“Aura Biosciences Targets a New Era of Cancer Drugs - NewsFactor Business Report” plus 4 more |
- Aura Biosciences Targets a New Era of Cancer Drugs - NewsFactor Business Report
- Testosterone Gets Bad Rap: Study - WSFA
- Regulus Therapeutics Inc. presents: “MicroRNA: The Year in Review ... - MSN Money
- Shanghai ChemPartner Is Pleased to be Part of Agios' Groundbreaking ... - Biloxi Sun Herald
- Concert Pharmaceuticals Broadens Management Team and Expands Product ... - Genetic Engineering News
| Aura Biosciences Targets a New Era of Cancer Drugs - NewsFactor Business Report Posted: 09 Dec 2009 07:12 AM PST |  Elisabet de los Pinos' father always told her that molecular biology -- a field that overlaps with genetics and biochemistry -- would someday transform the way cancer is treated. But the Barcelona-based pediatrician never dreamed his own daughter's scientific detective work might play a crucial role.
De los Pinos, a 37-year-old Spanish molecular biologist with a master's degree in business administration, has cobbled together a new approach to delivering cancer drugs by combining unrelated discoveries from European research institutions in the fields of virology, molecular biology, advanced chemistry, and nanotechnology. Aura Biosciences, the Boston-based company she founded, is one of 26 enterprises named Dec. 3 by the World Economic Forum as Tech Pioneers that offer new technologies or business models that could have a positive impact on peoples' lives. The company's hollow particles, made of nano-sized protein shells, could radically improve delivery of approved cancer drugs by keeping them stable as they travel through the body towards their intended target. By allowing cancer-killing drugs to go directly to tumor cells while avoiding healthy cells, the treatment aims to reduce the unwanted side effects of chemotherapy. Plans are to apply the technology first to combat pancreatic cancer, which kills 95 percent of patients within five years. Copying How Viruses Penetrate Cells After earning a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Barcelona, a course of study that included time at Georgetown University and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in the U.S., de los Pinos completed her MBA and post-doctoral work at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. She then went to work as a marketing executive for the oncology business unit at U.S. drug company Eli Lilly. Her job was to promote a new drug to combat lung cancer. "This new drug was really good but was really another atomic bomb, a harsh chemotherapy that was still very toxic and made patients vomit and lose their hair," she says.
De los Pinos says she wanted to work on a new generation of drugs that would be more akin to ballistic missiles, destroying only the intended targets, cancerous tumors. She wondered how advances in science might help solve this thorny issue, a problem that has puzzled researchers for decades. Through the network © 2009 Business Week Online under contract with MarketWatch. All rights reserved. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Testosterone Gets Bad Rap: Study - WSFA Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:53 AM PST By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- People associate testosterone with aggressiveness, but the male sex hormone actually encourages a sense of fair play, a new study finds. Testosterone does not cause aggression, said lead researcher Michael Naef, of the department of economics at Royal Holloway, University of London. But it does lead to "status-seeking behavior -- or trying to secure one's own status," he said. Such status-seeking behavior can include aggression, as well as other behaviors appropriate to particular situations, the researchers said. But they also found that people's preconceptions about testosterone, rather than the hormone itself, may cause them to behave anti-socially and unfairly. For the study, Naef's team randomly assigned 121 women to receive testosterone or a placebo. The women then participated in an experiment where they were asked to distribute money. The money could be distributed fairly or unfairly, and participants could accept or reject an offer. The fairer the offer, the more likely it was accepted. If no agreement could be reached, no one earned any money. Women given testosterone made fairer offers than those who received the placebo, the researchers found. However, women who were told they had received testosterone were more aggressive, whether they had actually received the hormone or not, the study authors noted. These women continually made unfair offers. Naef said the effects seen in the women would be similar in men. "The effects of testosterone are very similar in men and women," he explained. "We asked our subjects how testosterone changed their behavior, and they were all wrong. Most of them say it makes you aggressive and anti-social," said Naef. "It's more complicated." The myth about testosterone appears to induce aggression, Naef stated. "People who believe they are given testosterone behave much more aggressively and anti-socially, compared with people who think they received placebo," he said. Also, the interplay between testosterone and the environment influences testosterone's effect, he added. In the environment of the bargaining experiment, testosterone caused pro-social behavior, Naef said. "But in a more hostile situation like a prison, testosterone may cause aggressive behavior, because by being aggressive in a prison you may secure your status or achieve a high status," he said. The report is published in the Dec. 8 online edition of Nature. Another expert, George Wilson, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Miami, said the study "speaks to the dual role that biology and the environment play in structuring behavior, although biology appears to work in a way that is unexpected." Wilson added: "We are complex animals, we are symbolic animals -- we are not led around purely by biology." Challenges to status can be a powerful cultural force, Wilson stated. "They act in our conscious and preconscious in ways we are not always aware," he said. "We are status-seeking creatures." Aggression is largely a male behavior in our society, which may explain how testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, became synonymous with aggression, Wilson noted. "People will orient their behavior along the line of a cultural myth," he said. "It really speaks to the powerful socio-cultural forces in our society." More information For more information on testosterone, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.  Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Regulus Therapeutics Inc. presents: “MicroRNA: The Year in Review ... - MSN Money Posted: 09 Dec 2009 04:56 AM PST Regulus Therapeutics Inc., founded by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ALNY, and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ISIS, unveiled plans for an educational webinar about microRNA biology that will highlight several recent exciting discoveries in the field and showcase the therapeutic strategies based on microRNA. The webinar, scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST on Monday, December 14, 2009, will feature two leading researchers in the field of microRNA biology:
The discussion will be moderated by Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos, Ph.D., President and CEO of Regulus Therapeutics Inc, a company leading the development of a novel class of high impact medicines that target microRNA. "The body of knowledge about microRNA is growing exponentially, and there have been several significant advances in the field over the last twelve months," said Dr. Xanthopoulos. "This educational webinar, geared toward scientists, members of the media, and the investment community, will serve as an update on the latest discoveries, as well as provide insight into how they might be translated into the medicines of tomorrow." To participate in the webinar, register at http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=64631. Please connect to the webinar several minutes prior to the start time to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary. Questions for the panelists may be e-mailed during the live event. The webinar will also be available for replay on the Regulus website, www.regulusrx.com. About microRNAs The discovery of microRNA in humans is one of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs in the last decade. microRNAs are small RNA molecules, typically 20 to 25 nucleotides in length, that do not encode proteins but instead regulate gene expression. Nearly 700 microRNAs have been identified in the human genome, and more than one-third of all human genes are believed to be regulated by microRNAs. As a single microRNA can regulate entire networks of genes, these new molecules are considered the master regulators of the genome. microRNAs have been shown to play an integral role in numerous biological processes including the immune response, cell-cycle control, metabolism, viral replication, stem cell differentiation and human development. Many microRNAs are conserved across multiple species indicating the evolutionary importance of these molecules as modulators of critical biological pathways. Indeed, microRNA expression or function has been shown to be significantly altered in many disease states, including cancer, heart failure and viral infections. Targeting microRNAs opens the possibility of a novel class of therapeutics and a unique approach to treating disease by modulating entire biological pathways. About Regulus Therapeutics Inc. Regulus Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery of innovative new medicines based on microRNAs. Regulus is targeting microRNAs as a new class of therapeutics by working with a broad network of academic collaborators and leveraging oligonucleotide drug discovery and development expertise from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Isis Pharmaceuticals (Alnylam and Isis jointly formed Regulus in 2007). Regulus is advancing microRNA therapeutics towards the clinic in several areas including hepatitis C infection, cardiovascular disease and fibrosis, oncology, and immunology and inflammation. Regulus intellectual property estate contains both the fundamental and core patents in the field as well as over 600 patents and more than 300 pending patent applications pertaining primarily to chemical modifications of oligonucleotides targeting microRNAs for therapeutic applications. In 2008, Regulus entered into a major alliance with GlaxoSmithKline to discover and develop microRNA therapeutics for immuno-inflammatory diseases. For more information, visit www.regulusrx.com. About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is applying its therapeutic expertise in RNAi to address significant medical needs, many of which cannot effectively be addressed with small molecules or antibodies, the current major classes of drugs. Alnylam is leading the translation of RNAi as a new class of innovative medicines with peer-reviewed research efforts published in the world's top scientific journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, and Cell. The company is leveraging these capabilities to build a broad pipeline of RNAi therapeutics; its most advanced program is in Phase II human clinical trials for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and is partnered with Cubist and Kyowa Hakko Kirin. In addition, the company is developing RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of a wide range of disease areas, including liver cancers, hypercholesterolemia, Huntington's disease, and TTR amyloidosis. The company's leadership position in fundamental patents, technology, and know-how relating to RNAi has enabled it to form major alliances with leading companies including Medtronic, Novartis, Biogen Idec, Roche, Takeda, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, and Cubist. To reflect its outlook for key scientific, clinical, and business initiatives, Alnylam established "RNAi 2010" in January 2008 which includes the company's plan to significantly expand the scope of delivery solutions for RNAi therapeutics, have four or more programs in clinical development, and to form four or more new major business collaborations, all by the end of 2010. Alnylam and Isis are joint owners of Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of microRNA-based therapeutics. Founded in 2002, Alnylam maintains headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.alnylam.com. About Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Isis is exploiting its expertise in RNA to discover and develop novel drugs for its product pipeline and for its partners. The Company has successfully commercialized the world's first antisense drug and has 19 drugs in development. Isis' drug development programs are focused on treating cardiovascular, metabolic and severe neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Isis' partners are developing antisense drugs invented by Isis to treat a wide variety of diseases. Isis and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals are joint owners of Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. Isis also has made significant innovations beyond human therapeutics resulting in products that other companies, including Abbott, are commercializing. As an innovator in RNA-based drug discovery and development, Isis is the owner or exclusive licensee of over 1,600 issued patents worldwide. Additional information about Isis is available at www.isispharm.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the future therapeutic and commercial potential of Regulus', Alnylam's, and Isis' business plans, technologies and intellectual property related to microRNA therapeutics being discovered and developed by Regulus. Any statement describing Regulus', Alnylam's, and Isis' goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement, including those statements that are described as such parties' goals. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such products. Such parties' forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause their results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although these forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of the management of each such party, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Regulus', Alnylam's, and Isis' as the case may be. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Regulus', Alnylam's, and Isis' programs are described in additional detail in Alnylam's and Isis' annual reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and their most recent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from Alnylam or Isis. Regulus Therapeutics Copyright 2009 Business Wire This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Shanghai ChemPartner Is Pleased to be Part of Agios' Groundbreaking ... - Biloxi Sun Herald Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:10 AM PST '+'>'); } --> SHANGHAI, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Shanghai ChemPartner Co., Ltd. (ChemPartner) a wholly owned subsidiary of ShangPharma Corporation, today announced that ChemPartner scientists are pleased to have been involved in recent groundbreaking cancer research from Agios Pharmaceuticals through the companies' ongoing partnership. This breakthrough discovery by Agios scientists was recently published online on November 22nd by Nature in an article entitled "Cancer-associated IDH1 mutations produce 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG)". "The important discovery by Agios and the publication of the Nature article solidifies Agios' leading role in cancer metabolism," Michael Hui, founder and CEO of ChemPartner commented. "ChemPartner has been providing integrated drug discovery research support in the areas of protein science, HTS, enzymology, cell biology, in vivo pharmacology, and DMPK to Agios' innovative R&D programs in the emerging field of cancer metabolism. We congratulate the great achievement by Agios scientists and are also proud of the contribution we made to this partnership. This also demonstrates the quality of scientific work performed at ChemPartner. We look forward to continuing to help Agios advance its drug discovery programs and pipelines." "The flexibility and expertise of our partners enabled Agios scientists to make this discovery very quickly," said Michael Su, VP Drug Discovery and Interim CSO at Agios Pharmaceuticals. "This new understanding of IDH1 mutants has opened up a new strategy for treating certain forms of cancer. ChemPartner's scientific capabilities will facilitate the continued progress of our drug discovery programs and shorten the time to bring new cancer therapeutics to patients." About Shanghai ChemPartner Founded in 2003, Shanghai ChemPartner Company Ltd. (ChemPartner) is one of the leading contract research organizations providing medicinal chemistry, discovery biology, pharmacology, DMPK, toxicology, process R&D, analytical development, formulation and contract manufacturing services to over 120 pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the world. ChemPartner currently has a team of over 1,000 scientists including over 90 senior scientific leaders with extensive industry experiences gained from leading global pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Further information is available at http://www.shangpharma.com . SOURCE Shanghai ChemPartner Co., Ltd. Showing: This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | |
| Concert Pharmaceuticals Broadens Management Team and Expands Product ... - Genetic Engineering News Posted: 09 Dec 2009 04:27 AM PST Dec 9 2009, 7:31 AM EST Concert Pharmaceuticals Broadens Management Team and Expands Product Advisory BoardNews source: Business Wire Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the appointment of Lijun Wu, Ph.D., as Vice President, Biology. In this newly created position, Dr. Wu will have responsibility for Concert's non-clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, and bioanalytical functions and will report to Roger Tung, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Concert. Concert also announced today the addition of Lee Brettman, M.D. and Dennis Giesing, Ph.D., to its Product Advisory Board (PAB). They will provide Concert's PAB further expertise in the areas of clinical development and pharmacology. The PAB was established at Concert's inception to provide a source of deep industry expertise and to advise company management on development and commercialization strategies for product candidates. With the addition of Drs. Brettman and Giesing, the PAB consists of eight members. "Lijun has a record of demonstrated success within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry across a range of therapeutic areas. We are very pleased to welcome her to the Concert team and look forward to her contributions as we continue to expand our product pipeline," said Dr. Tung. "We are also very pleased that Drs. Brettman and Giesing have joined our PAB. They are highly accomplished industry veterans who will provide valuable expertise as we extend more of our pipeline into and through development. Concert's exceptionally strong PAB reflects our commitment to successfully develop innovative, new medicines based on our deuterium chemistry platform." Lijun Wu, Ph.D. has more than 15 years experience in research and development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and was instrumental in bringing several compounds to clinical development. Prior to joining Concert she was Vice President, Discovery Research at Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals where she oversaw the company's research and preclinical development efforts. Before that she was the Executive Director of Atherosclerosis in Cardiovascular Research at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. She also held management positions at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and various positions at LeukoSite Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Millennium). Dr. Wu is an author or co-author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and an inventor of numerous patents. In 2005, Dr. Wu was named one of Mass High Tech's Women to Watch. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology from Northwestern University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Biological Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University Medical School. Lee Brettman, M.D., FACP, has nearly 20 years of industry experience in start-up and large biotech companies as well as major pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Brettman's medical background is in internal medicine and infectious diseases. He currently serves as Chief Medical Officer at Alnara Pharmaceuticals. He is the former President and CEO of Dynogen Pharmaceuticals and has held senior medical roles at leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Millennium Pharmaceuticals, LeukoSite, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Schering Plough Research Institute. Over the course of his career, he has held a number of academic, research, and teaching appointments. Dr. Brettman received his B.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine. Dennis Giesing, Ph.D., has more than 30 years of experience in drug development. He currently serves as Head of Research at Cortria Corporation. Before joining Cortria, he held a variety of senior scientific and leadership roles within Aventis Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, Dr. Giesing had worldwide responsibility for the Aventis R&D product pipeline from late discovery through early clinical development. Prior to his global R&D responsibilities at Aventis, Dr. Giesing held senior R&D leadership roles in translational medicine, drug metabolism and clinical pharmacokinetics at Hoechst Marion Roussel, Marion Merrell Dow, and Marion Laboratories. Dr. Giesing earned a B.S. in Chemistry and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Pharmacology at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. About Concert Concert Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the application of deuterium chemistry to create novel and differentiated small molecule drugs. Concert's approach leverages known activity and safety of existing drugs to reduce time, risk and expense of drug research and development. The Company has a broad research pipeline encompassing many therapeutic areas including infectious disease and renal disease, among others. In 2009, Concert entered into a potential $1 billion strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline to develop and commercialize certain deuterium-containing medicines. Founded in 2006, Concert has raised more than $110 million of venture and institutional capital. For more information on Concert Pharmaceuticals, please visit www.concertpharma.com. Concert Pharmaceuticals and the CoNCERT logo are trademarks of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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