Articles By Marcus Johnson
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McMaster University Researchers Discover Statins' Link To Diabetes
6/12/2014
Researchers at McMaster University believe that they have found one of the pathways that link statins to diabetes. The researchers were led by Jonathan Schertzer, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University and a Canadian Diabetes Association Scholar. There are currently 13 million people taking statins, which are prescribed commonly by doctors to treat cardiovascular conditions.
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Celsion Corporation Announces Acquisition Of EGEN
6/11/2014
EGEN, a biopharmaceutical company based out of Huntsville, Alabama, has announced that it is being acquired by the Celsion Corporation for $14 million. Celsion is an oncology drug development firm, while EGEN focuses primarily on the development of therapeutic nucleic acids for cancer and other rare diseases. This move is expected to help boost Celsion’s research and development efforts.
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FDA Approves Eloctate, Biogen Idec's Hemophilia A Drug
6/11/2014
The FDA announced that it has approved Biogen Idec’s Hemophilia A drug, Eloctate, for the treatment of bleeding episodes. Eloctate is a combination drug that uses a combination of different proteins, including the Coagulation Factor VIII molecule. The Coagulation Factor VIII molecule is associated with the Fc protein fragment, which allows the drug to remain in the body longer.
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Indiana University Research Institute Establishes Consortium For Medical Collaboration
6/11/2014
The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), which is based out of the Indiana University School of Medicine, announced that it has established the Strategic Pharma-Academic Research Consortium for Translational Medicine, or SPARC. This consortium was created in order to help promote and guide new collaborations and innovations throughout the biopharmaceutical industry as well as academic research centers, with a focus on autoimmune disease research.
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Duke University Researchers Gain New Knowledge On Brain Cancer Mutation
6/11/2014
Researchers at Duke University announced that they have found a new gene responsible for brain cancer, and they expect that this gene has strong potential to be used in drug research and development. Researchers at Duke University and neurosurgeons from China were studying the genetic causes of brainstem glioma, which is a rare and potentially fatal brain cancer usually found in children and young adults. These gliomas develop when glial cells in the brainstem become cancerous, which impedes the brainstem’s ability to control important functions in the body’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems, pain sensitivity, and the nerves that are associated with seeing, hearing, walking, and talking.
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University of Pennsylvania Researchers Develop "Onion" Vesicle Drug Delivery System
6/11/2014
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have announced that they have developed “onion” shaped vesicles for drug delivery. A vesicle is a membrane structure that is used to keep each cell’s DNA and proteins safe from damage and toxins. The UP researchers have developed a kind of dendrimer, which is a molecule that has “tree like” branches. The dendrimers allowed the research team to determine the diameter and thickness of their vesicles, and they were designed to self-assemble with layers of membranes similar to what one would see with an onion.
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Xcelience Opens New Packaging And Distribution Facility In UK
6/11/2014
Xcelience has announced that it will be opening a 3,000 square foot facility in Birhmingham, United Kingdom. The facility’s opening makes Xcelience the first small to mid-sized American CDMO to establish an international operation. This facility will allow the company to expand its packaging and distribution business and move into European markets. It will also allow Xcelience to expand its capabilities, including secondary packaging, labeling, and clinical trial distribution operations, as well as qualified person release and lab services.
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UCSB Researchers Target Tumors Using Silver Nanoparticles
6/10/2014
Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) have developed a new platform that increases the efficiency of drug delivery and which enables excess particles to be washed away. The platform uses a nanoparticle that is spherical in shape and composed of silver. The nanoparticle is also encased in a shell that is coated with a peptide that allows it to find and target tumor cells. The shell is also etchable, meaning that nanoparticles that don’t find tumor cells can be broken down easily and eliminated from the body.
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TaiGen Signs Deal With ScinoPharm To Use Burixafor APIs
6/10/2014
Drug manufacturer TaiGen Biotechnology has announced that it has signed an agreement to use ScinoPharm Taiwan’s active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs, to make stem cell mobilizer, Burixafor. The drug is used in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy sensitization, and other ischemic diseases. The drug is expected to help TaiGen attain 40 percent of the blood and marrow transplant drug market, earning the company a potential 500 million in addition to $600 million in sales of chemotherapy enhancers, the Taipei Times says. Burixafor sales alone are expected to reach $1.1 billion within a year.
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Stanford's New Center Of Excellence For Translation Research To Focus On Antiviral Therapies
6/10/2014
Stanford has announced that it has received a $28 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to establish the Center of Excellence for Translation Research. The center will primarily focus on developing new antiviral therapies.