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Stroke Patients Less Likely To Meet Treatment Goals Than Heart Disease Patients
A majority of high-risk stroke patients are less likely to meet clinical treatment targets to prevent repeat stroke or heart attacks compared to those with heart disease, suggesting the need to examine new therapeutic strategies, according to a study led by St. Michael"s Hospital neurologist Dr. Gustavo Saposnik. What"s more, medical procedures or ongoing specialty care may improve patients" awareness and consequent treatment success.
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Additional "Unsuspected" Breast Cancers Not Seen On Mammography Or Ultrasound Detected By Breast MRI
A total of 199 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer underwent breast MRI. "We found additional, unsuspected cancers in the ipsilateral breast (the one that had already been diagnosed with cancer) in 16% of patients; we found cancers in the contralateral breast (the one that had not been diagnosed with cancer) in 4% of patients," said Petra J. Lewis, MD, lead author of the study. "These patients had already had bilateral mammography and these tumors had not been apparent on mammography," said Dr. Lewis.
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How Microbial Neighbors Settle Differences
Even microbes are governed by the principle of supply and demand - at least at the genetic level. Not all of their gene products, the blueprints for proteins, are required at all times. That means most of their genes only become active when they are needed, as is the case in higher organisms. In the simplest case, a transcription factor will activate the gene in question at the right time. Genes that are regulated in a somewhat more complex manner, on the other hand, are kept inactive by a repressor that is removed only when the gene is needed. Which of these two regulation mechanisms will develop is a question of demand, along the lines of a "use-it-or-lose-it" principle: if genes are frequently active, then, as a rule, they will be directly induced. Genes that encode more rarely used proteins, on the other hand, tend to be kept inactive by repressors. LMU physicist Ulrich Gerland and Professor Terence Hwa of the University of California have now demonstrated using computer simulations and theoretical analyses that another - indeed opposing - principle also comes into play: "wear-and-tear". According to this principle, direct activation can lead to harmful changes. "Which of the two principles prevails depends on evolutionary criteria such as the population size and the periods over which environmental changes take place," says Gerland. "Our study may serve as a useful basis for more detailed studies of the evolution of regulatory systems." (PNAS Early Edition, 22 Mai 2009)
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Galapagos Initiates Clinical Studies With GLPG0187, A Candidate Drug For Bone Metastasis

Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG) announced that it has initiated Phase I clinical development of its integrin receptor antagonist (IRA), GLPG0187. This is the second small molecule therapeutic from Galapagos" internal drug discovery program to enter the clinic in 2009. Candidate drug GLPG0187 could offer a promising new therapeutic approach for treating cancer patients. Initial development will focus on bone metastases from prostate and breast cancer. Strong anti-cancer therapeutic profile in pre-clinical models GLPG0187 offers a potentially highly competitive therapeutic profile compared to currently available agents to treat bone metastasis, a severe aspect of many cancers. GLPG0187 blocks five integrin receptors known to be present in many metastatic cancers, affording a unique anti-integrin profile. In animal studies, oral administration of GLPG0187 as a single agent has been shown to inhibit multiple processes involved in the spread and growth of tumors and the destruction of bone. In these models, GLPG0187 also provided additive benefits to the bone protective action reported for currently used treatments(1). Based on the pre-clinical safety and efficacy data, Galapagos has been granted permission to initiate a first-in-human Phase I study to evaluate this compound"s safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic properties, which will aid in evaluating its further development for the treatment of bone metastases. "We are pleased to announce the transition of GLPG0187 into clinical development," said Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos. "This candidate drug has been shown to affect several steps in cancer disease progression in pre-clinical studies - suggesting that it may slow down the growth of existing bone metastasis as well as protect organs from invading cancer cells." Details of the Phase I clinical trial The primary endpoints of this first-in-human trial will be to determine the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of the candidate drug GLPG0187 as well as the evaluation of biomarkers to aid in the design of later trials. The double-blind, single ascending dose study will be conducted in 18 healthy human volunteers in Belgium over the coming months. About Galapagos Galapagos (Euronext: GLPG; OTC: GLPYY) is a drug discovery and development company with small molecule programs in bone and joint diseases, bone metastasis, cachexia, anti-infectives and metabolic diseases. It has established risk sharing alliances with GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Eli Lilly and Merck. Through an alliance with MorphoSys, Galapagos is also developing new antibody therapies in bone and joint diseases. Its division BioFocus DPI offers a full suite of target-to-drug discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies and to patient foundations, encompassing target discovery and validation, screening and drug discovery through to delivery of pre-clinical candidates. Galapagos currently employs 490 people and operates facilities in six countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium. More info at: http://www.glpg.com. Galapagos


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