HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics for sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia and EBV-related cancers, announced today the closing of an additional $4M to its Series B financing by new investor, Latterell Venture Partners. This investment brings the total Series B financing to $16M. Continue Reading
HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics for sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia and EBV-related cancers, announced today the closing of an additional $4M to its Series B financing by new investor, Latterell Venture Partners. This investment brings the total Series B financing to $16M. Continue Reading
When cells are attacked by bacteria they use all means at their disposal to defend themselves. But cellular defence systems can damage the cells themselves and so need to be kept tightly in check. Recent results help us to understand how this is done and give pointers to new ways of combating disease. Matthias Farlik in the group of Thomas Decker at the Centre for Molecular Biology of the University of Vienna (Max F. Perutz Laboratories) and Mathias Müller of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have published these findings in the current issue of the journal “Immunity”. Continue Reading
In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research have found that exposure to cigarette smoke can alter gene expression — the process by which a gene’s information is converted into the structures and functions of a cell. These alterations in response to smoking appear to have a wide-ranging negative influence on the immune system, and a strong involvement in processes related to cancer, cell death and metabolism. Continue Reading
Telik, Inc. today announced the publication of a review in the journal, Cell Death and Differentiation: Glutathione transferases as mediators of signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation and cell death; http://www.nature.com/cdd/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/cdd201080a.html. This review describes recent advances in the understanding of the important role that the enzyme GSTP1-1 plays in the progression of cancer and other diseases associated with increased cell proliferation. Continue Reading
The scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, who ‘fathered’ the Digital Embryo have now given it wings, creating the Fly Digital Embryo. In work published today in Nature Methods, they were able to capture fruit fly development on film, and were the first to clearly record how a zebrafish’s eyes and midbrain are formed. Continue Reading
Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, led by Dr Eduard Escrich, have discovered a key mechanism by which virgin olive oil, in contrast to other vegetable oils, protects the body against breast cancer. Continue Reading
Pharmacyclics, Inc. today announced results from a Phase I study of its novel orally administered Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) inhibitor, PCI-32765, in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia (WM). These data are being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting taking place this week in Chicago, IL. Continue Reading
Ascenta Therapeutics announced today the signing of a global collaboration and licensing agreement with sanofi-aventis covering several early-stage agents being investigated for their potential to restore tumor cell apoptosis (programmed cell death). These orally-active, small-molecule drug candidates inhibit the interaction between HDM2 (Human Double Minute 2) and p53, removing a block to normal p53 tumor suppressor function and potentially enhancing cancer control and treatment. Continue Reading
AFFiRiS AG will explore ProBioGen’s proprietary Human Artificial Lymph Node Technology (HuALN) as analytical tool for its AFFITOME®-based vaccination concept. Under the contract with ProBioGen, AFFiRiS will evaluate the HuALN technology as a human organoid model to investigate drug-related effects in the context of the human immune system in order to select vaccine candidates best suited to be applied in humans. Continue Reading
