Latest Caspase Stories

Pre-clinical studies presented at the 9th International Conference on Membrane Redox Systems in Wellington New Zealand this week demonstrate that Novogen's NV-128 (a novel mTOR inhibitor), when used in combination with the Marshall Edwards, Inc.'s Phase III anti-ovarian cancer drug, phenoxodiol, produces potent synergistic anti-cancer activity against non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines (NSCLC). Importantly, the synergistic cytotoxicity observed between NV-128 and phenoxodiol was...

By Bacqueville, Daniel Mavon, Alain ABSTRACT In the present study, a convenient and easy-to-handle skin organ culture was developed from domestic pig ears using polycarbonate Transwell(R) culture inserts in 12-well plate. This alternative model was then tested for its suitability in analyzing the shortterm effects of a single solar radiation dose (from 55 to 275 kJ m^sup -2^). Differentiation of the pig skin was maintained for up to 48 h in culture, and its morphology was similar to that of...

Neurologix, a biotechnology company engaged in the development of gene therapies for the brain and central nervous system, and Aegera Therapeutics, a private clinical stage company focused on oncology and neuropathic pain, have executed an exclusive license agreement. Pursuant to the agreement, Neurologix has exclusively licensed the worldwide rights, excluding China, for the use of the x-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) gene for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes in the...

By Vaux, David Proteins that cause cell death in insects are showing promise as anti-cancer drugs. Every second, about a million of our cells complete the process of cell division to generate an extra million cells. To maintain the correct cell number, and so we don't get bigger and bigger, it is necessary that an equal number of cells are removed. Cells are disposed of by an intracellular self-destruct process termed "apoptosis". Since you started reading this article, 100 million cells in...

BOTHELL, Wash., Aug. 7, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Sonus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNUS) announced today that it has signed an exclusive in-licensing agreement with Bayer HealthCare LLC for development of a family of compounds known as caspase activators presently in preclinical research. Caspase activators consist of small molecules that have been identified in preclinical research as activators of programmed cell death. Unlike normal cells, many tumor cell types have lost the ability to...

GNI and EpiCept have reached an agreement to develop a new therapeutic drug, EP1013, in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, for late-stage viral infection-induced hepatitis. Under the agreement, EpiCept will retain the rights in the rest of the world. GNI's wholly owned subsidiary, Shanghai Genomics, will start preparation for pre-investigational new drug (IND) application and clinical development in China immediately. In return for granting a license to GNI to develop EP1013, EpiCept earned...

By Blankenberg, Francis G After several decades of debate, it is now widely acknowledged that apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is central to homoeostasis and normal development and physiology in all multicellular organisms, including humans. The dysregulation of apoptosis can lead to the destruction of normal tissues in a variety of disorders, including autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases (too much apoptosis) or the growth of tumors (too little apoptosis). In addition,...

Critical Outcome Technologies has received confirmatory experimental results that have identified a novel and potentially first in class mechanism of action for its lead cancer drug candidate, COTI-2. Experiments conducted in triplicate have confirmed that COTI-2 has a profound effect on caspase-9 activation through inhibition of Akt/PKB. According to the company, the resulting activation of caspase-9 leads to a vigorous apoptosis or programmed cell death in cancer cells. Wayne Danter,...

Researchers have identified a key player in the killing of brain cells after a stroke or a seizure. The protein asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) unleashes enzymes that break down brain cells' DNA, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.The results are published in the March 28 issue of the journal Molecular Cell.Finding drugs that block AEP may help doctors limit permanent brain damage following strokes or seizures, says senior author Keqiang Ye, PhD, associate professor...

DURHAM, N.C. -- An immature egg's internal nutrient supply is critical to its survival, an insight that offers a new route to understanding and treating infertility due to egg death, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers. As women age, their stockpile of immature eggs, called oocytes, diminishes through cell death, eventually leading to infertility. In studies with frog oocytes, the Duke researchers found that the nutrient storehouse, or yolk, plays a key role in...