Many biopharmaceuticals comprise small proteins that are quickly eliminated from the body. Scientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) combine such small proteins with a kind of molecular balloon that swells and thus prolongs the halflife of the proteins in the body. The TUM spinoff XLProtein GmbH has now started to further develop this new [...]

Risk factors for metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated blood lipid levels, can increase a persons healthcare costs nearly 1.6fold, or about $2,000 per year. For each additional risk factor those costs rise an average of 24%, according to an illuminating article in a recent issue of Metabolic Syndrome and Related [...]

For kidney transplant recipients, infection with a virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV) may lead to devastating complications. New research suggests that extending the period of preventive treatment after kidney transplantation can reduce the risk of CMV disease, according to an upcoming report in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
Cytomegalovirus is a common virus [...]

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) an $11.5 million, fiveyear SPORE grant to focus on cancers of the kidney. Michael Atkins, MD, Deputy Director of BIDMCs Division of Hematology/Oncology, will oversee the grant, which involves collaborations with Brigham and Womens Hospital, DanaFarber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital [...]

Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Merzs premarket approval (PMA) application for Belotero(R) Balance.
Belotero(R) Balance is a hyaluronic acid based monophasic gel dermal filler that utilizes a cohesive polydensified matrix (CPM(TM)) technology. This application seeks FDA approval for injection into [...]

QUMAS, the leading provider of Compliance Solutions to highly regulated industries, announced the launch of the QUMAS Biotechnology Package, a complete webbased electronic document management system (eDMS) for Biotechnology companies preparing for regulatory submission. This affordable package has been created specifically for small biotech companies, in order to give them access to QUMAS DocCompliance, [...]

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), the publicprivate partnership between the European Commission and the European pharmaceutical industry, represented by EFPIA, today made its first major announcement of the success of the collaboration. IMI also announced the topics of research of its second call for proposals. With these topics, IMI aims to accelerate the discovery and [...]

Antisocial and aggressive behaviours represent a widespread and expensive social problem. Recent research has convincingly shown that there is a strong interaction between genetic inheritance and environment for development of personality and behaviour. It appears to be common knowledge that childhood maltreatment often causes psychiatric problems (e.g. depression or anxiety) or behavioural problems (e.g. aggression [...]

Scientists in Germany are reporting a major improvement in their potential new treatment for facial wrinkles that could emerge as an alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery. The noninvasive technique combines highintensity light from lightemitting diodes (LEDs) and a lotion made of green tea extract. It works ten times faster than a similar antiwrinkle treatment [...]

Barley, one of the worlds most important crops, ranks third in the United States and fourth worldwide among cereals in area of cultivation and quantity produced. A major animal feed crop, it is also the grain of choice for making malt and beer, and, in some temperate areas, is increasingly being used as a source [...]