Hundreds of millions of people in the world suffer from allergies, and it is estimated that 300 million have asthma. In some countries, one in three children has asthma, and 80% of them also have other allergies. There are many guidelines and consensus documents about how to treat this disease but the dissemination and implementation of these are still major challenges. 

Life-threatening allergic reactions in children, such as anaphylaxis, have increased 7-fold in the last decade and a third of all allergic shocks in children occur for the first time at school with teachers largely unprepared.

Two studies in Nature applied DNA blood testing using the BEAMing technology to detect drug resistance mediated by KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer patients months before treatment failure was observed. 

 The group led by Alberto Bardelli, Ph.D., of the University of Torino, Italy describes the development of secondary resistance mutations to the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody cetuximab (Erbitux(R)) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) [Misale S. et al., Nature Epub 13 June 2012].The second group led by Luis Diaz, MD and Bert Vogelstein, M.D. from Johns Hopkins University reached similar conclusions after studying mCRC patients treated with a monotherapy of panitumumab (Vectibix(R)) [Diaz Jr LA et al., Nature Epub 13 June 2012]. 

Results Presented at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd., said six-year follow-up results from a Phase 3 randomized, open-label, dose-optimisation study of SPRYCEL(R) (dasatinib) in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CP-CML) adult patients resistant or intolerant to Glivec(R) (imatinib). 

The six-year data shows progression-free survival of 49.3% and an overall survival of 71% for patients randomized to dasatinib 100 mg once daily (n=167), with 6% of patients (n=10) progressing to accelerated or blast phase on study at six years of follow-up.[1] 

ArQule, Inc. and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. announced final results from a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 2 clinical trial with the selective MET inhibitor tivantinib 

as a single-agent, investigational, second-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The data was presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (abstract number 4006).

ET Solar Group Corp. of China has announced completion of two ground-mounted PV power plants in Germany, with total installed capacity of over 9.6MW.

The plants are ground-mounted and are 4MW and 5.6MW by size and are located in Oberröblingen, 100 kilometers west of Leipzig, and Rätzlingen, 100 kilometers from Hamburg respectively. ET Solutions AG, ET Solar's wholly owned subsidiary, performed full engineering, procurement and construction tasks with all PV modules sourced from ET Solar's China plant.