A meta-analysis carried out by Carsten Moser of the Grönemeyer Institute for Microtherapy and Peter Wehling of the Molecular Medicine Foundation has found out that most of the therapies for knee osteoarthritis (OA) are ineffective, some of them being even risky. Another finding was that often, prescribed anti-rheumatic drugs do no good and have side effects. Not even a single standard treatment was found for the disorder. The researchers emphasize the need for a plan that focuses on individual treatment based on a comprehensive diagnosis of symptoms of each patient.

Applied Biosystems’ ultra-high-throughput genomic analysis platform, the SOLID™ System, generates genome-wide expression profiling data at the single cell level. This can help in finding details about cell fate, accelerating the discovery of biomarkers for disease. Ability to generate such profiles of gene activity from single stem can give an idea on variation between molecules of genetically identical stem cells. Detailed characterizations of this kind give scientists a better understanding of the application of these cells in regenerative therapies for damaged cells and organs. The sensitivity of the SOLiD System, which is higher than the currently used micro-array technology, enables researchers to generate detailed gene expression profiles from the trace amounts of RNA present in single cell and cancer samples.

The Australian Patent Office has awarded BioCurex Inc. its first patent to develop applications of its proprietary RECAF technology to therapy. The approval is a sequel of the first approval to diagnostic application that was a part of the original filing. The company owns the technology to use RECAF, a molecule which is present inside and on the surface of cancer cells. These cells release some RECAF into the blood stream. This has led to the development of a blood test for cancer which can successfully diagnose about 90% of patients with malignancies with precision.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have succeeded in correcting a genetic mutation using a customized “genetic patch” in early stage fish embryos so that these embryos developed normally. The research may help prevent one-fifth of human birth defects due to genetic mutations. The breakthrough was reached using a zebrafish model of the Menkes disease, which is caused by a mutation in the ATP7A gene in humans.

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According to Michael Blaber, a researcher at the Florida State University College of Medicine, mutant forms of human protein may help restore blood flow to the damaged areas of the heart. Blaber hopes that these mutant proteins may be used in new treatment methods for those patients with advanced heart disease who had no other options earlier.

Scientists at John Innes Centre have discovered that plants cluster the required genes to produce defence chemicals. These findings may lead to new natural products, such as drugs, herbicides or crop protectants. The researchers, led by Anne Osbourn, earlier found that oats produce avenacin to protect roots against fungal diseases.

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Scientists in the U.S. have developed a much faster way to isolate highly specific antibodies needed to make flu vaccines by pinpointing the window of opportunity when the human immune response to a particular pathogen peaks. The discovery may also lead to new and faster ways to produce vaccines and therapies to fight several other diseases.

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According to a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis, the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage, a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body’s pro-fibrotic and anti-fibrotic response. Cardiac fibrosis can result in a decline in cardiovascular function that occurs with aging or, in some patients, after a heart attack. The study, conducted by a group of researchers led by Paul A. Insel, indicated that increasing Epac expression inhibited the synthesis of collagen, which promotes tissue fibrosis.

Eurand NV’s affiliate, Eurand Pharmaceuticals Inc, has been granted an exclusive license by Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA for its gastro-resistant, controlled-release tablet formulation of the corticosteroid, beclomethasone dipropionate, in the U.S. and Canada. The gastro-intestinal product is currently approved and marketed in the U.K., Italy, Spain and Belgium. Eurand’s newly licensed product is as effective in treating Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease as classical corticosteroids, with relatively lower side effects.

Researchers at McGill University have discovered a process by which an organism’s natural anti-virus defenses can be enhanced. According to the research published in the journal Nature, the process effectively makes an organism’s cells immune to influenza and other viruses by knocking out two genes in mice that repress production of the protein interferon, the cell’s first line of defense against viruses. In the absence of these repressor genes, the mouse cells produced significantly higher levels of interferon, which effectively blocked viruses from reproducing.