Drug improves mobility for some MS patients

Drug improves mobility for some MS patients The experimental drug fampridine (4-aminopyridine) improves walking ability in some individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). That is the conclusion of a multi-center Phase 3 clinical trial, the results of which were published today in the journal The Lancet.

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Lab tests show two-drug combination effective against drug-resistant TB bacteria

Lab tests show two-drug combination effective against drug-resistant TB bacteria Read more

From stem cells to new organs – scientists cross threshold in regenerative medicine

From stem cells to new organs: Stanford and NYU scientists cross threshold in regenerative medicine By now, most people have read stories about how to “grow your own organs” using stem cells is just a breakthrough away. Despite the hype, this breakthrough has been elusive. A new report published in the March 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) brings bioengineered organs a step closer, as scientists from Stanford and New York University Langone Medical Center describe how they were able to use a “scaffolding” material extracted from the groin area of mice on which stem cells from blood, fat, and bone marrow grew. This advance clears two major hurdles to bioengineered replacement organs, namely a matrix on which stem cells can form a 3-dimensional organ and transplant rejection.”The ability to provide stem cells with a scaffold to grow and differentiate into mature cells could revolutionize the field of organ transplantation,” said Geoffrey Gurtner, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford University and a senior researcher involved in the work.

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Baldness Drug May Help Prevent Prostate Cancer

Millions of healthy men may benefit from talking to their doctors about taking the drug Proscar to prevent prostate cancer, according to new guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Urological Association.

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Report: Many Cancers Could be Prevented

Over 40 per cent of colon and breast cancer cases in some countries are preventable through healthy patterns of diet, physical activity and weight maintenance, according to estimates in a report that has set out recommendations for policies and actions to prevent cancer.

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Compounds may protect against cerebral palsy

Chemists at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., say two compounds they developed may be effective in protecting against cerebral palsy.

“The results were just stunning, absolutely amazing,” study leader Richard B. Silverman said in a statement. “There was a remarkable difference between animals treated with a small dose of one of our compounds and those that were not.”

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Researchers make nerve cells from new “stem” cells – ALS treatment possible

Researchers said on Tuesday they had made a type of nerve cell out of ordinary skin cells in a new approach to stem cell research.

They made motor neurons out of induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells — a type of cell made from ordinary skin cells that resembles human embryonic stem cells.

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New Cancer Treatment Stops Aggressive Sarcomas?

After all standard treatments had failed, a new cancer treatment has stopped the growth of aggressive sarcomas in two recent patients. These results are similar to the new protocol’s previous success against several cancers, including melanoma, pancreatic, colon, mesothelioma and other sarcomas.

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Anti-cancer gene discovered

Starting with the tiny fruit fly, and then moving into mouse and human patients, researchers at
VIB connected to the Center for Human Genetics (K.U.Leuven) showed that the same gene
suppresses cancer in all three. Reciprocally, switching off the gene leads to cancer. The
scientists think there is a good chance that the gene can be switched on again with a drug.
They report their findings in the reputed scientific journal PLoS Biology.

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Calcium associated with lower risk of cancer

Calcium associated with lower risk of cancer in women Women with higher intake of calcium appear to have a lower risk of cancer overall, and both men and women with high calcium intakes have lower risks of colorectal cancer and other cancers of the digestive system, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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