Here’s a roundup of recent clinical trial and scientific study news:
- Maternal stroke history tied to women’s heart attack risk
If you’re a woman and your mother had a stroke, you may have a risk of heart attack in addition to a higher risk of stroke, according to new research on family history and heart disease published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. In a study of more than 2,200 patients, female heart patients were more likely to have mothers who had suffered a stroke than fathers who did.
Read more - Genomic Health announces results from biomarker discovery program using sequencing to compare normal and tumor breast tissue
Genomic Health Inc. (NSDQ:GHDX) scientists successfully surveyed expression of the whole human transcriptome using DNA sequencing technology developed by Illumina Inc. (NSDQ:ILMN), to test hypotheses for biomarker discovery in archived tumor and normal breast tissue samples. The study identified hundreds of coding and non-coding transcripts that are differentially expressed in tumor versus normal, non-cancerous breast tissue, including a subset of genes statistically associated with the recurrence of breast cancer. Additionally, novel candidate biomarkers from outside of the known protein-coding regions of the genome were discovered to be associated with recurrence of breast cancer. The findings were presented at the 12th Annual Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) meeting.
Read more - Cells’ energy factories linked to damaging inflammation
Scientists discovered that molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the energy factories, or mitochondria, in cells, may play a role in a rare inherited disorder in which uncontrolled inflammation damages the body’s tissues. Their research in human and mouse cells suggests that blocking these molecules could reduce inflammation in TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) and possibly other inflammatory diseases. The work, published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, a component of the National Institutes of Health.
Read more - Endologix announces favorable clinical results for Nellix technology
Endologix, Inc. (NSDQ:ELGX), developer of minimally invasive treatments for aortic disorders, announced the publication of favorable clinical results for the Nellix technology for the endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (EVAR). The peer-reviewed article reported initial results from the international multicenter clinical trial, with successful aneurysm exclusion in all patients, and no late aneurysm or device-related adverse events or secondary procedures.
Read more - MicroCHIPS initiates clinical study
MicroCHIPS Inc., a developer of innovative drug delivery systems, is initiating the first clinical study to demonstrate precisely controlled delivery of a peptide from a multi-reservoir, programmable, implant system. The study will assess the pharmacokinetics of long-term parathyroid hormone (hPTH 1-34) delivery in women with osteoporosis. Parathyroid hormone is a thirty-four amino acid peptide that is currently self-injected daily to increase bone density in women suffering from severe osteoporosis. During MicroCHIPS’ first human study, in progress at a site in Denmark, participants will receive a series of precisely timed doses of PTH(1-34) over a period of months, eliminating the need for injections. The drug will be delivered automatically using wireless communication to confirm dose delivery.
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