On May 22, 2009, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius swore in Dr. Margaret Hamburg as the Commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration. As Americans are increasingly demanding and expecting healthcare reforms, we are very proud to see two extremely talented women appointed to these two top jobs. The current healthcare system does put women into disadvantage and hence comprehensive healthcare is much needed for equal and fair access to all citizens.
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MedicineandBiotech.com continues to strive to provide our readers with valuable information in the Biotech and Pharma world every month. Visit MedicineandBiotech.com regularly to learn more about these developments- by Neerja Sethi, PhD, Managing Editor
"MedicineandBiotech.com is a Unique e-magazine that Provides a Platform where Biotechnology, Medicine, Business sector and the CommunityConverge"
Snapshot of Weekly Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Headline News at MedicineandBiotech.com ......Read in Detail Here
October 1- October 8, 2009
Drs. Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak Awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their Research on Chromosomes and Telomeres....Read here
The aggressiveness of tumors and their susceptibility to chemotherapy may become easier to predict based on a mathematical model developed at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. In spite of extensive experimental and clinical studies, the process of cancer growth is not well understood. Tumors are complex systems, with changes at the molecular and cellular levels influencing shape and behavior in sometimes unpredictable ways. New research by a scientist in mathematical oncology at the UT Health Science Center at Houston suggests that mathematical modeling based on data from the molecular and cellular levels could shed light on tumor development and lead to better treatments. Read More....
The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) announced that they have been awarded a $43 million, five year contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, as part of their Genomic Sequencing Centers for Infectious Diseases (GSCID). Led by co-principal investigators, William Nierman, Ph.D., and Robert Strausberg, Ph.D., the contract will enable JCVI to continue to expand its decades-long expertise in infectious diseases and human genomics by providing important genomic services to the broader scientific community.
“The current worldwide outbreak of H1N1 flu, and the increasing prevalence of new and emerging infectious diseases makes our work more necessary than ever,” said J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., founder and president, JCVI.
A research team at NorthwesternUniversity has demonstrated a tool that can precisely deliver tiny doses of drug-carrying nanomaterials to individual cells. The tool, called the Nanofountain Probe, functions in two different ways: in one mode, the probe acts like a fountain pen, wherein drug-coated nanodiamonds serve as the ink, allowing researchers to create devices by "writing" with it. The second mode functions as a single-cell syringe, permitting direct injection of biomolecules or chemicals into individual cells. Read More....
-- Data From RIBBON 1 Study Provides Efficacy and Safety Information With Different Types of Chemotherapy --
Genentech, Inc. today announced results of a Phase III study (RIBBON 1) that showed Avastin® (bevacizumab) plus commonly used chemotherapies, including capecitabine and anthracycline-based therapies, increased the time women receiving first-line therapy for advanced HER2-negative breast cancer lived without the disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS), compared to the chemotherapies alone. The safety profile of Avastin was consistent with previous experience, and no new safety signals for Avastin were observed in the study. Read More.....
FDA’s newly confirmed commissioner, Margaret Hamburg, M.D., presented her proposed regulatory updates and outlined a number of enforcement initiative improvements at the Food and Drug Law Institute on August 6, 2009. Commissioner Hamburg avowed, “The FDA is always looking for novel ways to prevent illness and promote health."
Exelixis to Receive $140 Million Upfront Payment and Guaranteed Research Funding
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif-- Sanofi-aventis and and Exelixis, Inc. announced a global license agreement for XL147 and XL765 and a broad collaboration for the discovery of inhibitors of phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) for the treatment of cancer. Activation of the PI3K pathway is a frequent event in human tumors, promoting cell proliferation, survival and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Under the license, sanofi-aventis will have a worldwide exclusive license to XL147 and XL765, which are currently in phase 1 and phase 1b/2 clinical trials, and will have sole responsibility for all subsequent clinical, regulatory, commercial and manufacturing activities. Exelixis will participate in conducting ongoing and potential future clinical trials and manufacturing activities. Read More....
As of 06:00 GMT, 29 May 2009, 53 countries have officially reported 15,510 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 99 deaths. The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table.
Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)
Concrete may absorb more carbon dioxide than earlier estimates suggested
Many scientists currently think at least 5 percent of humanity's carbon footprint comes from the concrete industry, both from energy use and the carbon dioxide (CO2) byproduct from the production of cement, one of concrete's principal components.Yet several studies have shown that small quantities of CO2 later reabsorb into concrete, even decades after it is emplaced, when elements of the material combine with CO2 to form calcite.
A study appearing in the June 2009 Journal of Environmental Engineering suggests that the re-absorption may extend to products beyond calcite, increasing the total CO2 removed from the atmosphere and lowering concrete's overall carbon footprint.
-MedicineandBiotech.com highlighted and praised in the review article titled “Websites of Note-Multimedia in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education” published in the Journal Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education by Wiley Interscience publications. Author: Dr. Graham R. Parslow, RusselGrimwadeSchool of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Australia
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