News
Coronavirus vaccines moving forward
Development of COVID-19 vaccines is moving forward at an unprecedented pace, and the public interest and press coverage are huge. And yet it is not easy for lay person or scientist to keep track of the multitude of vaccine candidates.
Break-through in mitochondrial gene editing
Mitochondria, the organelles that produce most of a cell’s energy, are distinguished from other organelles by having their own genetic information which is independent of the nucleus. The mitochondrial genome encodes for only 13 proteins, but these proteins are not only very important for energy generation; mutations in these genes are known to be responsible for a number of inherited diseases and they have been implicated in metabolic diseases, aging and neurodegeneration.
Chemotherapy leads to drug resistance in tumor blood vessels
Scientists at Hokkaido University have published research on the effects of chemotherapy on the cells that line the blood vessels inside tumors. They found that, in response to first-line chemotherapy, these tumor endothelial cells (TEC) can become drug-resistant, which allows the tumors themselves to survive chemotherapy and metastasize.
FDA’s Project Patient Voice makes patient-reported outcomes publicly available
On Tuesday, the FDA announced a new program called Project Patient Voice that aims to provide cancer patients with more information about their treatment options by making patient-reported outcome (PRO) data from clinical trials publicly available.
Super-antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 show promising results in animals
If you’ve been following biomedical news on the novel coronavirus over the last several months, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about the potential for antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients (convalescent antibodies) to help fight the virus and provide temporary immunity to healthcare workers and other persons at high risk of contracting the virus.
Clinical trials in the time of COVID-19
FDA has issued guidelines for the conduct of clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. “With this guidance issued today, the FDA is helping industry and investigators navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and help assess how to move forward with critical clinical...
If you are using heartburn medicine, please consider FDA warning regarding Zantac/ranitidine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is requesting manufacturers withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately. This is the latest step in an ongoing investigation of a contaminant known as...