by Center for Genomic Regulation Researchers have developed a new method to distinguish between cancerous and healthy stem cells and progenitor cells from samples of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a disease driven by malignant blood stem cells that have historically been difficult to identify. The findings, published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell, pave the way for the development of new techniques to predict whether patients will respond to chemotherapy. AML is a type of cancer characterized by the rapid growth and accumulation of abnormal white blood cells. It is thought to develop when blood progenitor cells, which normally turn into all other types of blood cells, fail to mature properly and become abnormal. In this process, blood stem cells carry a special importance because they give rise to progenitor cells and are thought to be the cell type in which leukemic mutations occur. Leukemic stem cells are thought ...
Known as DERMAdoctor Comfort + Joy Psoriasis Therapeutic Moisturizing Cream with 3% salicylic acid, the product will be introduced on the QVC network. The new cream will be used to treat and provide relief for psoriasis symptoms, including redness, irritation, itching, flaking, and scaling, and also helps to restore moisture in skin. It has been developed to relieve and prevent the recurrence of psoriasis symptoms. The new Psoriasis Therapeutic Moisturizing Cream with 3% Salicylic Acid delivers a mix of ceramides, hyaluronic acid, essential fatty acids, aloe vera, shea butter, and botanicals to calm and moisturise dry, uncomfortable skin. The company noted that the steroid-free and fragrance-free formulation of the cream is even suitable for the most sensitive skin from head to toe. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals chief product officer Dr Audrey Kunin said: “Psoriasis afflicts about 125 million people worldwide and nearly eight million in the ...
Can we really call ourselves patient-centric if we don’t embrace personalization? In a world where consumers can order a customized latte, stream a personalized playlist, and get tailored fashion recommendations with a few clicks, it’s no wonder that patients are increasingly demanding that same level of personalization from the pharmaceutical companies that provide them with life-changing medications. In comparison to other industries, such as retail and banking, pharma is still considered to be somewhat behind in delivering on this patient expectation. This has been largely due to a lack of data integration across the ecosystem, disparate access to digital technologies, and regulatory constraints. However, the industry is well poised to overcome these challenges because of two major forces. The first is the democratization of information, providing access to data to power personalization; 63% of patients would be willing to share their data with pharma companies for greater personalization.1 The ...
Bluebird bio said Monday it has submitted its lovo-cel gene therapy for sickle cell disease for Food and Drug Administration approval, ending a brief delay as it awaited feedback from the agency on manufacturing. The Massachusetts-based drugmaker missed its goal to submit an application by the end of March, allowing Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics to jump ahead with an approval application for a competing therapy. The agency now has until late June to decide whether to accept Bluebird’s application. The company is seeking a “priority,” or expedited, review, which if granted would shorten the review from 10 months to six. Bluebird is planning for an expedited review and, should an approval be granted, an early 2024 commercial launch. Lovo-cel is viewed by analysts as Bluebird’s best chance for business success because many more people in the U.S. have sickle cell disease than the rarer conditions ...
Young children with common ear, nose, and throat (ENT) issues may be at subsequent risk of autism or high levels of demonstrable autism traits, suggests research published online in BMJ Open. Early identification and treatment of ENT conditions may improve these children’s quality of life and potentially help shed light on some of the origins of autism, say the researchers. The causes of autism are likely to involve an interplay of genetic, environmental, and biological factors, and the origins of each autistic trait may also differ, note the researchers. Previous research suggests that ENT conditions, such as ear infections, “glue ear,” and sleep-disordered breathing may have a role in the development of autism. But most of this evidence is based on health records, which may have biased these findings, because parents of children with suspected autism may be more likely than other parents to seek medical help for their offspring, ...
By Miriam E. Tucker Seasonal variation in one of the hormones used to monitor thyroid function could in turn lead to false diagnoses of subclinical hypothyroidism and unnecessary prescriptions of levothyroxine, says Yale clinical chemist Joe M. El-Khoury, PhD. He says a Japanese study in more than 7000 healthy individuals showed that thyrotropin-stimulating hormone (TSH) varies widely throughout the seasons, peaking in the northern hemisphere’s winter months (January to February) with its low in the summer months (June to August); that paper was published last year in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. But free thyroxine (FT4) levels in the Japanese population remained relatively stable, he writes in a letter recently published in Clinical Chemistry. “If you end up with a mildly elevated TSH result and a normal FT4, try getting retested 2-3 months later to make sure this is not a seasonal artifact or transient increase before prescribing/taking levothyroxine unnecessarily,” advises El-Khoury, who is director of Yale University’s Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, ...
by Justin Jackson , Medical Xpress A study led by the research center of Genentech in South San Francisco, published in Cell Genomics, has looked for drug targets that could address age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition at the center of vision problems for 200 million people worldwide. AMD can result in blindness. In the paper “A systems biology approach uncovers novel disease mechanisms in age-related macular degeneration,” the researchers describe the steps they took to identify genes targetable by treatment with a molecular atlas of AMD pathology development stages. The study resulted in the identification of 23 significant genome-wide loci that are differentially methylated in AMD. Over 1,000 differentially expressed genes were found across disease stages and distinct Müller cell states in AMD-affected eyes. The research highlights causal gene upregulations and underlying genetic risks for AMD. Researchers generated bulk-tissue and single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics data from 85 unique human ...
By Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW Walnuts have been associated with better cognitive development and psychological maturation in teens, new research shows. Adolescents who consumed walnuts for at least 100 days showed improved sustained attention and fluid intelligence as well as a reduction in symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with matched controls who did not consume the nuts. However, there were no statistically significant changes between the groups in other parameters, such as working memory and executive function. Clinicians should advise adolescents “to eat a handful of walnuts three times a week for the rest of their lives. They may have a healthier brain with better cognitive function,” senior investigator Jordi Julvez, PhD, group leader at the Institute of Health Research Pere Virgili and associated researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, told Medscape Medical News. The study was published online April 6 in Lancet Discovery Science (eClinicalMedicine). Rich Source of Omega-3s Adolescence ...
The maker of the first opioid treatment drug to be sold OTC has announced a pricing plan weeks after an FDA approval for Narcan. Emergent Biosolutions, maker of the opioid overdose reversing nasal spray Narcan, intends to price the treatment at less than $50 for a kit of two 4mg doses for over-the-counter use (OTC) the company said in a statement. The company has said its goal is to have an out-of-pocket retail price that is in line with its publick interest pricing strategy. Public interest groups including government agencies, harm reduction groups, and emergency responders pay less than $50 out of pocket for one carton of the spray, according to Emergent. Additionally, its pricing for both public interest groups and retailers going forward would be less than the current Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) price of $125. While justifying the price, the Emergent statement said the company needs to “foster a sustainable ...
Digital technology company BullFrog AI and Sage Group have entered into a strategic partnership to develop oncology assets. This partnership will focus on exploring joint venture (JV) opportunities for advancing a Phase II ready asset and the preclinical prodrug asset of BullFrog AI. The Phase II ready asset targets glioblastoma, which is an aggressive form of brain cancer. Through the collaboration, BullFrog AI will gain access to Sage Group’s capital resources, clinical and regulatory expertise, as well as contacts network, including innovators and large pharma. BullFrog AI founder and CEO Vin Singh said: “Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with a five-year survival rate of less than seven percent. “With the Sage Group’s support, we look forward to identifying the right partner to help us advance clinical development of our oncology programs globally in an effort to bring a revolutionary new treatment option to glioblastoma patients.” Recently, ...
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