At first glance, you might suspect that Gene Signal's Phase III study of its lead drug for a rare eye disease was a roaring success. But if you dig down into its release today, you'll find that the drug flunked its primary endpoint--an inconvenient truth that is dismissed as a mere triviality. ...
The discovery of a crucial mechanism that controls the activation of T cells, a blood cell whose primary job is to fight infection in the body, may enable the development of new drugs to treat autoimmune disease, transplant rejection, and similar disorders in which T cells play a major role. ...
The ability to transfer a gene or DNA sequence from one animal into the genome of another plays a critical role in a wide range of medical research—including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. But the traditional method of transferring genetic material into a new cell, called "microinjection," has a serious downside. It involves using a small glass pipette to pump a solution containing DNA...
Scientists have developed a small molecule that interferes with cancer progression with minimal side effects. The new cancer-fighting drug prevents two critical proteins from interacting by mimicking the surface topography of one protein -- like wearing a mask -- which tricks the other protein into binding with it. ...
In many species, X and Y chromosomes determine whether an individual develops into a male or female. This sex determination system has evolved multiple times and a striking feature of its evolution is that Y chromosomes have lost many genes over time. What isn't well understood is what happens to them during this evolution. Now researchers have been able to study the early stages of degeneration, by...
Because of their far-flung geography and colorful examples including the African ostrich, Australian emu, New Zealand kiwi and long lost giants such as the New Zealand moa, researchers have examined a fascinating part in the story of the avian tree of life: flightless birds, or ratites. ...
Identifying larval stages of marine fishes in the open ocean is difficult because the young fishes often bear little or no resemblance to the adults they will become. Confronted with a perplexing fish larva collected in the Florida Straits, scientists turned to DNA barcoding, which yielded an unexpected discovery -- a match between the mysterious fish larva and adults of a new species of sea bass discovered...
Preserved giant sperm from tiny shrimps that lived about 17 million years ago have been discovered in Queensland, Australia. They are the oldest fossilized sperm ever found in the geological record. The shrimps lived in a pool in an ancient cave inhabited by thousands of bats, and the presence of bat droppings in the water could help explain the almost perfect preservation of the fossil crustaceans....
The axiom, “growing like a weed,” takes on new meaning in light of changes in gene expression that occur when weeds interact with the crops they infest, according to a plant scientist. Using sophisticated genetic-mapping techniques, the research team is documenting how corn and weeds influence one another. “Weeds grow like weeds when they grow with corn,” says the lead author. “They grow bigger, and...
A 3-D map of an enzyme called Proline utilization A (PutA) has been completed by researchers. PutA facilitates metabolism by adding oxygen to molecules. The lead investigator says that mapping this enzyme will give researchers a better understanding of its function, which could help drug manufacturers create more effective drugs. ...
Two of AstraZeneca's key investigational drugs came through in mid-stage studies, providing some ballast for the drugmaker as it touts the value of its pipeline in an effort to ward off an unwelcome bid by Pfizer--or at least drive up the asking price. ...
GlaxoSmithKline's last-minute gambit to switch the primary endpoint in its remaining Phase III study of the heart drug darapladib failed to pay off. The pharma giant says that its top cardio prospect flunked the second big trial just as it had the first, leaving the pharma giant staring at a likely writeoff of a one-time megablockbuster hopeful. ...
What happens when you put a scientific discovery in the lab together with some experienced biopharma executives and a group of high-profile investors focused on new ideas in Cambridge, MA? You get Lysosomal Therapeutics, a newly hatched biotech venture which plans to follow the genetic underpinnings of Gaucher disease into the clinic with an experimental therapy that can also address Parkinson's disease....
The leaders of Pfizer and AstraZeneca are taking turns making their cases to British lawmakers, with the former trying to mollify locals afraid that its planned $106 billion buyout would maim U.K. R&D and the latter working to mount a defense in its home country. ...
A bit more than a year after Domain and its colleagues at RusNano put up a $21 million C round, New Haven, CT-based Marinus Pharmaceuticals is hoping to catch the wave of biotech IPOs. Marinus has filed an S-1 outlining plans to raise $63 million on Nasdaq, even as the latest round of new biotech offerings has seen several painful stumbles out of the gate. ...
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Infertility is generally thought of as a woman's problem. In fact, more than 3 million men across America also experience it. Today, researchers describe a key event during sperm development that is essential for male fertility. They explain how a protein controls DNA packaging to protect a man's genetic information. ...
New light has been shed on a type of molecular motor used to package the DNA of a number of viruses, including herpes and the adenoviruses. Their findings could help in the development of more effective drugs and inspire the design of new and improved synthetic biomotors. Viruses are the enigma of the biological world -- despite having their own DNA and being able to adapt to their environment and...
Lowering temperatures for two hours each day reduces the height of corn without affecting its seed yield, a study shows, a technique that could be used to grow crops in controlled-environment facilities in caves and former mines. Raising the crops in isolated and enclosed environments would help prevent genetically modified pollen and seed from escaping into the ecosystem and crossing with wild plants....
An intricate chain reaction in the body's immune system has been found by researchers who have used the knowledge to develop a new treatment against harmful viruses. Viral pandemics, such as the coronavirus that caused the deadly SARS outbreak in 2002, have caused hundreds of deaths, yet effective anti-viral drugs are rare. ...