UNC scientist proves potential of new nanoparticle design for cancer therapy

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A new type of nanoparticle developed in the laboratories at the University of North Carolina has shown potential for more effective delivery of chemotherapy to treat cancer. Wenbin Lin, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacy, and colleagues report their finding in the Sept. 14, 2011 issue of Angewandte Chemie, the German-based flagship chemistry journal.

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Oral drug for MS significantly reduces disease activity and slows disability

HONOLULU – The drug laquinimod reduced the number of relapses for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), in a large, long-term Phase III clinical study that will be presented as late-breaking research at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, April 9-16, 2011, in Honolulu. The study involved 1,106 people with relapsing-remitting MS in 24 countries. The participants received either a once-daily oral dose of 0.6 milligrams of laquinimod or a matching placebo for two years. Eighty percent of those taking laquinimod and 77 percent of those taking the placebo finished the two-year study. Patients treated with laquinimod experienced a statistically significant reduction of 23 percent in annual relapse rate, compared to patients treated with a placebo. Additionally, there was a reduction of 36 percent in disability progression, as well as a 33 percent reduction in brain atrophy for those people treated with laquinimod. “These exciting results confirm that laquinimod has a significant impact on progression of disability and disease activity, while maintaining a high safety profile,” said lead author Giancarlo Comi, MD, director of the Department of Neurology and Institute of Experimental Neurology at the Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan, Italy. “This may be attributed to the novel mechanism of action of laquinimod, which effectively and safely addressed both the acute inflammatory activity and the accumulation of irreversible tissue damage. This suggests a substantial future role for laquinimod in the treatment of MS.” Laquinimod was safe and well tolerated. Overall frequencies of adverse events were low and comparable to those observed in the placebo group. “The incidence of liver enzyme elevation was higher in laquinimod treated patients,” said Comi. “However, these elevations were temporary, reversible and did not lead to any signs of liver problems.” Read more

Stem cells may show promise for people with rapidly progressing MS

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A long term study reports about the effectiveness of replacing bone marrow, purposely destroyed by chemotherapy, with autologous (self) stem cell rescue for people with aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is published in the March 22, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Vascular brain disorder misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis

How CADASIL resembles MS

MAYWOOD, Ill. — A devastating vascular disorder of the brain called CADASIL, which strikes young adults and leads to early dementia, often is misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, Loyola University Health System researchers report.

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How sunlight may reduce the severity of multiple sclerosis

New research into the neurodegenerative disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) offers new insight into the link between sunlight, vitamin D3, and MS risk and severity. The research, published in the European Journal of Immunology, studies the relationship between the sunlight-dependent vitamin D3 hormone, immune cells, and the risk and severity of autoimmunity in an experimental model.

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Researchers use nanoparticles to shrink tumors in mice

Findings hold important implications for cancer therapy

The application of nanotechnology in the field of drug delivery has attracted much attention in recent years. In cancer research, nanotechnology holds great promise for the development of targeted, localized delivery of anticancer drugs, in which only cancer cells are affected.

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Virus infection may trigger unusual immune cells to attack nerves in multiple sclerosis

White blood cells with receptors for both virus and nerve proteins may assault nerves after fighting an infection

A virus infection can incite the body to attack its own nerve tissue by activating unusual, disease-fighting cells with receptors for both viral and nerve proteins. The dual-receptor observation suggests a way brain and spinal cord nerve damage might be triggered in susceptible young adults afflicted with multiple sclerosis (MS).

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Compounds that help protect nerve cells discovered by Duke team

Contact: Mary Jane Gore
mary.gore@duke.edu
919-660-1309
Duke University Medical Center
DURHAM, N.C. – Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have found some compounds that improve a cell’s ability to properly “fold” proteins and could lead to promising drugs for degenerative nerve diseases, including Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

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Novel nanotechnology heals abscesses caused by resistant staph bacteria

Contact: Deirdre Branley
sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu
718-430-3101
Albert Einstein College of Medicine Read more

Blocking protein may help ease painful nerve condition

Scientists have identified the first gene that pulls the plug on ailing nerve cell branches from within the nerve cell, possibly helping to trigger the painful condition known as neuropathy.

The condition is a side effect of some forms of chemotherapy and can also afflict patients with cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, viral infections, neurodegenerative disorders and other ailments.

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