As part of the deal, AstraZeneca will contribute more than £4 million to the three-year project. The ICR will lead the scientific work utilising £1.6 million in funding from Cancer Research UK, who supported the original laboratory-based discovery on which this work will now build.

Molecular chaperones play an essential ‘escort role’ by ensuring that newly made proteins adopt the correct shape to function correctly and also help normal cells to respond to stress. However, new research suggests that these same chaperones also contribute substantially to the activity of cancer-causing proteins and actually help cancer cells to survive and become more aggressive.

Professor Paul Workman, director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics at the ICR’s Sutton site, said: “We are very pleased to work with AstraZeneca, who bring great expertise in cancer drug discovery and development. By working together in this collaboration, we hope to exploit an ‘Achilles heel’ in the chaperone and stress pathways of cancer cells that will lead to the discovery of new powerful drugs to fight cancer.”

Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca has obtained an exclusive worldwide licence to commercialise the compounds developed during the collaboration. CRT and the ICR will receive up-front payments as well as milestone payments and royalties on any future sales resulting from the work.

Dr Les Hughes, AstraZeneca vice president, discovery for the oncology and infection research area, said: “We are impressed by the potential in these targets and are delighted to be joining forces with this world-renowned research team to progress this work. We aim to use our long-standing experience in discovering and developing cancer therapeutics to see this early scientific promise converted to drugs that will make a real impact on the lives of cancer patients.”

Dr Phil L’Huillier, director of business management at CRT, added: “We’re delighted to be involved in this collaboration between the charity sector, industry and academia so that we can help create a comprehensive approach to finding new treatments to help beat cancer. This deal signifies a shared commitment to ensuring that the understanding gained from Cancer Research UK’s early laboratory-based research work is given the investment necessary to ensure it reaches its full potential. Only time will tell if these potential targets will become workable treatments for cancer patients in the future, but this work shows great promise.”

About Molecular Chaperones

Molecular chaperones are part of the essential support machinery of the cell. They play an ‘escort role’ by ensuring that newly made proteins are assembled correctly and help the cell respond to normal stress.

Researchers at the ICR have revealed many details of how these chaperones also assist with the production of cancer-causing proteins and how they help cancer cells to survive in the more stressful tumour environment. In addition, the work has shown how cancer cells become much more dependent than healthy cells on molecular chaperones for their growth and survival, which makes them excellent targets for cancer treatment.

The ICR team has already shown how several of the components of the chaperone system can be targeted to block the growth of cancer cells. This collaboration will look for new proteins, excluding the well established HSP90 protein, to target in chaperone pathways. The hope is that this research will enable scientists to find new ways to intervene in chaperone functions.

Novel drugs which act in this way could result in the more effective destruction of cancer-causing proteins and at the same time antagonize the protective survival functions of chaperones, leading to powerful and selective killing of cancer cells. Full details of these novel targets have not been published but the ICR scientists have published extensively on the components of the stress pathway and on related chaperone targets.

About The Institute of Cancer Research

The Institute of Cancer Research is Europe’s leading cancer research centre with expert scientists working on cutting edge research. In 2009, the ICR marks its 100 years of groundbreaking research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The ICR is home to the world’s leading academic drug development team which has developed many drugs now used as standard cancer treatments.

It continues to be at the forefront of drug development, taking 10 cancer drugs to clinical trial in the past 10 years. For more information please visit: http://www.icr.ac.uk

About Cancer Research Technology

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT) is a specialist commercialisation and development company, which aims to develop new discoveries in cancer research for the benefit of cancer patients. CRT works closely with leading international cancer scientists and their institutes to protect intellectual property arising from their research and to establish links with commercial partners. CRT facilitates the discovery, development and marketing of new cancer therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics and enabling technologies. CRT is wholly owned by Cancer Research UK, the largest independent funder of cancer research in the world. For more information please visit: http://www.cancertechnology.co.uk

About Cancer Research UK

– Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK’s vision is to beat cancer.
– Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer.
– Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients.
– Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made and the choices each person can make.
– Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer.

For further information about Cancer Research UK’s work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 020 7121 6699 or please visit:http://www.cancerresearchuk.org.

Source
AstraZeneca

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

Professor Bob Montgomery, President of the APS says, “At this stage, many children are aware of the threat of the flu outbreak from conversations amongst peers, the local community, from overhearing adult conversations, or from daily updates in the media. Parents have an important role to play not only in helping their children to understand and follow the Government health warnings and advice, but also to help calm their children by acknowledging their concerns and by reinforcing their children’s coping. Worries and anxieties about threats such as swine flu can become difficult for children of all ages to deal with”.

Acknowledging children’s concerns

Some simple steps for parents include:

– Acknowledging children’s concerns and worries. Given the current worldwide attention and Australia wide concerns over the H1N1 flu, it is understandable that children are anxious about what is taking place and how it might affect them.

– Listening closely to children’s concerns. Are they looking for factual information, or are the questions expressing anxiety?

– Responding to any obvious items of misinformation that they have picked up and help them to make sense of information or sort out truth from fiction. It can be very helpful to provide facts in these circumstances.

– Reinforcing the recommended government health practices to reduce the likelihood of contracting swine flu.

– Where children appear anxious and to be seeking assurance, providing comfort can help to allay distress.

Supporting children’s coping

Some simple steps for parents include:

– Being conscious of the presence of children when discussing swine flu with other adults. It is a good idea not to let children overhear adult conversations about worrying things if they cannot join in at their own age or stage of development. Be aware, too, of your own levels of anxiety around the children. Children often take their cues for how they feel and behave from the people around them.

– It can be helpful to limit how much your children are being exposed to media stories about swine flu.

– If a family member does become infected, take time to develop a plan for dealing with the ill family member and review this with your children.

– Focusing on maintaining children’s routines and schedules can support children’s adaptive coping. For example, keeping to routines such as mealtimes, extra-curricular activities, regular homework activities and bedtime rituals can be helpful.

The APS is the largest professional association for psychologists in Australia, representing more than 17,500 members. The APS is committed to advancing psychology as a discipline and profession. It spreads the message that psychologists make a difference to peoples’ lives, through improving psychological knowledge and community wellbeing.

Source
Australian Psychological Society

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

Rosiglitazone belongs to a class of drugs called thiazolidinediones, and has been proven by numerous studies as an effective agent to control blood glucose. But studies have also suggested an increased risk of heart attacks caused by the rosiglitazone, and concern about adverse effects has reduced its use. In this randomised trial, Professor Philip Home, The Medical School, Newcastle University, UK, and colleagues looked at 4447 patients with type 2 diabetes already on either metformin or a sulfonylurea with a mean haemoglobin A1c concentration* (HbA1c) of 7.9%. Patients were assigned received addition of either rosiglitazone (2220 patients) or to a combination of metformin and sulfonylurea (control group) (2227). The primary endpoint was cardiovascular hospitalisation or cardiovascular death.

The researchers found that 321 people in the rosiglitazone reached the primary endpoint compared with 323 in the control group – ie, no statistically significant difference. They also found that heart failure causing admission to hospital or death occurred in 61 people in the rosiglitazone group and 29 in the control group-thus risk of heart failure was more than doubled for rosiglitazone patients. The risk of arm and lower leg fractures also increased by 57% in patients given rosiglitazone-although the increased risk for women (82%) was much higher than that for men (23%).

The authors say*: “It is good to have robust evidence that this useful medication does perform similarly to other glucose-lowering medications in regard of cardiovascular events. It is also good to see it perform better in controlling blood glucose in the longer term. The data on fractures and heart failure are known class effects, and here the study provides useful data to help clinicians and people with diabetes decide when it is not safe to use rosiglitazone.”

They conclude: “What are the clinical implications for the future use of rosiglitazone? Rosiglitazone is not recommended for people with a history of heart failure or with previous problems that might have led to myocardial dysfunction. Rosiglitazone should be used with caution in women at high risk of fractures. Although our evidence is insufficient to rule out a small increased risk of myocardial infarction caused by rosiglitazone when compared with other glucose-lowering agents, rosiglitazone does not increase overall cardiovascular morbidity or mortality.”

In an accompanying Comment, Dr Ravi Retnakaran and Dr Bernard Zinman, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and University of Toronto, Canada, say that half-maximum doses of rosiglitazone (or a related drug pioglitazone) in combination therapy could be considered as it is generally accepted that half-doses give better-than-half results, while limiting side-effects. They conclude: “This combination therapy is currently being assessed for the prevention of diabetes in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance. If the efficacy of this strategy is confirmed, we might be able to find the optimal way to use this class of medications in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.”

In a speech on Wednesday, the chairman of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, Dr Jonathan Fielden, called for private management consultants to be “ditched” from the NHS. According to a recent estimate, the English NHS spent £350 million on independent management consultants last year.

Commenting on the Health Committee report, Dr Fielden says:

“This is hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money that is yet to be shown to have benefited patient care. Particularly during an economic crisis, the public has a right to know how its money is being spent.

“NHS staff already have widespread expertise and knowledge. The benefit of management consultants – steeped in the ethos of the private sector – must be questioned and needs to be justified.”

Source
The British Medical Association

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

Early detection is one of the keys to successful treatment for patients with oral cancer. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society (oral cancer in the United States, 2008 estimates), when oral cancer is found in its earliest stages, the five-year survival rate exceeds 80 percent.

Source
Ameritas Group

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

“Whilst food retailers have made some efforts to help consumers make healthy choices, on the key issue of food labelling, they are still resisting change.

“If retailers want to prove their commitment to people’s health they should bring in food labelling model which combines traffic light colours, GDAs and the words high, medium and low.

“This is the system that consumers say gives them the clearest and simplest information about the food they buy. It was the recommendation of the recent independent evaluation (2) and the Department of Health has stated publicly that industry should adopt it. (3)

“It’s time for food companies to stop making excuses, and ensure shoppers are given the ‘at a glance’ information they need.”

(1) Issued in response to “British Retailing: A commitment to health” published by the British Retail Consortium.

(2) Comprehension and use of UK nutrition signpost labelling schemes, authored by Nutrition Signposting Evaluation Project Management Panel

(3) Department of Health – Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives obesity strategy

Source
The British Heart Foundation

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

The new Access programme in Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences will be focussing on those who are looking to progress to university courses in Pharmacy or Biomedical Sciences and the course has been developed in partnership with the School of Pharmacy at the University of London. Candidates will need to have some aptitude for science and maths already and it is preferable that they have been working in a medical or healthcare environment but they may have been out of education for some time or be looking to change their career.

The one year Access programme will offer modules in Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Study Skills. Specialist modules in Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences include the action and uses of drugs; defence against disease; training in laboratory skills and health-related calculations. These modules will prepare learners to apply for university programmes in Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences.

Candidates will study in brand new science facilities at the College’s King’s Cross Centre. The learning environment provides facilities through which learners will develop the skills and knowledge they need for their next step and the aspirations to ensure it is a rewarding one. Every classroom is bright, stimulating and equipped with e-learning facilities.

Blair Malcolm, Head of Access to Higher Education at Westminster Kingsway College said: “The new Access to Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences course is unique in London and will provide candidates with a real opportunity to study and progress into higher education. We are very excited about this new programme and will be building on the successes of our existing Access to HE programmes where we have a near 100% achievement rate with many learners progressing onto universities all over the UK.”

The new Access to Higher Education programme in Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences will begin in September 2009 and candidates are encouraged to apply early as places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. For further information about Access courses at Westminster Kingsway College – applicants should contact the College’s Course Information team.

Westminster Kingsway College offers a wide range of Access to Higher Education courses for learners over 19 who wish to progress onto University study and is one of the biggest providers of these courses in London. The Modular Access Programme enables students to prepare for entry into higher education and gain a nationally recognised qualification. Access to Higher Education courses are offered in: Business; Hospitality; Humanities & Social Sciences; Law; Nursing, Midwifery & Health Therapies; Social Care; Social Studies; Teaching (for Primary Education); Travel & Tourism; and Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences.

For further information about these courses contact the College Course Information team on 0870 060 9800, email courseinfo@westking.ac.uk or by visiting http://www.westking.ac.uk.

Source
Westminster Kingsway College

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

Cardiovascular diseases brought on by hardening of the arteries are the most common cause of death in the Western world. Hardening of the arteries means a thickening of the walls of blood vessels and the appearance of so-called atherosclerotic plaque, which consist of stored fat, among other things.

With the aid of ultrasound images, it is possible to find individuals who are at risk by measuring the thickness of the walls in the carotid artery. Another ultrasound method is to analyze whether the character of various types of plaque can predict the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Peter Holdfeldt has developed new and more refined methods of image analysis that are based on dynamic programming.

“Measurements of the thickness of the walls of the carotid require the detection of boundaries between different layers of tissue in the blood vessel,” he says. “Previously dynamic programming has been used to automatically detect boundaries in still images. But the new method uses dynamic programming for detection in image sequences of one and the same blood vessel instead.”

Examining an entire image sequence instead of a single image provides a more correct result, since it is possible to make use of the similarity between the images in the sequence – a boundary ought to be found in roughly the same place in two images in a row. The method comprises two steps. First, several alternative locations of the boundary are determined in each image. Then one of the alternatives is selected from each image, and it is in this step that the program factors in the movement of boundaries between images.

“This has proven to provide more correct detections of boundaries than what you can get from a program that detects boundaries on the basis of a single image,” says Peter Holdfeldt.

He has also developed a method to automatically classify atherosclerotic plaque. This plaque can burst and form blood clots that cause heart attacks or strokes. In ultrasound images it is possible with the naked eye to see the type of plaque that often leads to stroke, but such an assessment is subjective and is influenced by disturbances in the image. The new automatic method entails a technological advancement of ultrasound technology that can lead to more objective and quantifiable analysis.

Peter Holdfeldt’s research has been part of a collaborative project between Chalmers and the Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. Björn Fagerberg, a physician and professor of cardiovascular research, is responsible for the clinical evaluation of the new methods together with the doctoral candidate Ulrica Prahl.

“We’re now busy testing the new automatic method for plaque classification in patient groups,” he says. “In its final form it should be an excellent aid in identifying high-risk patients.”

Measurement of the carotid artery is already in use today in cardiovascular research. There are other methods of measurement, but they are not as well validated as the method that has been developed by the researchers at Chalmers and Sahlgrenska.

“Dynamic image analysis is an exciting new method that will no doubt offer great potential for elaboration,” says Björn Fagerberg. “The advantage of using ultrasound is that is practical, inexpensive, and patient-friendly.”

The dissertation “Dynamic Programming for Ultrasound Image Analysis of Atherosclerosis” was defended on May 15.

Source: Vetenskapsradet (The Swedish Research Council)

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

An Italian research team, led by Dr. Sergio Bevilacqua of Ospedaliera Universitaria Careggi, Florence, report on the use of their “cooperative patient general anesthesia” technique in 181 patients undergoing carotid artery surgery (endarterectomy) for stroke prevention. The patients received conventional general anesthesia up to the time that the carotid artery was clamped, as must be done so that the surgeon can repair it.

At that time, the general anesthetic was reduced, and the patients received an infusion of remifentanil a morphine-like drug that suppresses pain but permits the patient to regain consciousness. During this part of the procedure, the patients were able to respond to simple commands, such as to open their eyes or squeeze a toy in their hand. This permitted the surgeon to verify that the blood supply to the brain remained adequate during surgery.

Communication Allows Monitoring of Brain Blood Supply During Surgery

The cooperative technique was successfully carried out in all but two patients, who were kept on general anesthesia. All of the remaining patients were able to respond to the surgeon’s commands. In about twelve percent of cases, the responses from the conscious patient led the surgeon to take additional steps to protect the brain blood flow.

Most patients reported no problems with related to being conscious during their surgery. Ninety-nine percent of patients found the experience nonstressful sometimes even pleasant. Most described the experience as dreamlike; although some had more vivid recollections, none reported any pain or distress. Both patients and surgeons were happy with the anesthesia technique.

Carotid endarterectomy is a common procedure to prevent stroke in patients with atherosclerosis (“hardening”) of the carotid arteries supplying blood to the brain. Local anesthesia can be used, leaving the patient conscious for monitoring during the procedure. This allows the surgical team to monitor the patient’s condition during surgery. However, many patients and surgeons are uncomfortable with this technique.

The new study finds cooperative patient general anesthesia to be a “safe and satisfactory” technique for use in carotid surgery. By allowing the patient to respond to simple commands, it provides the surgeon with valuable information to guide the procedure. The procedure appears safe, pain free, and not disturbing or traumatic for the patient, the researchers write.

About the IARS

The International Anesthesia Research Society is a nonpolitical, not-for-profit medical society founded in 1922 to encourage, stimulate, and fund ongoing anesthesia-related research and projects that will enhance and advance the anesthesiology specialty. The IARS has a worldwide membership of 15,000 physicians, physician residents, and others with doctoral degrees, as well as health professionals in anesthesia-related practice. In additional to publishing the monthly scientific journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, the IARS sponsors an annual clinical and scientific meeting, funds anesthesia-related research, and sponsors the Global Perioperative Research Organization (GPRO).

Source IARS

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional:

Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Leicester, Nicholas Hartell, is leading a research group examining the connections between brain cells, called synapses.

And thanks to fluorescent protein sensors derived from proteins originally discovered in jellyfish, the researchers can watch synapses as they transmit and store information.

Professor Hartell, of the Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology, will be explaining his research at an inaugural public lecture to be held on Tuesday 9 June at 5.30pm in Lecture Theatre 1, Ken Edwards Building. It is open to the public and free.

He said: “Changes in the strength of signalling between excitable cells in the brain provide a mechanism for information storage in the brain. In this lecture, I will discuss how synapses, the specialised connections formed between brain cells, can change their properties and so contribute to the learning and the formation of memory.

“In particular, I will introduce recent work that aims to develop methods of visualising synaptic transmission during learning. I will also consider the application of technology originally developed for televisions, projectors and the telecommunications industry to high speed visualisation of neurones and neural networks.”

Source: Leicester University

Please rate this article:
(Hover over the stars
then click to rate) Patient / Public:
orHealth Professional: