Study reveals that the use of oxygen-saturated blood reduces levels of damaged heart tissue following a heart attack

Studies presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics demonstrate the flexibility of targeted therapy techniques, where new drugs can be developed and tested in human trials more quickly and safely than ever before.

Late-breaking results from the ENDEAVOR IV trial, presented at TCT 2007, the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, show that the Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent met the trial’s primary endpoint, demonstrating a similar overall safety profile (equivalent rates of death, heart attack, and repeat procedures) to the Taxus paclitaxel-eluting stent at 1 year.

Early nasogastric enteral nutrition is a breakthrough in the management of severe acute pancreatitis. From meta-analysis based on current available clinical studies early nasogastric enteral nutrition appeared effective and safe in clinical practice.

Pan-European collaboration is important for many clinical trials and essential for trials that are investigating treatments for rare diseases.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (“Oncolytics”) (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ:ONCY) announced that an oral presentation covering interim results from a U.K. Phase Ia/Ib combination REOLYSIN® and radiation clinical trial for patients with advanced or metastatic cancers is scheduled to be presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) conference on October 2, 2007 in Birmingham, U.K.

Most clinical trials for new diabetes drugs do not consider the impact medication will have on a patient’s quality of life or other outcomes that are important to patients, such as the risk of developing complications associated with diabetes, according to a Mayo Clinic commentary in the current issue of The Lancet.

Before a new treatment becomes available, researchers must recruit hundreds or thousands of patients to participate in clinical research trials. But finding these patients is often difficult. Many potential candidates are unaware of the studies or unable to participate due do logistical hurdles.

Medical professionals conducting clinical trials should provide more information about financial conflicts of interest before they talk to patients about participating in the trials.

Heart attack patients who received an new intravenous adult stem cell therapy, Provacelâ„¢, experienced a lower number of adverse events, such as cardiac arrhythmias, and had significant improvements in heart, lung and global function compared to those who received a placebo, according to six-month Phase I study data presented at the American College of Cardiology's Innovation in Intervention: i2Summit in New Orleans on March 25.

In an accompanying editorial, Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., of the Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, examines the findings of the EVEREST trial.

The Parkinson's Institute will participate in a large-scale national clinical trial to learn if the nutritional supplement creatine can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). While creatine is not an approved therapy for PD or any other condition, it is widely thought to improve exercise performance. The potential benefit of creatine for PD was identified by Parkinson's researchers through a new rapid method for screening potential compounds.