| Micromet Receives Regulatory Approval to Conduct a Phase 2 Clinical ...
BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micromet, Inc. (NASDAQ: MITI) , a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel, proprietary antibody-based products for the treatment of cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, announced today that the Paul-Ehrlich Institute has approved an Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier (IMPD) for the conduct of a phase 2 clinical trial testing MT103 in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Germany. MT103, a BiTE(R) antibody targeting the CD19 antigen, which is expressed on most malignant B lymphoma cells, is also being evaluated in an ongoing phase 1 clinical trial in Europe in non- Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Micromet and MedImmune, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca plc, are currently developing MT103 (also known as MEDI-538).
Stem Cell Gene Therapy Advanced By Ireland Cancer Center Researchers
This finding might be the key underlying the increased risk of anemias, myelodysplastic syndrome and acute leukemia in older individuals.
* Dr. Kevin Bunting's laboratory gave two important presentations on how intracellular STAT5 (an intracellular signaling protein) influences normal pathologic hematopoiesis (blood cell formation) and stem cell engraftment.
* Dr. Shigemi Matsuyama and colleagues presented a novel way of treating chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (decrease in number of platelets in the blood) using Bax Inhibiting Peptides to rescue the damaged cells.
* Dr. Keith McCrae and colleagues presented that fO2 glycoprotein is a cofactor in the process that dissolves blood clots through the use of the medical agent tPA.
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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
Dogs to provide therapy to soldiers in Iraq
The major thing is, they are going to help us knock down the stigma around mental health," he said.
But before heading off to Iraq, the dogs needed to get used to sights and sounds similar to those they will encounter in Iraq.
This week, the soldiers, the dogs and foundation officials visited the shooting range at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where the dogs were exposed to the sounds of submachine guns and handguns.
The dogs went to Long Island MacArthur Airport, standing by as Suffolk County police hovered in a helicopter, the wind whipping at the dogs' fur.
And the dogs braved perhaps one of the toughest tests of all: a jaunt through Smithhaven Mall during holiday season, designed to test their reaction to the chaos of crowds.
Obesity And Metabolism: Weight Gain And The Growing Risk Of Cancer
During this holiday season with its tempting bounty of edible delights, new research calls attention to the role of the expanding American waistline in health and medicine.
Today, researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research's Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, being held from December 5 to 8 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, present some of the latest research linking obesity, diabetes and metabolism to cancer risk. Their findings link weight gain and diabetes to a variety of cancers affecting both men and women, including breast, prostate and colorectal cancer
Diabetes and hyper-insulinemia as predictors of colorectal cancer risk in a prospective cohort of women. Abstract no. B93:
Women with diabetes are 1.5 times more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those who do not have the metabolic disorder, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota.
Amgen Announces Interim Results Of Aranesp(R) ''PREPARE'' Study In ...
Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) announced that it had received interim results from the independent investigator-sponsored "PREPARE" study, an open-label, randomized, multicenter Phase 3 study of Aranesp(R) (darbepoetin alfa) in 733 neoadjuvant breast cancer patients receiving dose-dense, dose-intense preoperative chemotherapy compared to a standard preoperative chemotherapy regimen.
Initiated in 2002, the PREPARE study was developed, conducted and analyzed by the independent German Gynecological Oncology Study Group (AGO) and the German Breast Group. It was designed to evaluate the effects of preoperative chemotherapy using a sequential dose-dense and dose-intensified regimen of epirubicin, paclitaxel, and CMF compared to preoperative sequential administration of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel in patients with breast cancer, with respect to event-free and overall survival, with or without Aranesp to prevent anemia and to potentially augment the therapeutic effects of the chemotherapy regimens.
WCN Editorial Contributors
Carolyn Y. Muller, MD, Chair, is currently the Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Dr. Muller completed her medical school education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and her Ob-Gyn residency at the nation's first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. After one year of general Ob-Gyn practice, she came to UT Southwestern for fellowship training in Gynecologic Oncology. She continued her postdoctoral training in molecular biology through the Reproductive Scientist Development Program. Her main research interests include developing molecular biomarkers for cervical cancer prevention and supporting novel therapeutics (such as gene therapy) for ovarian cancer. Her passion is in improving patient education in cancer prevention and treatment.
Tomah physician assistant’s play tells story behind breast cancer
Nancy Heerens-Knudson says she is a paranoid health-care provider.When the physician assistant suspects breast cancer in a patient, Heerens-Knudson will make sure she goes the distance to find it or rule it out.
"If there is a lump, I'll want to look at it again and again," she said. "I think too many doctors tend to pass it off as nothing, but I'm very extra careful for good reasons."At age 58, Heerens-Knudson is a 22-year breast cancer survivor. She believes physicians should give women a breast exam every time they are seen."The breast check should be a routine check," she said. "Women should insist on it."She dishes out warnings to patients and physicians alike. "The No. 1 most grievous error that medical folks make is to minimize someone's concern about a breast lump," Heerens-Knudson said.
AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. and Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. Announce ...
AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. and Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. Announce Merger Agreement Oct 22 2007, 6:55 AM EST News source: Business Wire AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAN) and Celldex Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held company, announced today the signing of a definitive merger agreement. The merger creates a NASDAQ-listed, fully-integrated and diversified biopharmaceutical company with a deep pipeline of product candidates addressing high-value indications including oncology and infectious and inflammatory diseases. The all-stock transaction, approved by both companies' Boards of Directors, will combine the two companies under the name AVANT, and is currently expected to close in the first quarter of 2008. Celldex and AVANT shareholders will own 58% and 42% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis, respectively.
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