One of the deadliest forms of paediatric brain tumour, Group 3 medulloblastoma, is linked to a variety of large-scale DNA rearrangements which all have the same overall effect on specific genes located on different chromosomes. The finding, by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), both in Heidelberg, Germany, and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in San Diego, USA, is published online in Nature.
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Burden of asthma revealed in newly published Mundipharma research
Data from the Mundipharma sponsored REALISE™ survey, published today in the Nature Partner Journal entitled npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, highlight a high incidence of recent exacerbations, even among patients whose asthma is currently controlled according to clinical guidelines.(1) Worryingly, many patients continue to cope with their symptoms rather than consider these as indicators of a continuing problem that should be addressed.(1) With approximately 1 in 25 people across Europe affected by asthma(3,4) and around 15,000 people dying due to the condition each year,(5) respiratory experts highlight the published findings as a reality check and encourage healthcare professionals to renew their focus on standardised assessment of asthma symptoms and lifestyle limitations.
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mAbxience acquires 100% of biopharmaceutical Genhelix
mAbxience, a global company specialised in biosimilar medicines that belongs to Spanish-based Chemo Group, has purchased 100% of the Genhelix biopharmaceutical plant, located in Spain. The operation is one of the biggest investments ever made by a Spanish company in a biotechnology project. mAbxience, a pioneer in biosimilar monoclonal antibodies, has an ambitious investment plan in the new plant to increase its capacity up to 16,000 litres in the coming years.
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'Tomato pill' improves function of blood vessels in patients with cardiovascular disease
A daily supplement of an extract found in tomatoes may improve the function of blood vessels in patients with cardiovascular disease, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The incidence of cardiovascular disease varies worldwide, but is notably reduced in southern Europe, where a 'Mediterranean diet' consisting of a larger consumption of fruit, vegetables and olive oil predominates. Recent dietary studies suggest that this diet reduces the incidence of events related to the disease, including heart attack and stroke, in patients at high cardiovascular risk, or those who have previously had the disease.
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Molecular 'scaffold' could hold key to new dementia treatments
Researchers at King's College London have discovered how a molecular 'scaffold' which allows key parts of cells to interact, comes apart in dementia and motor neuron disease, revealing a potential new target for drug discovery. The study, published today in Nature Communications, was funded by the UK Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Alzheimer's Research UK and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Researchers looked at two components of cells: mitochondria, the cell 'power houses' which produce energy for the cell; and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) which makes proteins and stores calcium for signalling processes in the cell.
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Pharmacists develop three new drug candidates against inflammation
It is something like the police force of our body: the immune system. It disables intruding pathogens, it dismantles injured tissue and boosts wound healing. In this form of 'self-defense' inflammatory reactions play a decisive role. But sometimes the body's defense mechanism gets out of control and cells or tissues are affected: "Then excessive reactions can occur and illnesses along with them," Prof. Dr. Oliver Werz of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena says. He gives asthma, rheumatism, arteriosclerosis and cancer as examples: "For many of these diseases there are only few effective therapies without severe side effects."
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Antibiotic crisis needs united global response, experts say
Growing resistance to antibiotics and other drugs demands a coordinated global response on the same scale as efforts to address climate change, experts say. Without an international commitment to tackle the issue, the world faces a future in which simple infections that have been treatable for decades become deadly diseases, they warn. Resistance to antibiotics to tackle bacterial infections and antimicrobial drugs used to treat parasites, viruses and fungi is spreading at an alarming rate. Treatment for many infectious diseases is now reliant on just one or two drugs.
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