Ireland welcomes Allergan Pharmaceuticals $350 million expansion
IDA Ireland welcomed the announcement by Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ireland that it is to invest $350 million in its Westport operation to expand both its development and manufacturing capabilities. The expansion will result in the creation of approximately 200 new jobs at the site over the next four years and an estimated 250 indirect jobs locally, during the construction period. The investment is supported by IDA Ireland.
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Ovarian cancer study proves drug delays disease progression
Treating ovarian cancer with the drug bevacizumab ("Avastin") delays the disease and may also improve survival, show the results of an international clinical trial co-led by Drs. Amit Oza of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, University Health Network and Timothy Perren, St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK. The findings, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, report that the drug halted the cancer's return for two months overall.
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Can nerve growth factor gene therapy prevent diabetic heart disease?
Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and can reduce blood supply to the heart tissue and damage cardiac cells, resulting in heart failure. New research has investigated if nerve growth factor (NGF) gene therapy can prevent diabetic heart failure and small vascular disease in mice. The study by Professor Costanza Emanueli, British Heart Foundation Senior Research Fellow and colleagues of the Bristol Heart Institute in the Regenerative Medicine Section of the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol is published online in Diabetes, which is the journal of the American Diabetes Association.
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New light on medicinal benefits of plants
Scientists are about to make publicly available all the data they have so far on the genetic blueprint of medicinal plants and what beneficial properties are encoded by the genes identified. The resources follow a $6 million initiative to study how plant genes contribute to producing various chemical compounds, some of which are medicinally important.
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Biochemical signature predicts progression to Alzheimer's disease
A study led by Research Professor Matej Orešič from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland suggests that Alzheimer's disease is preceded by a molecular signature indicative of hypoxia and up-regulated pentose phosphate pathway. This indicator can be analysed as a simple biochemical assay from a serum sample months or even years before the first symptoms of the disease occur. In a healthcare setting, the application of such an assay could therefore complement the neurocognitive assessment by the medical doctor and could be applied to identify the at-risk patients in need of further comprehensive follow-up.
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Visualization of DNA synthesis in vivo
Interactions of biological macromolecules are the central bases of living systems. Biological macromolecules are synthesized in living cells by linking many small molecules together. Naturally occurring macromolecules include genetic materials (DNA) and proteins. A detailed understanding of the synthesis of these macromolecules in whole animals is a basic requirement for understanding biological systems, and for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
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Scientists discover new way to target cancer
Scientists have discovered a new way to target cancer through manipulating a master switch responsible for cancer cell growth. The findings, published in the journal Cancer Cell, reveal how cancer cells grow faster by producing their own blood vessels. Cancer cells gain the nutrients they need by producing proteins that make blood vessels grow, helping deliver oxygen and sugars to the tumour. These proteins are vascular growth factors like VEGF - the target for the anti-cancer drug Avastin.
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