Early trial of new multi-kinase inhibitor shows impressive activity in thyroid cancer

Preliminary trials of a new multi-kinase inhibitor have indicated it has impressive tumour shrinkage activity in patients with a difficult to treat type of thyroid cancer. The results have put the drug’s development on a fast track, prompting the accelerated initiation of a large phase III trial.

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New MRI technique may identify cervical cancer early

Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a special vaginal coil, a technique to measure the movement of water within tissue, researchers may be able to identify cervical cancer in its early stages, according to a new study being published in the November issue of Radiology.

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European researchers harness unique properties of boron to develop new drugs and diagnostics

Researchers are on the verge of unleashing the power of the element boron in a new generation of drugs and therapies, as decades of research begins to bear fruit. Boron has to date far been one of biology’s best kept secrets, but is now attracting fast growing research interest and investment from the pharmaceutical industry in the quest for novel drugs to tackle cancer and infectious diseases, potentially overcoming limitations and side effects of current products.

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Scientists identify role of fatty acids in Alzheimer’s disease

Large-scale analysis of brain lipids identifies potential therapeutic strategy
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and the University of California have found that complete or partial removal of an enzyme that regulates fatty acid levels improves cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Their findings, which will be published in today’s issue of Nature Neuroscience, identified specific fatty acids that may contribute to the disease as well as a novel therapeutic strategy.

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Prosthetic Vein Valve Designed To Direct Blood Flow Shows Promising Pre-clinical Results

Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a prosthetic vein valve to help improve the lives of those suffering from a condition known as chronic venous insufficiency. The condition, which affects more than seven million people in the United States alone, occurs when valves in a person’s veins can no longer ensure a one-way flow of blood back to the heart.

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Researchers suppress ‘hunger hormone’

New minimally invasive method tested in pigs yields result as good as bariatric surgery

Johns Hopkins scientists report success in significantly suppressing levels of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin in pigs using a minimally invasive means of chemically vaporizing the main vessel carrying blood to the top section, or fundus, of the stomach. An estimated 90 percent of the body’s ghrelin originates in the fundus, which can’t make the hormone without a good blood supply.

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New research shows physical therapy as effective as arthoscopic knee surgery

New England Journal of Medicine Study Questions Value of Knee Surgery

A new study questioning the usefulness of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee should encourage patients to consider physical therapy as an effective non-surgical option, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The study was published in the September 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

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Gene therapy prevents blindness in an animal model of mitochondrial dysfunction

Scientists have created an animal model suitable for testing and validating gene therapies for treatment of a common mitochondrial dysfunction that causes loss of vision. The research, published by Cell Press in the September issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, describes an innovation that represents a significant advance toward development of the first treatment for one of the many devastating disorders caused by mitochondrial disruption.

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