World Diabetes Day 2011 marks the release of the International Diabetes Federation's 5th edition of the Diabetes Atlas. New figures indicate that the number of people living with diabetes is expected to rise from 366 million in 2011 to 552 million by 2030, if no urgent action is taken. This equates to approximately three new cases every ten seconds or almost ten million per year. IDF also estimates that as many as 183 million people are unaware that they have diabetes.
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How to design drugs that could target particular nerve cells?
The future of drug design lies in developing therapies that can target specific cellular processes without causing adverse reactions in other areas of the nervous system. Scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Liège in Belgium have discovered how to design drugs to target specific areas of the brain. The research, led by Professor Neil Marrion at Bristol's School of Physiology and Pharmacology and published in this week's Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS), will enable the design of more effective drug compounds to enhance nerve activity in specific nerves.
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Using Viagra to combat malignant melanoma
At first it sounds like good news: The body's own immune system gets active in almost every cancer - however, not necessarily for the benefit of the patient. "We distinguish between two different types of immune response," says Professor Dr. Viktor Umansky, immunologist at DKFZ and University Medical Center Mannheim. "On the one hand, cells of the immune system specifically attack tumor cells. On the other, however, almost every tumor causes in its microenvironment a chronic inflammatory immune response which suppresses the specific antitumor immunity."
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Researchers discover genes involved in colorectal cancer
A jumping gene with the fairy tale name "Sleeping Beauty" has helped to unlock vital clues for researchers investigating the genetics of colorectal cancer. A study used the Sleeping Beauty transposon system to profile the repertoire of genes that can drive colorectal cancer, identifying many more than previously thought. Around one third of these genes are mutated in human cancer, which provides strong evidence that they are driver mutations in human tumours.
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Siemens Encourages Involvement - Raise Awareness for Breast Cancer
After a highly successful campaign in October 2010, Siemens is continuing its commitment to promoting the early detection of breast cancer. Siemens has launched a new campaign with the motto "Turn your city pink! Raise awareness for breast cancer". The company is encouraging people around the world to spread the campaign motto in their personal environments in the most creative and public ways possible. The color pink is a global symbol of solidarity with breast cancer patients. Participants should document their efforts - in which pink should be a prominently featured color - in photos or a video and upload them to the campaign website.
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Boost for Personalised Oral Drug Delivery as IntelliCap gains CE Mark
IntelliCap, the unique personalised oral drug delivery and monitoring system pioneered by biotech innovator Medimetrics, has gained CE approval for its use in a clinical setting. This follows the successful completion of rigorous clinical testing and validation to confirm its effectiveness and safety. The IntelliCap capsule is given orally. It passes through the digestive tract as a result of natural gut movement (peristalsis, for example). It is unique in the way it controls the release of a drug, giving precisely the right dosage, at the right place and time within the gastro-intestinal tract.
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Bio-Images and Medimetrics Partner to Deliver the Next Generation of Smart Pill Technology
Bio-Images Research and Medimetrics Personalized Drug Delivery have today announced a partnership to introduce the IntelliCap to the global pharmaceutical industry as a clinical research tool. Medimetrics' IntelliCap is the first device that allows patient specific drug delivery by combining electronically controlled drug delivery with patient monitoring and real-time communication/interaction with the patient.
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