Scientists at Jefferson Medical College are using tobacco plants to produce monoclonal antibodies – tiny guided protein missiles – that can target and hunt down cancer cells. The plants promise to provide a cheaper, faster method of producing anticancer antibodies, raising hopes that the technology can one day be used in humans.

Scientists, led by Hilary Koprowski, M.D., professor of microbiology and immunology and director of the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories and th

The research group of professor Manfred Kilimann at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology has elucidated the genetic cause of a severe heart disease in newborn children. This result will be published in the June issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics this week.

Cardiomyopathies are diseases of the heart muscle tissue and often lead to heart failure. Most of them are inborn and can be caused by gene defects (mutations) affecting various proteins needed either for the

Neurotech SA announced positive results from an open-label Phase I clinical trial (03-EI-0234) of its lead product, NT-501. NT-501 uses Neurotech’s patented Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT) as a device to deliver ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to eyes of visually impaired patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Neurotech is a biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel therapeutics to treat diseases of the eye. The company is headquartered in Paris.
Results of

A molecular change that takes place during the progression of malignant brain tumors also occurs in breast cancer, according to a study conducted at Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute. The shift appears to be part of a process that enables tumors to develop the new blood vessels they need to grow rapidly, migrate and invade other tissue.

Although the switch is evident even in an early stage of breast cancer when cells are proliferating but not infiltrating no

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a new method for identifying specific proteins in whole cell extracts of microorganisms using traditional peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). The key to the new method, according to the researchers, is a “shortcut” for preparing samples that makes PMF faster and more economical. By reducing the cost of protein identification, they believe PMF can become an economical tool for monitoring and evaluating the effective

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that the presence of specific variants of genes that control clotting and the contractility, or “tone,” of blood vessels can double the ability of physicians to predict those heart surgery patients at greatest risk of bleeding after surgery.

The issue of post-operative bleeding is important, the researchers said, because patients who suffer such episodes have increased rates of additional medical problems and even deat

One key goal of treating pancreatic cancer, which is often fatal within a year, is making sure patients have a good quality of life with as few complications as possible. This is especially important if they are candidates for surgical removal of the cancer.

Now, doctors at the University of Virginia Health System report that placing self-expanding metal tubes or stents (covered with a synthetic material) to drain the common bile duct is a safe and effective treatment for a major

Estrogen and progesterone hormones in birth control do not influence the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which is used to treat HIV infection, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions. The study is published in the May 1, 2005, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

“Since the introduction of HAART in 1996, many studies have proven the effectiveness of these regimens in reducing

A study that includes 20 years of follow-up does not support aggressive treatment for localized, low-grade prostate cancer, with data indicating a small risk of progression of this grade of cancer, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

To determine the need for treatment of localized prostate cancer, patients and physicians must understand the natural history of this disease, according to background information in the article. A recent study suggested an increasing pros

Migraine patients who received true acupuncture had no decrease in headaches as compared with those who received sham acupuncture treatment, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

Migraine is a common and disabling condition that typically includes attacks of severe, pulsating, 1-sided headaches, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to sound and light, according to background information in the article. Population-based studies suggest that 6 percent to 7 perce

A monitoring program developed by a Northwestern University researcher has successfully identified a large number of previously unknown, serious and often-fatal drug reactions associated with 15 commonly used drugs, including Plavix®, thalidomide and drug-coated cardiac stents.

As described in an article in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports (RADAR) Project compiles information from reports submitte

New technique can replace handheld blades and speed recovery time

A UC Irvine ophthalmologist and his team have invented a new laser-surgery technique to perform cornea-transplant surgery that can replace the use of traditional handheld surgical blades and potentially improve recovery time for patients.

The technique was developed by Dr. Roger F. Steinert, director of cornea, refractive and cataract surgery in UCI Health Sciences. Cornea transplants are performed on the “

Low-dose MDCT of the sinuses in children is effective in diagnosing conditions such as sinusitis and middle ear fluid with a radiation dose comparable to standard x-rays. It also has more benefits, such as better accuracy, speed and a broader diagnosis potential, say researchers from Heilig Hart Hospital in Belgium.

For the study, the researchers compared the imaging results of 69 children who had undergone x-rays and 125 children who had undergone low-dose MDCT. They found that

In patients with no or moderate coronary calcification, 16-slice MDCT allows the reliable detection of coronary artery stenosis with high diagnostic accuracy, say researchers from Tuebingen University Hospital in Germany. Coronary artery stenosis is the narrowing of coronary arteries due to the build-up of calcified plaques.

The study included 37 patients, 28 of whom had a calcium score of less than 1,000 (no calcification to moderate calcification). The researchers found that 16-MD

A study that appears in the May edition of Ophthalmology, the clinical journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, shows that as many as 47 percent of patients receiving glaucoma therapy do not comply with their doctor’s prescribed medicine regimen. This is in startling contrast to the 90 percent of doctors who believe that their patients are following the prescribed treatment.

“Non-adherence to the glaucoma therapy is probably what causes patients to go blind,” said Alan L. Robin,

When last week’ s issue of The New England Journal of Medicine published a paper on iron-overload disorders, one of the authors already knew a reason why the condition is under-diagnosed: Many front-line physicians don’t think of it when patients who complain of fatigue and who have arthritis, impotence, diabetes or cirrhosis of the liver.

That’s important, because the condition is easily treated if detected early. UAB’s Ronald T. Acton, Ph.D. “Although simple treatment by drawing b