Here is a second report from Michael Rae on the third Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence conference (SENS3):
Attendees at SENS3 heard first-hand about an extremely exciting approach to cancer treatment that has not yet hit the scientific literature or the press. In 2003, Dr. Zheng Cui and his colleagues at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University reported the discovery of mice with immune cells that rendered them invulnerable to cancer: they had been intentionally giving mice cancer by injecting them with virulent cancer cells as part of a separate study, when they discovered a single mouse in the colony that was completely immune to the invasive cells.
His curiosity piqued, Dr. Cui went on to show that it could resist multiple rounds of such injections, and were so impressed that they used him to father a whole colony of mice, all of whom shared this remarkable invulnerability to cancer. Based on that ability, he calls them spontaneous regression/complete resistance (SR/CR) mice.
For the complete article please visit: http://blog.methuselahfoundation.org/2007/09/sens3_report_the_gift_versus_c_1.html
Michael Rae reports from the proceedings at SENS3:
Among the most exciting presentations at the third conference on Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS3) were those in Friday's session on the rescue of mitochondrial mutations. This is a subject to which Conference organizer and Methuselah Foundation Chief Science Officer Dr. Aubrey de Grey has made widely-recognized contributions.
Unlike most other parts of the cell, mitochondria house many of the genes encoding their essential proteins within themselves. These genes are vulnerable to the constant assault of free radicals produced by the mitochondria as a side-effect of their role as cellular power plants. When mitochondrial DNA is damaged, it cannot make the proteins needed to carry on the essential business of generating energy for the cell; the ensuing metabolic damage is the driver of age-related rise in oxidative stress. This oxidative stress fuels free radical damage and interferes with essential signaling pathways in cells far from the original site of the damage.
Peter Houghton is grateful for his artificial heart. After all, it has saved his life.
He's just a little wistful about emotions.
He wishes he could feel them like he used to.
Houghton is the first permanent lifetime recipient of a Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device. Seven years ago, it took over for the heart he was born with. Since then, it has unquestionably improved his physical well-being. He has walked long distances, traveled internationally and kept a daunting work schedule.
At the same time, he reports, he's become...
For the complete article please visit the Washington Post. Super Biomaterials Accelerates Healing and Increase Strength of Newly Formed Tissue
HuMod.com, Aug. 14 -- National Stem Cell Holding, Inc. , today announced that Michael Cohen, CEO of the Company, and Jacob Cohen, have discovered biomaterials which appear to promote tissue repair.
On July 26, 2007, the Company announced that while using its proprietary embryonic stem cell lines, Michael and Jacob Cohen discovered a group of biomaterials that in preclinical studies appear to increase the rate at which the tissue surrounding a wound heals, and ultimately, the strength of such newly formed tissue. Today, the Company reports that Michael and Jacob Cohen have also been able to derive such tissue repair promoting biomaterials from non-embryonic stem cells, such as umbilical cord blood cells.
Adapted from Aug. 14 National Stem Cell Holding, Inc. Press Release
Researchers have identified a protein that plays an important, early role in the increase of protective skin pigmentation after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The National Institute of Health discovery is the first to show that a protein in the SOX family can be regulated by UV radiation. The results appear in the August 13, 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Melanin is a pigment produced in the skin that helps protect cells from cancer-causing UV rays. Specialized cells called melanocytes produce the melanin, which is then transported to other epidermal cells (called keratinocytes) that make up the majority of the skin. Melanoma, a cancer of melanocytes, is the most deadly of the skin cancers, and its incidence is rising in the United States.
UV radiation from the sun or other sources, such as tanning parlors, can cause many types of damage to the skin and has been associated with a process that leads to many types of skin cancers. Individuals with lighter skin incur greater damage from UV and thus have significantly higher risk for skin cancer.
“Increased pigmentation of the skin from UV is thought to help minimize the damage from UV,” said NCI Director John E. Niederhuber, M.D. “This research on SOX9 not only gives us important insights into the intricate mechanism our body uses to protect itself from ultraviolet rays, but also into cellular pathways that might contribute to the origins and spread of melanoma.”
They found that levels of SOX9 increased within two hours after UV exposure, and continued to increase until eight hours after exposure.
“The most novel part of this study was the fact that we identified a new transcription factor that may be the earliest responder to stimulation of pigmentation such as seen in the tanning reaction following UV exposure,” said Vincent Hearing, Ph.D., chief of the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research’s (CCR) Pigment Cell Biology Section and senior author of the study. “SOX9 is likely one of the first factors that’s activated to start the chain of events that eventually leads to increases in skin pigmentation.”Hearing’s laboratory is now examining SOX9 to see whether it could be used to target melanoma.
Adapted from Aug. 14 NIH news releaseThis signaling pathway prevents cell death and therefore suggests that inhibitors of the NF-kappaB pathway would provide a rational approach to the treatment of certain cancers. This is an important prospect because currently therapies are not aimed at genetically-defined pathways, and multiple myeloma remains difficult to treat.
According to Louis M. Staudt M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Section of the Metabolism Branch in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and lead author of the report, “The development of effective and non-toxic therapies for cancer depends on an understanding of the genetic defects in cancer cells."W. Michael Kuehl, M.D., chief of the Molecular Pathogenesis of Myeloma Section of the CCR Genetics Branch and a co-director of the study, stated that “Our studies suggest that activation of the NF-kappaB pathway by signals from normal bone marrow cells is critical not only for survival of normal plasma cells but also for pre-malignant and malignant myeloma tumors. The importance of this pathway is highlighted by essential mutations in some myeloma tumors. Regardless of whether or not there are mutations in this pathway, most myeloma tumors may be sensitive to NF-kappaB inhibitors.”
Adapted from NIH press release.
Mounting support unveils Cranberries UTI Prevention Capability
LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National Kidney Foundation, one in five women will develop a urinary tract infection (UTI) during her lifetime, and 20 percent of those will have UTIs on a recurrent basis. The good news is that cranberry research supports not only the reduction of recurrent UTIs by half, but now a new study suggests cranberry compounds may help prevent recurrent UTIs for as long as two years.
A new study published in the most recent issue of Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology examined the ability of cranberry extract to ward off UTIs in women with a history of recurrent infections. During the course of the study, none of the women experienced a UTI.
The promise of cranberries long lasting health benefits were strengthened when two years after the initial study, eight of the women who continue to take cranberry extract capsules, continued to be free of UTIs, a finding that researchers find exciting given the rise of antibiotic resistance.
"The results of this pilot study reinforces the idea that by including cranberries and/or dried cranberries in their diet, women can benefit tremendously by reducing the risk of urinary tract infections," said Amy Howell, research scientist at Rutgers University.
"These new findings are particularly exciting in that cranberries offer a long term solution to help prevent UTIs in women."
Cranberries have long been known to ward off urinary tract infections (UTIs) due to unique compounds in the fruit called proanthocyanidins, or PACS. PACS offer an anti-adhesion mechanism that prevents harmful E. coli bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract wall. Cranberries may be a useful tool for helping women to maintain a healthy urinary tract, naturally.
In addition to the open label pilot study, another promising new study published in the most recent issue of The Journal of Urology studied the potential of cranberry and its unique PACs against particular strains of E. coli. Scientists found that cranberry's PACs can inhibit the adherence of E.coli to bladder cells, further strengthening previous research linking cranberry to UTI prevention. In this in vitro study, researchers utilized a cranberry powder and a cranberry PAC extract which were applied directly to cultured bladder cells. Researchers found that this anti-adherence benefit increased with greater cranberry and PAC exposure suggesting that a diet rich in cranberry may limit the occurrence and recurrence of UTIs.
There are a variety of ways to get the cranberry's anti-adhesion benefits. One eight-ounce glass of cranberry juice cocktail contains just as many PACs as a 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, a 1/3 cup of sweetened, dried cranberries, or a 1/3 cup of cranberry sauce. In addition, while cranberry packs a nutritious punch, drinking one 8-ounce serving of any of the Premium 100% Juices, or eating 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries counts as half your daily requirements for fruit.
This year Ocean Spray and the National Kidney Foundation are continuing their partnership and shared goal of spreading awareness to the public about urinary tract infections and how to prevent them. The joint venture of these two companies strengthens the educational initiative of addressing one of the most common conditions troubling women today - UTIs.
Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as about 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 75 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2006 sales of roughly $1.5 billion.
The National Kidney Foundation, Inc., a major voluntary health organization, seeks to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation.
Press Release and photo credit: Courtesy of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc
LONDON, August 13/PRNewswire/ --
- First Bioabsorbable Device Approved for Use in the Heart
NMT Medical Ltd today announced the launch of BioSTAR(R), a new technology for the treatment of a common cardiac defect linked to stroke and migraine. The first bioabsorbable device approved for use in the heart, BioSTAR(R) uses patients' natural healing response to close patent foramen ovale (PFO), a hole between the right and left atria of the heart.
Although usually asymptomatic, PFO may allow unfiltered blood and micro-emboli to pass directly into the arterial circulation and cause cerebral events such as stroke. Recent studies also suggest that there may be a link between PFO and the development of certain migraines.
BioSTAR(R) is a novel, bioabsorbable implant that disappears once its job is done. It utilises a natural process that replaces the device with healthy normal native tissue. Current technology causes scar tissue to form and can take up to six months to effectively repair the heart. BioSTAR(R) achieves its results within just 30 days.
Dr Michael Mullen, Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London commented, 'BioSTAR(R) allows us to close PFO quickly, effectively and safely. Crucially, the responses that it triggers mean that patients heal naturally and that minimal foreign material is left behind in the heart.'
BioSTAR(R) was used to close PFO in the first in man, UK-based, multi-centre BEST (BioSTAR(TM) Evaluation STudy) clinical trial. At six months, 96% of the patients who received the device achieved complete PFO closure and no adverse events were reported.
The BioSTAR(R) sits on both the right and left atrium of the heart, effectively closing the hole between the heart chambers. 90-95% of the implant is absorbed over time and replaced with the patient's own tissue. Micro-emboli and unfiltered blood are therefore blocked from passing into the arterial circulation, thus potentially averting a stroke or minimizing one of the possible triggers for migraine.
Each year, between 800 and 1000 people in the UK have PFO closed. An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke, and one in eight of us are affected by migraine.
Source: NMT Medical Ltd.
Material outside of a cell can move into cell nucleus more easily than previously believed
 Material is transported from outside of the cell to cell nucleus. |
August 10, 2007
A team of Brooklyn College researchers has shattered a long-held belief that no direct pathway exists between material outside of a cell and the cell nucleus. (The cell is the smallest metabolically functional unit of life.)
It was already known that material outside of a cell can migrate into a cell. This occurs through processes known as endocytosis and phagocytosis, in which extracellular material is captured by a pinched-in segment of the cell membrane. This extracellular material then becomes trapped inside the resulting membrane-bound intracellular compartment, which is known as an endosome or phagosome.
It was also already known that material can migrate out of an endosome or phagosome and eventually enter the cell nucleus. But the Brooklyn College team has discovered that a phagosome and its contents can enter the cell's nucleus, where genetic information is stored and processed.
The team's discovery of the existence of direct pathways between extracellular material and cell nuclei will be published on August 10, 2007 in Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton. The team was led by Ray Gavin and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Gavin says that these newly discovered direct pathways mean that "internalized material does not necessarily have to exit the phagosome before entering the nucleus." Therefore, his discovery means that "one less step is needed for extracellular material to get into the nucleus, and so it is far easier than previously thought for this material to get into the nucleus."
Eve Barak, an NSF program director, describes Gavin's discovery as "an amazing and potentially paradigm-changing observation," and predicts that it "will have an enormous impact on how scientists think about how cellular functions are regulated."
Gavin has only observed direct pathways from the extracellular environment to the nucleus in the one-celled protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila. But Gavin says that "other discoveries that were based on this protozoan were later shown to be almost global in their occurrence in the biological world." Therefore, these direct pathways may operate in other organisms as well.
The discovery of the pathways in the protozoan resulted from an observation made by Gavin about 10 years ago while simply watching cells through a microscope. "I am a patient and constant observer of living things," he says. "And I watch them all the time with no agenda in mind. Some people are window gazers. They stand in front of the window and just look. I do the same with cells."
During one of Gavin's agenda-less cell-watching sessions, he noticed phagosomes clustered around a cell's nucleus. "It made me wonder why the phagosomes were positioned in that way," Gavin said. Thereafter, Gavin periodically looked for this intriguing behavior again, and occasionally glimpsed it again.
But Gavin remained unable to systematically search for phagosome clusters around nuclei until he received NSF funding in 2006 to purchase a confocal microscope, which provides three dimensional views of the cell. Just like a person would eventually find a worm hidden in an apple by repeatedly slicing through the apple, Gavin found the intruiging phagosome behavior he sought by using the confocal microscope to repeatedly obtain views that sliced clear through the cells.
Specifically, the team tracked phagosomes carry extracellular material into the cell nuclei by introducing fluorescent latex beads into the area outside of the cell. They then observed the cells phagocytose (eat) the beads, which gradually moved to the nuclei. The arrival of the phagosomes and their loads at each nucleus was marked by the illumination of the nucleus by the beads. Similarly, the researchers also labeled the cellular membrane with a fluorescent dye, and then observed the pinched off, internalized membrane move to the nucleus.
"Biologists may now study the kinds of external molecules that can gain entry to the nucleus through these newly defined pathways and how these materials influence the nucleic material and its processes," said Gavin.
-NSF-
Healthy cells have regulating mechanisms that generally limit how rapidly they can divide. Skin cells, for example, normally divide about once every 30 days, but they can divide faster in response to a wound that needs healing. Cancer, however, is characterized by cell division that has gone out of control. In cancer cells, the mechanisms that regulate division break down, and the cells spend less time in the quiescent state and more time dividing.
Many chemotherapy drugs work by interfering with the cell-division cycle. The drugs reach healthy cells and cancer cells alike, but they do most of their damage to the cancer cells. Unfortunately, some types of healthy cells divide as rapidly as cancer cells and are badly damaged as well. Such cells are found in bone marrow, the lining of the digestive tract, and hair follicles, so chemotherapy patients often lose their hair and are susceptible to infection. The damage to healthy cells limits the drug dose that a patient can tolerate and therefore limits the treatment's effectiveness.
Yoram Palti, of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, and his colleagues have demonstrated another way to disrupt cell division: alternating electric fields with intensities of just 1–2 V/cm. The fields they use, with frequencies in the hundreds of kilohertz, were previously thought to do nothing significant to living cells other than heating them. But Palti and colleagues have conducted a small clinical trial showing that the fields have an effect in slowing the growth of tumors.1
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The researchers suggest that cell division is slowed because the electric field hinders the formation and function of the mitotic spindle, the structure that guides the newly replicated chromosomes as they separate into the two daughter cells. The mitotic spindle is made up of microtubules, formed by the polymerization of dimers of the protein tubulin. (Microtubules and other cellular structures are illustrated in PHYSICS TODAY, September 2006, page 80.) The tubulin dimers and polymers have large dipole moments, so they are affected by the electric field. But most other biochemical processes also involve polar molecules and structures, and small oscillating electric forces don't appear to have much of an effect on them. The difference, says Palti, is that when the tubulin dimers assemble into the mitotic spindle, they all line up in the same direction. If that direction happens to be orthogonal to the direction of the electric field, the microtubules are less likely to function normally.
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Just how that pileup destroys the cell is still largely a matter of speculation, but Palti and his colleagues have a few ideas. "The organelles are attached to a cytoskeleton," Palti says. "They're not just floating around in the cytoplasm," so maybe the dielectrophoretic force rips them from that connective structure and kills the cell. Also, the pinching-off mechanism, by which the furrow closes and one cell becomes two, is a sensitive process that could be disrupted by the presence of molecules and organelles that are supposed to be elsewhere in the cell.
Palti's 100-kHz fields are not the only form of electrical stimulation that can hinder cell division. Luca Cucullo, Damir Janigro, and their colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic have found that low-intensity alternating current with a much lower frequency—about 50 Hz—can keep some types of cells from dividing.3 They don't yet know exactly how the process works, but their experiments suggest that the mechanism involves a particular protein that forms pores in the cell membrane to transport potassium ions into the cell. Cells whose division was halted by electric current contained more than the usual amount of the protein. And when the stimulated cells were exposed to cesium or barium, which block the potassium-transport pores, they divided at the same rate as unstimulated cells.
Palti and colleagues had extensively studied the effects of the electric fields on tumor cells in vitro and in laboratory mice and rats when in 2003 they began their first clinical trial on human patients. They used their electric fields to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a type of brain tumor with a very low survival rate. When the tumor is treated by surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, it nearly always progresses, or starts to grow again. The tumor usually kills the patient, often by the buildup of intracranial pressure that results from the tumor's sheer size.
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Healthy cells in an adult brain don't divide, so there was little danger that the electric field would damage the normal tissue surrounding the tumor. In fact, because of the way applied fields are distributed in the body, the researchers are confident that when they apply their treatment to tumors in other parts of the body, the fields will do little damage to the bone marrow or the digestive tract. The field strength that could be used was limited not by toxicity to healthy tissues but by thermal effects in the skin: The field intensity was automatically lowered if the skin was heated enough to be in danger of thermal damage. The patients didn't lose their hair, but they had to keep their heads shaved in order for the electrodes to make good contact.
Because their small trial had no control group, the researchers compared their device's performance with historical data from other studies of GBM patients. Palti's trial found a median time to progression of 26 weeks and a median survival time of 62 weeks, whereas studies of recurrent GBM treated by other means found a time to progression of about 10 weeks and a survival time of about 30 weeks. Two years after their treatment began, 3 of the 10 patients in Palti's trial were still alive, and two were progression free.
To better evaluate their treatment's effectiveness, Palti and colleagues are currently working on a controlled study in which patients are randomly assigned to receive either the electric-field treatment or a chemotherapy regimen. They are also looking into combining the electric-field treatment with low-dose chemotherapy.
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) now Available at Center in Argentina
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- USHIFU, LLC, the exclusive distributor of the Sonablate(R) 500 in North, Central and South America, announced the opening of the Argentina HIFU, the newest clinic to offer high intensity focused ultrasound for prostate cancer in Buenos Aires this month.
The urologists offering HIFU in the center are Edgardo Becher, MD; Marcelo Borghi, MD; and Luis Montes de Oca, MD. These physicians are the Directors of the Urology Center (CDU), a private center in Argentina exclusively devoted to urology and its subspecialties. These physicians completed the first HIFU treatments in Argentina last month and are excited about offering the non invasive treatment option to patients facing prostate cancer.
"These treatments also marked the first HIFU cases performed with the Sonablate(R)500 in South America," said Steve Puckett, Jr., USHIFU Chief Executive Officer. "We are thrilled to announce the initiation of a partnership with the prestigious urologists of the CDU clinic in Buenos Aires. This is a large strategic milestone for Argentina HIFU, USHIFU and its affiliates as we now have an organization that will become the center of excellence for our HIFU treatment program and physician training initiative in the region."
HIFU utilizes focused sound waves to rapidly heat and destroy the tissue within the prostate. The Sonablate(R) 500, the HIFU device, utilizes a transrectal probe to deliver ultrasound energy directly to the prostate without causing damage to areas outside the gland.
"HIFU Argentina is pleased to announce that the first HIFU treatments were held at the CDU the first week of July. We are proud to be the first center with this technology in the country and in South America, said Eric van Kregten, Manager Argentina HIFU.
"With this partnership, the CDU has enhanced their commitment to being a leader in the field of urology. We look forward to the growth of HIFU through coverage by principal medical insurance companies as well as private patients in Argentina."
Traditional treatments for prostate cancer such as surgery, radiation, or cryotherapy (freezing) can lead to undesirable side effects such as impotence and incontinence. International studies have shown that HIFU with the Sonablate(R) 500 minimizes the side effects associated with other treatment modalities and helps to preserve quality of life.
In Argentina, where HIFU is available now, the treatment is a one-time, outpatient procedure. It has also been used worldwide as a salvage therapy for patients who have had other treatments and have not been satisfied with the outcome.
For more information about Argentina HIFU or other International HIFU Centers in the Americas, visit http://www.internationalhifu.com/.
The Sonablate(R) 500 is developed and owned by Focus Surgery, Inc. and manufactured under contract by Misonix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MSON) who also holds distribution rights in Europe. Takai Hospital Supply Ltd. and THS International distribute the Sonablate(R) 500 in Southeast Asian and the Middle East.
Source: USHIFU, LLC
Finding out whether that unusual sore in your mouth is cancerous should become a lot faster and easier in the years ahead. Scientists supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, have engineered the first fully automated, all-in-one test, or lab on a chip, that can be programmed to probe cells brushed from the mouth for a common sign of oral cancer.
About half the size of a toaster, the portable device yields results in just under 10 minutes, or well within the duration of a routine visit to a dentist or doctor. Currently, patients must undergo an often painful tissue biopsy and usually wait three days to a week for the lab results. “What’s exciting is the speed and efficiency that this test will bring to the diagnostic process,” said John McDevitt, Ph.D., a scientist at the University of Texas at Austin and the senior author on the paper, published in the August issue of the journal Lab on a Chip. “No longer will patients need to endure referrals, long waits for test results, and scheduling follow up consultations. Patients will get immediate results and feedback from their dentist or doctor on how best to proceed.”
McDevitt said his group’s proof of principle study showed that their test could accurately measure levels of epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR, on three distinct types of oral cancer cells. This protein, which is normally displayed on the surface of our cells, tends to be overproduced in oral tumor cells and serves as a measurable marker of oral cancer.
His group’s next step is to program the device to read not just EGFR levels but those of other proteins and genes that, when altered, are indicative of a developing oral tumor. This work already is well under way, and the group anticipates evaluating their test in the clinic with patients in the foreseeable future. “It could take several months to more than a year before we make the transition,” said McDevitt. “But the diagnostic platform has been built, and it’s just a matter of fine tuning the components that already are in place.”
According to McDevitt, the lab on a chip evolved from a conversation that he had a few years ago with Dr. Spencer Redding of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio about the difficulties of diagnosing oral cancer. Redding explained that dentists routinely face the dilemma of whether or not to refer patients to an oral surgeon for biopsies of suspicious sores, particularly possible recurrences of a previously diagnosed oral cancer. On the one hand, early detection is a key to fighting cancer and saving lives and, on the other, if the pathology report comes back negative, dentists risk upsetting their patients.
McDevitt was uniquely qualified to consider the problem. He studied in his laboratory functional molecular assemblies, or manipulating individual molecules to assemble miniaturized electronic or sensor components. This area of research has contributed greatly toward developing nano scale devices and popularizing the new discipline of nanotechnology.
The McDevitt laboratory already had an excellent track record of assembling novel, easy-to-use sensing devices that involve microfluidics, the science of precisely controlling micro or nano volumes of fluid. Among their accomplishments were a novel, miniaturized sensor to detect anthrax spores for the Nation’s biodefense efforts and thereafter a test for HIV infection and immune function in resource poor African nations. The laboratory also was working in the mouth, having received an NIDCR research grant to develop similar tests that use saliva, rather than blood, as a diagnostic fluid.
Combining these areas of research expertise, the McDevitt laboratory developed a test for oral cancer that begins with brushing cells from a suspicious lesion, suspending them in fluid, and loading roughly a drop of the mixture into their device. When activated, the device conveys the fluid down a tiny, microfluidic channel to a chamber with a porous membrane. “The cells stick to the membrane floor like starfish in a net,” said Shannon Weigum, a member of the McDevitt laboratory and lead author on the paper. “The floor has little exit holes that drain the fluid out of the chamber and allow us to pump in a cocktail of, in this case, antibodies that are tagged with a fluorescent dye and that are programmed to seek out and attach to the EGFR displayed on the cells.”
“The chamber creates a nice, miniaturized platform with a digital camera interface to display the fluorescent tags for analysis on a computer screen,” she continued. “We can then read the level of fluorescence and determine how much EGFR is present on the cell surface. It automates a process that is done now by a pathologist. Think of the test as pathology on a chip.”
In their initial experiments, the all-in-one test detected significantly higher levels of EGFR in three known oral cancer cell lines compared to normal cells, which would have been expected. This indicated that the lab on a chip had excellent specificity for its protein target. The scientists also found that their results correlated well with those using flow cytometry, the current gold-standard analytical technique to quantify protein expression.
The scientists reported that their lab-on-a-chip protocol took about nine minutes to complete, from sample collection to digital display. For flow cytometry, the protocol took two hours and five minutes. “We are doing our immune function test in eight minutes, and that includes the software manipulation and collecting the sample,” said McDevitt. “I feel comfortable saying that, with further manipulations, the oral cancer test ultimately will be completed somewhere between five and ten minutes. We have developed tests that can be performed in thirty seconds, but there is some loss in accuracy when you do things in an ultra fast manner.”
The Food and Drug Administration approved the EGFR-targeted monoclonal antibody called cetuximab in March 2006 to treat oral squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of oral cancer. This marked the first new drug approved for this cancer in 45 years. But challenges remain to identify patients who might benefit from this therapy. With further development and clinical validation, the oral cancer lab on a chip could one day fill this diagnostic niche.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is the Nation’s leading funder of research on oral, dental, and craniofacial health.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) System Available at Local Chiropractor's Office
FAIRVIEW, N.J., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- For many people living with painful carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, cold laser therapy provides exceptional relief. Patients in Northern New Jersey can access this ground-breaking treatment at the Advanced Physical Medicine Center in Fairview.
Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is instrumental in treating carpel tunnel syndrome along with soft tissue injuries, cervical neck pain, repetitive stress injuries, tendonitis, hamstring injuries, arthritis, and wound healing. For carpal tunnel syndrome especially, the treatment helps to alleviate pain associated with repetitive motion in hands and wrists.
Cold laser therapy speeds up the healing process after injury to the wrists and hands. The normal reaction to acute soft tissue trauma is to splint the injury with edema, an accumulation of watery fluid in tissue spaces or cell interstices, which causes swelling. This same swelling prevents excessive movement to the tissue and causes pain, in addition to the soreness from the initial injury. The infrared laser light targets the lymphatic system, which maintains fluid balance in the body, and boosts reabsorption of the edema. This therapy reduces swelling and enhances movement capabilities, thus reducing pain as well.
The laser is a hand-held flashlight-like devise that directs a beam of narrow-spectrum light at injured tissue beneath the skin. The treatment lasts about 15 minutes and is done three times per week for six weeks. Dr. Michael Arber of the Advanced Physical Medicine Center uses it in conjunction with physical therapy to achieve maximum results.
"Our treatment is the most effective because we combine the cold laser technology along with cutting-edge physical therapy techniques to achieve relief from chronic pain," says Dr. Arber.
Cold laser therapy was accepted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 and is used by athletic trainers, chiropractors and practitioners of alternative medicine.
The Advanced Physical Medicine Center specializes in chiropractic care, physical therapy, pain management and massage therapy. Located in Fairview, N.J., the facility has numerous certified professionals including chiropractors Michael Arber, BS, DC, DAAPM, and David Berk, BS, DC, MS, CCSP. To contact the office, call 201-945-1156 or visit www.advancedphysicalmedicinecenter.com.
Source: Advanced Physical Medicine Center
August 7, 2007 (Baltimore, MD) - In a study published in the August issue of Nature Neuroscience, researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland found that there are separate adaptable networks controlling each leg and there are also separate networks controlling leg movements, e.g., forward or backward walking. These findings are contrary to the currently accepted theory that leg movements and adaptations are directed by a single control circuit in the brain. The ability to train the right and left legs independently opens the door to new therapeutic approaches for correcting walking abilities in patients with brain injury
Using a split-belt treadmill to separately control the legs, Kennedy Krieger researchers Dr. Amy Bastian and Julia Choi studied forty healthy adults and tracked each person’s ability to learn various walking exercises. Utilizing specialized computer software and infrared tracking devices placed on key joints, researchers found subjects could store different walking patterns for forward versus backward walking simultaneously, with no interference between the two, revealing that separate brain systems control the two directions of walking. Surprisingly, peopl
e could also walk easily with one leg moving forward and the other backward, a pattern referred to as “hybrid walking.” Adaptation of hybrid walking, in which varying speeds were applied to legs walking in opposite directions, was found to interfere with subsequent “normal” forward and backward walking. The combined results demonstrate there are distinct brain modules responsible for right/forward, right/backward, left/forward and left/backward walking. Most significantly, these modules can be individually trained, which would be critical for rehabilitation focused on correcting walking asymmetries produced by brain damage.
“The notion that we can leverage the brain’s adaptive capacity and effectively ‘dial in’ the patterns of movement that we want patients to learn is incredibly exciting,” said Dr. Amy Bastian, senior study author and Director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. “These findings significantly enhance our understanding of motor skills, effective therapeutic approaches and the true adaptive nature of the brain.”
The walking adaptations studied here represent a form of short term learning from practicing on this unusual treadmill. Investigators set different speeds for each belt of the treadmill causing subjects to walk in an abnormal limping pattern. However, within 15 minutes subjects adapted and learned to walk smoothly with a normal pattern and rhythm, as verified by computer models. This indicates that the phenomenon of brain plasticity can occur in short intervals. When subjects returned to normal conditions (same speed for the two legs), this adaptation caused an after-effect that resulted in a limp that lasted for five-to-ten minutes as they “unlearned” the correction. Regardless of how hard subjects tried, they were unable to stop this after-effect, because walking patterns are controlled by automatic brain systems that recalibrate themselves according to current conditions.
“As we understand more about the way the brain learns, relearns and adapts in relation to motor skills, physical therapy professionals have a vastly expanding toolbox from which to tailor therapeutic interventions,” explains Gary Goldstein, MD, President and CEO of the Kennedy Krieger Institute. “This study and other research from Kennedy Krieger’s Motion Analysis Laboratory provide a glimpse into the rehabilitative potential made possible through the pairing of our talented researchers and cutting-edge technologies.”
Past studies by Bastian and her colleagues have found that certain types of brain damage interfere with walking ability, while others do not. For example, individuals with damage to the cerebral hemispheres can adapt while those with damage to the cerebellum are rarely able to.
This body of work sheds light on the specificity of walking adaptations and demonstrates that patients with certain types of brain damage can store a new walking pattern in the short term. Based on these findings, Bastian’s goal is to learn how to make that pattern last for an extended period. Currently, Bastian is planning a study of stroke victims in order to test the long-term benefits of split-belt treadmill therapy. She is also studying children with more extreme forms of brain damage, including those that undergo a hemispherectomy, a neurosurgical procedure to treat seizures in which an entire half of the brain is removed. The initial findings are quite promising, showing that these children can adapt in the short term and improve their walking patterns. These and other similar studies are leading researchers down the path to more targeted, rational therapies for patients with brain injuries.
Source: Kennedy Krieger Institute www.kennedykrieger.org
One day it may be possible for physicians to use electrical stimulation to guide the development of embryonic stem cells into neurons, heart cells, lung cells, breast cells, muscles, and other specific cell types. Researchers with Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley, in collaboration with researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) in San Francisco, have taken a critical first step toward that goal.
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| A scanning electron microscope reveals individual mouse embryonic stem cells penetrated by silicon nanowires. | |
The researchers have developed a technique by which silicon nanowires can be embedded in a living cell, with no apparent harm to the cell. The technique can be used to connect individual cells to one another and to wire the cells to external sensors and other electronic devices. It may also have the potential to deliver genetic material to specific organelles within a cell.
"This is the first example of nanowires interfacing with biological cells without the use of external force," says chemist Peidong Yang, who led the research. "The cells were cultured on a silicon substrate that was topped with a vertically aligned silicon nanowire array. The embedding of the silicon nanowire array into individual cells naturally occurred during cell incubation."
Yang is a leading nanoscience authority who holds joint appointments with Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division and Molecular Foundry, and with the UC Berkeley Chemistry Department. He worked with Woong Kim and Miki Kunitake of his own research group and with Jennifer Ng and Bruce Conklin of GICD on the embedded-nanowire project; their results are reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Differentiation is the process by which an embryonic stem cell acquires the unique morphological, genetic, and functional characteristics of a specific type of cell. While controlled by gene expressions, cell differentiation can also be influenced by signals from the surrounding environment, including electrical stimulation.
"Whether the signals are physical, chemical, or electrical, the overall effects of these stimuli will eventually control how a stem cell matures," says Yang. "By running an electrical current through a wired stem cell and varying the power through it, we may be able to direct how the cell differentiates."
The key to this possibility is being able to embed a living cell with an electrically conducting wire without otherwise impairing the cell's development. Previous attempts to physically puncture cells with nanowires or carbon nanotubes resulted in damage to the cell wall and often the death of the cell itself. Yang and his colleagues avoid this destruction by enabling the cells to gradually incorporate the nanowires by themselves, as they grow and develop.
The silicon nanowires were synthesized using a chemical vapor deposition technique developed earlier by Yang and his research group, in which nanosized gold particles serve as a catalyst to trigger the formation of millions of nanowires on the substrate. The precise size of the gold particles controls the diameter of the nanowires. When the silicon nanowires are exposed to air, a layer of silica (silicon dioxide) forms on their surface.
"Silica has a proven compatibility with the cell membrane and interior environment, which is one of the reasons we chose to work with silicon nanowires," says Yang. "Also, silicon is a conductor, which opens up the potential for introducing electrical stimulations into the cell."
In addition, silicon nanowires have a high aspect ratio — they can be a thousand times longer than they are thick — yet are rigid enough to be mechanically manipulated.
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| Left and center, two scanning electron microscope images of mouse embryonic stem cells growing on a silicon nanowire substrate. At right, a confocal microscope image shows the silicon nanowires as black dots inside the cells, which are glowing with green fluorescent protein. |
Yang and his colleagues first tested the technique with embryonic stem cells from a mouse. Embryonic stem cells are notoriously sensitive to external stimulation, but when the test cells were grown in solution over the silicon nanowire array, they assimilated the nanowires and continued to thrive for more than a month.
The mouse embryonic stem cells used by Yang and his colleagues were on the cusp of differentiating into cardiac muscle cells. Because they had been engineered to express green fluorescent protein (GFP), a combination of confocal and scanning electron microscopy enabled the researchers to observe that each cell had indeed been embedded with several nanowires.
"Over time, as these cells proliferated, they began beating like a heart," says Yang.
A second round of tests involved human embryonic kidney cells. In these tests, each cell was embedded, on average, with two to three silicon nanowires. The nanowires measured between three and six microns in length, but three different diameters were tested, 30, 90 and 400 nanometers. (A micrometer is a millionth of a meter; a nanometer is a billionth of a meter.) Cells embedded with the 30- and 90-nanometer diameter wires — several orders of magnitude smaller than the cells — survived for up to a week, but those embedded with 400-nanometer wires died within a day.
"The longevity of these different cell types has not been systematically compared at this stage, but we can say that it is highly dependent on the diameter and density of the nanowires used in each set of experiments," says Yang. "Also, we need to do further research to understand the mechanism by which the silicon nanowires were taken up by the cells at the molecular level."
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| Peidong Yang, a chemist who holds a joint appointment with Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley, is one of the leading developers of nanosized wires and ribbons. In 2007 he won the Alan T. Waterman award in recognition of an outstanding young scientist who is revolutionizing research. (Photo Roy Kaltschmidt, Creative Services Office) | |
Yang and his colleagues also demonstrated the potential of their cell-wiring technique for delivering genes to specific regions of a cell's interior. They coated an array of silicon nanowires with plasmid DNA that codes for the green fluorescent protein. Then they incubated human embryonic kidney cells on top of the wires. One day later, some of the cells began expressing GFP, indicating a successful delivery and normal functioning of the GFP gene.
"We believe that the penetration of the nanowires into the cells promotes the retention of the cells on the substrate and therefore the gene delivery," says Yang. "As we perfect this technique, we should be able to pinpoint the delivery of genetic material within a spatial resolution of 50 nanometers, which is far more precise than any existing technique."
In addition to applications such as guiding stem cell differentiation and carrying out organelle-specific gene delivery, still down the road, Yang says the cell-wiring technique should quickly become a powerful research tool.
"Embedded silicon nanowires could be used as probes of individual cells, or for performing high-resolution, single-cell imaging, or high-resolution chemical and biological extractions," Yang says.
LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent headlines suggesting consumers and doctors are doing everything they can to combat antibiotic resistance -- the immunity that bacteria develop to common prescriptions -- a natural alternative and household beverage just might be the ally they are looking for. Scientists have discovered that regular consumption of cranberry juice cocktail may offer protection against certain antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs). Maintaining a healthy urinary tract with cranberry juice cocktail may reduce the need for antibiotics by preventing the initial infection.
Research conducted jointly between Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the University of Michigan, suggests that regular consumption of cranberry juice cocktail could reduce the potential for development of UTIs, thus decreasing the need for antibiotics. In this study, scientists tested the effectiveness of cranberry juice cocktail in disabling a number of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, some of which are resistant to certain drugs.
E. coli bacteria are responsible for a host of health problems including urinary tract infections (UTIs) and have become increasingly resistant to certain drugs. Research shows that cranberries may provide an alternative to antibiotics especially in cases where E. coli bacteria have become resistant to treatment.
"With more and more awareness among health professionals and the public regarding antibiotic resistance, we are happy to report during our study when subjects consumed cranberry juice cocktail, their urine was capable of preventing antibiotic-resistant bacteria from adhering to cells from the urinary tract," said Amy B. Howell, Ph.D., research scientist at Rutgers, and lead investigator of the study.
Compounds in cranberries called proanthocyanidins (PACs) have been known to "disable" certain harmful bacteria in the body, helping to prevent infections. For example, in the case of urinary tract infections (UTIs), E. coli bacteria attach to bladder cells so that they can't multiply and cause an infection. According to a new study conducted by researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, cranberry PACs disable E. coli bacteria and prevent the microorganisms from causing infection by changing the shape of the bacteria from rods to spheres, altering their cell membrane, and making it difficult for bacteria to make contact with cells, or from latching onto them should they get close enough. Other data has suggested that this "anti-adhesion" mechanism of action found in cranberry PACs may also help prevent certain bacteria from adhering to the stomach and the mouth, with implications for the prevention stomach ulcers and dental diseases.
Cranberry PACs anti-adhesion activity is primarily due to their unique A- type structure. While most other foods contain only the more-common B-type PACs, it is cranberry's A-type PACs that are responsible for this anti- adhesion mechanism of action. Since cranberry PACs also function as antioxidants, they provide a dual anti-adhesion and antioxidant health benefit. With more PACs and antioxidants per gram than most fruit, cranberries ward off certain bacteria and bolster the body's defenses against free radical damage that can contribute to many chronic diseases including heart disease.
While cranberry juice cocktail is one way, there are a variety of ways to get the cranberry's anti-adhesion benefits. One eight-ounce glass of cranberry juice cocktail contains just as many PACs as: 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, 1/3 cup of sweetened dried cranberries, or 1/3 cup of cranberry sauce.
Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as about 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 75 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2006 sales of roughly $1.5 billion.
Source: Ocean Spray
WALTHAM, Mass., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Research Group (MRG) has conducted a detailed analysis of the US spinal implant market in its US Markets for Spinal Implants report. The analysis reveals that the cervical artificial disc market will reach a value of nearly $450 million in 2011. Medtronic Spinal and Biologic's Prestige Cervical Disc, which received approval from the FDA on July 16, is the first artificial disc for the neck. Other companies slated to release cervical artificial discs over the next several years include Synthes Spine, Stryker Spine, Globus Medical, SpinalMotion, Cervitech, DePuy Spine, LDR Spine, and Blackstone Medical.
Cervical artificial discs, such as Medtronic's Prestige, allow patients suffering from degenerative disc disease pain relief while maintaining mobility. Medtronic has agreed to run two different studies as part of the conditions of approval. One study is a 7-year process to evaluate effectiveness and long-term safety and the other is a 5-year enhanced surveillance study.
"Artificial discs were developed to treat chronic back pain while allowing for the preservation of physiological vertebral motion, proper intervertebral spacing, and stability," says Kevin Flewwelling, Senior Analyst at MRG. "In contrast to lumbar artificial discs, however, the cervical artificial disc market holds much more potential because surgeons are relatively more comfortable with the anterior cervical technique required for disc implantation."
The US Markets for Spinal Implants report is part of a global series that also includes Europe, Asia Pacific, and a number of emerging markets. Companies covered in this report series include Medtronic Spinal and Biologics, DePuy Spine, Synthes Spine, Stryker Spine, NuVasive, Abbott Spine, Blackstone Medical, Biomet Spine, Zimmer Spine, Kyphon, Solco Medical, Showa Medical, GS Medical Japan MDM, B.Braun/Aesculap, Scient'X, MBA Grupo and Wright Cremascoli. For ongoing quarterly tracking of market shares by brand, MRG offers its Marketrack service, which tracks the US Spinal Implant market and gathers quarterly data from 120 facilities performing spinal fusions. Besides market share, this service also provides brand level usage (units, average selling price, and revenue) and detailed procedure numbers by approach and instrumentation type.
About Millennium Research Group
Millennium Research Group (www.MRG.net), a Decision Resources, Inc. company (www.DecisionResources.com), is the global authority on medical technology market intelligence and a leading provider of strategic information to the health care sector. Focused solely on the medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, the company provides its clients with the benefits of its specialized industry expertise through published reports and customized consulting services.
BEIJING - China has banned the controversial practice of leg-lengthening, a cosmetic surgery procedure popular among young professionals who believe height will help them climb the career ladder, after a rash of botched operations has left patients disfigured.
Leg extension surgery is a procedure that looks like something out of the Middle Ages.
A doctor breaks the patient's legs and inserts steel pins into the bones, just below the knees.
For complete story, please visit The New Zealand Herald
SAN ANTONIO, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cancer Therapy & Research Center Institute for Drug Development, in collaboration with Oncolytics Biotech Inc., a biotechnology company, has enrolled the first two patients in a new Phase II clinical study for patients with various types of sarcomas that have metastasized to the lung. CTRC is one of only three sites in the United States, and the only in Texas, enrolling patients. The novel anti-cancer therapy, REOLYSIN(R), is a living virus, not a chemotherapy drug, that is toxic to cancer cells but not harmful to normal cells. This novel therapy, using a living virus, is the first of its kind available at CTRC.
According to Monica Mita, MD, principal investigator at the CTRC Institute for Drug Development, REOLYSIN(R)'s name was derived from the human reovirus, a mild virus that occurs naturally in the environment.
"This novel therapy has shown success because the reovirus replicates in and destroys the cancer cells within the patient's body," said Mita. "Cancer cells have several molecular and genetic abnormalities. In normal, healthy cells, the reovirus is unable to reproduce because of an enzyme named PKR. The enzyme is suppressed in cancer cells, and therefore the reovirus can replicate in the cancer cell and kill it."
"REOLYSIN(R) typifies the true targeted therapy approach that seeks to use fundamental differences between cancer and normal cells as the basis for effective anti-cancer approaches and we are thus very excited about the this study," said Francis Giles, MD, director of the CTRC Institute for Drug Development.
Eligible patients are those who have a bone or soft tissue sarcoma that has spread to the lung and who are deemed by their physician to be unresponsive to or untreatable by standard therapies. These include patients with osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma family tumors, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, synovial sarcoma, fibrosarcoma and leiomyosarcoma.
The second patient to enroll in the study was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2005 and 11 months later received an additional diagnosis for a rare form of sarcoma. A specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston referred her to CTRC, where Mita suggested the REOLYSIN(R) study. After discussing it with her family and doctor, she decided it was the best treatment option for her.
"This new therapy gives me another option in the fight against my cancer," said the 35-year-old mother of three who travels to San Antonio for treatment with her husband and children. "Before coming to CTRC, I had already been through one chemotherapy cycle for this disease, and I got the impression that no one really knew what to do with me or how to treat my cancer. REOLYSIN(R) was a less toxic option for me."
"We are delighted, but not surprised, with the rate of accrual at the CTRC Institute for Drug Development," said Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. "As an evolving oncology company, the placement of Oncolytics' very innovative and sophisticated studies is of critical importance and we are delighted to have the CTRC Institute for Drug Development as our collaborator. This study is expected to yield information that will guide the late stage clinical development program for REOLYSIN(R)."
"We have had great success in recruiting patients into the trial, which is a testament to the promise of our approach and the efforts of our investigators," said Harold Van Wart, Ph.D., Metabolex's president and chief executive officer. "Our clinical team is now working to ensure the patients in the trial are well monitored, and we expect to share the results early next year, when all patients have completed the 16-week trial and we have examined the data."
The randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active comparator-controlled, multicenter Phase 2/3 trial is evaluating MBX-102/JNJ 39659100 at daily doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg versus Actos(R) (pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione -- TZD -- drug) 30 mg in patients with type 2 diabetes taking concomitant insulin. The primary endpoint is change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels -- the gold-standard measure of a patient's blood glucose control over time -- with weight gain and edema as key secondary endpoints. Fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, uric acid and adiponectin levels are being evaluated. The trial is being conducted at 67 clinical sites in four countries.
MBX-102/JNJ 39659100 is being studied for its potential to lower blood glucose by treating insulin resistance, an underlying cause of type 2 diabetes, and a potential contributor to cardiac disease. The drug modulates genes that are linked to insulin sensitization without appearing to affect those genes associated with weight gain and edema, unlike the currently marketed insulin sensitizers from the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class. Clinical research to date suggests the difference in gene expression may offer the efficacy advantages of TZDs with an improved safety profile.
In addition, preclinical work has shown that MBX-102/JNJ 39659100 may have potent anti-inflammatory activity. Inflammation has been linked to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, suggesting an additional mechanism by which MBX-102/JNJ 39659100 may control the disease process in diabetes.
In June 2006, Metabolex entered into a strategic alliance with Ortho-McNeil, Inc., giving Ortho-McNeil an exclusive license for worldwide development and commercialization of MBX-102/JNJ 39659100. Metabolex is conducting the Phase 2/3 trial of MBX-102/JNJ 39659100; Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. will be responsible for all additional testing of the compound.
About Metabolex
Metabolex is a privately held biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics to transform the treatment of diabetes and related metabolic disorders. Metabolex has drawn on its deep understanding of diabetes to create the largest database of genes involved in diabetes and to build a rich pipeline of product candidates and drug discovery targets. The company has three clinical-stage compounds: MBX-102/JNJ 39659100, in Phase 2/3 testing; MBX-2044, in Phase 2a; and MBX-8025, being studied in dyslipidemia, which has completed Phase 1 studies. Ortho-McNeil, Inc. has the exclusive right to develop and commercialize MBX-102/JNJ 39659100 and MBX-2044. For additional information about Metabolex and its development pipeline, visit http://www.metabolex.com/.
Source: Metabolex, Inc.
Affiris GmbH, based in Vienna, Austria, today announced the start of a phase I clinical trial for its Alzheimer's vaccine, Affitope AD01. The vaccine is being administered at the Vienna General Hospital (AKH) to up to 24 patients who have reached the disease stage "mild to moderate". The patients will be vaccinated four times over a period of three months, and the safety and suitability of the vaccine will be analysed over six months.
Dr. Walter Schmidt, CEO of Affiris GmbH, comments: "This, the most important chapter in our company history so far, is a fantastic development for both Alzheimer's sufferers and our investors. The need for such a treatment is particularly pressing given the enormous number of sufferers worldwide - over 12 million. Our investors, MIG-Fonds, are naturally also delighted that we have reached this important milestone on schedule."
Affiris has developed the Alzheimer's vaccine from patented Affitope technology, which is based on mimotopes and allows customized vaccines to be manufactured cost-effectively. Dr. Schmidt explains the special features of Affiris' approach to the Alzheimer's vaccine: "Alzheimer's is caused by beta-amyloid, an unintentionally formed fragment of one of the body's own proteins that occurs on the surface of brain cells and has the scientific abbreviation APP. In principle, it is extremely difficult to develop a vaccine as it is vital to ensure that the immune system only reacts after the beta-amyloid has separated into the brain fluid and not before, when it is present as a healthy component of the APP protein of brain cells. Nobody wants to provoke an immune response against the patient's brain cells. Our approach protects the brain cells and only combats the disease-causing beta-amyloid."
MCLEAN, Va., July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In a review article published in The New England Journal of Medicine today, Dr. Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., one of the nation's leading experts on vitamin D, explores the nature of vitamin D deficiency and concludes it to be one of the most commonly unrecognized medical conditions, a condition that leaves millions at risk of developing not only osteoporosis and fractures but also numerous serious and often fatal diseases, including several common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and heart disease.
In his review, Dr. Holick estimates that there are over one billion people worldwide at risk for vitamin D deficiency, with 30-50% of children and adults in the United States at high risk for this potentially life threatening condition.
According to Holick, the effects of this condition can be both immediate and far-reaching for women and children. For example, pregnant women, even when taking a prenatal vitamin, are still at high risk for preeclampsia, a condition characterized by hypertension, fluid retention and protein loss in the urine. Low levels of calcium and vitamin D in utero and in childhood may prevent the maximum deposition of calcium in the skeleton. Vitamin D deficiency in early life may increase the risk of developing serious chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
In adults, recent evidence has shown that vitamin D deficiency can put an individual at risk for developing a variety of deadly cancers. Holick points to prospective and retrospective studies indicating that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a 30-50% increased risk of colon, prostate and breast cancer along with higher mortality among those diagnosed with these cancers, especially darker skin individuals who have the highest incidence of vitamin D deficiency in the US. Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to an increased risk of infectious diseases including tuberculosis and influenza as well as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
"Vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic in this country," stated Dr. Holick. "Sensible sun exposure and the use of supplements are the best ways to address this easily preventable condition," he added.
Dr. Michael F. Holick is a Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at Boston University. He is internationally recognized for his expertise and contributions to the fields of vitamin D, calcium, bone and the biologic effects of light in dermatology, endocrinology, and medicine. To see this article as it appears in the New England Journal of Medicine, please visit Dr. Holick's website at www.uvadvantage.org.
About the Ultraviolet Light Research and Educational Foundation -- Founded in 2004, the UV Foundation is dedicated to funding research to explore the effects of ultraviolet light on the human body. For more information about the UV Foundation, call 703.677.6885 or visit info@uvfoundation.org.
Source: Ultraviolet Light Research and Educational Foundation
