Two directors of the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) have written to members of the German Parliament urging them to legalize human embryonic stem cell research in Germany. The German Bundestag has been considering an amendment to the German Stem Cell Act of 2002 which would lift the country’s ban on the use [...]

The US Patent and Trademark Office has ruled one of three human embryonic stem cell patents currently held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is valid. The agency made the ruling in response to a series of challenges and appeals filed by WARF and the California-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR). Decisions [...]

A study released by drug manufacturer GTx, Inc (NASDAQ: GTXI) indicates a new version of an old drug called toremifene helps reduce some of the side effects experienced by prostate cancer patients being treated with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT). ADT, also known as androgen suppression therapy or AST, is a hormone therapy designed to block the [...]

Scientists from the US Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the West Virginia University School of Medicine and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have developed a new imaging device which not only detects breast tumors too small to be seen by other imaging systems, it also gets a sample for cancer [...]

A study of children involved in cancer treatments and other trials indicates most of them are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to further research projects and charitable causes, even if the activities wouldn’t benefit them personally. To arrive at the findings, scientists from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and the National [...]

A multi-million dollar government contract awarded to develop a treatment for military personnel attacked with radioactive weapons could also benefit leukemia patients whose bodies reject bone marrow transplants. Osiris Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: OSIR) will receive up to $224.7M from the US Department of Defense to speed development of Prochymal™, an intravenous drug designed to treat [...]

A phase II trial conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Prince Margaret Hospital shows a new drug regimen is more effective than traditional treatments in helping newly-diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma. The new treatment, known as Cybor-D, consists of cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone. To arrive at their findings, the team administered the investigational [...]

The Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine (IGMM) has officially opened its doors in Edinburgh, Scotland. The new institute brings together resources and funding from the Medical Research Council’s Human Genetics Unit, the Centre for Molecular Medicine, the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, and Cancer Research UK including more than 500 scientists involved in multidisciplinary studies [...]

Dr Edward Chu from the Yale Cancer Center recently interviewed Dr Louis Denis of Pfizer Oncology. During the 30-minute program, the two physicians discussed how cancer drugs are developed, tested and approved for the pharmaceutical product pipeline. The broadcast includes segments on Dr Denis’ previous work at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center in San [...]

In this video from the Museum of Science in Boston, Dr Alan J. Fenn of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses how radar technology originally developed for US Air Force missiles is now being tested as a treatment for breast cancer. The innovative process involves using targeted microwaves to shrink tumors located in breast tissue. [...]