that act as natural antifreeze are used for protecting drugs, food and tissues. One common type of cryoprotectant features osmolyte molecules. Researchers have found that larger osmolytes are better at protecting proteins than smaller ones. The results could have major implications for the pharmaceutical industry, which loses product to the freezing process.
A possible fix for misfolding proteins
June 23, 2011 9:27 am | News | CommentsTroubled proteins in need of rescue may someday have a champion in a common drug used to treat high blood pressure. Rice Univ. research suggests lacidipine, a calcium channel blocker also known by brand names Lacipil and Motens, could be a key to helping people who suffer from an incurable, neuropathic form of Gaucher disease.
Revealing HIV's weakness
June 21, 2011 4:00 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | News | CommentsEver since HIV was revealed as the infectious agent behind the AIDS epidemic, scientists have been striving to develop a vaccine against the disease. However, the task has proven difficult, because HIV mutates so rapidly. In a new finding that may allow vaccine designers to sidestep part of that obstacle, researchers at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard Univ. have identified sections of an HIV protein where mutations would actually undermine the virus’ ability to survive and reproduce.
Controlling the environment to direct stem cell differentiation
June 17, 2011 4:13 am | News | CommentsStem cell technologies have been proposed for cell-based diagnostics and regenerative medicine therapies. However, being able to make stem cells efficiently develop into a desired cell type limits the clinical potential of these technologies. New research shows that systematically controlling the local and global environments during stem cell development helps to effectively direct the process of differentiation.
Potential treatment for E. coli disease
June 7, 2011 7:04 am | News | CommentsA potential life-saving treatment for severe E. coli food poisoning outbreaks—developed more than a decade ago—hasn't gone forward into clinical trials because of lack of commercial interest. Univ. of Adelaide researchers produced a "designer" probiotic bacterium which binds and neutralizes the toxin produced by E. coli , which causes life-threatening attack on the kidneys and blood vessels.
Nanospray for nanodrugs
June 2, 2011 9:40 am | News | CommentsTeams from the U.S. and Germany have developed a spray drying technique to fabricate drug formulations smaller than 100 nm for pharmaceutical trials, improving the drugs' solubility, or bioavailability.
Radius and 3M sign BA058 transdermal drug delivery agreement
May 25, 2011 3:57 am | News | CommentsRadius Health, Inc. (Radius) and 3M Drug Delivery Systems (3M) announced an agreement to collaborate on the development of a transdermal delivery option of BA058, Radius’ novel, proprietary PTHrP (parathyroid hormone-related protein) analog, for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Organic catalyst to enhance drug R & D
May 13, 2011 9:17 am | News | CommentsA new "organocatalyst" developed at Oregon State Univ. is now available for commercial use. Produced by an Albany, Ore., pharmaceutical company, it should make new drug development around the world less costly, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly.
Scientists develop compound that effectively halts progression of multiple sclerosis
April 18, 2011 7:48 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have developed the first of a new class of highly selective compounds that effectively suppresses the severity of multiple sclerosis in animal models. The discovery also holds promise for other autoimmune disorders.
Moisture balance provides high-accuracy analysis
April 13, 2011 8:31 am | Product Releases | CommentsShimadzu’s new MOC63u Moisture Balance features UniBloc sensor technology to help ensure reliable laboratory testing, including fast response time and stable corner-load performance during analyses.
Research may lead to therapy that delays onset of MS symptoms
March 14, 2011 6:07 am | News | CommentsPeople suffering from multiple sclerosis may benefit if patent-pending research conducted at Purdue Univ. shows that a decades-old drug approved by the FDA to treat hypertension also can delay the onset and reduce the severity of MS symptoms.
Turbo pumps meet the needs of pharma and food development
March 10, 2011 6:16 am | News | CommentsEdwards Vacuum has won a contract to supply Quorum Technologies with its EXT75DX turbomolecular vacuum pumps for cryogenic preparation chambers used in scanning electron microscopy applications. The oil-free pump allows Quorum to perform cold fracturing, controlled sublimation, and specimen coating for reliable microstructure analysis.
Tiny gems: The next big step in battling cancer
March 10, 2011 4:23 am | News | CommentsChemotherapy drug resistance contributes to treatment failure in more than 90% of metastatic cancers. Overcoming this hurdle would improve cancer survival rates. Dean Ho, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering at Northwestern Univ., believes a tiny carbon particle called a nanodiamond may offer an effective drug delivery solution for hard-to-treat cancers.
MIT scientists identify a mutation that could allow H1N1 to spread more easily
March 9, 2011 4:27 am | News | CommentsIn a new study from MIT, researchers have identified a single mutation in the H1N1 genetic makeup that would allow it to be much more easily transmitted between people. The finding should give the World Health Organization, which tracks influenza evolution, something to watch out for.
U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments in Stanford vs. Roche
February 24, 2011 4:08 am | News | CommentsA Stanford lawsuit that began as a patent infringement case against a drug company has evolved into a dispute over a federal law that promotes the commercialization of government-sponsored research and protects ownership rights of universities to inventions arising from government-sponsored research.
Research leads to improved calcium supplement derived from crustacean shells
February 18, 2011 4:40 am | News | CommentsBen-Gurion Univ. of the Negev (BGU) researchers have developed a unique technology that stabilizes an otherwise unstable form of calcium carbonate. This mineral form provides significantly higher biological absorption and retention rates than other sources presently used as dietary calcium supplements.
Synthesizing a long-sought-after anticancer agent
February 1, 2011 3:52 am | News | CommentsA team of Yale Univ. scientists has, for the first time, synthesized a chemical compound called lomaiviticin aglycon, leading to the development of a new class of molecules that appear to target and destroy cancer stem cells.
Magnetically controlled pills could boost body's absorption of drugs
January 17, 2011 11:00 am | News | CommentsMany drugs can only be absorbed in very specific parts of the intestine. In a new paper, Brown Univ. scientists describe a new system that can safely hold a magnetic gelatin capsule in place anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract of a rat. In humans, the system could improve drug delivery and pharmacological research.
Pollution identified as a new concern for antibiotic resistance
January 5, 2011 4:18 am | News | CommentsWhen an antibiotic is consumed, researchers have learned that up to 90% passes through a body without metabolizing. This means the drugs can leave the body almost intact through normal bodily functions. In the case of agricultural areas, excreted antibiotics can then enter stream and river environments through a variety of ways. Water filtered through wastewater treatment plants may also contain used antibiotics. Consequently, these discharges become a potential source of antiboitic resistance genes, according to an associate professor of engineering at Virginia Tech.
