Two out of the three patients with chronic lymphoid leukaemia (CLL) who were treated with a novel immunotherapy in 2010 remain healthy and in full remission more than two years after treatment, according to University of Pennsylvania researchers.
The Roche Group is to coordinate a new project under the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) under which 1,500 induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines will be generated and characterised for use in the study of disease.
Leading institutions in the UK, including the Wellcome Trust, have announced plans to create a repository of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in order to study how genetic variation and defects impact cell behaviour and disease.
A new effort to accelerate research into treatments for cancer is being made by researchers in the US and China who will meet in Beijing from 4 to 6 November to exchange information on modern molecular medicines as well as Chinese medicine.
In a move to strengthen its rare disease franchise, Shire Plc has entered into a research deal with Fondazione Telethon, an Italian biomedical charity, to investigate a number of lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
Two pioneers in cell biology, John Gurdon of the UK and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, have been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in showing that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.
A research project supported by MRC Technology of the UK and directed at new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, has reached an important threshold with the humanisation of a next-generation antibody binding to amyloid beta.
New research published in the EMBO Journal suggests that a specific type of neuron in the brain can influence the way the body breaks down and stores nutrients, providing further insight into obesity and other metabolic diseases.
Up to 9,000 small-molecule compounds with potential as future drugs are being made available free of charge to academic researchers around the world by MRC Technology, the technology transfer arm of the UK’s Medical Research Council.
AstraZeneca Plc and the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US have announced a collaboration to identify new chemical compounds targeting bacterial and viral infections. Financial details were not disclosed.