September 1 marks the start of the PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) awareness month and this year, it also marks the start of the World PCOS Day of Unity event, organised by the PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. PCOS Awareness Month is a federally designated event and its aim is to raise awareness and help improve the lives of those affected by PCOS through overcoming symptoms and changing the lifestyle that leads to PCOS.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a serious genetic, hormone, metabolic and reproductive disorder that affects women and girls, according to the PCOS Challenge Association. It is a set of symptoms that present themselves in women due to elevated levels of androgens (male hormones) in females.

PCOS occurs due to an amalgamation of genetic and environmental factors, and unfortunately, in the past 7-8 years, the number of people affected by this has increased exponentially, making it a fairly common gynaecological problem in the modern world. 3-4 out of 10 women, leaving room for genetics, suffer from PCOS.

In healthy women, one egg is released from the ovary, somewhere around the 15th day of the period, and with women affected by PCOS, this does not happen. The egg gets trapped inside the ovary and fluid accumulates around it and forms a bubble-like structure called a cyst. Over the course of time, many such cysts are formed which result in PCOS

This health condition presents itself through a combination of various symptoms that include an irregular menstruation cycle, acne, weight gain, unwanted hair growth on parts of the body which previously did not grow hair, excessive hair loss from the scalp, a blackish appearance on the neck and perhaps, the most significant being the difficulty in conceiving or bearing children.

One the biggest contributing factors to PCOS is obesity and the lifestyle that is prevalent in the modern world. Here the consumption of junk food is a common occurrence, exercise is minimal and stress levels are high. Even lack of regular sleep contributes to the development of PCOS in women. Family tendencies also play a major role, and if you have a mother or sister or relative who is suffering from PCOS, it increases the likelihood of you getting affected as well.

The easiest way to reverse the cycle on PCOS is to get at least an hours worth of exercise in a day and a diet that is rich in proteins and cuts down on sugars and carbohydrates. A minimum of eight-hours of sleep every night is also essential in maintaining a healthy body, especially in the long run.

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Constantine Stratakis is a senior investigator at The National Institutes of Health. He has spent more than a decade researching mutations in human genes and identified the PRKAR1A gene in 2000. He trains students from all over the world to research and has had his work published over 700 times. He sits on the boards of a number of journals and became the co-editor-in-chief of Hormone & Metabolic Research in 2015. In 2017, he joined the senior editorial team at Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology (MCE). He was deputy editor of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism from 2010 to 2014. He has spent his career identifying the genes responsible for Carney complex and related disorders, gigantism, bilateral adrenal hyperplasias, and other endocrine diseases. One disease, Carney-Stratakis, bears his name.

As a focused researcher, Constantine Stratakis takes his mastery to other academic centers, presenting his approach and findings to schools, like Harvard University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and others. He has received many honors for his work, including the Ernst Oppenheimer Award from the Endocrine Society in 2009 and the 1999 Pharmacia-Endocrine Society Award for Excellence. In 2015, he was proud to receive the NICHD Mentor Award for his work with hundreds of up-and-coming students in the medical research field.

He has a strong interest in endocrine diseases, especially those with a predisposition for tumors and other neoplasms. Dr. Stratakis continues to see patients and families as a medical doctor because he values the physician part of being a physician scientist.

Could you tell us about your current position and your research?

I am a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, where I have been privileged to be in various leadership positions for the last 18 years. As an investigator, I have been running my own laboratory at NIH for over 25 years now. My laboratory focuses on identifying the genes or other genetic defects that predispose patients to the development of endocrine tumors. We started with the study of pituitary and adrenal tumors in the context of endocrine neoplasia syndromes but gradually expanded to other lesions and cancers, both inherited and sporadic, not in the context of any genetic syndromes.

What has your career path been so far, and what you are most proud of?

Ive been at the NIH since 1993. However, I have worked on endocrinology research since 1985 and am originally from Greece. Between medical school and my postdoctoral years, I spent some time in Paris, France, where many of my collaborators are from. Over the years, I have been very fortunate to have built a great global network of friends, mentors, and collaborators.

Im indeed grateful to my many extraordinary collaborators from all over the world who have been so loyal and good to me some for over 35 years! I would not have achieved what I have without them.

I am also proud of the fact that I have helped, sparked, or nurtured the careers of many more than 200 people at various levels of training in the last 30 years: students, fellows, nurses, and other health care staff. Today, many of them are members of university faculties around the world, so I get invited to faraway places. My trainees have become my friends and family, and I am delighted that I have been given this opportunity to affect the lives and careers of so many!

You recently received the Society of Endocrinology Dale Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the society. What were the main accomplishments that led to this honor?

In my laboratory, we have worked on the causes of more than 30 rare syndromes, such as Carney complex, multiple endocrine neoplasia types 1 and 4 (MEN 1 and MEN 4), X-linked acrogigantism (X-LAG), and others, and we have uncovered important clues about what leads to the formation of both hereditary and sporadic endocrine tumors.

Who do you admire, professionally or otherwise?

I consider myself very fortunate to have met and learned from Dr J. Aidan Carney from the Mayo Clinic and admire him for his extraordinary acumen, commitment to academia, and dedication to discovery. He discovered three different diseases, including Carney complex, with which I started my career in genetics. There is now a disease that bears our names: Carney-Stratakis syndrome. Dr. Carney taught me what I now enjoy most about my work the pleasure that comes from discovering something new and exciting within what was previously unknown or ignored, as Albert Szent-Gyorgi said.

Beyond Dr. Carney, I have been very fortunate to have met and been inspired by giants in medical genetics like Robert J. Gorlin and Francis Collins. I also had mentors in my early career that were amazing to me, including Professor Menelaos Batrinos, Dr. Spiros Pitoulis, Professor Jean-Pierre Luton, Dr. Owen M. Rennert, Professor George P. Chrousos, and Dr. Carolyn Bondy. It is their teachings and leading by example that guide me to this day.

Do you have any words of wisdom for your younger colleagues?

My advice would be to follow your heart and do what you want to do. Dont be dissuaded by what others say or by a lack of funding or opportunities. As Nelson Mandela said, it always seems impossible until its done. Surround yourself with great mentors, friends, collaborators, and eventually, yes, trainees; be nice to all of them because they will be there for you for the rest of your life. And remember that the journey is yours, only yours; success is a journey for which there is no other path than the path you make, very much like what Antonio Machado said: Traveller, there is no path. A path is made by walking. (Caminante, no hay camino se hace camino al andar.)

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Regardless of your skin tone, protecting it from the sun is important. Theres no worse way to ruin what was an amazing day at the beach than getting home and realizing youre as red as a lobster. And if you dont burn as easily (or at all), its still important to shield yourself from exposure to the suns rays since it can cause damage to your skin in other ways, including skin cancer. Thats why wearing a proper sunscreen is essential when spending time in the sun. But even if trips to the beach are getting few and far between, that doesnt mean you should stop wearing sunscreen, since you should be wearing it indoors anyway (yes, really!).

To help you find the best sunscreen, we talked to experts about the active ingredients and other important factors you should look for. We narrowed down a pool of 12 contenders and went hands-on with each of them for several weeks. Our pool included both mineral and chemical broad-spectrum sunscreens with a minimum SPF of 30. We avoided sunscreens that have oxybenzone, or either of the two active ingredients the FDA proposed as unsafe (aminobenzoic acid and trolamine salicylate).

To be clear, we didnt test how well these sunscreens protect skin from the sun we relied on information from the FDA and the experts we talked to for that (scroll down to see what they had to say). Too many variables (skin type, time of day, the suns intensity, etc) made it somewhat impossible to test efficacy in our real world testing. Rather, we had multiple testers with different skin types and tones test them for other variables such as feel, appearance on the skin, smell, ease of application and more.

After multiple weeks of testing, we found three sunscreens that stood above the rest:

The Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Sunscreen Spray scored miles above every other sunscreen we tested. An SPF 30, broad-spectrum, chemical formulation, this spray sunscreen applied super light, rubbed into our skin right away and smelled deliciously of coconut. A locking cap and slim bottle is just icing on the cake for our top-scoring sunscreen.

Our runner-up was the Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport Sunscreen, an SPF 45, broad-spectrum, chemical sunscreen. It had a light texture, making it incredibly easy to apply and it rubbed right into our skin without leaving any white streaks. It had a light, subtle scent and is the best option if you dont want sunscreen with a strong smell.

If you want to be extra safe and go with a mineral sunscreen (more on the differences below), the Coppertone Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion is the pick for you. Physical sunscreens are harder to rub in and thicker than chemical sunscreens by nature, but this lotion rubbed in much better than other mineral options and has a light feel. Its an SPF 50, broad-spectrum formulation with only zinc oxide as its active ingredient, which means its the safest pick if youre worried about chemical absorption or have sensitive skin.

With so many different active ingredients and types of sunscreens, it can be overwhelming to know what to look for. The FDA complicated matters a bit more when it proposed a new rule in February 2019 calling for more research on certain sunscreen ingredients. We are requesting additional information on these ingredients so that we can evaluate their GRASE [generally recognized as safe and effective] status in light of changed conditions, including substantially increased sunscreen usage and exposure and evolving information about the potential risks associated with these products since they were originally evaluated, the agency wrote.

The FDA also recently found that seven common sunscreen chemicals can be absorbed into your bloodstream, although theyve stated that doesnt mean you should necessarily stop using those ingredients: The fact that an ingredient is absorbed through the skin and into the body does not mean that the ingredient is unsafe. One of the experts we talked to, Dr. Elisabeth G. Richard, a member of the photobiology committee at The Skin Cancer Foundation, says if people are concerned about absorption they should use physical (often called mineral) options, and, Out of an abundance of caution, pregnant and nursing women may want to consider using mineral sunscreens.

With all these new findings, choosing a safe and effective sunscreen can be a challenging task, which is why we dove deep into the research and interviewed experts to identify the best options. They all agreed that using a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which protects you from both UVA and UVB rays is critical. On top of that, you should use a product with an SPF of at least 30, which tells you how long it takes for the UV rays to hit and damage your skin. So, using an SPF 30 exactly as directed on the products packaging means it will take you 30 times longer to burn compared to not wearing any sunscreen. Its also important to find a sunscreen that has a rating for water resistance. If youre going to be swimming or sweating, look for sunscreens labeled water-resistant which are tested to be effective for up to 40 minutes of swimming, says Dr. Richard. Very water-resistant sunscreens stay effective for up to 80 minutes in the water.

Where it gets more complicated is deciding which kind of sunscreen ingredients you should use. We found that physical sunscreens are your safest bet for protection, as none of the ingredients absorb into your bloodstream. Mineral sunscreens contain zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or both, but they are normally thicker, whiter and dont disappear as well into your skin like their chemical counterparts. Mineral sunscreens work by physically blocking the rays of the sun so they dont reach your skin. Chemical sunscreens, on the other hand, work by absorbing the rays so your skin doesnt have to.

In the world of chemical sunscreens, there are two active ingredients you should definitely avoid: aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and trolamine salicylate. In 2019, the FDA proposed that these do not meet the standards safe and effective for sunscreen use.

The FDA still wants more safety information on 12 other chemical sunscreen ingredients, but there are some studies about one ingredient in particular, oxybenzone, that have discovered a potential link between the chemical and lower testosterone levels, hormone changes in men and shorter pregnancies and disrupted birth weights in babies. However, according to CNN Health, experts caution about assuming an association between exposure and those outcomes. Its one of the seven active ingredients that was found to absorb into your bloodstream, and Hawaii, Key West and the Pacific nation of Palau have banned sunscreens containing oxybenzone because of its impact on coral reefs. To be extra cautious, we didnt include any sunscreens that contain oxybenzone in our tests.

Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Sunscreen Spray

The Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Sunscreen Spray achieved a perfect score in nearly every single one of our tests. Its spray function made it extremely easy to apply, and it has a wide and even distribution, making it easy to quickly cover your entire body with a swift pass; it clocked in with the fastest full-body application for the testers who examined it.

The spray disappeared nearly immediately into our skin and didnt leave any lingering color or sheen. It felt a little wet at first but soon absorbed into our skin and we completely forgot wed even applied it. The sprays tropical smell of coconuts was pleasant, though it has a hint of chemicals and is quite strong overall, which could deter people with more sensitive senses of smell.

In addition to being a quick and easy sunscreen to apply, the Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Sunscreen comes in a slim container that barely takes up any room in a bag, plus it can easily fit in a standard water bottle pouch on the side of a backpack. The cap twists into a lock position, so wherever you store it, you can be sure it wont leak or soak any of your belongings.

The Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Sunscreen Spray will keep you safe from the sun with its expert-approved, broad-spectrum SPF 30 formulation. Its water- and sweat-resistant for 80 minutes, and is made without the dangerous chemical ingredients that the FDA and other studies have warned us to avoid. Its incredibly easy to apply and its smell, feel on our skin and lack of streaking places it solidly as our pick for best overall sunscreen.

Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport Sunscreen

If you dont want a spray or if you have a sensitive sense of smell, then the Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport Sunscreen is the pick for you. It scored remarkably high in our testing, a few points below our overall winner, just beating out the cult-favorite Sun Bum sunscreen (which we also loved; scroll down to read about other sunscreens we tested). The chemical sunscreen shone brightest in its ease of application and ability to disappear right into our skin. Its light texture rubbed in quickly, and one of our testers even said it left her skin looking glowy.

The Alba sunscreen is marketed as fragrance-free, which rings mostly true as both our testers loved its light and subtle scent. The only dings really came with the sunscreens feel, as it was a little thick and left a chalky feeling on one of our testers fingers after application.

Albas sunscreen comes in a small, compact bottle so you can easily stash it in any bag. The cap snaps shut, and while it doesnt have a locking mechanism, its quite secure and shouldnt leak.

The Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport Sunscreens broad-spectrum, SPF 45 lotion met all of the experts standards for offering stellar sun protection, while avoiding the harsh chemicals the FDA has proposed as unsafe. If youre looking for a sunscreen lotion that goes on fast or an option with little to no scent, we think the Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport Sunscreen is the best one to keep you covered.

Coppertone Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion

If you want to be extra safe and completely avoid chemical active ingredients, a mineral sunscreen is the way to go, according to the experts we spoke to. While this variety is generally thicker and harder to rub in than a chemical sunscreen, out of all the mineral options we tested, the Coppertone Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion stood out above the rest.

Albas Botanica Fragrance Free Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen fell short of our best mineral sunscreen spot because it was harder to rub in than the Coppertone, but the Alba mineral sunscreen does come in a spray bottle, which might be a plus for some.

The Coppertone formula is an SPF 50, broad-spectrum lotion with only one active ingredient: zinc oxide. The Coppertone excelled in tests where mineral options normally fell short, namely in ease of application and sunscreen visibility. The lotion itself is thin enough that it applies smoothly to the skin. However, like all mineral sunscreens we tested, it took a while to sink in. One of our testers saw a slight but noticeable white cast on her skin after applying, while another said it took some rubbing but most of the chalkiness and color eventually disappeared.

This sunscreen didnt have much of a smell, though our testers did pick up a slight chalky, mineral scent. The Coppertone felt gentle on our skin, with no issues or irritation, which makes it a go-to option for anyone with sensitive skin, including children.

If you want to avoid chemical sunscreens altogether, there are plenty of mineral options out there. Many of them take more time to apply and might leave a white cast, but if you want a sunscreen that offers safe protection and isnt a chore to put on, you wont find one better than the Coppertone Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion.

While finding the perfect sunscreen that has broad-spectrum coverage and an SPF of at least 30 is critical to protecting yourself from the sun, many experts we talked to also made sure to point out that avoiding sun damage doesnt end with a good sunscreen.

While sunscreen is an important part of a sun protection strategy, it is not our only protection, says Dr. Richard. Remember that clothing, shade structures, sunglasses are all additional measures to use when protecting your skin from UV rays. And Amanda Turney, a press officer at the FDA, encourages consumers to limit time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the suns rays are most intense.

We selected 12 sunscreens to test after extensively researching the different types available, their active ingredients and minimum requirements for effective protection against the sun. We relied heavily on research done by the FDA and spoke to various experts who echoed and supported the conclusions of the FDA.

We only tested sunscreens that were broad-spectrum (meaning they block both UVA and UVB rays), had and SPF of 30 or above and didnt contain oxybenzone or either of the two ingredients the FDA suggested as unsafe (aminobenzoic acid commonly referred to as PABA and trolamine salicylate).

We interviewed several experts, including dermatologists, to create this criteria. Dr. David Colbert, the founder and head physician at New York Dermatology Group, said micronized zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (the two mineral sunscreen ingredients) are the best active ingredients to look for because they are inertly safe. Chemical sunblocks the super long words most people cant say or spell such as methoxycinnamate can get into the bloodstream and into the environment, he says. I prefer physical sunblocks and of course sunblock clothing and umbrellas.

The experts we talked to also praised physical sunscreens for their gentleness on skin. The physical sunscreens ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, tend to be better tolerated by people with sensitive skin and can usually be found in sunscreens for babies and children, says Dr. Elisabeth G. Richard, a practicing dermatologist, assistant professor at John Hopkins University School of Medicine and member of the photobiology committee for The Skin Cancer Foundation. Above all, Dr. Richard says whats more important than the ingredients in your sunscreen is whether you use it. We believe the best sunscreen is the one youll use, she says. Whats most important is choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher every day that suits your skin and activity.

We ran each sunscreen through the same set of tests to measure both performance and portability. We did not test each sunscreens ability to protect you from the suns rays, but instead relied on our extensive research and the opinions of experts we interviewed to create criteria that all the sunscreens we tested met. Our performance ratings were instead based on tests that focused on the products ease of application, visibility, smell and other variables. Since many of these tests are subjective, we had two testers evaluate each sunscreen and took the average of both results. Heres a full breakdown of every test we ran:

Performance

Portability

We rated the performance of each sunscreen as we conducted all the tests mentioned above. We gave each product a score for each test, added those up to find a score for each category and tallied those results to find an overall rating. Heres a full breakdown of our scoring system:

Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Lotion Sunscreen ($10.99; target.com)

Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Lotion Sunscreen

PHOTO: Target

The Hawaiian Tropic lotion sunscreen performed quite well, but not as well as its spray-bottle counterpart. It lost a few points for its ease of application and size. Overall, its a solid sunscreen that rubbed into our skin well and wasnt too thick, but its tropical, fruity smell may be overpowering to some.

Banana Boat Simply Protect Sport Reef Friendly Sunscreen Spray ($8.99; riteaid.com or $11.89 for 9.5 ounces; target.com)

Banana Boat Simply Protect Sport Reef Friendly Sunscreen Spray

PHOTO: RiteAid

This chemical sunscreen also scored very well in our testing, achieving high marks for ease of application, how it felt on our skin and visibility. One of our testers said it was a little harsh on her sensitive skin, though, and the chemical smell can be overbearing. But if you those factors arent an issue for you, this option from Banana Boat is a top-notch spray sunscreen.

Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion ($15.99; amazon.com)

Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion

PHOTO: Amazon

Sun Bums chemical sunscreen was one of our favorites. It has a light texture that rubs in quickly, and boy oh boy does it smell good. The creamy banana scent had us reaching for Sun Bum more than most of the other options in our test pool. It was just a few points shy of our winners because it took more time to apply than the sprays and comes in a bottle thats a bit bulky.

MDSolarSciences Mineral Moisture Defense SPF 50 ($39; amazon.com)

MDSolarSciences Mineral Moisture Defense

PHOTO: Amazon

MDSolarSciences is one of the most expensive sunscreens we tested, but it fell short of our top picks in many categories. It didnt have a discernible scent, which was nice, but it felt greasy on our skin, making us sweat more and leaving us desperately wanting a shower.

California Kids Supersensitive Broad-Spectrum Tinted Sunscreen ($25.99; amazon.com)

California Kids Supersensitive Broad-Spectrum Tinted Sunscreen

PHOTO: Amazon

The biggest issue with this mineral sunscreen from California Kids was how long it took to rub into our skin. It lacks a strong scent, which is a plus, but both our testers docked points because it left a white residue that wouldnt go away.

Thinksport Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+ ($9; amazon.com)

Thinksport Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+

PHOTO: Amazon

This sunscreen is made with the sole active ingredient of zinc oxide. It was incredibly thick and took quite a while to fully apply; even after we took a long time to thoroughly rub it into our skin, it left white streaks. Several other mineral options we tested, such as the Coppertone and Alba sunscreens, were much easier to apply.

Alba Botanica Fragrance Free Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen ($11.99, originally $15.99; amazon.com)

Alba Botanica Fragrance Free Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen

PHOTO: Amazon

This spray sunscreen from Alba was a close second to the Coppertone for our pick for best mineral sunscreen. The spray function made application a much faster process, but we still had to rub in the sunscreen a lot as it came out white and chalky.

Cerave Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen Stick ($9.99; amazon.com)

Cerave Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen Stick

PHOTO: Amazon

The Cerave Sunscreen stick is a fantastic option for a portable sunscreen you can keep in your purse, but its small size means its a pain to apply to your entire body. It scored well in our tests, almost claiming the title of best mineral sunscreen, but we ultimately chose the Coppertone Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion since its a better option for full-body application. The Cerave is a mineral formula and has a decent smell and feel, but where it really shined was with its petite size and ultimate portability.

Colorscience Sunforgettable Total Protection Body Shield ($45; colorscience.com)

Colorscience Sunforgettable Total Protection Body Shield

PHOTO: Colorscience

This mineral sunscreen is the most expensive on our list, but it scored lower than many other, cheaper options. It didnt feel amazing on our skin, with one tester describing it as matte and silky, but still as though there were a thick film on his skin. It had a light scent thats reminiscent of makeup, but its just too expensive compared to the other, better options we tested.

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Biomedical engineers at Duke University have shown that the efficacy of a two-pronged type 2 diabetes treatment increases when the drugs are linked by a heat-sensitive tether rather than simply concurrently administered. The combination molecule is formed by an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) linker that forms a gel-like depot when injected under the skin, which slowly dissolves and releases the active drug over time.

This novel approach features the commonly prescribed type 2 diabetes drug glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and the compelling drug candidate fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) that together create tight glycemic control and potent weight-reduction in diabetic mice. Coupled with the slow-release function of the ELP, the effects last longer than one week with a single injection.

Because GLP-1, a short peptide, and FGF21, a large folded protein, are such different compounds, these findings suggest that this approach to combination drug design could be applied to disease therapies beyond diabetes.

The results appear online on August 26 in the journal Science Advances.

In the burgeoning field of multi-functioning single-molecule diabetes drug design, researchers primarily unite drugs that are similar in size, structure and function, said Caslin Gilroy, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, who led the project while completing her PhD in biomedical engineering at Duke. Being able to combine such structurally distinct drugs into a single molecule while maintaining the bioactivity and stability of each is a big technological achievement.

Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease where body tissues become resistant to the effects of insulin, which regulates the movement of sugar from the bloodstream into cells. When this carefully tuned system breaks down, blood sugar levels remain toxically elevated and a host of serious complications can follow. While many treatment options exist, a single drug is rarely able to treat an advanced case. Conventional medications lose their potency over time and frequently cause weight gain, which itself can promote insulin resistance and exacerbate the disease.

Being able to combine such structurally distinct drugs into a single molecule while maintaining the bioactivity and stability of each is a big technological achievement. - Caslin Gilroy

A growing class of drugs is based on GLP-1, a naturally occurring peptide released from the intestines after a meal. GLP-1 therapy enhances the release of insulin from the pancreas while promoting weight loss. However, the high doses of GLP-1 that are sometimes necessary to maintain healthy blood sugar levels have been shown to cause gastrointestinal distress. Researchers are exploring combination therapies that strategically pair GLP-1 with additional drugs to maximize glucose control, minimize side effects and augment weight loss.

While most drug combinations incorporate small peptides from the same family as GLP-1, Gilroy and Ashutosh Chilkoti, the Alan L. Kaganov Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke, chose to work with FGF21. A metabolic hormone, FGF21 regulates insulin sensitivity, energy expenditure and fat metabolism within body tissues.

FGF21 functions through a different mechanism than GLP-1, and we hypothesized that the two drugs would complement each other nicely, said Gilroy. GLP-1 increases insulin secretion by the pancreas, while FGF21 enhances the bodys response to the insulin. GLP-1 reduces food intake, while FGF21 helps burn more calories.

But rather than simply injecting diabetic mice with both drugs at the same time, the researchers decided to link GLP-1 and FGF21 together into a single molecule. This approach to combination therapy has several advantages. A single molecule is more predictable in how it will disperse through the body, act on its target tissues and eventually be cleared. A single drug is also beneficial for the prescribing physician and patient, as it reduces the medication burden and simplifies the treatment regimen. And the FDA approval process for a single drug is more straightforward than for a drug mixture.

GLP-1 and FGF21, however, are both peptide-based drugs, heavily reliant on shape and surface features to function. Tethering the two without interfering with either is easier said than done.

To form one drug out of two, the researchers turned to the ELPa specialty of the Chilkoti research group. ELPs are chains of repetitive peptide sequences that are highly disordered in nature. This disorder provides flexibility, enabling drugs fused at each end of the ELP the room to do their respective jobs. The modularity of ELPs also make them highly tunable, allowing for the design of the best delivery system possible.

Linking the drugs to an ELP allows us to design a compound that is liquid at room temperature but forms a gel-like depot upon injection. The depot dissolves over the course of at least a week, slowly and regularly releasing drug to the system over time. - Caslin Gilroy

Peptide-based drugs suffer from two notable disadvantages; they have a short half-life, due to rapid clearance from the body, and they must be administered by needle. An ELP-based delivery platform, however, addresses both of these issues.

Linking the drugs to an ELP allows us to design a compound that is liquid at room temperature but forms a gel-like depot upon injection, said Gilroy. The depot dissolves over the course of at least a week, slowly and regularly releasing drug to the system over time.

Chilkoti already has two Phase II clinical trials underway using ELPs as slow-release delivery systems. One trial aims to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, while the second involves a potential therapy for COVID-19.

In the study, after verifying that GLP-1 and FGF21 retain their respective functions and potencies when linked together by an ELP, Gilroy and Chilkoti tested their multi-functioning, slow-release molecule in a mouse model of diabetes.

"We were more than pleasantly surprised when Caslin showed that combining these drugs into a single molecule clearly showed a synergistic therapeutic effect compared to a mixture of the two drugs. The data is so compelling that we believe its ready for a company to pursue this strategy commercially. Dukes Office of Licensing and Ventures is currently looking to license it. - Ashutosh Chilkoti

The results show that levels of drug circulating in the system remained steady while blood sugar levels were brought down to a healthy level and maintained for up to 10 days following a single dosing. Mice treated with the GLP-1/FGF21 combination drug were better able to recover from a glucose challenge compared to either drug alone, and were the only test group to lose weight during the trial.

The drug combination also worked better when GLP-1 and FGF21 were tethered together rather than being delivered as a mixture of individual drugs. The researchers think that linking them guarantees that GLP-1 and FGF21 are always acting in concert at the same point in time, allowing their mechanisms of action to synergize and work together.

We had speculated that we may see synergy when we combined GLP-1 and FGF-21 because they have different modes of action, said Chilkoti. That was really just a hope at the outset of this project, and we were more than pleasantly surprised when Caslin showed that combining these drugs into a single molecule clearly showed a synergistic therapeutic effect compared to a mixture of the two drugs. The data is so compelling that we believe its ready for a company to pursue this strategy commercially. Dukes Office of Licensing and Ventures is currently looking to license it.

This work was supported by Duke MEDx, a Duke University program that supports engineering innovation in medicine.

CITATION - Sustained Release of a GLP-1 and FGF21 Dual Agonist from an Injectable Depot Protects Mice from Obesity and Hyperglycemia. C.A. Gilroy, M.E. Capozzi, A.K. Varanko, J.Tong, D.A. DAlessio, J.E. Campbell, A. Chilkoti. Science Advances, Aug. 26, 2020. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aaz9890

# # #

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Type 2 Diabetes Drugs Work Better in Tethered Combination Therapy - Duke Today

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August 30, 2020

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and DEB RIECHMANN

WASHINGTON (AP) Public health experts expressed concern Friday about President Donald Trumps largely mask-free, socially un-distanced , saying some of his 1,500 guests may have inadvertently brought and spread the coronavirus to others.

There almost certainly were individuals there who were infected with COVID-19 but dont know it, said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University..

I worry about these individuals infecting one another and most certainly going back to their home, said Wen, who previously served as Baltimores health commissioner.

Trump delivered his speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination at the Thursday night event, which continued a pattern of flouting coronavirus safety guidelines.

Few in the audience wore masks when virtually all leading public health professionals, including the administrations, say face coverings play a big part in slowing virus transmission.

Chairs were placed inches apart instead of the recommended 6 feet, leaving attendees little room to practice social distancing.

Only those guests the White House expected to be in close proximity to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were to be tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Though public health officials have said outdoors is safer than indoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also puts where people cannot stay 6 feet apart and attendees come from out of town.

Trumps campaign issued a statement from Dr. Robert Darling, chief medical officer of Patronus Medical Corp., who said the Republican National Committees protocols are in full compliance with multiple guidelines issued by the CDC, the District of Columbia health department and other leading health authorities. He provided no details.

The campaign said Darling, a former White House physician to President Bill Clinton, has been working with the RNC to make sure the proper protocols are in place at convention sites.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, where the city required a process to be put in place to trace peoples contacts in the event of an outbreak, including requiring attendees to wear trackers on their lanyards.

Masks and social distancing requirements were also in place, and attendees were required to complete a daily temperature screening and wellness questionnaire. They were tested before departing for Charlotte and retested upon arrival.

Out of nearly 800 coronavirus tests administered, two attendees and two people supporting the Charlotte event tested positive after they arrived, the county health department said. The four individuals were instructed to isolate, and any known close contacts were notified and given instructions on quarantining, the department said.

Public health officials also expressed concern over a . The size of the event had been scaled back because of coronavirus concerns.

Participants underwent temperature checks as part of coronavirus protocols. Organizers also reminded the marchers to practice social distancing and wear masks, though many were bare-faced and packed together.

Before a Trump rally Friday night in New Hampshire, a campaign advisory said masks for attendees were required in accordance with Republican Gov. Chris Sununus executive orders, and would be provided.

Before Trump arrived, many in the crowd did not put their masks back on after singing the national anthem. They later booed when a campaign staffer called on them to do so.

Wen, the former Baltimore health official, said the White House event gives the public the false impression that precautions are no longer necessary.

We, in public health, have been trying to share, to put out guidance on what to do, and when we have the president of the country and top leaders doing exactly what we are asking people not to do, how can we be seen as credible? she asked.

On Friday, North Carolina for not keeping his face mask on at the White House.

Tillis, who is in a tough reelection bid against Democrat Cal Cunningham, has been consistent about talking up face coverings as a key method to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Tillis campaign tweeted a picture of the first-term senator wearing a mask on the White House lawn on Thursday before Trumps speech. But other media outlets later showed images of the crowd during the speech and Tillis was seen not wearing his mask.

It was very hard to reconcile those images with what is known about prevention and public health, said Dr. Howard Koh, a public health professor at Harvard and a former assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama.

Koh said one mitigating factor was that Trump held the event outdoors.

He said wearing facial coverings during outbreaks is expected behavior in some Asian societies and social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding large crowds are new social norms that can save lives in the United States as well.

Koh said the same guidance applies to protests, but that moving around during demonstrations might help curb the spread of the virus.

___

This story was first published on August 28, 2020. It was updated on August 29, 2020 to correct that Dr. Howard Koh, a public health professor at Harvard University, said it was hard to reconcile the images of the crowd on the South Lawn given what is known about public health practices to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, not that he recoiled at the images of Trump supporters crowded on the South Lawn.

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Overview

Also called regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy encourages the reparative response of damaged, diseased, or dysfunctional tissue via the use of stem cells and their derivatives. Replacing the practice of organ transplantations, stem cell therapies have eliminated the dependence on availability of donors. Bone marrow transplant is perhaps the most commonly employed stem cell therapy.

Osteoarthritis, cerebral palsy, heart failure, multiple sclerosis and even hearing loss could be treated using stem cell therapies. Doctors have successfully performed stem cell transplants that significantly aid patients fight cancers such as leukemia and other blood-related diseases.

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Key Trends

The key factors influencing the growth of the global stem cell therapy market are increasing funds in the development of new stem lines, the advent of advanced genomic procedures used in stem cell analysis, and greater emphasis on human embryonic stem cells. As the traditional organ transplantations are associated with limitations such as infection, rejection, and immunosuppression along with high reliance on organ donors, the demand for stem cell therapy is likely to soar. The growing deployment of stem cells in the treatment of wounds and damaged skin, scarring, and grafts is another prominent catalyst of the market.

On the contrary, inadequate infrastructural facilities coupled with ethical issues related to embryonic stem cells might impede the growth of the market. However, the ongoing research for the manipulation of stem cells from cord blood cells, bone marrow, and skin for the treatment of ailments including cardiovascular and diabetes will open up new doors for the advancement of the market.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Market Potential

A number of new studies, research projects, and development of novel therapies have come forth in the global market for stem cell therapy. Several of these treatments are in the pipeline, while many others have received approvals by regulatory bodies.

In March 2017, Belgian biotech company TiGenix announced that its cardiac stem cell therapy, AlloCSC-01 has successfully reached its phase I/II with positive results. Subsequently, it has been approved by the U.S. FDA. If this therapy is well- received by the market, nearly 1.9 million AMI patients could be treated through this stem cell therapy.

Another significant development is the granting of a patent to Israel-based Kadimastem Ltd. for its novel stem-cell based technology to be used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other similar conditions of the nervous system. The companys technology used for producing supporting cells in the central nervous system, taken from human stem cells such as myelin-producing cells is also covered in the patent.

The regional analysis covers:

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Regional Outlook

The global market for stem cell therapy can be segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America emerged as the leading regional market, triggered by the rising incidence of chronic health conditions and government support. Europe also displays significant growth potential, as the benefits of this therapy are increasingly acknowledged.

Asia Pacific is slated for maximum growth, thanks to the massive patient pool, bulk of investments in stem cell therapy projects, and the increasing recognition of growth opportunities in countries such as China, Japan, and India by the leading market players.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Competitive Analysis

Several firms are adopting strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships, apart from product development with a view to attain a strong foothold in the global market for stem cell therapy.

Some of the major companies operating in the global market for stem cell therapy are RTI Surgical, Inc., MEDIPOST Co., Ltd., Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., NuVasive, Inc., Pharmicell Co., Ltd., Anterogen Co., Ltd., JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., and Holostem Terapie Avanzate S.r.l.

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Stem Cell Therapy Market Scope and Opportunities Analysis 2017 2025 - StartupNG

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The global war against the coronavirus pandemic continues to wage on while researchers and medical experts seek to find a cure for COVID-19 symptoms. While many believe this is here to stay for an indefinite period, others feel that this too, shall pass.

The number of confirmed cases and death rates only seem to darken our world with over 400,000 confirmed cases in New York, the death toll is now over 31,000, with over 233,000 confirmed cases in Florida, the death toll is now over 4,000, and with over 250,000 confirmed cases in Texas, the death toll is now over 3,000.

And here we are in July 2020 where you can simply add those statistics and drive to find a cure for COVID-19 to our to-do list in the war on cancer and other diseases that still have not seen a cure.

With Florida continuing to make headlines by the day, most recently with one family facing federal charges after allegedly marketing a toxic bleach solution as a cure for multiple ailments, including COVID-19, the timing for our society to come together to help find a cure is essential.

And no, were not kidding. The Florida family (Mark Grennon and his three sons) were charged Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt, according to the Department of Justice.

As for the Florida community, one Tampa business has been conducting the first-in-human clinical study for cutaneous melanoma. Morphogenesis, a clinical-stage company developing novel cell and gene therapies has been making headlines after receiving FDA approval to expand its human clinical trials into two more types of cancer: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC).

Using its ImmuneFx (IFx) cancer vaccine technology that initiates the power of the immune system on the destruction of tumor cells, Morphogenesis of Tampa will focus its newly FDA approved trials on understanding these two new cancers, which follows in the footsteps of successful human trials on cutaneous melanoma, conducted in cooperation with Moffitt Cancer Center in 2019.

Other MCC and cSCC clinical trial sites across the country include the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Colorado, and the Dana Farber / Harvard Cancer Center. So why so many trial sites?

Well, according to Morphogenesis CEO Dr. Patricia Lawman, clinical trials need patients, which to qualify, requires an individual having been diagnosed with advanced Merkel or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and having failed or refused other therapies.

As a cell and gene company, the mission from the beginning was to learn from the body and use the bodys building blocks and communication systems to treat chronic disease. Morphogenesis, according to Lawman, was built to identify, isolate and proliferate stem cells and progenitor cells to treat diseases such as diabetes.

With the world united to change the way in which chronic diseases are treated by engaging the innate intelligence of the body, how do companies (on a local level) push for national change?

The ability to genetically modify stem cells to enhance functionality is one aspect of this, but in order to perform a biological function, the stem cells must differentiate into mature cells, e.g. hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into macrophages that perform phagocytic and antigen presentation functions and T cells that kill cancer cells or virally infected cells. Morphogenesis means the evolution of form, which connotes the change for stem cells to these functional cells capable of mitigating chronic disease.

And what this means for our bodies, according to Lawman, is that regardless of the species, our bodies have developed systems that maintain structure and function over a long period of time. When we need to control blood sugar, beta islet cells produce just enough insulin as needed.

Indeed with modern technology, you would think that this is a relatively easy process to control.

There is an exquisite feedback system that regulates this. When things go awry, our best solution has been to provide insulin through pumps that are controlled in part by constant glucose monitors. This one example of where modern technology has tried to solve a problem mimicking how the body works.

However, even providing insulin through a pump cant do what a pancreas can. When it comes to dealing with foreign invaders, the immune system is unequaled. No drug, small molecule or compound can eliminate an invader as well as a fully functional immune system. We can kill cancer cells (while not foreign, they are still invaders) with chemo and radiation, but given the proper assurance, the immune system can eliminate the invader and do it with fewer adverse effects. Almost always, the body performs healing functions better than a synthetic drug or compound.

The companys recent FDA approval to move forward with stage 2 of its clinical trials is a gigantic win for the companys mission. The ability to expand our proof of concept studies from a single skin cancer into other, quite different skin cancers under the same Investigational New Drug (IND) is the next step in the execution of our clinical development plan.

And that starts with Morphogenesis focus on easily accessible tumors.

Since our therapy can be used to treat virtually any type of cancer, we wanted to start out with easily accessible tumors that could be directly injected with our plasmid DNA. The safety data collected from the cutaneous melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma Phase 1 trials is a Segway into a Phase 2 skin cancer basket trial testing IFx-Hu2.0 as a monotherapy and in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor.

But anytime there is discussion over stem cell research or breakthroughs in the war on cancer, of course comes naysayers and disbelievers.

One thing that Dr. Lawman has noticed is the bias within scientific circles.

In scientific circles, there has been a bias against simple solutions, including the assumption that to get efficient transfer of genetic material you need viral vectors for all applications. These vectors are complicated to manufacture and use and pose a certain amount of risk to the patients. Plasmid DNA or mRNA, on the other hand, are much safer and are a viable alternative to viruses.

As an example, we inject our plasmid DNA directly into a patients tumor. We get sufficient uptake and expression of our protein to initiate an immune cascade with the effect spreading to multiple tumor antigens. The use of a viral vector in this case would be an unnecessary complication and risk.

Now in todays landscape with COVID-19 putting more pressure on experts to find a cure, Morphogenesis, like any company, is similarly faced with logistical challenges and supply issues.

COVID-19 has certainly affected patient recruitment to our trials. Hopefully, ways will be developed for patients to receive treatment for their terminal diseases even if restrictions continue. Otherwise, the death rate for these patients will be much higher than COVIDs. The biggest challenge for us is the continual process of raising funds that all small biotechs face.

As for ImmuneFx, the companys newest vaccine, we got the exclusive.

Beyond the Phase 2 skin cancer trial, we will be opening trials for head and neck cancer, gastric cancers, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. The value add here is that successful trial results in multiple types of cancer will substantiate the efficacy and expand our label claims.

But with new products and solutions, come criticism. Lawman added that the one thing that is not usually discussed in such conversations is the importance of the safety profile of a new product.

Some of the new cellular immunotherapies not only come with a hefty price tag, the cost of treating the adverse side effects caused by the therapies can be as much as double the cost of the therapy itself (up to $1.5M total). Some of the newer gene therapies can have a price tag of up to $2M per treatment.

Not only can our plasmid DNA be cost effectively manufactured, it is causing minimal side effects, i.e. what we saw in hundreds of companion animals with naturally occurring cancers is being born out in human patients. Both of these cost saving factors means that ultimately, millions of people will have access to cancer treatment who otherwise would have none.

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Why The FDA's Recent Approval Of New Vaccine Is A Gigantic Win In The War On Cancer - Innovation & Tech Today

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FBC Poteet Food Pantry

The First Baptist Church in Poteet Food Pantry will have a drive-thru pick-up event on Wednesday, Aug. 26, starting when they receive the product. The church is located at 437 Ave. D in Poteet.

The line will start at about 12 noon. Please do not start lining up until after 10 a.m.

Volunteers are needed at this event. Please come to the Fellowship Hall at about 9:30 a.m. if you would like to volunteer.

They will not have restrooms avaliable to the public for everyones safety. Please dont forget your masks and please stay in your vehicle while you wait.

Have your trunk/liftgate/ bed avaliable for volunteers to load your items. Volunteers will not be responsible for loading items in the cab of your vehicle as a safety.

Cloth masks available in the CASA office

CASA of South Texas has masks available for pickup as needed in the CASA office, 115 W. College in Pleasanton.

The America Strong Mask Program is a partnership between federal departments and agencies and the private sector National Council of Textile Organization. Its purpose is to enhance the protection and confidence that Americans can protect themselves while pursuing essential activities. FEMA ensured that nonprofits and faith partners knew about the Health and Human Services program whereby Hanes made cloth facial coverings for HHS to give away to people in the community who need them.

Mobile test collection

There will be a COVID 19 mobile test collection on Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Poteet Fire Department, located at 530 Ave. H in Poteet.

There will be a health screening and tests will be conducted by appointment only. To register, visit txcovidtest.org or call 512- 883-2400.

Wild Bills Pumpkin Fun Run set for Nov. 7

Join George Farms as they host the Wild Bills Pumpkin Fun Run on Saturday, Nov. 7. The farm is located at 595 Mobile Home Alley in Poteet.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the cost of a Diabetic Alert Dog for Billy George, son of Jennifer and James George.

Participants have the choice of either competing at George Farms in person, or taking the virtual/ social distancing option and running in their neighborhood or wherever they choose. Those who pick the virtual option will still receive a participation medal and T-shirt.

Preregister at RunSign- Up.com and search Wild Bills Pumpkin Fun Run. Entry fees until Oct. 1 are: $30 for the 5K Run/Walk, $20 for the Virtual 5K and $20 for 10 and Under 5K. After Oct. 1, the fees increase by $5. Runners are also able to sign up the day of the race, with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. The race will start at 8 a.m.

Sponsorship spots are available: Jack the Pumpkin King Sponsor for $500 and Cinderella Sponsorship for $250.

Human Trafficking Prevention webinar Sept. 3

The Texas A&M Agri- Life Extension Service will present Unbounds Human Trafficking Prevention webinar at 6 p.m. on Sept. 3. The online event is free, but preregistration is required.

Unbound is an international anti-human trafficking organization and their webinar is geared toward teens and their parents or caregivers. It will cover recognizing signs and preventing human trafficking in their communities.

Participants will learn about recruiting methods, how to recognize red flags and how to be equipped to promote safety within their own communities.

For details, contact Scott at 325-392-2721.

TO FEATURE an event in O&A, email Lifestyles Editor Lisa Luna at lluna@pleasantonexpress.com or call our office at 830-569-6130.

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Out and About - Pleasanton Express

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Note: Due to the pandemic, we have included a special section on the Impact of COVID 19 on the Oral & Dental ProbioticsMarket which would mention How the Covid-19 is Affecting the Industry, Market Trends and Potential Opportunities in the COVID-19 Landscape, Key Regions and Proposal for Oral & Dental Probiotics Market Players to battle Covid-19 Impact.

The Oral & Dental ProbioticsMarket report is compilation of intelligent, broad research studies that will help players and stakeholders to make informed business decisions in future. It offers detailed research and analysis of key aspects of the Oral & Dental Probiotics market. Readers will be able to gain deeper understanding of the competitive landscape and its future scenarios, crucial dynamics, and leading segments of the global Oral & Dental Probiotics market. Buyers of the report will have access to accurate PESTLE, SWOT and other types of analysis on the global Oral & Dental Probiotics market. Moreover, it offers highly accurate estimations on the CAGR, market share, and market size of key regions and countries. Players can use this study to explore untapped Oral & Dental Probiotics markets to extend their reach and create sales opportunities.

The study encompasses profiles of major Companies/Manufacturers operating in the global Oral & Dental Probiotics Market.Key players profiled in the report include:Now Foods, Hyperbiotics, Oragenics, Life Extension, Lallemand and More

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Segmental Analysis:The report has classified the global Oral & Dental Probiotics market into segments including product type and application. Every segment is evaluated based on share and growth rate. Besides, the analysts have studied the potential regions that may prove rewarding for the Oral & Dental Probiotics manufcaturers in the coming years. The regional analysis includes reliable predictions on value and volume, there by helping market players to gain deep insights into the overall Oral & Dental Probiotics industry.

Market Segment By Type:PowderChewable tabletsOthersMarket Segment By Application:ChildAdult

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The authors of the report have analyzed both developing and developed regions considered for the research and analysis of the global Oral & Dental Probiotics market. The regional analysis section of the report provides an extensive research study on different regional and country-wise Oral & Dental Probiotics industry to help players plan effective expansion strategies.

Regions Covered in the Global Oral & Dental Probiotics Market: The Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries and Egypt) North America (the United States, Mexico, and Canada) South America (Brazil etc.) Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.) Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia)

Years Considered to Estimate the Market Size:History Year: 2015-2019Base Year: 2019Estimated Year: 2020Forecast Year: 2020-2025

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How COVID-19 is Impacting the Oral & Dental Probiotics Market by Industry Analysis, by Type, Application and Top Players:Now Foods, Hyperbiotics,...

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Market Industry Reports has published a latest market research report on Global CRISPR Technology Market. The global report is prepared in collaboration with the leading industry experts and dedicated research analyst team to provide an enterprise with in-depth market insights and help them to take crucial business decisions. This report covers current market trends, opportunities, challenges, and detailed competitive analysis of the industry players in the market.

NOTE: This report highlights the major issues and hazards that companies might come across due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19.

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In-depth Segmentations of CRISPR Technology Market report :

CRISPR Technology Market by Key Players:

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. GenScript Merck KGaA GeneCopoeia Inc. Integrated DNA Technologies Inc. Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals Inc. OriGene Technologies Inc. New England Biolabs Agilent Technologies and Applied StemCell Inc. among others.

CRISPR Technology Market by Types:

CRISPR EnzymesKits

CRISPR Technology Market by Applications:

Biological & Biomedical AgriculturalIndustrial

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Highlights of the report:

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.

The study is a source of reliable data on:

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CRISPR Technology Market Technology Advancement and Business Outlook 2020-2030 - The News Brok

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Worldwide CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market Analysis to 2027 is a specialized and in-depth study of the CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the Market status of the CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.

CRISPR and CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes is a genome editing tool that enables the researchers to make changes in the DNA. CRISPR-Cas9 stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9. In recent years the CRISPR and CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes has gained lot of popularity as it offers it is cheaper, faster, accurate, and more efficient genome editing methods.

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Top Dominating Key Players:

1. Merck KGaA

2. Addgene

3. CRISPR THERAPEUTICS

4. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

5. Mirus Bio LLC

6. Editas Medicine

7. Takara Bio USA

8. Horizon Discovery Group plc

9. Dharmacon Inc.

10. Intellia Therapeutics, Inc.

The CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes market is anticipated to grow in the forecast, owing to the factors such as rising adoption of genome editing technique, growing adoption of CRISPR, and increasing prevalence of genetic disorders. Furthermore, increasing demand for drug discovery is likely to pose growth opportunities for the CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes market to grow.

The global CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes market is segmented on the basis of product, application, and end user. Based on product the market is segmented into vector-based Cas and DNA-free Cas. Based on application the market is segmented into genome engineering, disease models, functional genomics, knockdown/activation and others. Based on end user the market is segmented into biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, academic and government research institutes, contract research organizations.

Key questions answered in the report include

The study conducts SWOT analysis to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the key players in the CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market. Further, the report conducts an intricate examination of drivers and restraints operating in the market. The report also evaluates the trends observed in the parent market, along with the macro-economic indicators, prevailing factors, and market appeal according to different segments. The report also predicts the influence of different industry aspects on the CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market segments and regions.

Scope of the study:

The research on the CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market focuses on mining out valuable data on investment pockets, growth opportunities, and major market vendors to help clients understand their competitors methodologies. The research also segments the CRISPR & CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market on the basis of end user, product type, application, and demography for the forecast period 2020 2027. Comprehensive analysis of critical aspects such as impacting factors and competitive landscape are showcased with the help of vital resources, such as charts, tables, and infographics.

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Global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) TechnologyMarket 2020

RnM newly added a research report on the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technology market, which represents a study for the period from 2020 to 2026. The research study provides a near look at the market scenario and dynamics impacting its growth. This report highlights the crucial developments along with other events happening in the market which are marking on the growth and opening doors for future growth in the coming years. Additionally, the report is built on the basis of the macro- and micro-economic factors and historical data that can influence the growth.

Key Players

The global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologymarket has been comprehensively analyzed and the different companies that occupy a large percentage of the market share in the regions mentioned have been listed out in the report. Industry trends that are popular and are causing a resurgence in the market growth are identified. A strategic profile of the companies is also carried out to identify the various subsidiaries that they own in the different regions and who are responsible for daily operations in these regions.

Major Companies Included in Report are Thermo Fisher Scientific,Merck,GenScript,Integrated DNA Technologies,Horizon Discovery Group,Agilent Technologies,Cellecta,GeneCopoeia,New England Biolabs,Origene Technologies,Synthego Corporation,Toolgen.

The final report will add the analysis of the Impact of Covid-19 in this report Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologyindustry.

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Research objectivesTo study and analyze the global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologyconsumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2015to 2019, and forecast to 2026.To understand the structure of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologymarket by identifying its various subsegments.Focuses on the key global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologymanufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologywith respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).To project the consumption of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologysubmarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

Market segmentationClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologymarket is split by Type and by Application. For the period 2015-2026, the growth among segments provide accurate calculations and forecasts for sales by Type and by Application in terms of volume and value. This analysis can help you expand your business by targeting qualified niche markets.

Research Methodology:Our market forecasting is based on a market model derived from market connectivity, dynamics, and identified influential factors around which assumptions about the market are made. These assumptions are enlightened by fact-bases, put by primary and secondary research instruments, regressive analysis and an extensive connect with industry people. Market forecasting derived from in-depth understanding attained from future market spending patterns provides quantified insight to support your decision-making process. The interview is recorded, and the information gathered in put on the drawing board with the information collected through secondary research.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technologyoffered by the key players in the Global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) TechnologyMarket2. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments in the Global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) TechnologyMarket3. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets for the Global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) TechnologyMarket4. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new products launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the Global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) TechnologyMarket5. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the Global Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) TechnologyMarket

The report answers key questions such as:

What will the market size be in 2026 and what will the growth rate be?

What are the key market trends?

What is driving this market?

What are the challenges to market growth?

Who are the key vendors in this market space?

What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

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Table of Contents: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technology Market

Chapter 1: Overview of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technology Market

Chapter 2:Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions

Chapter 3:Global Market Status and Forecast by Types

Chapter 4:Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry

Chapter 5:Market Driving Factor Analysis

Chapter 6:Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers

Chapter 7:Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data

Chapter 8:Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis

Chapter 9:Cost and Gross Margin Analysis

Chapter 10:Marketing Status Analysis

Chapter 11:Market Report Conclusion

Chapter 12:Research Methodology and Reference

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In-Depth Study On Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR) Technology Market With Top Key Players Such As Thermo Fisher...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The FDAs accelerated approvals program is on shaky ground after a series of surprise rejections, poor communication and COVID-19-focused staff.

This is according to analysis by an anonymous FDA consultant out of regulatory firm Prevision Policy, speaking to analysts at Cowen, who see the recent spate of surprising complete response letters for BioMarin, Intercept, Gilead/Galapagos and Tricida as mounting evidence that the regulator may be backing off accelerated approvals, at least outside of cancer, where speedy reviews are still the norm, and question whether complete response letters are becoming more likely.

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BioMarins rejection for its hemophilia A gene therapy valrox seemed to be a big surprise to the biotech, and it said the FDAs qualms over durability came out of the blue. Having previously agreed with the Agency on the extent of data necessary to support the BLA, the FDA introduced a new recommendation for two years of data from the company's ongoing 270-301 study (phase 3) to provide substantial evidence of a durable effect using Annualized Bleeding Rate (ABR) as the primary endpoint, the company said in a statement earlier this month.

The Agency first informed the company of this recommendation in the complete response letter having not raised this at any time during development or review.

Some of these issues, the Prevision consultant said in a discussion with Cowen, may be down to the virtual FDA meetings being made amid COVID-19, which is also lending to problems with communication and could go someway to explaining what happened with BioMarins complete response letter, as well as Tricidas.

With all meetings being held virtually, it is understandable that messages are not as clearly communicated as in the past, the consultant said. In fact, Tricidas management suggests that the inability to hold in person meetings played some part in the FDAs issuance of the CRL to [metabolic acidosis drug] veverimer.

There is also an issue with FDA personnel. Accelerated Approval proponent Commissioner Scott Gottlieb left FDA at the start of 2019. His successor, Stephen Hahn, lacked the regulatory experience to engage deeply on issues like AA upon joining the agency, and his agenda has been dominated by the COVID response ever since.

Center for Drug Evaluation & Research Director Janet Woodcock, a highly effective advocate for the accelerated approval pathway, has also been taken out of the direct line of review oversight, moving to a temporary post in the Commissioners office working on COVID response activities.

Its not time to panic, the Prevision consultant said, as: Overall, Prevision thinks that the FDA remains highly functional with a healthy pace of approvals despite the disruptions. However, against that backdrop, the ability of sponsors to use the accelerated approval pathway outside of oncology does bear monitoring.

This comes against the backdrop of the FDA approving 37 new molecular entities so far this year, a strong number for any year, let alone one with a pandemic.

See more here:
FDA commish finding his feet, COVID-19 and chaotic communication hitting speedy approvals - FierceBiotech

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The best way to trap a Vancouver Island marmot is with peanut butter and not the healthy kind. Marmots use beaver-like incisors to chow down on an alpine meadow buffet of more than 40 species of grasses, herbs and wildflowers. The starfish leaves of alpine lupins are a favourite dish. But place a teaspoon of peanut butter, preferably containing sugar and hydrogenated fats, near a marmot that is fattening up after six or seven months of hibernation and it will quickly eschew the salad bar.

For wildlife veterinarian Malcolm McAdie, feeding dozens of captive marmots at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington Marmot Recovery Centre, where marmots are bred and released into the wild, is a daily preoccupation. One entire room at the centre is devoted to food preparation. The marmot youngsters, McAdie jokes, are eating us out of house and home.

The Vancouver Island marmot, Canadas most endangered mammal, is only found in the wild on Vancouver Island mountains. The heaviest member of the squirrel family, marmots are about the size of a large house cat, have dainty ears like their chipmunk cousins and sport chocolate-brown fur with splashes of cream. Like other marmot species, Vancouver Island marmots are highly social; they live in colonies, rub noses in greeting and play fight like boxers.

The Vancouver Island marmot is about the size of a large house cat and is Canadas most endangered mammal. Photo: Ryan Tidman

Marmota vancouverensis were so plentiful a century ago that the Victoria Times newspaper described swarms at the head of Nitinat Valley and a brace of marmots hunted in the Beaufort Range. But by 2003 following clearcut logging, road building and other human disturbances, giving predators like cougars easy access to marmot colonies only 27 Vancouver Island marmots were left in Canadas wild.

Following intensive recovery efforts, the wild population has increased eight-fold, to just over 200 animals. Today, Vancouver Island marmots are found on more than 20 mountain sites compared to five sites in 2003, one with a solitary marmot. Yet they remain one of the rarest mammals in the world.

As the former executive director of a local land trust, Adam Taylor had largely focused on trying to save snake, slug and bat species from extinction by protecting their vanishing habitat. When Taylor became the executive director of the Marmot Recovery Foundation in 2015, he was motivated, in part, by the opportunity to use the charismatic marmots as a poster child for raising awareness about efforts to save all endangered species.

It feels like we have a real shot, Taylor says, to take a species that is critically endangered, clearly at the absolute brink of extinction, and actually restore it to a reasonably healthy population.

Adam Taylor, executive director of the Marmot Recovery Foundation, says its easy to feel like its hopeless to recover endangered species. Photo: Cheyney Jackson

In May 2019, scientists around the world warned of a global biodiversity crisis, saying nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. Close to one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, according to a comprehensive United Nations report, which called for transformational changes to protect species and ecosystems.

We are in a period where its going to be pretty grim. We are going to lose species, Taylor says. And it is easy to believe that its hopeless, that we simply cant recover these species and that theres no point in even trying. And I think its important that we have these success stories we can point to that both uplift us within the conservation community and that we can use as exemplars to talk about the value of conservation programs, that they do really have the potential for success, that theyre not doomed to failure.

By 2003, there were just 27 Vancouver Island marmots left in Canadas wild. Now the wild population has increased eight-fold to just over 200 animals. Photo: Ryan Tidman

British Columbia, which markets itself as super, natural, is home to more than 2,000 species at risk of extinction, more than any other province or territory in Canada. Yet, unlike most provinces, B.C. does not have a standalone law to protect endangered species. Such a law might have reversed the fortunes of the Vancouver Island marmot much earlier by protecting its critical habitat before the species was almost wiped out, in addition to providing earlier resources for recovery efforts.

Recovering a species on the brink of extinction is not easy, and its not cheap either. From hatching northern spotted owls in a laboratory as forest sounds play in the background to sedating pregnant caribou and flying them in helicopters to a breeding pen high in the Misinchinka mountains, substantial amounts of money are going toward complex efforts to recover endangered species in British Columbia and around the world.

Vancouver Island marmots are bred in captivity, where they are acclimatized to predators by rolling taxidermic cougars and wolves past their enclosures to test their response. They are given names like The Dude and P-Man, or litters are named by theme: one year it was Gord, Rob, Paul and Johnny, after members of the band the Tragically Hip. The marmots undergo surgery to implant radio transmitters in their abdomens, allowing each one to be tracked. Their heartbeats are monitored and their teeth are checked. And then comes the day when they are released into the wild.

On a cool rainy morning in late June, I meet Taylor and recovery team member Quinn Andrews in a deserted ski hill parking lot on Mount Washington, on central Vancouver Island, to witness the release of three young marmots Dora, George and Jabber onto a ski hill. Taylor gives me hand sanitizer and a spray bottle of disinfectant for the soles of my hiking boots, which I have already cleaned, along with my clothes, as instructed.

Boot disinfectant has always been required for anyone associated with the recovery team who is in the marmot colonies to avoid inadvertently bringing in invasive species seeds and to protect the marmots from any potential unknown disease. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, McAdie and other marmot handlers wore disposable gloves and face masks in the recovery centre, a two-storey wood and concrete building with adjoining indoor and outdoor marmot pens, staff sleeping quarters, quarantine rooms and a surgery room. But the pandemic has heightened safety precautions especially since hamsters, a distant relative of the marmot, have tested positive for the disease and now staff wear face masks in close proximity to wild marmots as well.

Quinn Andrews, a member of the field crew for the Marmot Recovery Foundation, hoists a caged marmot through a meadow on Mount Washington. Photo: Ryan Tidman

The Vancouver Island marmot has gone through an extraordinary genetic bottleneck, Taylor says, referring to a dramatic reduction in population numbers that threatens genetic diversity and the long-term survival of a species. When that happens, it does leave a species vulnerable to disease We dont know that theres any risk to marmots, but its not a chance we want to take.

Our destination, a half-hour hike up a steep dirt road, is a grassy pasture sandwiched between the more difficult Invitation and Fantastic ski runs. The slope provides just the sort of habitat that marmots need a subalpine meadow with plenty of opportunities to excavate burrows and escape tunnels in the uneven terrain and rocks on which they can lounge, keeping careful watch for predators.

Taylor points to a plywood box nestled into the mountainside, which is about to become temporary accommodations for the yearlings, who are among 14 marmots released from captivity in the summer of 2020. Under the box, which will be removed in a few days, is a tunnel quarried by wild marmots. The goal is to ease the marmots into their sudden exposure into life in the wild, Taylor says. They come out, and they find a burrow that is not currently being used by other marmots.

McAdie, arriving by truck with two other team members and the marmots, carries a plastic bag of shavings and hay, taken from the marmots enclosures, downhill to the box. The vet dips nutrition biscuits the same Marzuri Leaf-Eaters fed to primates in zoos into a jar of peanut butter, placing them around and on top of the hutch and on a nearby tree stump. Recovery team members hurriedly pick wild lupins, sparkling with beads of rain and dew, to add to the welcome basket in the new abode.

Moving slowly, the vet and two other team members hoist big cages onto their backs. Seen from a distance, masked and wearing dark clothing, moving carefully down the slope in the misty rain, they could be mistaken for cattle rustlers about to pull off a heist. Every few seconds, one of the marmots pierces the silence with a loud whistle. The characteristic call, which earns the marmot its nickname whistle pig, indicates Dora, George and Jabber are not entirely happy with the situation.

Malcolm McAdie, Greg Mevlin and Quinn Andrews prepare to release two Vancouver Island marmots at Mount Washington. Photo: Ryan Tidman

One by one, the cages are joined to a removable plywood tunnel that connects to the hutch. If a marmot wont leave its cage, someone tickles its feet. They dont like that very much, Taylor says. But some of them are really stubborn and they wont go in even with the feet tickling. So, you have to take the ultimate irritation measure, which is to blow on their bums that always seems to convince them.

But today its just some foot tickling for Dora, and some foot tickling and a little cage jiggling for George and Jabber. Dora, named after Dora the Explorer from the childrens animated television series, is released first because males are more likely to block the entrance for others. The staff retreat 30 or 40 metres. McAdie checks his phone. After 15 minutes, allowing the animals time to absorb the strange smell of their new box and the familiar scent of old bedding, the plywood door is unscrewed and we wait for the trio to emerge into the brightening day.

Sometimes it only takes a minute or two for the first nose to poke out. But Dora, George and Jabber are not the Three Marmoteers, it turns out. It also doesnt seem that Dora will live up to the reputation of her namesake. This might be a record, McAdie says after almost an hour. He walks back up to the box to check on his charges, spotting them huddled at the back.

Finally, the telltale white ring that encircles a Vancouver Island marmot nose shimmers at the door. Then a chin pokes out, and immediately retreats. Over and over, the nose pops out and pulls back, like a swimmer slowly dipping into cold water. And then a head emerges, followed, a few seconds later, by two front paws. Finally, the marmot dashes out to a biscuit dipped in peanut butter. Is it Dora? George? Jabber? Were too far away to tell. A second marmot begins a jack-in-the-box routine at the hutch door, while the first one continues its peanut butter surveillance mission, seemingly unaffected by the morning trip up the mountain.

The Marmot Recovery Foundation raises marmots in captivity and then releases them into the wild. Photo: Ryan Tidman

Vancouver Island marmots are the heaviest member of the squirrel family and sport chocolate-brown fur with splashes of cream. They live in colonies, rub noses in greeting and play fight like boxers. Photo: Ryan Tidman

The three youngsters have come from the Mount Washington marmot recovery centre, a 12-minute drive down the bumpy road. Yet they have travelled a great distance to get this far. Dora and George were born in the spring of 2019 at the Toronto Zoo, which, along with the Calgary Zoo, breeds marmots for the recovery program. The duo was among nine marmots, all slated for release this spring, who were flown last fall to Vancouver. McAdie met them at the airport and brought them to Vancouver Island by truck and ferry so they could acclimatize at the Mount Washington facility in time for hibernation.

Jabber had a much shorter distance to travel; he was trapped by the recovery team in a clearcut last year and transported to the recovery centre by helicopter. Left in the cutblock, Taylor says Jabber and his future offspring would almost certainly have been picked off by cougars, which use the cover of growing trees to more easily stake out the marmots.

Historically, predation was not an issue for Vancouver Island marmots. But high-elevation logging and road building have fragmented habitat around marmot colonies in alpine meadows, isolating populations. Its not like anyone went in and logged a marmot colony, Taylor says. Theyre tree-free by nature But we did make a lot of disturbances around these colonies. So you have these little pockets of habitat.

Marmots who disperse, as the species does naturally, cant find their way to another colony through the disturbances. They end up in odd places. The recovery team once trapped a marmot that had taken up residence in a woodshed in Qualicum Beach. In 2013, they pulled a marmot named Morgan out of downtown Nanaimo. They were even called in 2015 to get a marmot that had been found wandering on the beach by the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.

The Marmot Recovery Foundation is working to establish marmot colonies in close proximity to provide stepping stones for the population to rebound. Photo: Ryan Tidman

Marmots on the move like to burrow in clearcuts, which mimic their treeless alpine and subalpine slopes but make them a far easier target for predators when trees start to grow back and provide cover. When you factor in the small dam in Strathcona Park next to Mount Washington, which created a reservoir in the middle of the park and severed marmot networks, and add climate change, which allows trees to grow at high elevations, the end result is less habitat for marmots and fewer avenues for dispersal.

At some point in time, we started building all sorts of roads on Vancouver Island, Taylor says. Some support logging operations, but many are for residential development and mining, he notes. Historically, it would have been a pretty high energy cost for predators to get into marmot habitat and a pretty low return. Marmots were never a primary food source for wolves or cougars.

The recovery team hopes that re-establishing enough marmot colonies close to each other will provide stepping stones for natural dispersal. There are now at least 12 colonies throughout the 700 square kilometre Nanaimo Lakes region. The exception to the stepping stone approach is a colony the team established on Steamboat Mountain, releasing captive-bred marmots with the opposite approach. If everything goes south, if theres a disease thats introduced that wipes out the population in the Nanaimo Lakes region, we need to have a colony thats geographically and reproductively isolated, Taylor says.

Historically, it would have been a pretty high energy cost for predators to get into marmot habitat and a pretty low return. Marmots were never a primary food source for wolves or cougars.

The journey for marmota vancouverensis, as a species, has been much longer and more difficult. And its come with a hefty price tag.

The recovery foundations annual budget is between $750,000 and $800,000, depending on the year. In the past 10 years alone, the foundation has spent almost $8 million on marmot recovery efforts. Extrapolating, the price tag to save Vancouver Island marmots since the foundation was created in 1998 is somewhere in the order of $15 million. And that doesnt include money to breed and raise marmots in zoos and fly them to B.C.

Each year, the B.C. government matches the funding contributed to the recovery foundation by two forestry companies that log near marmot colonies Island Timberlands and TimberWest. This year, each of the three parties will contribute $70,000. The rest of the foundations budget comes from foundations and individual donors some donors join the Adopt-a-Marmot Club while Mount Washington Alpine Resort donates land for recovery efforts.

Money is far from the only investment in the marmots recovery and well-being. A stud book keeps track of lineage, aiming to ensure genetic diversity. Throughout the year, staff and vets from the zoos and recovery foundation meet with Vancouver Island University biology professor Jamie Gorrell, who sequences marmot DNA and advises which male marmot should be paired with which female.

Zoo staff weigh in with observations about individuals that might impede the ideal genetic match. We sort out some of the practicalities of that, Taylor explains. One female marmot named Rizzo, for instance, only likes a male named Oban. Its great that shes got the genetics, but shes literally going to eat her partner unless its Oban. Can we mate her with Oban again or are we starting to worry about over-representation?

Malcolm McAdie oversees captive breeding and marmot care at the Mount Washington marmot recovery centre. Here he holds a hibernating Vancouver Island. Photo: Ryan Tidman

There are also concerns about how captive-bred marmots will adapt to an environment with predators. To see if they recognize predators and take appropriate action whistling an alarm to other marmots and hiding in burrows the Calgary Zoo wheels taxidermic cougar, wolf, marmot and domestic goat mounts past marmot cages, monitoring a video camera for the animals reactions. Mounts are pulled along a track in front of the marmot enclosures at the zoos off-site breeding facility, south of Calgary.

We set it up so theyre on top of their hay bales, so theyre up high and they can see, and theyre eating, so theyre relaxed, so that we know theyre in a good behavioural state, says Natasha Lloyd, conservation research manager for the Calgary Zoo, which has sent a total of 131 marmot pups to Vancouver Island for release. And then we bring this taxidermied stimulus across to them, and we leave it for one minute and pull it out. The marmots did indeed recognize the predators and act appropriately, she says.

Over the past few years, the zoo has repeated the study, expanding it to include a golden eagle, a great horned owl, a magpie and a goose. Lloyd said the results are still being analyzed, but broad trends show captive marmots are still able to distinguish predators from non-predators and take immediate action to protect themselves.

Working together, the zoo and the recovery foundation have also determined that captive-bred marmots stand a much higher chance of surviving when they are released onto Mount Washington for a year before they are moved to more remote colonies such as those in the Nanaimo Lakes area. They call it the stepping stone approach.

Weve found that year of learning really helps, Lloyd says. Because its a ski hill and theres human presence around, we believe that the predation levels are lower, but there are still some predators around. So it gives the marmots a bit of an easier time to learn how to discern predators, how to avoid predators. And because marmots are such a social species, the other marmots out there, the wild marmots, give alarm calls and help them understand what to do.

Mount Washington also has plenty of marmot burrows and hibernacula, giving newly released marmots more time to learn how to excavate. If theyre yearlings or younger individuals, they can be adopted into a wild burrow and hibernate together, which is a really great learning experience for them too, Lloyd says.

A record 17 pups were born at the Calgary Zoo this year, while eight were born at the Toronto Zoo. And 12 pups were born this spring in four litters at the Mount Washington facility.

Surgeries to implant radio transmitters in captive marmots are carried out at the recovery centre in June, with marmots given two weeks to recover before being released. On a mid-June morning, McAdie prepares to implant a transmitter into a young marmot named Diego Doras brother from the same Toronto Zoo litter.

Diego lies on his back on a blue surgical sheet in the yellow surgery room at the recovery centre. His front paws stick up in the air, a plastic mask around his nose to supply a carefully controlled concentration of anesthetic. McAdie listens to Diegos heartbeat and lungs with a stethoscope, measures his testicles and inserts a rectal thermometer to provide a digital readout of the marmots temperature throughout the surgery. He lifts Diegos floppy head and peers into his mouth. Thats a nice-looking marmot, he says. Incisors are intact.

Diego has a radio transmitter implanted in his abdomen at the recovery centre in June. Photo: Marmot Recovery Foundation

The vet holds an EKG sensor between Diegos paws to check for any potential heart ailments and wraps a pulse oximeter sensor around the marmots left hind leg to check his oxygen saturation and heartbeat. He takes a blood sample from Diegos other back paw, wiping on disinfectant first, and wraps a doppler sensor around that paw to get an audio signal from his heartbeat for another pulse reading during the procedure.

Then he shaves the middle of Diegos abdomen, a patch smaller than a credit card. His assistant, Jordyn Alger, vacuums up the stray fur. McAdie swabs red surgical soap on the patch, the first of at least three scrubs.

A surgical kit is unwrapped to reveal two sterile blue drapes containing surgical instruments, including a scalpel. McAdie disinfects his hands anew, right up to his elbows. Alger keeps watch over Diegos vitals, pulling on one of his front paws to stimulate respiration.

The vet unfolds a transparent drape, cutting a hole in the middle and slips the drape over Diego.

OK, making the incision, he says, bending over the patch. He inserts the transmitter and sews Diego up, finishing with a layer of tissue adhesive, the surgical equivalent of crazy glue. The marmot will be eating again by the next day, the vet predicts.

McAdie releases Diego two weeks later, on Gemini Mountain in the Haley Lake Ecological Reserve, along with another marmot born at the Toronto Zoo, named for the basketball player Kawhi Leonard.

Like his sister Dora, Diego will be monitored all summer by staff who travel to marmot colonies with hand-held antennae, switching the frequency to check on different marmots. The transmitters respond to temperature, sending pulses that tell recovery team staff whether a marmot is alive, dead or hibernating.

Mike Lester uses an antenna at Mount Arrowsmith to check on the marmots in the area. The pulse rate of the transmitter indicates the body temperature of the marmot. Photo: Ryan Tidman

The vet has become somewhat of a Sherlock Holmes when it comes to marmot mortalities, which are low on Mount Washington, where marmots hibernate in deep snow below snowboarders and downhill skiers. Dora, George and Jabber have an 80 per cent chance of surviving their first year in the wild, he says.

Arriving at the scene of a death, McAdie looks for signs of a struggle, scat, fur, bones and the radio transmitter, which indicate how the marmot was consumed. Cougars, which have been responsible for 85 per cent of the marmot deaths in the past decade, make a kill and then drag the marmot to a more secluded area with vegetation. The cougar wont eat the marmot right away.

Theyll prepare it, McAdie says. They use their incisors and barber the hair off. Leaving a ring of marmot hair, cougars will also remove the gastrointestinal tract and larger bones like parts of the skull before eating the meat. Cougars tend to kill multiple marmots in short order, which is why Jabber was airlifted to safety from a clear cut, along with a female and her four kits.

Wolves, on the other hand, will consume the entire marmot on the spot. Theyll also often leave a calling card of stool in the vicinity and will sometimes leave tooth marks in the resin coating the transmitter. Bears, which only rarely kill Vancouver Island marmots, are sloppy. Theyll leave the hide and the skeleton and will consume all the internal organs, McAdie says.

In the early 2000s, predation by golden eagles was also cause for concern. Golden eagles were only a vagrant species on Vancouver Island until Eurasian rabbits were introduced, affording the raptors an easy food source and prompting the establishment of golden eagle populations. Golden eagles cant lift a marmot, which typically weigh between four and seven kilos. Theyll use their talons to drag the marmot along the ground, letting gravity sever the spine, and will eat only the organs. Generally, there are signs of the eagle striking the marmot and signs of a bit of a struggle, McAdie says. Quite often theyll leave a few feathers [and] quite often before they fly theyll defecate as well so theyll leave some whitewash.

Scientists believe that marmots arrived on Vancouver Island up to 100,000 years ago, crossing from the mainland on land connections about the time the first modern humans, Cro-Magnons, emerged in Africa. Marmots were hunted by First Nations in the late summer for robes and food. Prehistoric marmot remains have been found at eight locations on Vancouver Island, all outside the marmots current area of distribution, suggesting a much larger historical range. One paleontological find in a cave near Nimpkish Lake, just south of Port McNeill, was radiocarbon dated to 10,000 years ago. Other undated remains have been found in caves near Tahsis.

In June, scientists published a paper that examined almost 30,000 species of terrestrial vertebrates to determine which are on the brink of extinction. They found 515 species with fewer than 1,000 individuals, species they said likely will become extinct soon.

Taylor read the paper with concern. He agreed with its conclusion that swift action is imperative to prevent more species from becoming extinct. But among those 515 species the scientists said are likely to become extinct soon is the Vancouver Island marmot. When it comes to the marmot, Taylor says, were going to prove them wrong.

Two Vancouver Island marmots scope their surroundings at Mount Washington. Photo: Ryan Tidman

See the rest here:
Bringing the endangered Vancouver Island marmot back from the brink - The Narwhal

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Global Autologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Market research report estimates a considerable growth of market in percentage during the forecast period of 2020-2026. This report also explains market definitions, classifications, applications, and engagements in the Healthcare industry. In addition, the scope of this market report can be broadened from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost & profit of the specified market regions. Autologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Market report is very consistent as all the data and information regarding the Healthcare industry is derived via authentic sources such as websites, journals, annual reports of the companies, and magazines.

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TheGlobalAutologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Marketis expected to reach USD113.04 billion by 2025, from USD 87.59 billion in 2017 growing at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015 & 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.

Some of the major players operating in the globalautologous stem cell and non-stem cell based therapies marketareAntria (Cro), Bioheart, Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, Cytori, Dendreon Corporation, Fibrocell, Genesis Biopharma, Georgia Health Sciences University, Neostem, Opexa Therapeutics, Orgenesis, Regenexx, Regeneus, Tengion, Tigenix, Virxsys and many more.

Browse Detailed TOC Herehttps://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-autologous-stem-cell-and-non-stem-cell-based-therapies-market

Market Definition:Global Autologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Market

In autologous stem-cell transplantation persons own undifferentiated cells or stem cells are collected and transplanted back to the person after intensive therapy. These therapies are performed by means of hematopoietic stem cells, in some of the cases cardiac cells are used to fix the damages caused due to heart attacks. The autologous stem cell and non-stem cell based therapies are used in the treatment of various diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and autoimmune diseases, infectious disease.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes more than half of all deaths across the European Region. The disease leads to death or frequently it is caused by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined in Europe. With the prevalence of cancer and diabetes in all age groups globally the need of steam cell based therapies is increasing, according to article published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, it was reported that around 382 million people had diabetes in 2013 and the number is growing at alarming rate which has increased the need to improve treatment and therapies regarding the diseases.

Market Segmentation:Global Autologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Market

Major Autologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Market Drivers and Restraints:

Introduction of novel autologous stem cell based therapies in regenerative medicine

Reduction in transplant associated risks

Prevalence of cancer and diabetes in all age groups

High cost of autologous cellular therapies

Lack of skilled professionals

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Autologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Market 2020-2025 | Major Giants Fibrocell, Genesis Biopharma, Georgia Health Sciences...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

A health ministry panel on Thursday approved a Keio University clinical research project to transplant heart muscle cells made from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into heart disease patients.

The research will be carried out by a team led by Prof. Keiichi Fukuda for three people between 20 and 74 suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, which lowers the hearts power to pump blood. The first transplant will be conducted by the end of this year at the earliest.

The team will use iPS cells made by Kyoto University from the blood of a person who has a special immunological type with less risk of rejection.

The team will transform the iPS cells into heart muscle cells and inject about 50 million of them into the heart using a special syringe. Immunosuppressive drugs will be used for about half a year, and the team will spend a year checking to see whether the treatment leads to the development of tumors and irregular heartbeat or whether it restores heart function.

In January, Osaka University conducted the worlds first transplant of heart muscle cells made from iPS cells. The heart muscle cells were made into sheets and pasted on the surface of the patients heart so that a substance they emit can help regenerate the heart muscles. The cells themselves, however, disappear quickly.

Meanwhile, Keio University has confirmed in an experiment on monkeys that cells colonize after a transplant and heart function improves.

The university expects that transplanted cells will colonize over a long period also in the upcoming clinical research project.

According to the team, there are about 25,000 dilated cardiomyopathy patients in Japan.

A startup led by Fukuda is planning a clinical trial aimed at commercializing the iPS-derived cells, hoping they will also be used for the treatment of other cardiac diseases.

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Keio University gets OK for iPS-based heart cell transplant plan - The Japan Times

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PHILADELPHIA Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which creates difficulties with social interactions, communication, and repetitive behaviors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects one in 54 children in the United States. Although autism typically isnt diagnosed until children are at least 18 months-old, a new study finds that abnormal brain cell development likely occurs much earlier.

Researchers say this even occurs while babies are still in the womb.

To study developing brain cells, a team from Kings College London and Cambridge University use a type of cell known as an induced pluripotent stem cell (or iPSC). Essentially, iPSCs are adult cells that scientists force to become immature embryonic-like stem cells. Scientists can program iPSCs to become one of many different cell types, including neurons. Since iPSCs are forced to restart their cellular development, they mimic the processes occurring in the womb. This allows them to serve as a useful means of studying early brain development.

Using iPSCs from hair samples is the most ethical way to study early brain development in autistic people, explains study author Dwaipayan Adhya in a media release. It bypasses the need for animal research, it is non-invasive, and it simply requires a single hair or skin sample from a person.

Adhya is a molecular biologist at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge and Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience at Kings College London.

To create the iPSCs, the study analyzes hair samples from nine adults with autism and six neurotypical adults. The hair cells were then treated with growth factors (naturally occurring bodily substances that regulate cell division and survival). The authors looked at the cells appearance and genetic makeup at different phases of development.

The scientists results reveal iPSCs from neurotypical people look different from those participants with autism. At day nine, neurons from neurotypical people develop a characteristic pattern of neural rosettes, which have a dandelion-like shape. In contrast, cells from people with autism have smaller rosettes or dont form them at all. Cells from autistic individuals also express lower levels of important developmental genes.

The use of iPSCs allows us to examine more precisely the differences in cell fates and gene pathways that occur in neural cells from autistic and typical individuals, co-author Deepak Srivastava explains. These findings will hopefully contribute to our understanding of why there is such diversity in brain development.

The brain has been the ultimate black box. Here, the authors have used nerve cells derived from peripheral stem cells to peek inside this box. This important study suggests that this is possible and is deepening our understanding of autism, says John Krystal, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biological Psychiatry.

The study is published in the June 22 edition of Biological Psychiatry.

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Study: Brain cells of people with autism differ even before theyre born - Study Finds

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Religious leaders have raised ethical doubts over one of Australia's primary coronavirus vaccine hopes because scientists have used foetal cells in its development.

Developers at Oxford University and pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca are using cell lines from an electively aborted foetus in the vaccine candidate, with Anglican, Catholic and Greek Orthodox leaders questioning the practice.

But using foetal cells in vaccine development isn't new and the Catholic Church has previously expressed qualified support for the use of vaccines derived from these cells under certain circumstances.

We spoke to Bill Lott, a virologist at QUT's Institute of Health and biomedical innovation, to understand the role of foetal cells in vaccine development.

The foetal cells used in vaccine development are derived from a small number of foetuses which were legally terminated decades ago.

The Oxford vaccine uses HEK (human embryonic kidney) 293 cell lines, obtained from a female foetus in the Netherlands in 1973.

"We're using tissues that were from foetuses that were aborted 40, 50, 60 years ago," Dr Lott said.

"It doesn't require newly aborted foetuses."

While living human cells can only divide around 50 times, those foetal cells have been genetically modified so they can divide an infinite number of times.

"That's why we can use the cells that we harvested [decades ago] today," Dr Lott said.

"They're not the actual original cells, they've been immortalised and then propagated over the decades."

This means we'll never need to replace specimens used in development.

"Just by analogy, buying ivory is illegal [because] if you create a market for ivory, then it creates the demand to kill more elephants," Dr Lott said.

"In this case, that's not happening because these foetuses were aborted 60 years ago, 50 years ago, and using these immortalised tissues now is not going to create a need to go and get new ones."

In fact, scientists would prefer to keep using HEK 293 cell lines because they have been repeatedly tried and tested in a laboratory setting and found to be safe.

"When you're making a vaccine you require safety testing," Dr Lott said.

"If we went back and used a different cell type, you're throwing an unknown into the consideration.

"So that will severely slow down your ability to make these things.

"Using HEK 293, we've used it for decades and we know that it's safe."

This week, Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth pointed out the use of foetal cells had been a "reality" in past vaccine development.

"The reality for vaccines is that they need cell cultures in order for us to grow them," he said.

"The human cell is a really important part of their development.

"There are strong ethical regulations surrounding the use of any type of human cell, particularly foetal human cells.

"This is a very professional, highly powered research unit at Oxford University.

"I think we can have every faith that the way they have manufactured the vaccine has been against the highest of ethical standards internationally."

Breaking down the latest news and research to understand how the world is living through an epidemic, this is the ABC's Coronacast podcast.

So, how do foetal cells help with vaccine development? Dr Lott explained they operate like a "vaccine factory".

First, scientists need to develop the vaccine candidate and then combine it with an adenovirus vector.

An adenovirus is a particular type of common virus that causes illnesses like bronchitis, pneumonia and a sore throat.

For instance, when you get a cold, you may be infected with an adenovirus, a coronavirus or a rhinovirus.

A vector is an organism that spreads infection by moving pathogens from one host to another.

So an adenovirus vector? "That's an adenovirus that has been sort of emptied out and then you put a different kind of genome in there to make protein," Dr Lott said.

The next step is to put the vaccine/adenovirus vector combination into a big vat of foetal cells.

"The viral vector infects these HEK 293 cells really, really efficiently," Dr Lott said.

"One reason why you use the HEK 293 is because you get essentially 100 per cent infection with the adenoviral vector.

"And what it does is it turns the HEK 293 cells into a vaccine factory."

What do we mean by "vaccine factory"? Dr Lott explains foetal cells begin producing "tons and tons of that modified adenovirus" which they then "spit out into the liquid bit of the cells" called the cell culture media.

"[The foetal cells] start cranking out this massive amount of modified adenovirus, and then you purify those things away from the cell tissue," he said.

"You pull the [cell] media off, and it's just going to be full of the vaccine and essentially no tissue.

"And that's what your vaccine is."

The foetal cells will operate as this "vaccine factory" regardless of whether the vaccine is effective or not so the next step generally involves animal and then human trials of varying scale.

Inherent in the whole process is stripping away the conditioned cell media, where the foetal cells are contained.

The head of the World Health Organization has warned we may never get a silver bullet for COVID-19. What could that future look like in Australia?

That means a successful vaccine developed using foetal cells will have no remnants of those cells in the final product.

"You purify the vaccine away from the cells that they were grown in, and then you destroy all the cells," Dr Lott said.

"So then you're going to take that liquid and you'll purify it some more, but there are not going to be any [foetal] cells in there.

"There's nothing left when it becomes the vaccine that gets delivered."

Foetal tissue has been used with innovative effect in various strands of medical research.

The difference is some of those processes require fresh foetal cells not the "immortalised" cells vaccine developers can use.

"The vaccine work is pretty straightforward," Dr Lott said.

"But cancer research, the research into the mechanisms of various things cystic fibrosis, haemophilia, rheumatoid arthritis that all required fresh foetal tissue."

Scientists studying Zika virus used foetal cells to discover that the virus crossed the placental membrane and caused brain damage in unborn foetuses.

"[That research] brought out a whole raft of therapies and protections for unborn foetuses [and] "saved a lot of lives, including [the lives of] unborn foetuses," Dr Lott said.

Foetal cell lines have been used in the development of various vaccines, including for chicken pox, Ebola, polio, rubella, shingles, Hepatitis A, and rabies.

Foetal tissue has also facilitated breakthroughs in the treatment of various medical issues including cystic fibrosis, haemophilia, IVF, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, AIDS, and spinal cord injuries.

Scientists have many different methodologies for developing vaccines and there are a variety of reasons why foetal cells aren't always used.

Billions are being poured into the race to find a coronavirus vaccine, with the winner owning a powerful political tool. During the last pandemic an Australian company got there first.

"Some of them don't use it because of ethical issues," Dr Lott said.

"Some of them don't use it because they're not using an adenovirus [vector], so they don't really need the HEK 293.

"And there are other [development] strategies.

"There's an mRNA strategy that's very popular.

"So some of them don't require it."

The development of a coronavirus vaccine was time critical because of the virus' devastating public health and economic impacts, Dr Lott said.

Therefore, it was important for scientists to diversify their methodologies in order to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible.

Both stem cells and foetal cells are critical to innovations in medical research but what's the difference between the two?

Dr Lott explains stem cells are basically the earliest iteration of a foetal cell before the cell differentiates itself into, for example, a hair cell, liver cell, eye cell or skin cells.

"A stem cell is simply a cell that can turn into a different cell types," Dr Lott said.

"That first embryonic stem cell can eventually turn into any kind of cell in your body.

"So you've got embryonic stem cells, and then you've got adult stem cells, and in between are the foetal stem cells [which] are partially differentiated.

"So foetal cells contain not only stem cells some of the foetal cells have already differentiated into their final cell type."

In 2005 and again in 2017, the Catholic Church expressed qualified support for the use of foetal-cell-derived vaccines but only if there was no available alternative.

A 2005 "moral reflection" issued by Pope Benedict XVI specifically addressed the issue.

"As regards the diseases against which there are no alternative vaccines which are available and ethically acceptable, it is right to abstain from using these vaccines if it can be done without causing children, and indirectly the population as a whole, to undergo significant risks to their health," the Pope wrote.

"However, if the latter are exposed to considerable dangers to their health, vaccines with moral problems pertaining to them may also be used on a temporary basis.

"We find a proportional reason, in order to accept the use of these vaccines in the presence of the danger of favouring the spread of the pathological agent."

In 2017, the life ethics arm of the Catholic Church issued a statement that: Catholic parents could vaccinate their children with a "clear conscience" that "the use of such vaccines does not signify some sort of cooperation in voluntary abortion".

Earlier this year and in the context of the coronavirus vaccine race, John Di Camillo, an ethicist with the National Catholic Bioethics Center, confirmed: "One is allowed to make use of [vaccine derived from foetal tissue] where there's a serious threat to the health or life of the individual, or of the greater population.

"This does not amount to a strictobligationto use it, but it certainly can be a legitimate choice in conscience if theres that serious reason, and there's no other reasonable alternative."

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Foetal cells are used to make the Oxford coronavirus vaccine. But they came from a foetus in 1973 - ABC News

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Photo: Cichlid fish, by Russell D. Fernald and Sabrina S. Burmeister / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5).

Anarticle yesterdayforEvolution Newsabout allostery showed how an individual protein or RNA can send information to its distant domains. Information sharing can also occur between chains of molecules arranged in a signaling cascade, where each one triggers action in the next. This is a bit more like the Rube Goldberg technique, except that in cells, it is much more logical and reliable. Here are new examples ofmechanosensing(the ability to sense a touch) andmechanotransduction(the ability to pass on touch information). A paper onbioRxivexplains, Cells sense the physical properties of their environment, translate them into biochemical signals and adapt their behaviour accordingly.

One such system is the MAPK/ERK pathway that all eukaryotic cells use to get information from the cell surface into the nucleus. A diagram onWikipedias page makes it clear that many individual factors take part. Once the EGFR receptor triggers ERK on the cells exterior membrane, a signaling cascade begins with at least 16 cofactors and proteins transporting the information to the cell nucleus, which responds by transcribing code proteins or enzymes. ERK signals can also spread throughout the cytoplasm, leading to a variety of responses depending on the nature of the triggering molecule.

Now, Japanese scientists have noticed a further response in neighboring cells. When one cells ERK pathway is triggered, that cell shrinks. Neighboring cells sense the change and respond by shrinking themselves, causing a chain reaction.Researchers at Kyoto Universitylikened this to how crowds do The Wave at sporting arenas, passing collective motion throughout the stadium.

Cells are tightly connected and packed together, so when one starts contracting from ERK activation, it pulls in its neighbors, elaborates [Tsuyoshi] Hirashima. This then caused surrounding cells to extend, activating their ERK, resulting in contractions thatlead to a kind of tug-of-war propagating into colony movement.[Emphasis added.]

The response involves both chemical and mechanical factors. Our work clearly shows that the ERK-mediatedmechano-chemical feedback systemgenerates complicated multicellular patterns, the lead author comments.

Another touch-sensitive mechanism is the so-called Hedgehog (Hh) pathway, so named because defects in its function cause fruit fly embryos to look like the spiny animals. Hedgehog pathways are often associated with the primary cilium, an organelle that sticks out like an antenna from the cell membrane and senses its environment. When triggered, it also causes a cascade of reactions inside the cell.

Craig Albertson, a researcher at theUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherstwas curious why cichlid fish can evolve so quickly to environmental changes, including changing the shapes and densities of bone in their jaws. This capacity for phenotypic plasticity is not evolution of a Darwinian kind, but rather a programmed response to environmental cues.

Albertson works with a system cichlid fishes known throughout the scientific world as champions of phenotypic plasticity thatcan alter, in a single season, jawbone hardness or shape to match feeding conditions.They are also well known for their rapid evolution and diversity in jaw shapes, which hasenabled cichlids to adapt to many different food sources, including algae, plankton, fish, snails and even the scales of other fishes.

Albertson speculated that this capacity for rapid response to environmental cues might be associated with the Hedgehog signaling pathway. By tuning the amount of Hh signal, his research team discovered that more bone was deposited, or vice versa.

Albertson, explains, Bone cells in these fish are innatelysensitive to differentmechanical environments. But we were able to play with this system using a single molecular switch you turn up the Hh signal and the cells become more sensitive to the environment, or you turn the molecular sensor down and the cells become almost deaf to the environment.

Like ERK, the Hedgehog signaling pathway involves numerous factors that interact in chain reactions. And it is triggered by a mechano-sensor on the cell, the primary cilium.

An important clue came as Albertson learned more about how this molecular pathway works. He explains, There isa well-known mechano-sensor on most cells, including those that make the skeleton, called the primary cilium. Cells that lack this organelle are unable to sense or respond to environmental input, includingmechanical load.It turns out that several key protein components of the Hedgehog pathway are physically associated with this structure, making it an obvious candidate for an environmentally sensitive signal.

The team believes this kind of response to environmental cues could be responsible for other kinds of rapid evolution in other animals. The Hh signal has also been shown to regulate plasticity inbeetle horns, so there may be something special that positions it to be anenvironmental sensor across tissues and animals, Albertson says. This is not Darwinism; it is pre-programmed response using molecular machines capable of sensing touch.

How does skin stretch when a body grows? The answers may rely on mechanosensitive factors.Nature News and Views said recently, Stretching the skin of mice reveals thatmechanical strain is communicated by a subpopulation of stem cellsthat proliferate and promote mechanical resistance,and so generate extra skin.

One of the most remarkable examples of touch communication was announced this month inNature. Researchers at theUniversity of Montrealconfirmed the existence of nanotubes that grow out of cell membranes and reach across comparatively large distances to touch other cells, affect their behaviors, and even share organelles with them. They found these nanotubes in the retinas of mice, and believe they are responsible for controlling blood flow in the capillaries.

For the first time, we have identifieda communication structure between cellsthat is required to coordinate blood supply in the living retina, said Dr. Adriana Di Polo, a neuroscience professor at Universit de Montral and holder of a Canada Research Chair in glaucoma and age-related neurodegeneration, who supervised the study.

We already knew that activated retinal areas receive more blood than non-activated ones, she said, butuntil now no one understood how this essential blood delivery was finely regulated.

These nanotubes tunnel through the mass of retinal cells to distant capillaries, where they contact pericytes, cells that have the ability to control the amount of blood passing through a single capillary simply by squeezing and releasing it. This touch communication allows a retinal cell to tell the capillary it needs more blood or less blood.

Using a microscopy technique to visualize vascular changes in living mice, we showed that pericytes project very thin tubes, calledinter-pericyte tunnelling nanotubes, tocommunicate with other pericytes located in distant capillaries, said Alarcon-Martinez. Through these nanotubes,the pericytes can talk to each other to deliver blood where it is most needed.

Video micrographs show that even mitochondria can be passed down these nanotubes. The paper inNaturesays:

Here we identify nanotube-like processes that connect two bona fide pericytes on separate capillary systems, forming a functional network in the mouse retina, which we named interpericyte tunnelling nanotubes (IP-TNTs). We provide evidence that these (i) have an open-ended proximal side and a closed-ended terminal (end-foot) that connects with distal pericyte processes via gap junctions, (ii)carry organelles including mitochondria, which can travelalong these processes, and (iii) serve as a conduit for intercellular Ca2+waves, thusmediating communication between pericytes.

The cells literally reach out and touch other pericytes bound to other capillaries, and hand off signals and organelles. This gives the retinal cells, dependent on a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients, a way to fine-tune their own blood supply. The gap junctions act like filters: Small particles, such as ions, can pass through this junction, but larger objects, such as organelles, cannot. Tunneling nanotubes had been noted between cells in a petri dish before, but a companion article onNature News and Viewscalls this the firstin vivoevidence for the existence of a type of TNT-like protrusion. Maybe it wont be the first for long. The research teams headline calls them, Nanotubes in the eye that help us see.

These are just some of the ways that cells respond to mechanical forces. The chains of reactions can be very elaborate and irreducibly complex. But first, they have to be triggered by well-designed mechanosensors that can feel a factor in the environment and then pass along that information to downstream processes that can do something about it. Undoubtedly many more examples of mechanosensing and mechanotransduction remain to be discovered. Its hard to conceive of any of these systems arising piecemeal by accumulated mistakes (mutations).

Instead, they appear as systems of coordinated parts that were planned to adapt to changes, providing robustness. It is exciting to ponder how such pre-programmed responses to environmental cues could trigger rapid adaptations, giving rise to some of the spectacular variations seen in birds, beetles, fish, and other organisms. Prematurely attributed to Darwinian processes, these examples of phenotypic plasticity actually show foresight and design.

Originally posted here:
Cells Reach Out and Touch, Providing Evidence of Foresight and Design - Discovery Institute

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Read: The plan that could give us our lives back

The science is paying off. Novavax, a Maryland-based company working on this type of vaccine, recently reported the results of its Phase 1 trial. The levels of antibodies generated were stunning, about four times higher than those in individuals who are recovering from a COVID-19 infection.

Scientists are also using different strains of another virus, adenovirus, as a vector or a missile to deliver genes that code for these same spike proteins and that also provoke an immune response. The vector has been engineered in the lab to be replication-defective; that is, the vector is able to deliver the spike gene into humans but once its done its job, the vector cannot replicate any further. At least three groups are testing these vectors. A University of Oxford group, in partnership with AstraZeneca, has employed an adenovirus from chimpanzees and has already entered Phase 3 trials in humans. The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center group, in partnership with Janssen Pharmaceutica, is using Ad26, a human adenovirus, and the Chinese-based CanSino Biologics has begun Phase 3 trials with yet another human adenovirus, Ad5.

These examples are not just beautiful science (although they are beautiful science). By harnessing the increased power of the biological sciences, researchers are developing entirely new ways of rapidly developing vaccines.

My optimism doesnt stop with these early results, although they are key. Im also encouraged because at least five very different approaches (Ive walked through only three above) are being explored to make a vaccine. As we say in Canada, if you want to win, you have to take many shots on goal.

Equally important is the unprecedented global collaboration among scientists around the world, as well as the high degree of cooperation between scientists and clinicians, biopharmaceutical companies, government, philanthropic funders, and regulators. They are all working together toward the common goal of developing as quickly as possible a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19.

I dont know which of the vaccine candidates undergoing clinical testing in humans will ultimately be shown to be safe and effective. They might all prove effective, albeit in different age groups or in people with different preexisting conditions. But the encouraging news is that all of the vaccine candidates that have entered trials in humans so far are safe and have elicited high levels of antibodies against COVID-19. Some have also been shown to activate the cellular arm of our immune system, another crucial component of our defenses against foreign pathogens.

The public-health imperative to obtain a safe and effective vaccine as quickly as possible goes hand in hand with the mandate that the approval process be above any political considerations and solely based on data from the clinical trials. Anything else risks losing the publics confidence in a vaccine or, in a worst-case scenario, might result in a vaccine that is less effective than those that might be approved later, or the widespread administration of a vaccine that turns out to have serious adverse side effects. That would be a public-health tragedy.

Continued here:
Im Optimistic That We Will Have a COVID-19 Vaccine Soon - The Atlantic

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Most discussion in hormone receptor (HR)positive metastatic breast cancer are now focused on CDK4/6 inhibition, according to Denise A. Yardley, MD, who added that, after demonstrating significant survival benefits, these agents have transformed the standard of care.

There are 3 key agents: palbociclib (Ibrance), ribociclib (Kisqali), and abemaciclib (Verzenio). Several phase 3 trials incorporating these agents showed a resounding, reinforcing message of improvement in median progression-free survival (PFS). In earlier lines of therapy, this translated to a doubling in PFS, said Yardley. Ultimately, these data put these agents on our radar, which later resulted in approvals. We now have 1 of the gold standards in terms of selecting agents and making treatment algorithm recommendations for our patients because there are finally data to support an overall survival (OS) advantage.

In an interview with OncLive during the 2020 International Perspectives in Cancer webinar on Breast Cancer, Yardley, a senior investigator in the Breast Cancer Program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, highlighted the evolving role of adjuvant CDK4/6 inhibition in HR-positive metastatic breast cancer.

OncLive: Could you expand on the HR-positive metastatic breast cancer treatment landscape?

Yardley: All discussions of HR-positive metastatic breast cancer now involve CDK4/6 inhibitors, as these agents have really evolved and changed our standard of care. Three trials have shown an OS advantage [with this approach], which is a resonating message of a good surrogate for having benefit. We are seeing the median PFS benefit translate into an OS advantage.

On the heels of that, an important question with patients who have HR-positive disease is determining how to incorporate [what we have learned] into our day-to-day practice. One of the groups that we've always had some hesitation in approaching with endocrine-based therapy is the group with visceral metastasis.

During the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program, data presented from the MONALEESA-3 and the MONALEESA-7 trials, which examined ribociclib. Results showed that about 60% of the population had visceral metastasis on both of trials. I would say benefits mirrored what we saw with the overall MONALEESA-3 and the MONALEESA-7 study populations. We saw a 20% reduction in the risk of death in patients with visceral metastasis in MONALEESA-3 who received treatment with ribociclib and approximately 30% for those [with metastasis] in MONALEESA-7. We carved out just those with liver metastasis, which is a life-threatening organ to be involved with metastatic disease, and we saw similar benefit in both PFS and OS.

That may have been a group of patients that practitioners have concern about in terms of using endocrine therapy or endocrine therapy with CDK4/6 inhibition, which is cytostatic. Now, we have great data showing that these patients do just as well [with this treatment] as the study

population as a whole. The benefit of that doublet therapy didnt translate into more adverse effects for that population; it reinforces the efficacy of taking the approach in a more challenging group of patients with visceral metastasis, whether it's liver or lung.

I believe that provides comfort and shows the importance of not pulling the trigger for chemotherapy or even the consideration of oral chemotherapy. We can now feel comfortable moving forward with making that recommendation of endocrine therapy in combination with CDK4/6 inhibition based on these studies.

What challenges have been faced in terms of research?

I believe we can widen the audience of patients with HR-positive metastatic breast cancer who are going to benefit from the CDK4/6 inhibitors; however, a challenge is that resistance does develop. Now we must determine if we can categorize and predict that resistance.

Many studies have examined potential biomarkers of sensitivity or resistance. Right now, we still say ER positivity is the only biomarker for benefit. Many markers have been examined, but none have been consistently validated. That research avenue continues to be explored.

We are now wondering whether we could identify a patient who might derive less benefit from this approach due to intrinsic resistance or patients who stop deriving benefit beyond 6 months due to acquired resistance. Although a lot of emphasis has been placed on that, I believe we are challenged by many different signals, in addition to learning how to incorporate them. Mutations in the RBG, PI3K, and cyclin E, all seem to resonate but are not ready to be used for real-time assessment and decision making.

How do ESR1 mutations play a role in decision making? What are some of the data that we have seen with regard to treating this patient subset?

The ESR1 mutations are also emerging as having a role in making treatment decisions in patients with HR-positive metastatic breast cancer. For patients who develop the ESR1 mutation either at baseline, which is 1% to 5%, or after exposure to an aromatase inhibitor (AI), which increases to 30% to 40%, what do we do? Many of these patients have gone onto fulvestrant (Faslodex), which clearly has a role in those who demonstrate ESR1 mutations.

Interesting data from the PADA-1 trial, which were presented during the ASCO 2020 Virtual Scientific Program, examined patients at baseline and measured the ESR1 mutation. We know if patient was treated with an AI and palbociclib and they had [the ESR1] mutation [at baseline], the [prevalence] rate [of the mutation] was approximately 3%; if they had received a prior AI in the adjuvant setting, that rate goes up to about 7%. Those patients did poor versus the group who had no mutation, with a median PFS of about [7] months versus about 26 months, respectively.

Interestingly, when the group that had the ESR1 mutations who were treated with an AI and palbociclib were remeasured 1 month later, those who cleared their ESR1 mutation with treatment with a CDK4/6 inhibitor and an AI did just as well as those who didn't have [the mutation] at baseline. How do we adopt this to our practice? Before I saw these data, I would be hesitant to give AI after measuring an ESR1 mutation. However, now I have some comfort level, particularly in those patients who have already received fulvestrant or may not be a candidate, to challenge with an AI and a CDK4/6 inhibitor. Maybe I would remeasure it in a month to determine if I have cleared it and feel confident that the patient has every reason to hopefully benefit and continue monitoring them.

Were still trying to figure out all the different permutations of how to get around ESR1 mutations. I think the oral selective estrogen receptor downregulators are certainly very prevalent in the clinical trials and may be vastly easier than fulvestrant in a group of patients. We will hopefully see an approval of 1 of these therapies in the near future so that we can get them into the clinics and in commercial use.

Shifting to those with PI3K mutations, could you shed light on the BELIEVE trial?

Another challenge is understanding what to do after CDK4/6 inhibition. This has [shifted] our standard of care as a first-line therapy and second-line therapy for patients who didn't receive it in the first line. Were working on becoming savvy with continuing to screen those patients now for other actionable mutations. PI3K mutations really come up in that particular setting.

In the BYLieve trial, investigators assessed patients with a PI3K3CA mutation who had received a prior CDK4/6 inhibitor plus an endocrine agent, endocrine therapy, or systemic chemotherapy. In the trial, they either received [a CDK4/6 inhibitor plus an AI,] alpelisib (Piqray) with fulvestrant, [or chemotherapy or endocrine therapy following progression on an AI].

Those patients did remarkably better than the group who were just treated with standard-of-care agents from a FLATIRON database. Looking at post CDK4/6 failures just treated with either fulvestrant, CDK4/6 inhibitor, or chemotherapy, compared with those tested in the BYLieve trial who were offered an alpha-specific PI3K alpelisib with fulvestrant, results showed that this [approach] doubled the [benefit] for these patients in a matched analysis. As such, if you find that population, its certainly worth testing because they fare better [with this approach] as compared with standard therapy.

The ways in which we think about treating our patients with HR-positive metastatic breast cancer is constantly broadening. Were also embracing doublet therapy over monotherapy endocrine therapy. There is a clear rationale and basis for scrutinizing these tumors, in addition to continuing to look for these alterations that we can target very effectively; by doing this, we continue to improve outcomes.

Several other PI3K [inhibitors are being examined] in clinical trials. We're now examining triplets comprised of PI3K inhibitor, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, and endocrine therapy in the first-line setting for patients with PI3K-mutated disease. We're going to see if we can build on the data, we already have with the doublet CDK4/6/endocrine therapy. That may be quite a challenge, but it will be interesting to see how that triplet therapy may fare in comparison with doublet therapy.

What is some of the research that is being done with AKT inhibitors?

Some trials are examining AKT inhibitors and their role in combination with endocrine therapy. We have capivasertib (AZD5363), which is being evaluated in a post-CDK4/6 pathway and investigators assessed whether the patient had PI3K mutation or not. [The presence of the mutation] did not appear to affect the benefit and the outcome of the doublet comprised of the AKT inhibitor and endocrine therapy. That's likely going to be another targetable agent that's not going to be mutation dependent as a PI3K to achieve that efficacy.

I believe we're starting to see this algorithm of an endocrine backbone partnered with a targeted agent. What we see is really manipulation of what we know in the HR-positive metastatic breast cancer space in terms of that estrogen signaling pathway and where we see alterations that result in shortened duration of benefit or resistance that we're able to target and provide more longevity to an endocrine therapy-based approach for these patients.

We need to keep chemotherapy on the back burner as we learn how to sequence these agents. I believe the trials are going to continue and we're going to have a continued altering standard of care and algorithm of standard-of-care options for these patients. Its very exciting to be a part of some of these trials and see these drugs make it to the clinic where they can benefit so many more patients.

Go here to read the rest:
CDK4/6 Inhibitors Shift Standards in HR+ Metastatic Breast Cancer - OncLive

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Home abortions for women up to 10 weeks pregnant are set to become permanent following their success during lockdown.

Under Covid emergency measures introduced in March, up to 90,000 women have been able to take the two pills needed after a phone consultation rather than go to a clinic.

It was the first Boris Johnson U-turn of the pandemic the PM initially barred home terminations.

Now ministers are expected to change the law to keep the new system in place before the corona provision ends in 18 months.

Covid minister James Bethell said there will be a public consultation on permanent home use of both pills for early medical abortion.

Dr Jonathan Lord, of abortion provider Marie Stopes UK, said: Thanks to telemedicine, women have been able to access the timely, high-quality care they deserve.

Had this not been available the consequences could have been catastrophic.

Lisa Hallgarten, of Brook sexual health charity, added: Many will benefit from this permanent option, including those with childcare responsibilities, disabilities, who cannot travel, or are in domestic violence situations.

And Clare Murphy, of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: All evidence supports the continuation of this service as in the best interests of women.

"Early abortion care at home has been one of the few healthcare success stories of the pandemic.

Waiting times have been cut thanks to the service.

The first pill, mifepristone, stops the hormone that allows the pregnancy to continue.

The second, misoprostol, is taken 24-48 hours later to end the pregnancy by breaking down the wombs lining.

Previously, women went to a clinic for the first pill and took the second at home.

The BPAS insists the first visit is not necessary.

It is a result of outdated laws from the days of backstreet abortionists which ruled terminations be carried out in a clinic.

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Home abortions to become permanent as 90,000 women used service during lockdown - Mirror Online

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Detailed Analysis & SWOT analysis, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market Trends 2020, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market Growth 2020, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Industry Share 2020, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Industry Size, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market Research, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market Analysis, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market Report speaks about the manufacturing process. The process is analyzed thoroughly with respect three points, viz. raw material and equipment suppliers, various manufacturing associated costs (material cost, labor cost, etc.) and the actual process of whole Enterprise Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market.

Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market 2020 is a professional and in-intensity look at on the modern state of the key-word industry. The document provides a simple review of the key-word marketplace together with definitions, classifications, programs and chain shape. The key-word enterprise evaluation is supplied for the worldwide marketplace which include improvement records, competitive landscape evaluation, and principal local development popularity.

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The Infantile Spasms Therapeutics marketplace file elaborates Infantile Spasms Therapeutics industry evaluation with various definitions and category, Product kinds & its packages and chain shape. Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market document presentations the manufacturing, sales, charge, and market proportion and boom rate of every type as following.

2020 Short Detail of this Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market report:

An infantile spasm (IS), also known as West Syndrome, is a specific type of seizure seen in an epilepsy syndrome of infancy and childhood. West Syndrome is characterized by infantile spasms, developmental regression, and a specific pattern on electroencephalography (EEG) testing called hypsarrhythmia (chaotic brain waves). The onset of infantile spasms is usually in the first year of life, typically between 4-8 months. The seizures primarily consist of a sudden bending forward of the body with stiffening of the arms and legs; some children arch their backs as they extend their arms and legs. The condition is usually observed in 2% of childhood epilepsies and 25% of epilepsies that start in the first year of life.

The global infantile spasms therapeutics market is growing at a slow pace. This is due to the increased availability of generic drugs and less approved therapies in the market and the less awareness of the disease and the available treatment options, especially in the low- and middle-income countries.

The classification of Infantile Spasms Therapeutics includes Oral, Injection. The proportion of Injection in 2016 is about 45%, and the proportion of Oral in 2016 is about 55%.

Based on application, the nitinol medical devices market is segmented into Hospital, Clinic and others. Clinic segment accounted for larger market share in terms of sales in 2016, Clinic segmented accounted for more than 45% of the market share in 2016.

United States is the largest consumption place, with a consumption market share nearly 83% in 2016. Following United States, Europe is the second largest consumption place with the consumption market share of 12.6% in 2016.

The US market is dominated by two approved products H.P. Acthar Gel (adrenocorticotropin hormone) and Sabril (vigabatrin). Sabril was the first drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009 and H.P. Acthar Gel (adrenocorticotropin hormone) was approved for infantile spasms in 2010. Both have Orphan Drug Exclusivity (ODE) in the US.

In the future, the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics will have a good future; the price fluctuation has relationship with the raw material. The technology will more mature and the industry is more dispersion.

Market Analysis and Insights: Global Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market

In 2019, the global Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market size was USD 138.9 million and it is expected to reach USD 178.4 million by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of 3.6% during 2021-2026.

Global Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Scope and Market Size

Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market is segmented by Type, and by Application. Players, stakeholders, and other participants in the global Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market will be able to gain the upper hand as they use the report as a powerful resource. The segmental analysis focuses on revenue and forecast by Type and by Application in terms of revenue and forecast for the period 2015-2026.

Segment by Type, the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market is segmented into Oral, Injection, etc.

Segment by Application, the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market is segmented into Hospital, Clinic, etc.

Regional and Country-level Analysis

The Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market is analysed and market size information is provided by regions (countries).

The key regions covered in the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market report are North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America, etc.

The report includes country-wise and region-wise market size for the period 2015-2026. It also includes market size and forecast by Type, and by Application segment in terms of revenue for the period 2015-2026.

Competitive Landscape and Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market Share Analysis

Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market competitive landscape provides details and data information by vendors. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue by the player for the period 2015-2020. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on revenue (global and regional level) by player for the period 2015-2020. Details included are company description, major business, company total revenue and the revenue generated in Infantile Spasms Therapeutics business, the date to enter into the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics product introduction, recent developments, etc.

The major vendors include Mallinckrodt, H. Lundbeck, Insys Therapeutics, Orphelia Pharma, Valerion Therapeutics, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Anavex Life Sciences, Retrophin, GW Pharmaceuticals, etc.

This report focuses on the global Infantile Spasms Therapeutics status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America.

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Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market by Product Type:

Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market by Applications:

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Next part of the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market analysis report speaks about the manufacturing process. The process is analysed thoroughly with respect three points, viz. raw material and equipment suppliers, various manufacturing associated costs (material cost, labour cost, etc.) and the actual process. Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, and revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer as per following;

Top Manufacturer Included in Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market:

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After the basic information, the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics report sheds light on the production, production plants, their capacities, global production and revenue are studied. Also, the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market growth in various regions and R&D status are also covered.

Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market Report by Key Region:

The global Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2020 and 2026. In 2020, the market was growing at a mild rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is predicted to rise over the projected horizon. The report also tracks the most recent market dynamics, like driving factors, restraining factors, and industry news like mergers, acquisitions, and investments.

The report can help to know the market and strategize for business expansion accordingly. Within the strategy analysis, it gives insights from market positioning and marketing channel to potential growth strategies, providing in-depth analysis for brand fresh entrants or exists competitors within the Infantile Spasms Therapeutics industry. Global Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market Report 2020 provides exclusive statistics, data, information, trends and competitive landscape details during this niche sector.

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Further in the report, Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market is examined for price, cost and gross revenue. These three points are analysed for types, companies and regions. In prolongation with this data sale price for various types, applications and region is also included. The Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Industry consumption for major regions is given. Additionally, type wise and application wise consumption figures are also given.

To provide information on competitive landscape, this report includes detailed profiles of Infantile Spasms Therapeutics Market key players. For each player, product details, capacity, price, cost, gross and revenue numbers are given. Their contact information is provided for better understanding.

Other Major Topics Covered in Infantile Spasms Therapeutics market research report are as follows:

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Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

It's not a coincidence that at medical school, when student doctors are first taught how to examine patients, they are always told to start by looking at the hands. They can reveal a lot about your health. Read on to discover the warning signs for disease, just a fingertip away. And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these COVID Mistakes You Should Never Make.

You may have heard about "COVID toes" as one of the most common symptoms of coronavirus, but not many people know that the virus can also manifest as swollen hands. According to the Mayo Clinic, this swelling is called edema and it could be linked to kidney or heart problems, both of which may be caused by coronavirus. Weakness or numbness of your hands, as well as a pain in hand or wrist, are also a reported symptom for many sufferers. To ensure your health and the health of others check these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus to see if you've experienced any.

Each hand consists of bone, nerves, blood vessels, connective tissue, and skin. Under each fingernail, the nail bed contains a capillary network. Healthy nails look pink as they are near the skin surface and you can see the red oxygenated blood within these capillaries. If your oxygen stores are depleted, for example, in chronic lung or heart disease, your fingers become blueand this is called cyanosis.

Examples of medical conditions which cause peripheral cyanosis include: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, congenital heart disease, pulmonary embolism and heart failure. Abnormal haemoglobin, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, is also a cause of cyanosis.

You'll notice if you're ever a patient at the hospital, you have to take your nail polish off. This is why.

A tremor in both hands can be a sign of anxiety, alcohol withdrawal or too much caffeine. Other examples include Parkinson's Diseasetypically a "pill-rolling tremor"or an overactive thyroid gland. Sometimes a tremor can be caused by antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. A "liver flap" is a sign of serious liver failure.

A tremor in one hand could be due to a neuromuscular weakness such as a stroke, or rarely, a brain tumor.

4

woman looking at fingers nails obsessing about cleanliness

You may notice looking at the color of the skin on the hands, that it is yellowed. In fact, the skin all over the body may be yellow, even the whites of the eyes. This is jaundice and is a sign of liver, gall bladder or pancreatic disease.

Cold, pale, puffy hands may be a sign of an underactive thyroid gland.

Anemia may also cause the palmar skin creases to look pale, instead of pink.

Liver disease causes bright red palms"liver palms."

5

Itching of skin diseases in women using the hand-scratching

If the skin is reddened, and has characteristic features such as thickening and fissures, this may be eczema or contact dermatitissometimes due to occupational exposure to allergens.

6

woman suffering from pain in bone

Arthritis affects the joints of each finger, the thumbs and the wrists. These may appear red, swollen and may be tender to touch. Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis have different characteristic features.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes the fingers of each hand to splay out in an ulnar distribution. The tendons become inflamed, and there are painful synovial cysts which can rupture. The fingers become overextended at the joints and become misaligned. Typically the distal finger joints are spared. Rheumatoid arthritis is also associated with Sjogren's syndrome, a condition in which sufferers have dry eyes and a dry mouth.

Osteoarthritis causes hard bony lumps at the distal and middle finger joints. Those of the distal joints are called Heberden's nodes. In fact, osteoarthritis can affect any joints of the body.

7

Young female suffering from hand and finger joint pain with redness.

Gout can result in acute, painful swelling of one or more joints of the fingers. Gout is a condition in which your body either produces too much or can't break down uric acid. As a result, uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints. Sometimes these look like hard, white lumps called tophi.

Cholesterol deposits may occur around the knucklescalled tendon xanthoma. These are a sign of familial hypercholesterolemia, a condition affecting 1 in 500 of the population.

8

Hand of an man with Dupuytren contracture disease

Dupuytren's contracture is a condition in which connective tissue in the palm of the hand becomes thickened. The tendons become shortened, pulling the 4th and 5th fingers of the hand inwards so they are fixed in a resting position, partially flexed. It means you are unable to fully straighten your fingers and can become very disabling.

Trigger finger occurs when a tendon in the finger or thumb, becomes inflamed (tenosynovitis) and cannot function properly. You can bend the finger, but you cannot straighten it again without manually putting the finger back in place. Sometimes it may "pop" when you try to bend or straighten it.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition in which the median nerve becomes compressed as it passes from the forearm through the carpal tunnel and into the hand. You may get numbness and tingling in the thumb and index fingers, and over time muscle wasting and weakness. Carpal tunnel syndrome is associated with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid disease. It may be a problem in pregnancy.

9

Plastic surgeon examining a hand

Anaemia may cause nails to be brittle or even spoon-shapedkoilonychia. This can be a sign of celiac disease, diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency or haemochromatosis (a condition in which your body iron stores are too high).

Diabetics may have a condition known as cheiroarthropathy. In this condition hands and fingers are stiff. If you put your two palms together and straighten your fingers as much as possible, you will not be able to touch the full length of each finger together.

"Half and half" nails are a rare but pathognomonic sign of kidney failure. When they occur the proximal part of the nail near the nail bed is pale or white, and the distal part of the nail is brown.

10

Raynaud's Disease occurs when the blood vessels in your fingers or toes suddenly become constricted. As a result, there is a reduced blood supply to the fingers or toes. They may turn white, then blue, and it can be painful. The fingers or toes feel very cold. If the area is warmed, the fingers and toes will then flush red as the blood supply returns.

An overactive thyroid may cause hot sweaty palms.

Acromegaly is a condition in which your body produces too much growth hormone. People with acromegaly may have extra-large hands and feet.

11

woman with afro hair over isolated background looking stressed and nervous with hands on mouth biting nails

Bitten nailsthe medical term is onychophagiamay be a sign of anxiety. They may have deep-seated roots including separation anxiety, stress, or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD).

Deliberate self-harmthis may be apparent if you look at the wrists and see scars from attempts to cut the wrists. This may represent depression and/or true suicidal intentions.

12

Woman looking at fingernails

Around 80% of people with psoriasis, find the disease affects their fingernails. (Sometimes, it is only the nails which are affected.) The nails appear crumbly, thickened, discolored and have small dents or "pits" within them. Sometimes they lift off the nail bedonycholysis.

Fungal nail infections can occur on the hands, although they are more common on the feet. They are commonly caused by a dermatophyte infection with the organism tinea unguium, but also sometimes by other yeasts or fungi. The nails look discolored and there is thickening and lifting of the distal portion of the nail. This can also occur if someone is immune-suppressedfor example, if they are on chemotherapy, or have diabetes.

Small hemorrhages may occur in the nails called splinter hemorrhages. These may be a sign of psoriasis, lichen planus or are sometimes drug-induced. They can also reflect subacute bacterial endocarditis a bacterial infection of the heart muscle.

The skin cancer melanoma can develop under a fingernail. It is a black or brownish streak developing in the nail bed. It is usually just one nail affected. The overlying mail may appear brittle, with lifting of the nail off the nail bed. This is an emergency and must be referred immediately to a dermatologist.

Clubbing is a condition in which the nails grow right around the fingertip to give it a bulbous appearance. This is seen most commonly in people with chronic lung disease, and congenital heart disease, TB or lung cancer.

13

Geriatric doctor (geriatrician) consulting and diagnostic examining elderly senior adult patient (older person) on aging and mental health care in medical clinic office or hospital examination room

One of the first things to notice when examining hands is that they give us an indication of your age. As you age, the skin on the back of your hands gets thinner and the veins become more prominent. Sometimes people get brownish patches of discoloration called age spots. As for yourself: To get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 37 Places You're Most Likely to Catch Coronavirus.

Dr. Lee is a physician at Dr Fox Online.

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What Your Hands Say About Your Health - Yahoo Canada Shine On

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Bland left behind other instructions, too. She said to everyone: Make sure Lauren gets a fella, she has been single long enough and she deserves to be loved, says Mahon.

Dating is less than straightforward for Mahon, who is looking for a partner who is willing to go through IVF treatment with her, using the eggs she froze before chemotherapy.

Its going to be a little bit more complex [for me to have a baby], so its just finding someone whos willing to go through that, she says. If my cancer diagnosis is too much to handle, you can f--- off.

She found menopause a gruelling experience. There were hot flashes that made her tomato-red, depression, mood swings, exhaustion, and brain fog. But worst of all, her libido disappeared. I was a 33-year-old woman who did not want to have sex, she says. I was so mortified and depressed about it all.

Menopause made her quality of life so poor that her doctors recommended she come off some of the hormone-suppressing drugs she was taking. It was a difficult decision to make and I was terrified my cancer would return and I still am, she says.

Just seeing a woman like Mahon - who has tattooed arms, short dark hair and a mouth like a sailor who has stubbed his toe - talk about menopause feels slightly radical. And thats sort of the problem, she says. She wants us to realise how common early menopause is: No one talks about it.

She hates the stigma surrounding womens bodies. Every person on the planet has come out of a vagina pretty much, so we need to get used to saying the word, she says. In this vein, she has joined with period product company Bodyform, for an ad campaign that tries to destigmatise the changes that happen to womens bodies during sex, pregnancy, menopause and periods.

Continued here:
Lauren Mahon: 'Getting breast cancer in my 30s was bad enough then they said I'd be infertile too' - Telegraph.co.uk

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith