Research & Treatment News
September 28, 2006
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Scientists have discovered a protein necessary for liver cell regeneration, an ability that is directly impacted by liver disease. The identification of this protein in helping the liver to heal itself opens up a new realm of liver disease treatment possibilities.
Regenerating Hope For Liver Disease, University Of Queensland
Medical News Today
September 15, 2006
A protein essential in the process of liver regeneration has been identified by a team of scientists in a discovery that could lead to treatments for serious liver diseases such as hepatitis.
The protein, caveolin-1, was identified as being necessary for regeneration by a team of scientists from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland, and the University of Barcelona.
“The liver has an amazing capacity to regenerate and repair itself after damage, such as a heavy session of drinking,” Professor Robert Parton, one of the team leaders, said.
“But in some diseases, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis, the liver is so damaged that it loses this regeneration capacity.
“Identifying that caveolin-1 is an essential ingredient in the process of liver regeneration brings us a step closer to finding treatments for people whose livers are not able to heal themselves.”
The team members made their discovery by comparing normal mice with mice that were unable to produce caveolin-1.
The livers of the vast majority of normal mice were able to regenerate after damage, while three-quarters of the mice without caveolin-1 died if they sustained significant liver damage.
“The livers of mice that couldn't produce caveolin-1 were not significantly different to normal mice before any damage occurred,” Professor Parton said.
“This suggests that other proteins may compensate for the lack of caveolin-1 when the liver is functioning normally, with its essential role becoming apparent only when the liver is injured.”
The team's findings have been published in the current edition of top international journal Science, on the eve of UQ's Research Week.
Research Week celebrates the outstanding research that is produced at The University of Queensland with public forums, seminars, workshops and the annual UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards.
Posted by Editors at 9:01 AM --- Printer-friendly version
September 18, 2006
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An unlikely ally has been uncovered for Hepatitis C treatment. Interferon and ribavirin treatment is known to inflict severe side effects resulting in low retention rates. While the link is not yet concrete, medical marijuana appears to reduce those side effects, improving a person's chance of completing treatment.
Study: Pot helps cure hepatitis C
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Tri-Valley Herald Newspaper
By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER
Medical marijuana users are more likely to finish hepatitis C treatment and so are more likely to be cured, according to a newly published study conducted in San Francisco and Oakland.
Other studies have shown marijuana relieves symptoms, but medical marijuana advocates said this could be the first to show improved cure rates for a life-threatening illness.
The study is by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Oakland-based Organization to Achieve Solutions in Substance Abuse (OASIS). It was published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. It found marijuana users being treated for HCV three times more likely to have a "sustained virological response," meaning the virus can't be detected six months after treatment ends.
HCV treatment with ribavirin and interferon causes severe side effects, so many patients quit the long regimen too early.
Of 71 HCV patients studied, 21 finished with a sustained
virological response: 12 of the 22 cannabis users and nine of the 49 nonusers.
"(M)odest cannabis use may offer symptomatic and virological benefit to some patients... by helping them maintain adherence to the challenging medication regimen," the study concluded.
Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., issued a news release touting this as "a landmark study, showing that medical marijuana can literally save lives. Every day that our government continues punishing the sick for using this medicine is literally a crime against humanity."
Posted by Editors at 5:28 PM --- Printer-friendly version
September 15, 2006
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology can now help detect end stage liver disease. Needle biopsies will quickly become archaic as this painless, low-risk and accurate method continues to demonstrate promise in evaluating liver fibrosis.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Liver Diagnosis Breakthrough with Mayo Clinic MRI Development
MR Elastography provides early warning
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new technique for using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to accurately measure the hardness or elasticity of the liver. First tests show this technology -- called MR Elastography (MRE) -- holds great promise for detecting liver fibrosis, a common condition that can lead to incurable cirrhosis if not treated in time. Traditionally, liver fibrosis is usually diagnosed using needle biopsies, which can involve complications and may be inaccurate due to sampling errors. The new technology promises to provide an accurate, painless, and lower risk alternative to liver biopsy and may have implications for diagnosing cancer. These research findings appeared in the journal Radiology.
"This is potentially an important diagnostic advance, since conventional imaging techniques, such as CT, MRI and ultrasound are not capable of identifying liver fibrosis prior to the onset of cirrhosis," says Richard Ehman, M.D., Mayo researcher and lead investigator on the study.
"The Elastogram"
The healthy liver is very soft compared to most other tissues and especially compared to a liver with cirrhosis, which is rock hard. The development by Dr. Ehman and his colleagues applies vibrations to the liver and then utilizes a modified form of MRI to obtain pictures of the mechanical waves passing through the organ. The imaging can be accomplished in as little as 20 seconds. The wave pictures are then processed to generate a quantitative image of tissue stiffness -- called an elastogram.
Researchers compared results of the process on 12 patients with biopsy-proven liver fibrosis with those of 12 healthy participants. This pilot trial of MRE showed strikingly elevated stiffness in patients with fibrosis and that the stiffness increased with the progression of the condition.
Impact of the Research
The availability of a reliable, non-invasive method for detecting liver fibrosis could lead to early diagnosis -- in patients considered at risk for liver disease -- and increase their chances for successful treatment. For example, 170 million people worldwide are infected with chronic hepatitis C and a significant number will develop cirrhosis, which is untreatable. Even if some risk factors are identified, there is no way to predict which patients will develop fibrosis, and successive liver biopsies in all these patients aren't possible. Non-invasive monitoring with MRE of those at risk would detect the problem early and help assess the effect of treatments.
Collaboration and Support
Others on the research team include Meng Yin; Olivier Rouviere, M.D.; Jayant Talwalkar, M.D.; M. Alex Dresner, Ph.D.; Phillip Rossman; Lawrence Burgart, M.D.; and Jeff Fidler, M.D. The research was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
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Posted by Editors at 11:19 AM --- Printer-friendly version
September 14, 2006
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Results of a Phase II study indicate that the oral medication Suvus (TM) can significantly lower HCV viral load without any major side effects. Because it was only tested to battle HCV genotype 4a, this medication may not directly benefit those with other HCV genotypes. However, hope lies in the fact that progress is being made against the virus as a whole, with new breakthroughs occurring every day.
Bioenvision's Suvus(TM) Lowers Viral Load in Chronic Hepatitis C; Randomized Study Data Presented at Scientific Conference
Bioenvision, Inc. (NasdaqGM:BIVN) today announced results of a randomized Phase II trial of Suvus(TM) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). The data was presented at the British Association for the Study of the Liver's annual meeting in Dublin.
The study assessed the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Suvus(TM) in patients with chronic HCV genotype 4a infection. Patients were randomized to receive Suvus(TM) orally 60 mg twice daily for either 50 days or 100 days of treatment. In patients receiving 50 days of Suvus(TM) treatment the median viral load fell from a pre-treatment level of 7.3x10(6)/ml to 1.4x10(6)/ml, with a mean percentage decrease of 83%. In patients receiving 100 days of Suvus(TM) treatment the median viral load fell from a pre-treatment level of 6.0x10(6)/ml to 0.53x10(6)/ml, with a mean percentage decrease of 92%. Suvus(TM) was well tolerated, and slight discoloration of the feces was the only reported side-effect.
"We are excited to see critically ill patients with HCV responding so well to Suvus(TM). The results are particularly significant when you consider most of the patients had failed prior therapy and had cirrhosis of the liver," said Professor Habib, the lead investigator of the study.
These results confirm those of a previous investigator sponsored Phase II study in which Suvus(TM) achieved significant reduction in viral load in patients with refractory HCV infection.
"We want to make Suvus(TM) available first in countries where HCV has a high prevalence and where cost-effective treatment options are essential," said Dr. Christopher B. Wood, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bioenvision.
Bioenvision has filed for marketing authorization in Egypt. An estimated 7-8-million people in Egypt are infected with hepatitis C and most (90%) have genotype 4a. The World Health Organization estimates approximately 3-percent of the world's population (approximately 170-200-million people) are infected with HCV.
SOURCE: Genetic Engineering News
CONTACT: Bioenvision, Inc. Investors: David P. Luci, Esq., 212-750-6700 davidluci@bioenvision.com or Media: Hugh S. Griffith, + 44 (0) 131 248 3555 hughgriffith@bioenvision.com or Mary Ann Ondish, 212-750-6700 maryannondish@bioenvision.com
Posted by Editors at 5:18 PM --- Printer-friendly version
September 1, 2006
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Researchers have uncovered a gene capable of preventing HCV replication. With modern technology's ability to use genetic microbiology in the fight against disease, this discovery could lead to viable treatment developments for Hepatitis C.
Media Release
Wednesday 9 August, 2006
New hope for hepatitis C research
The mystery surrounding Hepatitis C, a disease that affects millions of people worldwide, is one step closer to being solved.
In a paper published in the August edition of Journal of Virology, scientists describe how they replicated,or reproduced the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in mouse cells. Working with different models, they showed a gene called protein kinase R (PKR) blocked the replication of HCV in mice.
“When a person becomes infected with HCV, the immune system produces a protein called interferon to fight the infection,” said co-author and Director of the Monash Institute of Medical Research, Professor Bryan Williams. “We now know genes interferon stimulates PKR to try to stop the virus spreading throughout the body.”
HCV replicates at a very high rate – approximately one trillion viral particles are produced each day in an infected person. Professor Williams’ research will provide a better understanding of how this replication occurs and how and why PKR blocks the production of the virus.
Hepatitis C affects 210,000 Australians. Worldwide, it is estimated more than 170 million people suffer from the disease1. The virus attacks the liver, causing flu-like symptoms, fevers, abdominal pain, depression, and for two-thirds of patients, chronic liver disease.
The discovery may also shed light on why some hepatitis C patients respond better to treatment than others.
“As there is no vaccine or cure for HCV, the only treatment on offer for patients is interferon therapy,which aims to slow the progression of the disease. However, there are six different genotypes, or strains of HCV, which all react differently to treatment,” Professor Williams said. “We can now explore why some strains are more sensitive to interferon therapy, and how we can adapt treatment to the different strains of the disease.”
“Our research is still in the early stages, but the research model we have created will be a valuable tool in understanding the underlying mechanisms of chronic HCV infection, and how the virus responds to interferon treatment” said Professor Williams.
Research collaborators were the Monash Institute of Medical Research, the Department of Microbiology,Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Kentucky, USA and the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, USA.
A full copy of the research paper is available at: http://jvi.asm.org/current.dtl#VIRUS_CELL_INTERACTIONS
1. Hepatitis C Council of Victoria: www.hepcvic.org.au
More information / interview opportunities:
Contact Julie Jacobs, Public Relations Manager: (+613) 9594 7109 or 0408 135 256.
Posted by Editors at 4:44 PM --- Printer-friendly version