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16-Aug-2020 8:55 AM EDT
Live Press Conference: Negative side effects of opioids could be coming from users’ own immune systems (video)
American Chemical Society (ACS)

A press conference on this topic will be held Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 9 a.m. Eastern time online at www.acs.org/fall2020pressconferences.

11-Aug-2020 8:00 AM EDT
Targeting iron uptake to create a new class of antibiotics against UTIs
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Researchers report early progress toward developing a new class of antibiotics against urinary tract infections that would starve the causative bacteria of iron. They present their results today at the American Chemical Society Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo.

   
11-Aug-2020 8:00 AM EDT
Negative side effects of opioids could be coming from users’ own immune systems (video)
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Opioid users can develop chronic inflammation and heightened pain sensitivity. These side effects might stem from the body’s own immune system, which can make antibodies against the drugs. The researchers will present their results at the American Chemical Society Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo.

14-Aug-2020 1:35 PM EDT
Patients taking long-term opioids produce antibodies against the drugs
University of Wisconsin–Madison

University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies. These antibodies may contribute to some of the negative side effects of long-term opioid use.

14-Aug-2020 12:35 PM EDT
PARP inhibitor becomes new treatment option for some men with advanced prostate cancer
University of Chicago Medical Center

Results from an international clinical trial found that men with advanced prostate cancer who have mutated BRCA1/BRCA2 genes can be treated successfully with a targeted therapy known as rucaparib.

Released: 14-Aug-2020 10:30 AM EDT
The Gut Microbiome, CRISPR/Cas-9, and More Featured in August 2020 Toxicological Sciences
Society of Toxicology

The August 2020 issue of Toxicological Sciences includes exciting advances in toxicology research. The edition features pieces on biotransformation, toxicokinetics, and pharmacokinetics; developmental and reproductive toxicology; and more.

10-Aug-2020 3:25 PM EDT
MS Drug May be Used to Inhibit HIV Infection and Reduce Latent Reservoir
George Washington University

A multiple sclerosis drug may be used to block HIV infection and reduce the latent reservoir, according to research published in PLOS Pathogens by a team at the RGeorge Washington University.

13-Aug-2020 11:00 AM EDT
Massive, rapid vaccine production will require firms to share information
University of Michigan

As the world rushes to identify safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics to counter the COVID-19 epidemic, attention is turning to the next step: manufacturing these products at enormous scale.

Released: 13-Aug-2020 1:10 PM EDT
RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. licenses drug development compounds from UWM Research Foundation
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The newly licensed compounds, developed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, act on a particular neurotransmitter receptor in the brain, which has shown promise for treatment of epilepsy and other convulsant disorders.

   
Released: 13-Aug-2020 12:50 PM EDT
Busting Up the Infection Cycle of Hepatitis B
University of Delaware

Researchers at the University of Delaware have gained new understanding of the virus that causes hepatitis B and the “spiky ball” that encloses the virus’s genetic blueprint. They examined how the capsid—a protein shell that protects the blueprint and also drives the delivery of it to infect a host cell—assembles itself. Scientists believe that the capsid is an important target in developing drugs to treat hepatitis B, a life-threatening and incurable infection that afflicts more than 250 million people worldwide.

Released: 13-Aug-2020 12:10 PM EDT
Flipping a metabolic switch to slow tumor growth
University of California San Diego

The enzyme serine palmitoyl-transferase can be used as a metabolically responsive “switch” that decreases tumor growth, according to a new study by a team of San Diego scientists, who published their findings Aug. 12 in the journal Nature. By restricting the dietary amino acids serine and glycine, or pharmacologically targeting the serine synthesis enzyme phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase, the team induced tumor cells to produce a toxic lipid that slows cancer progression in mice.

Released: 13-Aug-2020 8:35 AM EDT
Scientists identify hundreds of drug candidates to treat COVID-19
University of California, Riverside

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have used machine learning to identify hundreds of new potential drugs that could help treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2.

Released: 12-Aug-2020 5:00 PM EDT
Combination therapy significantly improves survival outcomes for patients with acute myeloid leukemia
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

A combination regimen of venetoclax and azacitidine was safe and improved overall survival (OS) over azacitidine alone in certain patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to the Phase III VIALE-A trial led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Released: 12-Aug-2020 3:40 PM EDT
Prostate Cancer Treatment Might Help Some Glioblastoma Patients
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Anti-androgen therapy showed positive results in cell lines and animal models against glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Released: 12-Aug-2020 10:30 AM EDT
Pharmacist-Led Clinic Improves Diabetes Outcomes, Lowers Costs
UC San Diego Health

Pharmacist Candis Morello, PharmD, of Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego, discusses her Diabetes Intensive Medical Management (DIMM) “tune up” clinic for complex type 2 diabetes patients – and why this team-based approach is better for patients and more cost effective for health systems and payers.

Released: 12-Aug-2020 10:00 AM EDT
Breakthrough led by NUS researchers provides new potential therapies for osteoporosis
National University of Singapore (NUS)

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have identified a new avenue to maintain bone health, which opens up new and potentially more effective osteoporosis treatments.

Released: 11-Aug-2020 11:55 AM EDT
Story Tips From Johns Hopkins Experts on COVID-19
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Recently, several physicians hosted a press conference in which one physician claimed that the combination of hydroxychloroquine, the antibiotic azithromycin and the mineral zinc could cure COVID-19. The video footage of that press conference went viral on social media, and soon many social media platforms removed the videos for providing inaccurate, non-scientifically backed claims. But questions from the public may still remain.

Released: 11-Aug-2020 10:05 AM EDT
Understanding ‘Chemo Brain’ in Children: Researchers Secure $4.6 Million NIH Grant to Identify Those at Risk
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Chemotherapy usually cures children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but the treatment may hamper brain development and impact key cognitive functions including sensory processing, memory, and attention. Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey have received a five-year, $4.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to determine how chemotherapy exerts its damaging effects on the brain. Their long-term objective is to use this information to develop protective interventions that can prevent permanent harm.

Released: 11-Aug-2020 8:00 AM EDT
Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation to Collaborate with Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS to Host the 2020 IDea Incubator Pitch Competition
Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation

For a third consecutive year, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Foundation will showcase the IDea Incubator Pitch Competition, aimed to support entrepreneurs and researchers working in the area of infectious diseases during IDWeek 2020, October 21-25.

Released: 10-Aug-2020 12:05 PM EDT
Newer ALK+ targeted therapy prolongs life for lung cancer patients
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer treated with ensartinib fared better and lived longer than those who received crizotinib, according to results of a phase 3 study. The randomized study compared the targeted therapies as first-line treatments. Ensartinib is a newer targeted therapy that was initially tested and validated at a Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center research laboratory, while crizotinib received approval in 2011 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Released: 10-Aug-2020 10:30 AM EDT
Researchers describe nanoparticles behavior in vivo
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT)

Nanoparticles are actively employed in medicine as contrast agents as well as for diagnosis and therapy of various diseases. However, the development of novel multifunctional nanoagents is impeded by the difficulty of monitoring their blood circulation. Researches from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of RAS, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Prokhorov General Physics Institute of RAS, and Sirius University have developed a new noninvasive method of nanoparticle measurement in the bloodstream that boasts a high time resolution. This technique has revealed the basic parameters that affect particle lifetime in the bloodstream, which may potentially lead to discovery of new, more effective nanoagents to be used in biomedicine.

   
Released: 10-Aug-2020 8:55 AM EDT
Higher hopes for seizure freedom in epilepsy: Setting the record straight
International League Against Epilepsy

It's been said that after two failed anti-seizure medications, chances for seizure freedom drop to less than 5%. This error arose nearly two decades ago and needs to be corrected, says a letter in the journal Epilepsia - chances are actually much higher.

Released: 7-Aug-2020 8:05 PM EDT
Penn Medicine-Led Research Suggests Greater Access to Specific HIV and Tuberculosis Medications is Needed Worldwide
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

A specific combination of HIV and TB treatments, difficult to obtain in certain parts of the world, decreased mortality risk for patients with HIV and multidrug-resistant TB

4-Aug-2020 7:10 PM EDT
Test accurately IDs people whose gonorrhea can be cured with simple oral antibiotic
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A test designed by UCLA researchers can pinpoint which people with gonorrhea will respond successfully to the inexpensive oral antibiotic ciprofloxacin, which had previously been sidelined over concerns the bacterium that causes the infection was becoming resistant to it.

Released: 6-Aug-2020 2:50 PM EDT
Placebos prove powerful...even when people know they're taking one
Michigan State University

A team of researchers from Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Dartmouth College is the first to demonstrate that placebos reduce brain markers of emotional distress even when people know they are taking one.

Released: 6-Aug-2020 12:45 PM EDT
Chemotherapy is used to treat less than 25% of people with localized sarcoma
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA researchers have found that chemotherapy is not commonly used when treating adults with localized sarcoma, a rare type of cancer of the soft tissues or bone. In a nationwide analysis of nearly 20,000 patients whose cancer had not yet spread to other organs, the scientists learned that only 22% were treated with some form of chemotherapy.

6-Aug-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Penn’s ‘Enhanced Recovery’ Program Significantly Reduces Post-Op Opioid Use
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Penn Medicine researchers found that when an “Enhanced Recovery After Surgery” protocol was employed—which optimizes patients’ surgical care before, during, and after surgery—the majority of patients did not need opioids for pain management at one, three, and six months after elective spinal and peripheral nerve surgery.

31-Jul-2020 4:50 PM EDT
Vitamin D Twice a Day May Keep Vertigo Away
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Taking vitamin D and calcium twice a day may reduce your chances of getting vertigo again, according to a study published in the August 5, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 5-Aug-2020 1:10 PM EDT
HDAC6 Can Control Tumor Growth and Halt Metastasis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
George Washington University

Genetic modifier HDAC6 was found to control tumor growth and halt metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer in vivo, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer Research by investigators at the GW Cancer Center.

Released: 5-Aug-2020 12:50 PM EDT
UCI scientists get ‘initial hit’ in developing drug to treat COVID-19
University of California, Irvine

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 5, 2020 – When the coronavirus pandemic hit, almost everyone at the University of California, Irvine – and colleges across the nation – had to abandon campus. But James Nowick, professor of chemistry, was not a part of that exodus. That’s because his lab, which designs and constructs chemical molecules, had the right equipment to help in the global push to find treatments for COVID-19.

Released: 5-Aug-2020 12:35 PM EDT
Imitation May Be a Sincere Form of Treatment
UC San Diego Health

The National Institutes of Health will soon launch a phase II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential new therapeutics for COVID-19, including the use of investigational synthetic monoclonal antibodies. Davey Smith of UC San Diego is the protocol chair and answers questions.

4-Aug-2020 2:50 PM EDT
Scientists discover novel drug target for pancreatic cancer
Sanford Burnham Prebys

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have uncovered a novel drug target, a protein called PPP1R1B, that stops the deadly spread of pancreatic cancer, called metastasis, when inhibited in mice. Published in Gastroenterology, the findings are a first step toward a potential treatment for one of the deadliest cancers known today.

Released: 4-Aug-2020 5:35 PM EDT
New study shows how infrared lasers destroy harmful protein aggregates in Alzheimer's
Tokyo University of Science

A notable characteristic of several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, is the formation of harmful plaques that contain aggregates--also known as fibrils--of amyloid proteins.

   
28-Jul-2020 9:50 AM EDT
Coronavirus Drug for Cats Has Potential Use for COVID-19 Virus in Humans
American Crystallographic Association (ACA)

Researchers at the University of Alberta say a protease in SARS-CoV-2 can be targeted with a drug that is also used to treat feline infectious peritonitis, a fatal infection in cats caused by a coronavirus. The drugs, dipeptide-based protein inhibitors, could be used to slow or stop replication of the COVID-19 virus in humans. During the 70th annual meeting of the American Crystallographic Association, Joanne Lemieux will outline how the drugs are strong candidates for the treatment of human coronavirus infections.

Released: 4-Aug-2020 1:05 PM EDT
Scientists Develop New Models to Accelerate Progress in Preventing Drug Resistance in Lung and Pancreas Cancers
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Scientists at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah report today the development of new models to study molecular characteristics of tumors of the lung and pancreas that are driven by mutations in a gene named NTRK1. The findings were published today in the journal Cell Reports.

Released: 4-Aug-2020 12:55 PM EDT
Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Within a month following a heart attack, people are at increased risk for a second one. As a result, physicians treat these patients with medications to rapidly reduce cardiovascular risk factors for another event. Although statins are designed to reduce the risk from one underlying problem, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, they often aren’t able drop it to recommended levels within 30 days. Now, testing a next-generation cholesterol-lowering drug known as a PCSK9 inhibitor, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers showed they could lower blood cholesterol to safer levels faster when it is added to traditional therapies.

Released: 4-Aug-2020 12:35 PM EDT
UCI to launch innovative School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of California, Irvine

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 4, 2020 — As part of a prescription to reshape 21st-century healthcare, the University of California, Irvine is announcing the establishment of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the first public pharmacy school in the Los Angeles-Orange County region and a pillar of UCI’s expanding Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences.

Released: 4-Aug-2020 8:55 AM EDT
Mount Sinai Researchers Discover Treatment Option for Rare Genetic Disorder
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine used a novel genetic sequencing technology to identify the genetic cause of—and a treatment for—a previously unknown severe auto inflammatory syndrome affecting an 18-year-old girl since infancy.

Released: 3-Aug-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Neutrolis Announces Development Of First-In-Class Treatment Targeting Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) For Patients With Severe COVID-19
Neutrolis

Novel Chromatinase™ platform could rapidly and systemically removes NETs associated with exacerbation of COVID-19

   
Released: 3-Aug-2020 8:10 AM EDT
PhRMA Foundation Highlights Updated Mission, New Funding Categories and Awardee Achievements in 2019 Annual Report
PhRMA Foundation

The PhRMA Foundation has released its 2019 annual report, highlighting a year of activity that included updating its mission and priorities, the launch of new funding programs and an expansion of its efforts to improve the effectiveness of value assessment in health care.

31-Jul-2020 2:05 PM EDT
Cannabinoids may affect activity of other pharmaceuticals
Penn State College of Medicine

Cannabinoid-containing products may alter the effects of some prescription drugs, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

Released: 1-Aug-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Personalized Medicine and DNA Analysis Provides Prescription Report with Recommendations to Change Treatments in 64% of Cases
Coriell Life Sciences

Coriell Life Sciences case study: A DNA analysis and precision medicine algorithm generates a detailed personalized medicine report for participants of the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Kentucky.

Released: 31-Jul-2020 4:40 PM EDT
No racial disparities seen in response to remdesivir treatment of COVID-19
University of Chicago Medical Center

A new analysis by University of Chicago Medicine faculty, staff and collaborators around the world found remdesivir appears to be equally beneficial to patients regardless of race, supporting the need for early intervention and aggressive care for all patients in the fight against COVID-19.

Released: 30-Jul-2020 4:55 PM EDT
Precision Medicine Identifies Key Recurring Mutation in Head and Neck Cancers
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center report that an investigational drug candidate called tipifarnib showed promise in treating key recurring mutation in head and neck cancers.

Released: 30-Jul-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Study Suggests New Approach to Improve Radiation Therapy Resistance in Glioblastoma
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Laboratory research paves the way for a clinical trial to see if an FDA-approved drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection can work against glioblastoma, a type of aggressive brain tumor.

28-Jul-2020 4:20 PM EDT
Botox Injections May Lessen Depression
UC San Diego Health

By analyzing the FDA database of adverse drug effects, UC San Diego researchers discovered that people who received Botox injections — not just in the forehead — reported depression significantly less often than patients undergoing different treatments for the same conditions.



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