Brain Stem Cells Against Cancer?

Gliomas are a group of brain tumors where the most common type is also the most aggressive one. Chemotherapy and radiation have little effect on malignant gliomas, and patients survive only about a year after being diagnosed. But research at Lund University in Sweden provides hope that it may be possible in the future to develop stem cells from the brain into a new way to treat gliomas.

Neural stem cells have been shown to have the ability to recognize signals from tumor cells in the brain and migrate there. If stem cells are injected into a part of the brain in laboratory animals with a glioma in another part of their brain, the stem cells migrate over to the tumor area.

This has spawned the idea of having stem cells transport drugs or immune stimulants to the tumor. This was the principle the Lund scientists wanted to test. But as it turned out, no extra assistance was needed: the stem cells themselves had the ability to combat the tumor.

"We were truly amazed when we saw this effect! To be sure about the phenomenon, we ran several experiments with other stem cells, and it was confirmed that certain neural stem cells actually have an anti-tumor effect," says Karin Staflin. She is describing the findings in her dissertation, which she will soon defend.

It is as yet unknown just why this happens. One plausible reason is that both normal neural stem cells and glioma cells are immature, not fully mature cells. They are therefore more like each other than any other types of cells in the brain, which may enable them to 'speak' to each other and influence each other. The research team at Lund has also shown that stem cells can cure colon cancer in lab animals.

"Cells in aggressive malignant cancer forms are often characterized as being more immature than their environment. This may be what enables neural stem cells to affect intestinal cancer cells," says Karin Staflin.

Many years of research remain before the newly discovered principle is ready to be tested on humans. First, researchers need to learn to understand the mechanisms better and identify the factors in neural cells which make them so effective. The notion is still new, but it does provide a glimmer of hope for a cure for a thus far incurable disease.

The dissertation is titled Neural progenitor cells in malignancy and injury of the brain: A Trojan horse for gliomas?

The Swedish Research Council

The Swedish Research Council bears national responsibility for developing the country's basic research towards attainment of a strong international position. The Council has three main tasks: research funding, science communication and research policy. Research is the foundation for the development of knowledge in society, and the basis of high-quality education. Research is also crucial as a means of enhancing welfare through economic, social and cultural development.

http://www.vr.se

Brain Stem Cells Against Cancer?

Gliomas are a group of brain tumors where the most common type is also the most aggressive one. Chemotherapy and radiation have little effect on malignant gliomas, and patients survive only about a year after being diagnosed. But research at Lund University in Sweden provides hope that it may be possible in the future to develop stem cells from the brain into a new way to treat gliomas.

Neural stem cells have been shown to have the ability to recognize signals from tumor cells in the brain and migrate there. If stem cells are injected into a part of the brain in laboratory animals with a glioma in another part of their brain, the stem cells migrate over to the tumor area.

This has spawned the idea of having stem cells transport drugs or immune stimulants to the tumor. This was the principle the Lund scientists wanted to test. But as it turned out, no extra assistance was needed: the stem cells themselves had the ability to combat the tumor.

"We were truly amazed when we saw this effect! To be sure about the phenomenon, we ran several experiments with other stem cells, and it was confirmed that certain neural stem cells actually have an anti-tumor effect," says Karin Staflin. She is describing the findings in her dissertation, which she will soon defend.

It is as yet unknown just why this happens. One plausible reason is that both normal neural stem cells and glioma cells are immature, not fully mature cells. They are therefore more like each other than any other types of cells in the brain, which may enable them to 'speak' to each other and influence each other. The research team at Lund has also shown that stem cells can cure colon cancer in lab animals.

"Cells in aggressive malignant cancer forms are often characterized as being more immature than their environment. This may be what enables neural stem cells to affect intestinal cancer cells," says Karin Staflin.

Many years of research remain before the newly discovered principle is ready to be tested on humans. First, researchers need to learn to understand the mechanisms better and identify the factors in neural cells which make them so effective. The notion is still new, but it does provide a glimmer of hope for a cure for a thus far incurable disease.

The dissertation is titled Neural progenitor cells in malignancy and injury of the brain: A Trojan horse for gliomas?

The Swedish Research Council

The Swedish Research Council bears national responsibility for developing the country's basic research towards attainment of a strong international position. The Council has three main tasks: research funding, science communication and research policy. Research is the foundation for the development of knowledge in society, and the basis of high-quality education. Research is also crucial as a means of enhancing welfare through economic, social and cultural development.

http://www.vr.se

Researchers Urge Monitoring Of Bone Health During Chemotherapy

In laboratory tests on mice, researchers found that a medication often used to reduce toxic side effects of chemotherapy induced bone loss and helped tumors grow in bone. So the researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are recommending increased awareness of bone health during cancer treatments.

The medication studied is a growth factor commonly used to help cancer patients recover healthy blood counts after chemotherapy, which can destroy white blood cells. Low levels of white blood cells leave patients susceptible to infection.

"This growth factor encourages bone breakdown, and any therapy that decreases bone density could potentially enhance tumor growth in bone," says senior author Katherine Weilbaecher, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and of cell biology and physiology. "But there are things that can be done to counteract this. Physicians should carefully monitor their cancer patient's bone health with regular bone density scans (DEXA) and prescribe medications to prevent bone loss when needed. And patients should consume enough calcium and vitamin D and get sufficient exercise to maintain strong bones."

Weilbaecher and her colleagues found that when they gave mice an eight-day course of the growth factor, called granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), the mice lost bone mass and experienced increased bone tumor growth when injected with cancer cells. Their study will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Blood and is now available online.

G-CSF is known by the trade names Neupogen, Neulasta and Granocyte. Clinical use of G-CSF has recently increased because by speeding blood cell regrowth it allows patients to undergo more intensive chemotherapy regimens in which anticancer agents are given at more frequent intervals. Studies have suggested these dose-dense therapies could prolong survival in women with breast cancer.

"We are not at all advocating ending G-CSF use," says Weilbaecher, an oncologist with the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "G-CSF seems to have significant benefits for some cancer patients."

Although G-CSF had a strong effect on bone metastasis in the experimental mice, early clinical trials in humans using G-CSF with chemotherapy have so far shown no adverse effects on survival and no increase in bone metastasis. In fact, breast-cancer patients undergoing dose-dense chemotherapy with G-CSF support tend to have a longer disease-free period than those getting standard dosing without G-CSF.

"It's possible that women on G-CSF-supported chemotherapy could do even better if we paid more attention to skeletal health," says lead author Angela Hirbe, an M.D./Ph.D. student in Weilbaecher's lab. "Strengthening the skeleton would not only help prevent osteoporosis and fractures but also might give patients a survival advantage."

In the laboratory mice studied, G-CSF increased the number and activity of bone cells called osteoclasts, which resorb bone material as part of the normal process of bone turnover. The resulting loss of bone density created a favorable environment for bone tumor growth.

When the researchers injected melanoma or breast cancer cells into mice, those getting G-CSF developed a two-fold increase in tumor burden, a measure of the size and severity of tumors, compared to those that did not receive G-CSF.

Interestingly, mice treated with a bisphosphonate, an anti-osteoporosis agent that inhibits osteoclasts, were resistant to the effects of G-CSF on bone tumor growth. Weilbaecher is currently investigating bisphosphonates as a means to prevent tumor metastasis to bone in breast cancer patients.

"We used G-CSF as a tool to understand the implications for tumor growth when osteoclast activity is revved up," Weilbaecher says. "But G-CSF isn't unique in its effect. For example, antihormone therapies used to treat breast and prostate cancer also can decrease bone mineral density. We would like to see clinical trials instigated to study the effects of such cancer therapies on bone health and tumor metastasis."

Hirbe AC, Uluçkan -, Morgan EA, Eagleton MC, Prior JL, Piwnica-Worms D, Trinkaus K, Apicelli A, Weilbaecher K. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor enhances bone tumor growth in mice in an osteoclast-dependent manner. Blood Dec 27, 2006 (advance online publication).

Funding from the National Cancer Institute supported this research.

Washington University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare. Siteman Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center within a 240-mile radius of St. Louis. Siteman Cancer Center is composed of the combined cancer research and treatment programs of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

Washington University in St. Louis
One Brookings Dr., Campus Box 1070
St. Louis, MO 63130
United States
http://www.wustl.edu/

High-Power MRI Helps Surgical Team Predict Outcomes In Unusual Tumor Cases

A Mayo Clinic surgical team has found that using a 3-Tesla MRI in surgical decision making provides a new level of capability to predict surgical outcomes that improves patient care by minimizing the potential for unsuccessful tumor-removal surgeries. The Mayo Clinic report appears in the December issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.

In their report, Mayo physicians describe a case study of five patients. Four had neurofibromatosis, a condition with a predisposition to nerve-related tumors. All patients suffered from growths called "sciatic notch dumbbell-shaped" tumors. The tumors were benign, but resulted in neurologic dysfunction and disabling pain.

"In the past, if surgeons couldn't tell prior to surgery where the exact location of the large tumor was in relation to the sciatic nerve, it meant they couldn't predict in which cases surgery could be performed safely," explains Robert Spinner, M.D., the lead neurosurgeon on the Mayo Clinic team.

The team used an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system performed on a 3-Tesla magnet to help identify suitable candidates for a difficult tumor-removal surgery. A Tesla is a unit of magnet strength. A 3-Tesla is one of the strongest commercially available.

Significance of the Mayo Clinic Case Study

A standardized surgical approach for safe and complete removal of sciatic notch dumbbell-shaped tumors has been problematic for at least three reasons. These tumors are:

-- relatively rare and therefore hard to study

-- anatomically difficult to reach and remove without injuring the main sciatic nerve

-- difficult to visualize before surgery with enough detail to distinguish tumor boundaries from nerve

The current Mayo Clinic report begins to change this situation by documenting a new multidisciplinary approach for obtaining the desired favorable surgical outcomes.

Surgeons need an accurate picture of how and whether they can remove a tumor while protecting a nerve. Otherwise, patients may be exposed to the risks of surgery without achieving surgical benefits if the tumor is inoperable because complete removal would damage a nerve. "Our experience demonstrates the advantages of predictive imaging at the outset," says Dr. Spinner. "With an integrated team of surgeons from three specialties, and an experienced radiologist specializing in advanced peripheral nerve imaging using the 3-Tesla MRI, we have devised an approach that minimizes unsuccessful tumor-removal surgeries."

About the Study

With the 3-Tesla MRI images, Mayo Clinic surgeons from three specialties -- neurosurgery, colorectal and orthopedic surgery -- obtained sufficiently detailed pictures of the tumor and nerve relationship before surgery in all five cases to accurately predict which patients would benefit from surgery. In three cases the tumor was predicted to be distinct from the main sciatic nerve, and the tumor was safely removed. All three patients experienced relief from pain and had no recurrent growth one year after surgery. In the other two cases, the tumor was predicted to be so entwined in the nerve that surgery would have damaged the nerve. Those patients did not undergo surgery.

Dr. Spinner said the team will continue to refine the approach to improve the care that these patients receive. "This new technology allows a multidisciplinary approach to be performed safely in these rare tumors that were once considered unresectable," he says. "In addition, the same techniques that we have developed have tremendous applications to many patients who have peripheral nerve tumors in more common locations."

Collaboration

Other members of the Mayo Clinic team included: Toshiki Endo, M.D.; Kimberly Amrami, M.D.; Eric Dozois, M.D.; Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic, M.D.; and Franklin Sim, M.D.

Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
http://www.mayoclinic.com/

Blog Carnival Edit

Cancer blogs carnival

Vahid Chaychi presents Coping with Depression When You Have Cancer posted at Cancer and Health Topics.

Andrea Dickson presents The Cost of Tanning posted at Wise Bread - Living large on a small budget.

Vahid Chaychi presents HPV (cause of cervical cancer) Vaccine Causes Controversy posted at Healthoma.com.

See the top online resources for prostate... posted at Prostate cancer treatment

Newly Released Prisoners At High Risk For Death

Prisoners who have been recently released from prison have a high death rate, especially in the first two weeks after release, a new study finds. The findings will be published in the Jan. 11 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study was conducted by Ingrid Binswanger, MD, of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center's School of Medicine, Marc Stern, MD, health services director of the Washington State Department of Corrections, and other researchers at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Binswanger conducted the research while taking part in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Washington and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

In the first study of its kind in the U.S., Binswanger analyzed data from 30,237 inmates released from prison between 1999 and 2003 in Washington state. The sample represented almost all prisoners released during that time. Of those individuals, 443 died during an average follow-up time of 1.9 years.

The death rates of the released prisoners were compared to the death rates of other Washington residents of the same age, gender, and race. The study found that newly released prisoners were 12.7 times as likely to die in the two weeks following their release compared to other state residents in the same demographic groups. Over the whole study, the former inmates were 3.5 times more likely to die than other state residents. The death rate among former inmates was considerably higher than the death rate among inmates in prison.

"These striking findings suggest that former inmates are at high risk for death following their release from prison," said Binswanger. "These results, along with findings from studies done in other countries, underscore the need for novel programs to reduce the risk of death in former inmates."

The leading causes of death were drug overdose, cardiovascular disease, homicide and suicide. Nearly one quarter of the deaths were a result of drug overdose, and half of these deaths resulted from cocaine. After cocaine, most overdose deaths were caused by methamphetamine and opiates like heroin. Lung cancer represented half of all the cancer deaths in this population.

Younger individuals tended to die from overdose, homicide and suicide, whereas older individuals tended to die from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Binswanger recommends programs targeted by age to address this difference.

"The U.S. has exceptionally high rates of incarceration," said Binswanger. "When a released prisoner dies, it may have an impact beyond his own life, affecting families and communities. These findings suggest that we need programs and policies targeted at decreasing the risk of death as former inmates transition back into their communities."

Binswanger is a physician researcher and an assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at UCDHSC's School of Medicine. Her research focuses on health, the criminal justice system, and vulnerable populations.

The School of Medicine faculty work to advance science and improve care as the physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, The Children's Hospital, Denver Health, National Jewish Medical and Research Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The School is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, one of three universities in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.uchsc.edu or the UCDHSC Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.

University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Mail Stop F-413 PO Box 6508
Aurora, CO 80045-0508
United States
http://www.uchsc.edu/

Study Shows Potential Of Targeted Microbubbles Using Peregrine's VTA Technology To Identify Which Cancer Patients Would Benefit

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, today announced publication of a study demonstrating that microbubbles targeted to tumor blood vessels can be used to monitor patient response to anti-angiogenesis therapy, identifying at an early stage which cancer patients are benefiting from the treatment. This information could allow oncologists to modify patient treatment regimens soon after starting therapy, so that non-responders could be switched to other therapies that might be more effective for them. The potential of the approach is enhanced by the fact that the targeted microbubbles are "read" using ultrasound technology, which is widely available in most physicians' offices and is minimally invasive, safe and cost-effective.

The research, the results of which appear in the January 1, 2007 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, was conducted by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and funded by Peregrine. The published article demonstrates the potential of Peregrine's Vascular Targeting Agent (VTA) technology platform for imaging and diagnosis of solid tumors using agents targeted to tumor blood vessels. Patents covering Peregrine's VTA technology platform have been exclusively licensed from the UT Southwestern Medical Center. The "personalized medicine" made feasible by this approach has the potential to increase the efficacy of cancer regimens, reduce side effects from ineffective treatments and improve the overall cost effectiveness of cancer therapy.

Anti-angiogenesis agents such as Avastin(R) treat cancer by preventing the formation of tumor blood vessels, thereby "starving" tumors. They are increasingly being used in combination with chemotherapy agents as cornerstones of cancer therapy, yet not all patients actually respond to the approach (the patient response rate in two recent studies ranged from 26% to 35%). The ability to determine which cancer patients are responding to anti-angiogenesis treatment early in the process could enable oncologists to ensure that each patient was receiving the therapy that is most effective for their specific condition, while reducing the risk of side effects from ineffective treatments and also enabling the health care system to avoid large expenditures on regimens that ultimately produce little therapeutic benefit.

"We believe this study demonstrating the potential utility of targeted microbubbles could be a breakthrough in developing cost-effective methods for monitoring the effectiveness of anti-angiogenesis therapies which may have great clinical and commercial significance," said Steven W. King, president and CEO of Peregrine. "This technology could have potential not only for evaluating the effectiveness of currently approved agents such as Avastin(R) but also for assessing new anti-angiogenesis approaches currently in clinical development, and eventually for evaluating the effectiveness of anti-angiogenic agent cocktails, which are likely to be developed as more products in this class are approved. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the researchers at UT Southwestern to advance this technology toward human clinical studies in order to fully evaluate its potential."

The UT Southwestern researchers, led by Dr. Rolf Brekken, tested the targeted microbubble approach in several mouse models of pancreatic cancer, a particularly aggressive and lethal disease. The microbubbles are tiny lipid or albumin shells filled with an inert gas that have a well-established safety record as contrast agents for ultrasound imaging applications, and they are currently widely used in cardiovascular medicine.

In the reported studies, Dr. Brekken and his colleagues linked the microbubbles to antibodies that target them to specific markers on tumor blood vessels. The microbubbles were then administered to tumor-bearing animals and ultrasound images of the tumor were recorded. The ultrasound images identified the number of tumor blood vessel markers that were present before and after treatment with several anti-angiogenic agents, including Avastin and 2C3, a novel anti-angiogenic antibody in preclinical development by Peregrine. A decrease in the number of tumor blood vessel markers indicated that the treatment was working as intended. The researchers determined that measurements of tumor blood vessel markers made using the microbubble approach correlated well with measurements made using conventional invasive techniques.

"These encouraging results indicate that targeted microbubble contrast agents could be a robust and accessible method for increasing the utility and cost-effectiveness of anti-angiogenic cancer treatments," said Dr. Brekken, assistant professor of surgery and pharmacology, a researcher at the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research and Effie Marie Cain Research Scholar in Angiogenesis Research at UT Southwestern. "The ability to rapidly monitor and modify therapy would be valuable for patients, physicians and the larger healthcare system. The clinical development of contrast agents is typically faster than for therapeutics, and clinical trials of this approach could be feasible within 12 to 18 months. We look forward to working with Peregrine to advance this potentially important new approach."

The article, "Monitoring Response to Anticancer Therapy by Targeting Microbubbles to Tumor Vasculature," is published in Clinical Cancer Research 2006:12(23) January 1, 2007.

About Peregrine Pharmaceuticals

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative product candidates in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The company is pursuing five separate clinical trials in cancer and HCV infection in the U.S. and India with its lead product candidates bavituximab and Cotara(R). Peregrine also has in-house manufacturing capabilities through its wholly owned subsidiary Avid Bioservices, Inc. (http://www.avidbio.com), which provides development and bio-manufacturing services for both Peregrine and outside customers. Additional information about Peregrine can be found at http://www.peregrineinc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

Statements in this press release which are not purely historical, including statements regarding Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations, representations, projections, plans or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risk that use of targeted microbubbles to monitor patient response to anti-angiogenesis therapy may not be as effective when used in connection with human patients. It is important to note that the company's actual results could differ materially from those in any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties associated with completing preclinical and clinical trials for our technologies; the early stage of product development; the significant costs to develop our products as all of our products are currently in development, preclinical studies or clinical trials; obtaining additional financing to support our operations and the development of our products; obtaining regulatory approval for our technologies; anticipated timing of regulatory filings and the potential success in gaining regulatory approval and complying with governmental regulations applicable to our business. Our business could be affected by a number of other factors, including the risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports including, but not limited to, the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2006, and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2006. The Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. disclaims any obligation, and does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release.

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
http://www.peregrineinc.com

Aida Pharmaceuticals Receives Approval And Commences Phase II Trials Of Potential Cancer Treatment

Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AIDA), one of mainland China's leading pharmaceutical companies, today announced that the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of China has officially approved the commencement of Phase II clinical trials of the genetic cancer treatment Rh-Apo2L,the Category A biopharmaceutical currently in development phase by the Company's subsidiary Shanghai Qiaer Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Aida Pharmaceuticals previously announced its plans to begin Phase II trials throughout mainland China this year. These trials will take place in approximately 20 hospitals in major metropolitan candidate areas including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Chengdu, Changsha, Wuhan, Dalian and Guangzhou. The Phase II trials will analyze the effect of Rh-Apo2L on two types of tumors chosen from the following cancers: advanced inert lymphoma, malignant melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer. The trials will analyze the specific efficacy of Rh-Apo2L in approximately 100 patients. Additionally, the Company will continue to analyze the dosage and effectiveness of the drug as well as other drugs' interactions with Rh-Apo2L.

Chairman of Aida Pharmaceuticals, Jin Biao stated, "This approval will allow us to contiguously move forward with our development plans for Rh-Apo2L. This potentially revolutionary cancer treatment has received a great deal of attention this year including awards and grants from the state and federal governments. Last quarter, Aida announced plans to build a GMP certified manufacturing facility for Rh-Apo2L. The facility will be built in the Jianggan Hi-Tech development zone in Hangzhou, China. We remain on track to break ground on the project early this year and we anticipate the phase I construction to be completed by year-end 2007. This facility will have the final capacity to produce up to eight million doses of Rh-Apo2L. We believe that we have the resources and man power to finish Phase II and Phase III trials in order to bring Rh-Apo2L to market by 2008. In its first year of production, pending all necessary approvals and allowances, we believe Rh-Apo2L will generate potential EBITDA of $50 million on potential sales of $75 million."

About Rh-Apo2L:

Rh-Apo2L is Category A, anti-tumor biological agent researched and developed by Shanghai Qiaer Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a newly acquired subsidiary of Aida Pharmaceuticals. Rh-Apo2L is a broad spectrum genetic cell apoptosis (cell- killing) agent, which the Company expects to be used for the treatment of a variety of cancerous tumors. Research and Development of Rh-Apo2L is sponsored and supported by several national and municipal funds. One patent of Rh-Apo2L has been granted by Chinese Patent Bureau, two additional patents are currently in process.

About Aida Pharmaceuticals:

Aida Pharmaceuticals is a product-focused pharmaceuticals company engaged in the formulation, clinical testing, registration, manufacture, sales and marketing of advanced pharmaceutical and genetic products in mainland China. The Company's mission is to discover, develop and market meaningful new therapies that improve human health. Aida Pharmaceuticals, in operation since March 1999, is headquartered in Hangzhou, China with manufacturing, distribution and sales points throughout mainland China. Aida is GMP certified in China and ISO9002 certified for quality assurance and ISO14000 certified for ecologically-friendly practices. Aida is now producing and marketing a patented prescription drug in China: Etimicin Sulfate. It is the first antibiotic developed in China and is regarded as a category "A" drug by the State Food and Drug Administration of China.

Safe Harbor Statement:

Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties and changes in circumstances. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of the date of the press release, and it assumes no obligation to update or alter its forward looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, clinical trial results, statements about future market conditions, supply and demand conditions, and other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. Further information on risks or other factors that could affect Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s results of operations is detailed in its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission available at http://www.sec.gov.

Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc
http://www.aidapharma.com/

Curing Kids' Cancer Announces 2006 Pediatric Cancer Research Grants

The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins has been named the primary recipient of the 2006 grants from Curing Kids' Cancer, the charity that raises money for leading edge pediatric cancer research through kids' sports teams and school children.

A $100,000 grant was given to Johns Hopkins for research into new targeted therapies for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. The project, led by Dr. Curt Civin, is part of the combined efforts at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute.

"We are thrilled to help fund this promising research at Johns Hopkins," said Grainne Owen, co-founder of Curing Kids' Cancer. "We are determined to help the doctors find cures for childhood cancers -- turning it from a killer disease into just another curable childhood illness -- in our lifetime."

"We're honored to receive this grant from Curing Kids' Cancer," said Dr. Civin. "We're especially honored because the money was raised by children who want to help other children diagnosed with cancer."

The Aflac Cancer Center & Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta was awarded a $20,000 grant to fund pediatric clinical trials and research to get new drugs "from the bench to the bedside."

Curing Kids' Cancer also awarded a $10,000 grant to Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Cancer Center to support Dr. Jason's Shohet's research towards developing novel treatments for neuroblastoma at Texas Children's hospital. Neuroblastoma is a disease in which malignant cancer cells form in nerve tissue of the adrenal gland, neck, chest, or spinal cord. Neuroblastoma most often begins during early childhood, usually in children younger than 5 years old. The average five-year survival rate for children with neuroblastoma is 30 percent.

Smaller grants were also awarded to Palmetto Heath Children's Hospital, Columbia, SC, and Los Angeles Children's Hospital to fund clinical trials of new drugs, conduct research and develop innovative treatment options for pediatric cancer patients.

Curing Kids' Cancer has two national grassroots programs -- Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer and Teachers Curing Kids' Cancer. Both programs urge parents and children to donate money to pediatric cancer research in the name of their coach or teacher rather than buying gifts. Details of the programs are available at http://www.curingkidscancer.org.

The grant to Johns Hopkins was made by Curing Kids' Cancer based on the advice and recommendations of the charity's Medical Advisory Board, consisting of 14 top pediatric oncologists and researchers from the United States and Canada. Members of the board who applied for a grant did not review the grant applications or vote for the awards.

About Curing Kids' Cancer

Inspired by nine-year-old Killian Owen's battle with leukemia, Curing Kids' Cancer Inc. is a unique, national grassroots movement which aims to raise both awareness and money to find cures for all types of childhood cancer. Our programs fund the development of cutting edge therapies which will revolutionize childhood cancer treatment by replacing traditional chemotherapy. Our objective is to turn this killer disease into a curable one in our lifetime. Details are available at http://www.curingkidscancer.org.

Curing Kids' Cancer
http://www.curingkidscancer.org

New Treatment For Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia)

A significant reduction in parasite burden and pathology by a vinyl sulfone cysteine protease inhibitor suggests a new direction for chemotherapy of human schistosomiasis.

Citation: Abdulla M, Lim KC, Sajid M, McKerrow JH, Caffrey CR (2007) Schistosomiasis mansoni: Novel chemotherapy using a cysteine protease inhibitor. PLoS Med 4(1): e14.

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About PLoS Medicine

PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org/

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The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org/ CONTACTS:

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