British researchers published experiments today that challenge one of the more compelling scientific stories of the past decades: the idea that the enzyme Sir2, a member of an enzyme class known as the sirtuins, affects life span, and is activated by caloric restriction.

Bcr-Abl is the root cause of most cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and the target of Gleevec (imatinib, Novartis AG) and several second-generation agents. It was the first gene fusion that was identified as a cause of cancer, and its success story continues to be a motivator for researchers looking for similar fusions.

First, the good news: In a medical system that will literally either cut costs or die trying, anti-infectives are one of the best deals around.

Most stroke victims are probably not too worried about developing an infection. But, unfortunately, their doctors are – for good reason.

The idea that there is a Chinese wall between the brain and the immune system has been eroding for some time now. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 2, 2011, and Nov. 6, 2007.)

Science awards season kicked off Monday with the announcement that the 2011 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award went jointly to Ulrich Hartl, of the German Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, and Arthur Horwich, of Yale University.

In work that has moved from the lab to the clinic and back, and is now poised to enter the clinic yet again, researchers have figured out how to manufacture and administer what they believe is the first highly effective malaria vaccine – one that can provide protection lasting at least six to 24 months to 80 percent of those vaccinated.

A study published this week presents evidence that – through mechanisms unknown at this point – antibodies appear to be able to enter cancer cells, bind to intracellular proteins and, ultimately, kill the cells.