IMI launches €223.7 million programme for combatting antibiotic resistance
Today the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is launching a €223.7 million programme which will see leading academics and five major pharmaceutical companies join forces to tackle antimicrobial resistance and to speed up the delivery of much-needed new antibiotics to patients. Antibiotic resistance poses a major health threat to society and despite the recognised need for new antibiotics, the reality is that only two new classes of antibiotics have been brought to market in the last 30 years.
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Biomarker predicts response to cancer treatment
VIB researcher Diether Lambrechts, associated with KU Leuven, has discovered a biomarker that might potentially predict which patients will benefit more from treatment with bevacizumab (Avastin). If validated, this discovery could be an important step towards personalized medicine and patient-tailored use of this important cancer drug.
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Heparin-like compounds inhibit breast cancer metastasis to bone
Researchers from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have in collaboration with the University of Turku, Indiana University and two Finnish companies, Biotie Therapies Corp. and Pharmatest Services Ltd, discovered a novel mechanism regulating the development of breast cancer bone metastases and showed that heparin-like compounds can potentially be used to inhibit breast cancer metastasis to bone. These findings were published on the Molecular Cancer Research journal website on 20th April 2012.
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Finnish researchers discover genes inhibiting the spread of prostate cancer
The research team of Professor Johanna Ivaska (University of Turku and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) screened dozens of prostate cancers using gene silencing and discovered mechanisms of that inhibit the spread of cancer cells. Published in the Journal of Cell Science, the study shows that cancer cell adhesive activity, which is easy to measure in a laboratory setting, is directly linked to the ability of the cancer cells to metastasise. As a result, screening for regulators of cancer cell activity can lead to the discovery of new candidates for pharmaceutical development.
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A new target for developing anti-angiogenic and anti-tumoral therapies
Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Jorge L. Martínez-Torrecuadrada from the Proteomics Unit, have demonstrated that the antibody-based blocking of ephrinB2, a protein involved in angiogenesis and lymphoangiogenesis, may represent an effective strategy for the development of antiangiogenic and antitumoural therapies.
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Scientists discover new inflammatory target
Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have found a new therapeutic target to combat inflammation. The research, published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, revealed tiny organelles called primary cilia are important for regulating inflammation. The findings could lead to potential therapies for millions of people who suffer from arthritis.
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Better Prognosis for Breast Cancer in Germany
How successful is the interdisciplinary treatment of breast cancer? Since 2003, the Breast Center at Heidelberg University Hospital has systematically tracked the course of breast cancer in more than 3,000 patients and, as the first center in Germany, has published these significant prospective results: Eighty-six percent of the patients survived the first five years after onset of treatment, with 80 % of them remaining disease-free during this period. The evaluation was published online in February 2012 in the journal The Breast.
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