Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute are developing a new method of vaccination that could potentially be used to provide instantaneous protection whether the target is a cancer cell, flu virus, or a toxin like anthrax in the event of a bioterrorism attack. Normally, it takes days or weeks for the body to build immunity against a pathogen. The scientists injected mice with chemicals designed to trigger a universal immune reaction, as well as “adapter molecules” that they had developed to recognize the target cells causing the disease. The adapter molecules cooperate with the antibodies to create “covalent antibody-adapter complexes”…
Author: Global Cancer Consortium
The future of medicine may lie in an unexpected place: within the immune system of a llama. The Wall Street Journal reports that scientists in Brussels are using llamas to develop antibody–based medications for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. Antibodies are known as the “soldiers of the immune system” and can be programmed to target disease–causing proteins. Llamas, camels, and their relatives create extremely small antibodies, which scientists hope can be used to burrow into the crevices of a cancerous tumor or a pre–arthritic joint—places that conventional antibodies are too large to enter. At the forefront of…
A new study links smoking to a much greater percentage of deaths among men from all types cancer including lung cancer, suggesting that increased tobacco control efforts could save more lives than previously estimated. The epidemiological analysis, published online in BMC Cancer, linked smoking to more than 70 percent of the cancer death burden among Massachusetts men in 2003. This percentage is much higher than the previous estimate of 34 percent in 2001, according to work by a researcher from the University of California, Davis. “This study provides support for the growing understanding among researchers that smoking is a cause…
The Cleveland Clinic has unveiled its latest Top 10 Medical Innovations list, highlighting technologies that are expected to have a big impact in 2009. Announced during Cleveland Clinic’s 2008 Medical Innovation Summit,, the list was determined by a panel of Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists. 10. Private Sector National Health Information Exchange: A comprehensive system of electronic health records that link consumers, general practitioners, specialists, hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, and insurance companies is in the process of being established. Primarily a private-sector effort, this computerized system has the potential to replace paper-based medical files with digitized records of patients’ complete…
Clarient has launched a new gene expression diagnostic for prostate cancer, the Insight Dx Prostate Profile (Insight). The test, developed in conjunction with Health Discovery Corp., uses expression values from four genes to identify the presence of prostate cancer cells. In its clinical validation study, Insight achieved a sensitivity of 90% for correctly identifying the presence of Grade 3 or higher prostate cancer, and a specificity of 97% for correctly identifying non-cancer tissue (normal and BPH). There are over 1 million prostate cancer tissue biopsy procedures performed annually in the U.S. Approximately 25% of these tissue biopsies are reported “positive”,…
It’s been a roller coaster of a year for AngioDynamics. In the past, I’ve professed my high opinion of the company. I still like ANGO and I think it’s fairly valued, but a less than stellar quarter should give growth-obsessed investors pause. The company expects revenues to shrink by $5 million in 2009. Access sales, historically a slow-growth business for the company, were $16.1 million in the most recent quarter, an increase of 2% year-over year. Oncology/Surgery sales grew 13% to $10.6 million. The one bright spot: Peripheral Vascular sales. Revenues totaled $21.8 million in the second quarter, an increase…
Irvington-NY based Electro-Optical Sciences (EOS), developer of The MelaFind System, a handheld imaging device that detects melanomas at an early stage, announced last week that its pivotal trial sites have closed: all follow-up data has been received and is now undergoing third-party statistical validation. The company will announce top-line results in the next few weeks. For many investors, the news has been a long time coming. Shares of the company, which had been trading near a 52-week low, have increased by 50 percent. In a previous blinded trial examining 352 suspicious pigmented skin lesions, MelaFind had 100% sensitivity in finding…
The OneMedPlace finance conference for emerging med tech companies, the OneMedForum, will be held January 13-14 in San Francisco. Click here to learn more. Our featured panelists and speakers will be recognized experts that can offer insights and a unique perspective on their respective area of expertise. Each panel will be focus on disrupters and drivers; companies will exhibit after each discussion. Orthopedics and Spine: During the last 10 years venture investment in orthopedic start-ups has been on the rise. Venture investors have primarily been focused on the spine and to a lesser extent on sports medicine, joint reconstruction and…