A three-day-old mini-liver, grown in a lab from human pluripotent stem cells Organ transplants save lives, but in terms of human donors, demand far exceeds supply. Current research is looking into how viable animal alternatives might be, whether human organs can be grown inside living pigs and how replacements could be grown in a lab. A new breakthrough could make...
Category: <span>Miscellaneous</span>
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Cardiac stem cells from heart disease patients may be harmful
Patients with severe and end-stage heart failure have few treatment options available to them apart from transplants and “miraculous” stem cell therapy. But a new Tel Aviv University study finds that stem cell therapy may, in fact, harm heart disease patients. The research, led by Prof. Jonathan Leor of TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and...
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Pharma companies fight behind-the-scenes wars over generic drugs
ll good things must come to an end” is a proverb that brand-name drug makers have trouble taking to heart. Just look at the strategies used to prevent competitors from bringing less-expensive generics to market. Pharmaceutical research has led to tremendous advances in medicine. Because of the extraordinarily high cost of bringing new drugs to...
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FDA approves cheaper alternative to EpiPen after emergency drug faced backlash over skyrocketing prices
EpiPens cost about $630 to $700 without insurance New generic version retails for about $225 to $425 U.S. regulators have approved new competition for EpiPen, the emergency allergy medicine that made Mylan a poster child for pharmaceutical company greed. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corp.’s product, which should go on...
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Could Parkinson’s disease be cured by transplanting PIG CELLS into the brain? Early trials may hold the key to the first ever remedy
The futuristic technique has already proved that it can be successful on rats Four patients who have had the procedure are believed to be on the mend The firm behind the treatment believe it could offer hope to millions of sufferers Transplanting pig cells into the brain may be able to cure Parkinson’s disease, new...
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The CRISPR controversy: Scientists skeptical over recent critical study
Last month, a study was published claiming that the groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique could potentially introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into an animal’s genome. Unsurprisingly, this study sent shockwaves through the scientific community, with the stock prices from several gene-editing companies falling. Critics are now calling into question the veracity of the study, claiming it is filled...
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New class of type 2 diabetes drug associated with rare, life-threatening outcome
A new class of drugs, known as SGLT2 inhibitors, is increasingly being prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but may increase the risk of rare but serious complication known as diabetic ketoacidosis. In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital quantify that risk, finding...
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Stem cell treatment for lethal STAT1 gene mutation produces mixed results
One example of STAT1 GOF Mutation phenotype. Researchers report the first-ever study assessing how patients with “gain of function” mutation of the STAT1 gene respond to stem cell transplantation. It involved 15 young patients from nine different countries, each suffering a range of complications caused by the gene’s mutation. Of these, only six survived...
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Study: Common surgical treatment for melanoma does not improve patients’ overall survival
Melanoma in skin biopsy with H&E stain — this case may represent superficial spreading melanoma. Patients who receive the standard surgical treatment for melanoma that has spread to one or more key lymph nodes do not live longer, a major new study shows. The study, published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, found...
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FBI raids offices of lab that pays doctors to promote genetic tests
The Irvine, Calif., headquarters of Proove Biosciences. Federal investigators searched a California DNA testing lab Wednesday and hauled away boxes of documents as part of a health care fraud investigation, according to former employees familiar with the matter. Proove Biosciences, an Irvine, Calif., firm that purports to determine a patient’s likelihood of becoming addicted to opioids,...