This brief discussion of how to take the next steps in Alzheimer's prevention and treatment is hosted by Terry Moran of ABC Nightline, as part of the Rock Stars of Science series. The discussion revolves around the path forward for idea sharing, the need for funding commitments that are longer then 5 years, and logistics behind pairing research insights with clinical trials.

The word placebo, Latin for "I shall please", received its first medical reference in 1811, when it was defined as "any medicine adapted more to please than to benefit the patient"1. More recently, placebo use has become most common in clinical studies to determine the effectiveness of the actual medication given to other patients in the study.

BioMedReports (www.biomedreports.com) just released a summary of their FDA and Clinical Trial Calendars - which gives an update on some of the advances made in the cancer drug realm. Although, it's marketed as an investment tool - and it isn't free, it serves as a nice primer for those who may be interested in investigating the developments further.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have discovered that the cancer drug bortezomib - typically used to treat cancer of the plasma cells - is an effective therapy that can be used in transplant patients.

When the Food and Drug Administration approved a new type of cholesterol-lowering medicine in 2002, it did so on the basis of a handful of clinical trials covering a total of 3,900 patients.