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An experimental drug is showing promise for the treatment of men with an aggressive form of advanced prostate cancer. A new multicenter study has concluded that the targeted therapy MDV3100 is safe and effective for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), known for its poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The research, led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, appears early online and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet.

A natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk – lauric acid -- shines as a possible new acne treatment thanks to a bioengineering graduate student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The student developed a "smart delivery system" – published in the journal ACS Nano in March – capable of delivering lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to skin-dwelling bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that cause common acne.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A study led by Mayo Clinic suggests remission from Crohn's disease (http://www.mayoclinic.org/crohns/) may be more likely if patients get biologic therapy combined with immune-suppressing drugs first instead of immune-suppressing drugs alone.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- For 30 years, the chemotherapy drug cisplatin has been one of doctors' first lines of defense against tumors, especially those of the lung, ovary and testes. While cisplatin is often effective when first given, it has a major drawback: Tumors can become resistant to the drug and start growing again.

To be a truly comprehensive and successful anti-obesity program, First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign must include interventions that target pregnant women, infants, and pre-school-age children, UCSF experts say.

Separate species that live in radically different environments don't necessarily also have different ecological niches. This is the finding of a study investigating the accuracy of current statistical tests that use models of geographic distributions to infer changes in environmental requirements.

A tumor-causing maize fungus with the unsavory-sounding name "corn smut" wields different weapons from its genetic arsenal depending on which part of the plant it infects. The discovery by Stanford researchers marks the first time tissue-specific targeting has been found in a pathogen.

The finding upends conventional notions of how pathogens attack and could point the way to new approaches to fighting disease not only in plants but also in people, according to Stanford researchers. Corn smut is a plant cancer.

Using a method they developed to watch moment to moment as they move a molecule to precise sites inside live human cells, Johns Hopkins scientists are closer to understanding why and how a protein at one location may signal division and growth, and the same protein at another location, death.

Their research, published Feb. 14 in Nature Methods, expands on a more limited method using a chemical tool to move proteins inside of cells to the periphery, a locale known as the plasma membrane.

Princeton University scientists have developed a new way to identify the hidden genetic material responsible for complex traits, a breakthrough they believe ultimately could lead to a deeper understanding of how multiple genes interact to produce everything from blue eyes to blood pressure problems.

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that epigenetic marks on human placentas change from the first trimester of pregnancy to the third, a discovery that may allow clinicians to prevent complications in pregnancy.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Exclusive licensing deals are a two-way safety net that fosters cooperation as new product ideas weave their way toward the marketplace, according to new research led by a University of Illinois business strategy expert.

Deepak Somaya says the findings reveal that granting rights to a sole partner is a tool to curb risk and leverage cooperation, not to corner the market when breakthrough innovations are ultimately launched.

Atlanta, April 13th, 2010 – New data presented at the 62nd American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Toronto, Canada, showed that patients with moderate to severe Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) using rotigotine achieved sustained improvements in symptoms over 5 years of treatment.

DURHAM, N.C. –Exclusive licenses to gene patents, most of which are held by academic institutions and based on taxpayer-funded research, do more to block competition in the gene testing market than to spur the development of new technologies for gauging disease risk, say researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP).

As single-gene tests give way to multi-gene or even whole-genome scans, exclusive patent rights could slow promising new technologies and business models for genetic testing even further, the Duke researchers say.

STANFORD, Calif. — Women with breast cancer whose tumors express high levels of a particular genetic marker are significantly more likely to die from their disease than are those with more normal levels, according to researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding implies that blocking the action of the marker — a newly recognized type of RNA — could one day be an effective way to prevent metastasis and improve survival for these women, who make up about one-third of all breast cancer patients.

Using powerful DNA sequencing technology to decode the genomes of cancer patients, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are getting an unprecedented look at the genetic basis of a highly lethal breast cancer that disproportionately affects younger women and those who are African-American.