Research & University News

New findings on stem cells and hair growth

Country
United States

Researchers from Rockefeller University in New York City have shown that stem cells that leave a special niche environment to become hair follicles send signals back to the niche in order to prevent other stem cells from activating too early.

PNAS reports on candidate malaria drug

Country
Switzerland

Data from a Phase 1 study of a new antimalarial drug candidate, a synthetic peroxide, have been reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The compound was shown to be safe at doses of up to 1,600 mg.

NEJM publishes data on new antibiotic

Country
United States

Phase 3 trial results of a new antibiotic for infections from C. difficile have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The antibiotic, fidaxomicin, showed lower recurrence rates and better cure rates compared with vancomycin.

Consortium to map Alzheimer’s genes

Country
United States

Four research groups from the US and Europe have joined together in a collaboration to discover and map the genes that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. The primary goal is to understand the role that inheritance plays in the disease.

Do cancer stem cells really exist?

Country
United Kingdom

Despite the many achievements of modern cancer therapies, one uncertainty continues to haunt the industry. This is knowing whether a patient who has apparently been treated successfully with chemotherapy or a targeted antibody therapy will nonetheless experience a relapse years after a treatment has finished

UK scientists to study cancer stem cells

Country
United Kingdom

A group of prominent UK scientists has been assembled to carry out a two-year research project to investigate the role of cancer stem cells in the development, growth and spread of tumours in breast, prostate and head and neck cancers.

GSK invests in epigenetic enzyme therapy

Country
United States

GlaxoSmithKline Plc has agreed to pay $20 million upfront to Epizyme Inc of Cambridge, Massachusetts for access to technology that targets histone methyltransferases (HMT), a class of epigenetic enzymes. The goal is to develop small molecule drugs against cancer and other diseases.