New Software Brings Scientists Together
Imagine thousands of scientists across the globe collaborating to find a cure for cancer, or create a new malaria vaccine.
research
Promising Genetic Biomarker Identified for Colorectal Cancer
A new genetic discovery could lead to easier detection of colorectal cancer.
Bioject Signs With U.S. Navy for Malaria Vaccine
Bioject Medical Technologies, a developer of needle-free injection systems, has signed a cooperative R&D agreement with the U.S. Navy to use Bioject’s technology in a malaria vaccine the Navy is developing.
Pantec Reports Success In Transdermal Patch Trials
Some patients fear injections so much that they avoid getting proper medical treatment, sometimes with life-threatening results. Transdermal patches, which administer drugs through the skin, could make the bite of the needle a mere unpleasant memory.
More Good News for AstraZeneca
A new analysis of AstraZeneca’s cholesterol-lowering statin Crestor shows that the drug sharply reduces the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a potentially fatal disorder in which blood clots can form in the legs and travel to the lungs.
Good News for Market-Leading Stent
A new study by Abbott Laboratories found that their drug-coated stent, Xience V, is more effective in the long term than a competitor’s. According to the Wall Street Journal, the data showed that rates of major cardiovascular events plateaued at 6.4% in the second and third years after Xience was implanted.
New Test May Predict Risk of Breast Cancer Metastasis
Center have created a test that could help doctors identify which breast cancer patients need aggressive therapy. The study, published in the online version of Clinical Cancer Research, could prevent many women from undergoing unnecessary chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
Two Studies Cast Doubt On Common Prostate Cancer Test
A common prostate-cancer screening test may be largely ineffective, according to two new studies. Scientists in the U.S. and Europe found that the PSA blood test saves few lives and leads to unnecessary treatments for large numbers of men.
Two Studies Show Potential for Treating Drug-Resistant TB
Tuberculosis, or TB, is one of the world’s most widespread lethal diseases, killing someone every 20 seconds. An estimated one-third of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis. Current medications for TB must be taken for six months, but many patients stop before they’ve completed the full course, which has caused drug-resistant strains of TB to develop in recent years. However, two new studies are showing promise in treating this highly infectious disease.
According to Science Daily, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University found that a combination of two FDA-approved antibiotics showed potential for treating drug-resistant TB. One of the drugs, clavulanate, inhibits a bacterial enzyme that normally protects TB bacteria from the other antibiotic (meropenem). Clinical trials of the combined treatment are scheduled to take place later this year in South Africa and South Korea.