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September 15th, 2005
A team of scientists from John Hopkins are to participate in
a project to develop a test to determine a person’s risk of developing colon cancer. The team, along with undisclosed
other scientists are to receive a $2.25 million, five-year grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for work on the
project.
The impetus for the test is a gene called insulin-like growth factor
2 (IGF-2). Studies have shown that there is a link to that gene and the development of colon cancer. One of the leaders
of the project, Andrew Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., at Johns Hopkins explained further, "If everything works out -- if IGF-2 status
is tied to colon cancer risk in people and the blood test is workable -- then IGF-2 status could be the colon cancer equivalent
of cholesterol levels as a risk factor for heart disease. We've never had a broad molecular screening tool like that for any
cancer."
September 15th, 2005
ViRexx Medical Corp. (TSX:VIR), has completed a private placement
of 4,035,665 units for gross proceeds of $4,035,665. ViRexx focuses its efforts on ovarian cancer, chronic hepatitis B and
hepatitis C and tumor treatments.
Marc Canton, President and COO of ViRexx commented on the financing,
"This transaction strengthens the Company's financial position as we prepare to initiate a Phase I safety study of HepaVaxx
B in healthy adults later this year, representing the fourth ongoing clinical trial from our pipeline of products. The HepaVaxx
B trial will build on our ongoing clinical development program which includes the Phase I Occlusin 50 Injection and the two
later stage OvaRex MAb trials, both of which are funded by our licensing partner, United Therapeutics Corporation."
ViRexx's lead product, OvaRex MAb, is planned for late-stage ovarian
cancer treatment. It is presently in Phase III clinical trial. Unither Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of United Therapeutics
Corporationis funding that trial.
September 7th, 2005
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has chosen InforSense’s
technology for high-throughput genetic data analysis for use in cancer research. Grid Computing Platform application development
research based on InforSense KDE platform will be performed at the Core Genotyping Facility of the NCI at Gaithersburg, Maryland.
The KDE based research is expected to result in the publication of leading analysis methods through a web portal for other
researchers.
According to Dr. Meredith Yeager, Scientific Director,
Core Genotyping Facility, NCI "Investigators require access to the latest analysis techniques to advance their research. Therefore,
creating the informatics infrastructure to compose and deliver these methods is a high priority at the CGF. After an extensive
review of the available commercial and open source options, we recognized that InforSense KDE is able to provide the functionality,
flexibility, and scalability we need to support our research, and to develop caBIG (Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid) compatible
applications."
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