Scientists reverse heart failure via newly discovered regeneration pathway

April 26, 2018 Hippo signaling can prevent damaged heart muscle from repairing itself.  So the Baylor researchers wanted to see what would happen if they turned off the pathway altogether.  When they silenced Hippo for 6 weeks in mouse models of heart failure, they were able to restore pumping ability to that of healthy hearts, according to … Read more

Smart tattoos turn your skin into a health tracker

April 24, 2018 And unlike that tattoo you got on a wild night in college, you are not stuck with it.  With enough refinement, the scientists expect to make tattoos that only last for as long as you need them.  They could be invisible unless subjected to certain kinds of light, too, so you would … Read more

Could repurposing a depression drug help burn belly fat?

April 19, 2018 A team of scientists at Yale, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the University of Bonn zeroed in on macrophages, immune cells that are primarily engaged in fighting infections.  They discovered a new type of macrophage in the nerves that are inside belly fat.  As these macrophages age, they become inflamed, … Read more

FDA approves new treatment for certain advanced or metastatic breast cancers

April 17, 2018 “Verzenio provides a new targeted treatment option for certain patients with breast cancer who are not responding to treatment, and unlike other drugs in the class, it can be given as a stand-alone treatment to patients who were previously treated with endocrine therapy and chemotherapy,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., Director of the … Read more

Biotech researchers chart progress in fighting substance abuse

April 12, 2018 Scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina have discovered genetic factors in the brain that they believe increase the risk of relapse in drug addicts.  The culprit is actually epigenetics, or enzymes that change the behavior of genes but not the genes themselves.  The team focused on the enzyme histone deacetylase … Read more

The thinking process behind biopharma companies’ outsourcing management

April 10, 2018 Face-to-face conversation When choosing the best CRO partner, of course the size, phase and therapeutic area of the study matter; however, Shannon Devens, Executive Director of Clinical Operations at Surface Oncology, a 2015 Fierce 15 winner, said her company also wants such relationships to be a match culturally.  And to determine that, … Read more

Chinese drug maker gets FDA warning over false test results, barring access

April 05, 2018 During the FDA May inspection, Vianor Biotech management admitted to regulatory Investigators conducting an inspection that they falsified analytical test results used to release a lot of its products to the U.S.  Additionally, the Agency said the company reported a batch of one of it’s products was within specification in its Certificate … Read more