Currently, there are no FDA approved medications for treating fragile X syndrome. That may soon change, thanks to a $11.5 million NIH grant awarded to UC Davis Medical Center. The new funding will allow researchers to test a new drug that is designed to improve language learning for children with fragile X syndrome. UC Davis is one of only two medical centers approved for the drug trail in the nation. Since UC Davis Medical Center is home to the renowned MIND Institute, which hosts the Fragile X Research and Treatment Center, it is a logical choice for the treatment study.
Read MoreTags: CA, California, Research Funding, Drug Development, research grant, UC Davis - Medical Center, Southwest Region, new research grant, UCD, drug evaluation, BioResearch Product Faire, Bioresearch Grant
Dr. Stefan Sarafianos, a professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Missouri, was recently awarded a research grant of $3 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop new drugs to treat Hepatitis B (HBV).
Read MoreTags: Missouri, University of Missouri, Drug Development, MO, NIH award, Midwest Region, MU, Hepatitis B, University of Missouri, Columbia
Rapamycin has been used as an effective immunosuppresant in organ transplantation for over a decade, but researchers continue to find other potential uses for the drug base, from treating cancer to prolonging aging, including staving off Alzheimer's. The success and promise of this anti-aging research carried out by University of Texas Health Science Center pharmacologist Randy Strong and colleagues has recently led to the announcement of a major biotech spin-off company, Rapamycin Holdings Inc., also based in San Antonio. The new company will pursue development and testing of rapamycin-related drugs based on UTHSC intellectual property, as well as produce enhanced rapamycin for the global research market--something UTHSC currently does. Rapamycin Holdings was formed with aid (and ongoing support) from the Texas Technology Development Center (T3DC), the Texas Research & Technology Foundation (TRTF), as well as other stakeholders, in order to commercialize the research technology and bring new drug treatments to patients.
Tags: Aging, University of Texas, Texas, 2012, UT Health Science Center San Antonio, UTxSA, San Antonio, Drug Development
At the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, in the Longwood medical neighborhood in Boston, researchers have reached a biotech milestone with tremendous potential for future drug testing and development. Instead of resorting to animals for testing, they may soon be using a simulated organ that lives on a chip. It has mechanical and biological (cellular) parts, and yes, it breathes, thanks to a vacuum system that pumps air through. The bio-inspired micro-device has gone through several tests recently to assess its accuracy in mimicking the human lung when bacteria or potentially toxic drugs are introduced. Results: Positive. The lung-on-a-chip replicates responses found in animal models and observations of human lung function. Indeed, because the device uses human lung and blood vessel cells, it acts may act more like a lung in a human body than lab animals.
Tags: Northeast, Lab-on-a-chip Technology, 2012, Massachusetts, Cancer, biological, Boston, BioResearch Product Faire Event, MA, Harvard, innovative solutions, Drug Development, Harvard Medical School, bio medical research