2009:

Cancer drug to prevent premature birth. Scientists from Newcastle University have found Trichostatin A can stop contractions and may stop the onset of premature labour. Around 1,500 babies in the UK die every year because they are born prematurely, and rates are rising. Trichostatin A (TSA) is used to kill cancer cells, but doctors tested it on the tissue of 36 women undergoing a Caesarean. http://www.babychums.com/2009/10/anti-cancer-drug-may-hold-keys-to-reducing-premature-birth/

FDA Approves GlaxoSmithKline Kidney Cancer Drug Votrient. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Votrient, a new GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) drug to treat kidney cancer. The approval follows the unanimous backing earlier this month of an FDA panel of outside medical experts who said the benefit-to-risk profile was acceptable for patients with advanced kidney cancer. The approval of Votrient, also known by its generic name pazopanib, marks the sixth drug to be approved to treat kidney cancer since 2005. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091019-715048.html

Myriad Genetics, Inc. Acquires Exclusive Rights to Pancreatic Cancer Gene Patent. Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced it has obtained from Johns Hopkins University a world-wide, exclusive license to patents covering mutations in the PALB2 gene that increase an individual's risk for developing pancreatic cancer later in life. http://www.stockhouse.com/News/USReleasesDetail.aspx?n=7488543 

Computer Simulations Validate Treatment Targets For Lung Cancer. Using computer modeling, the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Scottsdale Healthcare have discovered lung cancer 'pathways' that could become targets for new drugs, according to a scientific paper published online today by the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. http://www.ebionews.com/news-center/research-frontiers/biomarkers-a-drug-targets/8686.html

Gene That Regulates Breast Cancer Metastasis Identified. Researchers at The Wistar Institute have identified a key gene (KLF17) involved in the spread of breast cancer throughout the body. They also demonstrated that expression of KLF17 together with another gene (Id1) known to regulate breast cancer metastasis accurately predicts whether the disease will spread to the lymph nodes. Previously, the function of KLF17 had been unknown. In this study, which appears in the October on-line issue of Nature Cell Biology. http://www.ebionews.com/news-center/research-frontiers/biomarkers-a-drug-targets/8685.html

Clemson Bioengineer Uses Nanoparticles To Target Drugs. Clemson bioengineer Frank Alexis is designing new ways to target drugs and reduce the chances for side effects. Pharmaceutical commercials can cause the unsettling feeling that if the disease doesn't kill, the cure will, what with a drug's long list of side effects and warnings. Many therapeutic drugs administered by pill, cream, syringe, IV or liquid can be a hit or miss delivery system. Researchers report that only 1 of 100,000 molecules of an intravenous drug make it to the intended spot in the body.http://www.ebionews.com/news-center/enterprise-a-industry/business-development/8717.html