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Personalized medicine – ScienceDaily

Currently, much of medical practice is based on "standards of care" that are determined by averaging responses across large cohorts.

The theory has been that everyone should get the same care based on clinical trials.

Personalized Medicine is the concept that managing a patient's health should be based on the individual patient's specific characteristics, including age, gender, height/weight, diet, environment, etc.

Potential applications of personalized medicine Personalized medicine aims to identify individuals at risk for common diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

The simple family history has long been used by physicians to identify individuals at increased risk and to advise preventive measures such as lifestyle modifications (changes in diet, cessation of toxic habits, increased exercise) earlier screening, or even prophylactic medications or surgery.

Scientific advancements offer the potential to define an individual's risk based on their genetic make-up.

Fields of Translational Research termed "-omics" (genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) study the contribution of genes, proteins, and metabolic pathways to human physiology and variations of these pathways that can lead to disease susceptibility.

It is hoped that these fields will enable new approaches to diagnosis, drug development, and individualized therapy.

Pharmacogenetics Pharmacogenetics (also termed pharmacogenomics) is the field of study that examines the impact of genetic variation on the response to medications.

This approach is aimed at tailoring drug therapy at a dosage that is most appropriate for an individual patient, with the potential benefits of increasing the efficacy and safety of medications.

Gene-centered research may also speed the development of novel therapeutics.

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Personalized medicine - ScienceDaily

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Genetics/Genetic Counseling | Rutgers Cancer Institute of …

American Cancer Society: Genetic Testing, What You Need to Know - The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service. Read all about genetic testing at this site.

Cancer.Net: Genetics - This is the patient information Web site of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). It is designed to help patients and families make informed health-care decisions. Comprehensive information on cancer genetics can be found here.

HealthyNJ: Genetics - Although not specific to cancer genetics, you can find valuable information on genetic disorders and testing.

Macmillan Cancer Support: Genetics - This UK based organization helps with all the things that people affected by cancer want and need. Learn about how genes work, how diseases are inherited and the risks for different cancer types at this site.

MedlinePlus: Genetic Counseling - Developed by the National Library of Medicine, this consumer health site directs the user to selected online resources on many common diseases, conditions, and concerns. Also in Spanish.

MedlinePlus: Genetic Testing - Developed by the National Library of Medicine, this consumer health site directs the user to selected online resources on many common diseases, conditions, and concerns. Also in Spanish.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Hereditary Cancer & Genetics - Here you will find an overview of hereditary cancer, genetic counseling, testing information, questions and answers about hereditary cancers and recent research findings.

National Cancer Institute: Cancer Genetics - The NCI, established under the National Cancer Act of 1937, is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and training. This site will provide a wealth of information on cancer genetics and testing.

National Human Genome Research Institute - The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) led the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) contribution to the International Human Genome Project, which had as its primary goal the sequencing of the human genome. Here you can learn about specific genetic diseases and genetic testing, and find tools for gathering your family medical history.

NetWellness: Cancer Genetics - Find out about genes, chromosomes and cancer, genetic tests, genetic counseling or even submit a question on the site's "Ask and Expert" section.

February 2015

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Genetics/Genetic Counseling | Rutgers Cancer Institute of ...

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Alligator Bioscience AB

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Drug Development Candidate ADC-1004 has been shown to reduce myocardial infarction in a porcine ischemia reperfusion injury model. As part of the d

Alternativa Aktiemarknaden har trots ptryckningar frn Alligator Bioscience beslutat att nnu inte upphra med noteringen p Alternativas han

Alligatorbuilds value by using its proprietary human scFv antibody library ALLIGATOR-GOLD and the FIND technology platform to develop innovative antibody-based immuno-oncology compounds for unmet medical needs within cancer. Alligator Bioscience is focusing on discovery and early development phases and is growing an attractive pipeline of drug development candidates in various stages of preclinical and clinical development. ALLIGATOR-GOLD is a fully human synthetic kappa scFv library with large diversity (10 billion unique clones). ALLIGATOR-GOLD has been validated by selection of functionally active antibodies with sub-nanomolar affinities against several targets. FIND (Fragment Induced Diversity) technology is a powerful in vitro based antibody and protein optimization technology that creates functional libraries from which optimal variants of potential drug development candidates can be selected. ALLIGATOR-GOLD and FIND are fully integrated to give Alligator Bioscience the competitive advantage to develop immuno-oncology compounds with higher probability of success.

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ADC-1013 is an antibody-based immunotherapy, inducing anti-tumor immune effects through the activation of CD40 on antigen-presenting cells. ADC-1013 is currently in clinical phase I: safety and tolerability is assessed in a clinical trial of late stage cancer patients at 5 clinical sites in Europe. ADC-1013 was out-licensed to Janssen Biotech in August 2015.

ADC-1015 is a bispecific immuno-oncology compound. The drug candidate is based on the concept that the properties of two complementary immune activatingentities, OX40 and CTLA-4,are united into one moleculeto induce superior immune activation. Manufacturing for clinical trials was initiated in January 2016. ADC-1015 is currently in pre-clinical development.

ADC-1016 is a bispecific tumor-localizing immunotherapy, composed of one tumor-targeting moiety and one immune activatingmoiety. Immune activation is dependent on binding to the tumor target which reduces the risk of systemic toxicity. ADC-1016 is in late research phase.

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Alligator Bioscience AB

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Seahorse Bioscience – Making Cell Metabolism Even Easier

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Seahorse Bioscience - Making Cell Metabolism Even Easier

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Biotechnology Conferences| Industrial Biotechnology Events …

Track-1: Industrial Biotechnology

Industrial biotechnology is one of the best encouraging new techniques to contamination evasion, asset protection, and cost lessening. It is much of the time said to as the third wave in biotechnology. On the off chance that created to its full forthcoming, mechanical biotechnology might have a higher impact on the World than human services and agrarian biotechnology. Mechanical biotechnology has molded proteins for use in our everyday lives and for the assembling division. Modern biotechnology organizations use numerous particular strategies to find and enhance nature's chemicals. Data from genomic concentrates on microorganisms is supporting specialists misuse on the abundance of hereditary differing qualities in microbial group.

Modern Biotechnology is a Multidisciplinary plan proposed to experience plant based biomass for the assembling of vitality and mass and claim to fame chemicals. "Open Innovation Cluster" for bioeconomy with consideration on mechanical biotechnology. It is anticipated that mechanical biotechnology will be continuously actualized by compound, pharmaceutical, sustenance, and farming commercial ventures.

The Global biotechnology market size was esteemed at USD 270.5 billion in 2013 and is required to develop at a CAGR of 12.3% inferable from the expanding interest for diagnostics and therapeutics arrangements. Rising government activities attributable to high importance towards development of the economy are relied upon to help the biotechnology market development over the gauge period.

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6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-2: Bioprocess engineering

Bioprocess building is the adjustment or utilization of renewable constituents to create esteem included yields. It incorporates revelation, exploration, advance and the assembling and improvement of items. Bioprocess/biochemical/biotechnology/biotechnical building is a bureau of synthetic building, It decreases by the outline and development of types of gear and methods for the assembling of items, for example, agribusiness, nourishment, bolster, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, chemicals, polymers then paper from living materials and examination of waste water.

Bioprocess Engineering, research accentuations on expansion of new biotechnological rehearses for creation of pharmaceuticals, solid nourishment components, mass chemicals and biofuels. Our experience is to create high esteem bio-based items in a legitimate and modest mode to stop decrease of regular assets and to expansion advancement of a bio-experimental industry.

Worldwide business sector for bioprocessing is reflecting the sensational development of the biotechnology business around the globe. Europe speaks to around 25% of Global business sector with 1,880 organizations with incomes roughly $13.5 billion.

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6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-3: Industrial Fermentation

Fermentation process devours microorganisms to change strong or fluid substrates into different items. Aging determined items show gigantic quality. Mechanical aging is the planned utilization of maturation by organisms, for example, microbes other than growths to style items valuable to people. Matured items require order as sustenance and additionally in far reaching industry.

Some important chemicals, identical as acidic corrosive, citrus extract, in addition to ethanol are readied by aging. The proportion of aging relies on upon the compacting of organisms, cells, cell sections, and proteins furthermore temperature, pH and now vigorous aging Oxygen. Item recovery as often as possible embroils the assimilation of the weaken arrangement. Around all industrially fabricated catalysts, for example, lipase, invertase then rennet, are readied by maturation through hereditarily adjusted MI Fermentation process devours microorganisms to change strong or fluid substrates into different items. Aging inferred items show colossal quality. Mechanical aging is the purposeful utilization of aging by organisms, for example, microorganisms other than parasites to style items valuable to people. Aged items require demand as sustenance and in addition in far reaching industry.

Some significant chemicals, comparable as acidic corrosive, citrus extract, in addition to ethanol are readied by aging. The proportion of aging relies on upon the compacting of microorganisms, cells, cell sections, and compounds furthermore temperature, pH and now high-impact maturation Oxygen. Item recovery much of the time involves the ingestion of the weaken arrangement. Roughly all economically produced compounds, for example, lipase, invertase then rennet, are readied by aging through hereditarily altered microorganisms. In by and large, maturations can be separated into three sorts: Production of biomass, Production of extracellular metabolites, and Transformation of substrate.

Worldwide maturation chemicals market interest was 51.83 million tons in 2013. Expanding worldwide ethanol and methanol creation levels because of developing interest from liquor industry is likewise anticipated that would drive aging chemicals market. High assembling expense is likewise anticipated that would ruin the business sector development throughout the following six years.

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6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

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Track-4: Microbial Biotechnology

Microorganisms have stayed persecuted for their unmistakable natural and physical properties from the beginning periods for heating, preparing, nourishment safeguarding and more as of late to manufacture anti-microbials, solvents, amino acids, bolster supplements, and engineered feedstuffs. Current advancements in Molecular Biology and hereditary building may offer novel elucidation to long-standing confusions. Over the wiped out decade, analysts have added to the practices to exchange a quality starting with one creature then onto the next, taking into account advancements of how microorganisms store, copy, and exchange inherited material.

As of late, aging procedures relied on upon uncommon sorts of crude materials and on accessible strains of microorganisms. Presently microorganisms can be hereditarily adjusted to capacity all the more advantageously and to hone a comprehensive assortment of substrates. As these microorganisms are re-built and their aging capacities completely persecuted, we expediently close to the day when substances can be delivered actually and financially.

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6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-5: Fermentation Technology

Fermentation technology consolidate a wide field, yet inside this profile we focus on the utilization of organisms and proteins for development of intensifies that discover application in the vitality, substance, material, restorative and the sustenance portion. In spite of the fact that maturation hones have been utilized for eras, the need for biological generation of vitality and materials is testing creation and change of inventive aging hypotheses. Our efforts are coordinated both to the improvement of cell organizations and chemicals and also of configuration of novel practice ideas and advances for maturation routines.

Mechanical aging systems are progressively predominant, and are measured an essential innovative advantage for dropping our reliance on chemicals and items made from fossil energizes. Be that as it may, despite the fact that their expanding acknowledgment, maturation movements have not yet broadened the comparative advancement as conventional substance methodology, mostly when it emerges to utilizing building devices, for example, numerical representation and streamlining techniques.

Maturation innovation goal is to enhance aging systems for solutions e.g. anti-toxins, drug intermediates, chemicals, amino acids and different biotransformations.

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6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-6: Biopharmaceuticals

Biopharmaceuticals may be made from microbial cells (recombinant E. coli or yeast societies), mammalian cell lines and plant cell societies and greenery plants in bioreactors of various designs, comprehensive of photograph bioreactors. Biopharmaceuticals can contain of proteins or extra sorts of items, for example, nucleic acids, viral quality treatment vectors , peptides, lipids and sugars, alone or in mix. The prevalence of biopharmaceuticals available these days are proteins, and in this way this idea concentrates on those activities required essentially for extension of protein-based therapeutics and wont make a difference to alternate classes of biopharmaceuticals.

In the course of recent years, rich new sorts of test biologic treatment have set up business enlistment, however the presence of bio-similarities means the greatest change in the biologic endorsement scene. The Bio pharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) is not just a significant device for picking up waivers vivo bioequivalence concentrates additionally for conclusion making in the advancement and early improvement of new medicines. Measurement of solvency and penetrability in the revelation/change foundations is depicted. The experimental premise and information necessities for dossiers at adjusted phases of advancement of biopharmaceuticals will be imparted for the perfection, preclinical and clinical parts of controlling entries.

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Track -7: Molecular Biotechnology

Molecular biotechnology is the act of research center techniques to ponder and in addition change proteins and nucleic acids for applications in ranges for example creature wellbeing and human wellbeing, the earth and Agriculture. Atomic biotechnology results from the joining of various scopes of exploration, for example, microbiology, sub-atomic science, immunology, natural chemistry, cell science and hereditary qualities. It is an elating field driven by the capacity to exchange hereditary material between life forms with the point of comprehension noteworthy organic movements or making a significant item. The end of the human genome venture has opened an innumerable of prospects to make new medications and medicines, and techniques to enhance current pharmaceuticals. Atomic biotechnology is a quickly changing and dynamic field. As the pace of advancements quickens, its centrality will rise. The unmistakable quality and impact of atomic biotechnology is being detected the country over.

The instruments of atomic biotechnology can be connected to enhance and grow, drugs , demonstrative tests, treatments, and antibodies that will expand creature and human wellbeing. Sub-atomic biotechnology has apparatus in creature and plant farming, Forestry, and nourishment preparing, Aquaculture, concoction and material assembling. Each normal for our lives in the up and coming times will be influenced by this dynamic stadium.

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Track-8: Biofuels and Biorefinery

Biorefining commercial ventures produce heat, fuel, power and diverse chemicals. The items are readied from biomass, for example, backwoods based materials and sustenance waste. A bio refinery is an ability that acclimatizes biomass change forms and hardware to create heat, powers, control and esteem included chemicals from biomass, generation, new methodologies are in exploration and advancements are made each day. The bio-refinery model is like today's petroleum refinery, which yield different items and fills from petroleum. Feasible financial development requires safe assets for modern assembling, as bio refineries consolidates the fundamental advancements stuck between mechanical intermediates, bio-crude materials and last items.

Improvement and Research in ahead of schedule field of biorefinery are most extreme noticeable in United States, Europe (Kamm et al. 1998, 2000) to give no less than 25% natural carbon-based mechanical feedstock chemicals, 10%liquid fills from bio-based item industry. BCC Research assesses that the overall interest for bio items will ascend at a twofold digit compound yearly development extent (CAGR) of 12.6% over the accompanying five years to reach $700.7 billion in 2018 from $387.6 billion in 2013, when it will achieve a business sector scattering rate of 5.5% in 2018, from an anticipated rate of 4.2% in 2013. Blue Marble Energy, set up in 2007, is a U.S. based organization which misuses hybridized microbial relationship to create claim to fame renewable and biochemical biogas. Their organization operation is to dislodge oil with totally renewable, carbon impartial substitutes using nature-based elucidations.

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Track-9: Genetically Modified Organisms

Late advancements in engineered science, the enthusiasm for hereditarily altered life forms (GMOs) is exponentially expanding and their applications for existent life show up adequately unending, going from the production of drugs and immunization to their utilization in the agro-nourishment field.

Many existing sensors, named cell-based bioassays and entire cell biosensors , have been in point of interest created in light of hereditarily adjusted cells, discovering applications in a few fields, running from natural checking to nourishment control, from criminological science to medication screening.

Absolutely this stances genuine administrative concerns and embodies a nonstop test for analysts, particularly concerning the potential spreading of GMOs into the earth. This GMO "duality" speaks to a captivating element and this Research Topic is planned to bear the cost of the analysts a look in this interesting field.

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Track-10: Cell Culture

Cell society alludes to the expulsion of cells from a creature or plant and their consequent development in an ideal fake environment. The cells might be expelled from the tissue straightforwardly and disaggregated by enzymatic or mechanical means before development, or they might be gotten from a cell line or cell strain that has as of now been set up.

Critical development inside of the biopharmaceuticals business is impelling phenomenal advancement and interest for cell society items for the reasons of medication revelation and wellbeing testing. While 2D cell societies have been in research facility use following the 1950s, the business sector for 3D societies, which all the more precisely model human tissue in vivo without using creature test subjects, has seen fantastic development over the previous decade. Without a doubt, this business sector is ready to experience hazardous development inside of the figure period, and additionally make ripe ground for combinations, mergers, and acquisitions for some sorts and sizes of organizations.

Powered by poisonous quality testing and expanded biopharmaceutical creation, the test packs class is the speediest moving fragment of the general business sector, moving at a colossal 42% CAGR. Request here is driven by the way that test units contain all the important reagents and particular conventions bundled for research center use.

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Track-11: Biomaterials

In the cutting edge society, because of advancements in innovation and industry, there are expanding instances of defunctionalisation or harm to tissues or organs from different mishaps, sicknesses, and maturing, and as the human body achieves its breaking points in self-recovery capacity, the requirement for appropriate and viable treatment strategies is expanding quickly. In like manner, studies on biomaterials valuable in tissue recovery are effectively being directed to outline materials that can actuate the recovery of the harmed tissue or organ. Examination is likewise right now being done on undifferentiated cell separation inside of platforms and instruments of the tissue recovery on transplant to the human body and endeavors on the improvement and use of its remedial system. Be that as it may, it is exceptionally hard to shape three-dimensional fake organ like the fundamentally complex tissue inside of the human body because of as far as possible in the biomaterial advancement.

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Track-12: Enzymes from Extreme Environments

Enzymes are nature's biocatalysts engaged with high synergist power and noteworthy substrate specificity. Catalysts perform an extensive variety of capacities all through nature, and guide the organic chemistry of existence with awesome exactness. The lion's share of proteins perform under conditions considered ordinary for mesophilic, neutrophilic, physical microorganisms. Notwithstanding, the Earth's biosphere contains a few districts that are amazing in examination, for example, hypersaline lakes and pools, aqueous vents, chilly seas, dry deserts and regions presented to concentrated radiation. These zones are possessed by a substantial number of extremophilic microorganisms which create compounds equipped for working in bizarre conditions.

There is an expanding biotechnological and modern interest for catalysts steady and working in cruel conditions, and over the previous decade screening for, disconnection and generation of chemicals with one of a kind and amazing properties has gotten to be one of the preeminent ranges of biotechnology examination. The improvement of cutting edge sub-atomic science apparatuses has encouraged the journey for creation of chemicals with streamlined and amazing components. These instruments incorporate expansive scale screening for potential qualities utilizing metagenomics, building of chemicals utilizing computational strategies and site-coordinated mutagenesis and atomic advancement methods.

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6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-13: Agriculture Biotechnology

Late advances in rural biotechnology have empowered the field of plant science to advance in extraordinary a wide margin. plant genomics and crop science have realized an outlook change of thought with respect to the way by which plants can be used both in agribusiness and in drug. Other than the all the more understood upgrades in agronomic attributes of harvests, for example, ailment resistance and dry spell resilience, plants can now be connected with points as different as biofuel generation, phytoremediation, the change of nourishing qualities in consumable plants, the recognizable proof of mixes for restorative purposes in plants and the utilization of plants as remedial protein creation stages. This expansion of plant science has been joined by the colossal plenitude of new licenses issued in these fields and, the same number of these developments approach business acknowledgment, the consequent increment in horticulturally based commercial enterprises. While this survey part is composed principally for plant researchers who have awesome enthusiasm for the new headings being brought regarding applications in farming biotechnology, those in different orders, for example, therapeutic specialists, ecological researchers and designers, might discover critical worth in perusing this article too.

The survey endeavors to give a review of the latest licenses issued for plant biotechnology concerning both farming and drug. The section finishes up with the suggestion that the consolidated main impetuses of environmental change, and additionally the regularly expanding requirements for clean vitality and nourishment security will assume a urgent part in driving the course for connected plant biotechnology research later on.

Related Biotechnology Conferences | Industrial Biotechnology Events | Bioeconomy Congress

Related Conferences

6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-14: Biotechnology Market

The development of Biotechnology industry according to Transparency Market Research is evaluated to watch significant development amid 2010 and 2017 as ventures from around the globe are expected to rise, particularly from rising temperate districts of the world. The report expresses that the worldwide business sector for biotechnology, concentrated on as per its application ranges, might develop at a normal yearly development rate of CAGR 11.6% from 2012 to 2017 and achieves a quality worth USD 414.5 billion before the end of 2017. This business sector was esteemed roughly USD 216.5 billion in 2011. The business sector of bio agriculture, consolidated with that of bio seeds, is anticipated to achieve a quality worth USD 27.46 billion by 2018. The field of biopharmaceuticals ruled the worldwide biotechnology advertise and represented 60% shares of it in the year 2011. Numerous biotechnological commercial ventures prospered by the innovative progressions prompting new revelations and rising requests from the pharmaceutical and farming parts.

Related Biotechnology Conferences | Industrial Biotechnology Events | Bioeconomy Congress

Related Conferences

6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-15: Global Bioeconomy

The Bioeconomy envelops the generation of renewable natural assets and their change into nourishment, bolster, bio-based items and bioenergy through creative and productive advancements gave by Industrial Biotechnology. It is now a reality and one that offers extraordinary open doors and answers for a developing number of major societal, natural and monetary difficulties, including environmental change moderation, vitality and sustenance security and asset effectiveness. The objective is a more creative and low-outflows economy, accommodating requests for maintainable farming and fisheries, nourishment security, and the reasonable utilization of renewable organic assets for modern purposes, while guaranteeing biodiversity and ecological insurance.

A definitive point of the bioeconomy is to keep Europe focused, imaginative and prosperous by giving practical, keen and comprehensive monetary development and employments, and by addressing the necessities of a developing populace whilst securing our surroundings and resources.Europe is a pioneer in the improvement of the bioeconomy, yet rivalry and enthusiasm for this field keeps on developing the world over.

Related Biotechnology Conferences | Industrial Biotechnology Events | Bioeconomy Congress

Related Conferences

6thWorld Congress onBiotechnology, October 05-07, 2016, New Delhi India; 10thAsia PacificBiotechCongress July 25-27, 2016, Bangkok, Thailand; 11thEuro BiotechnologyCongress, November 07-09,2016, Alicante Spain; 12thBiotechnologyCongress, Nov 14-15, 2016, San Francisco, USA; BIO IPCC Conference, Cary, North Carolina, USA; World Congress onIndustrial Biotechnology, April 17-20, 2016, San Diego, CA; 6thBiobased Chemicals:Commercialization&Partnering, November 16-17, 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA; The European Forum forIndustrial Biotechnologyand theBioeconomy, 27-29 October 2015, Brussels, Belgium; 4thBiotechnologyWorld Congress, February 15th-18th, 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; International Conference on Advances inBioprocess EngineeringandTechnology, 20th to 22nd January 2016,Kolkata, India; Global BiotechnologyCongress 2016, May 11th - 14th 2016, Boston, MA, USA

Track-16: New Biomedical device

The part of restorative gadgets in social insurance is fundamental. A restorative gadget is an instrument, contraption, insert, in vitro reagent, or comparative that is utilized to analyze, avoid, or treat sickness or different conditions. This classification incorporates news on item reviews, item wellbeing, inserts and prosthetics, new innovative improvements, automated surgery, restorative gadgets for use by therapeutic experts or patients.

Biomechanical designing is the consolidated utilization of mechanical building principals and natural information to better see how these territories cross and how they can be utilized together to possibly enhance people groups' personal satisfaction. Biomechanics research in the office centers upon mechanics at the cell, tissue, and joint level with applications in orthopedics and musculoskeletal and cardiovascular frameworks. Bioengineering offers a multi-disciplinary, cross-collaborative program that is focused on a new view of human health and disease. Biomedical Engineering (BME) is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g. diagnostic or therapeutic). This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine. Biomedical engineering has only recently emerged as its own study, compared to many other engineering fields. Such an evolution is common as a new field transitions from being an interdisciplinary specialization among already-established fields, to being considered a field in itself.

Related Biotechnology Conferences | Industrial Biotechnology Events | Bioeconomy Congress

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Careers in Biotechnology – List of various options

Various biotechnology careers include forensic DNA analyst, scientist, clinical research associate job, laboratory assistant, microbiologist, greenhouse and field technician, bioinformatics specialist, animal caretaker and many more.

Biotechnology is combining knowledge about life and living organisms with modern technology to create new systems, devices, materials, foodthat could improve human life and help preserve environment. Most biotechnology products are associated with agriculture, food industry and medicine, and logically - careers in those fields are most popular.

Average Salary (per month) for a Green House and Field Technician may range from: US $2500-3000 In India, salaries may range between: INR 15,000-30,000 (or more, depending upon the experience)

This position is usually associated with crime laboratories where DNA analysis is performed to solve legal issues. Urine, saliva, blood, semen, hairthose are the samples that could be used for DNA analysis. After sample collection, DNA is extracted and analyzed using couple methods (PCR, electrophoresis). Final results are further compared with the already known DNA profiles. Methodology is strict: properly collected and stored evidence, documentation on technical laboratory details and well written final reports are essential for successful prosecution. Depending on the laboratory size, employees could be more or less specialized.

Average Salary (per month) for a Clinical Research Associate may range from: US $4500-5000 In India, salaries may range between: INR 20,000-25,000 (or more, depending upon the experience and repute of the firm)

Average Salary (per month) for a Bioinformatics Specialist may range from: US $5000-6000 In India, salaries may range between: INR 30,000-45,000 (or more, depending upon the experience and repute of the firm)

Animal caretaker is nurturing animals used in biotech research. List of species used is long: all the way from mice and rats to cows and chimps. Water and food supplies, cage cleaning, animal health monitoring, relocation, milking, artificial insemination a lot of duties need to be performed and not all tasks are representative. If you put aside that animals have specific odor (and different bodily fluids and excretions) keep in mind that watching animal suffer during experiments isnt easy or nice thing to do. Average Salary (per month) for an Animal Caretaker may range from: US $1000-1200 In India, salaries may range between: INR 10,000-15,000

Average Salary (per month) for a Production Engineer may range from: US $6000-7000 In India, salaries may range between: INR 30,000-50,000 (depending upon experience, institute of study and company as well)

Average Salary (per month) for a QA engineer may range from: US $5000-6000 In India, salaries may range between: INR 25,000-30,000 (depending upon experience, institute of study and company as well)

Average Salary (per month) for a Consultant may range from: US $6000-8000 In India, salaries may range between: INR 30,000-1,00,000 (depending upon experience, institute of study and company as well)

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Elsevier Current Opinion – Current Opinion in Biotechnology

IMPACT FACTOR: 7.117 5-Year Impact Factor: 7.983 Issues per year: 6 issues Editorial Board

The Current Opinion journals were developed out of the recognition that it is increasingly difficult for specialists to keep up to date with the expanding volume of information published in their subject. In Current Opinion in Biotechnology, we help the reader by providing in a systematic manner: 1. The views of experts on current advances in biotechnology in a clear and readable form. 2. Evaluations of the most interesting papers, annotated by experts, from the great wealth of original publications.

Division of the subject into sections The subject of biotechnology is divided into themed sections, each of which is reviewed once a year. The amount of space devoted to each section is related to its importance.

Analytical biotechnology Plant biotechnology Food biotechnology Energy biotechnology Environmental biotechnology Systems biology Nanobiotechnology Tissue, cell and pathway engineering Chemical biotechnology Pharmaceutical biotechnology

Selection of topics to be reviewed Section Editors, who are major authorities in the field, are appointed by the Editors of the journal. They divide their section into a number of topics, ensuring that the field is comprehensively covered and that all issues of current importance are emphasised. Section Editors commission reviews from authorities on each topic that they have selected.

Reviews Authors write short review articles in which they present recent developments in their subject, emphasising the aspects that, in their opinion, are most important. In addition, they provide short annotations to the papers that they consider to be most interesting from all those published in their topic over the previous year.

Editorial Overview Section Editors write a short overview at the beginning of the section to introduce the reviews and to draw the reader's attention to any particularly interesting developments. This successful format has made Current Opinion in Biotechnology one of the most highly regarded and highly cited review journals in the field (Impact factor = 8.035).

Ethics in Publishing: General Statement

The Editor(s) and Publisher of this Journal believe that there are fundamental principles underlying scholarly or professional publishing. While this may not amount to a formal 'code of conduct', these fundamental principles with respect to the authors' paper are that the paper should: i) be the authors' own original work, which has not been previously published elsewhere, ii) reflect the authors' own research and analysis and do so in a truthful and complete manner, iii) properly credit the meaningful contributions of co-authors and co-researchers, iv) not be submitted to more than one journal for consideration, and v) be appropriately placed in the context of prior and existing research. Of equal importance are ethical guidelines dealing with research methods and research funding, including issues dealing with informed consent, research subject privacy rights, conflicts of interest, and sources of funding. While it may not be possible to draft a 'code' that applies adequately to all instances and circumstances, we believe it useful to outline our expectations of authors and procedures that the Journal will employ in the event of questions concerning author conduct. With respect to conflicts of interest, the Publisher now requires authors to declare any conflicts of interest that relate to papers accepted for publication in this Journal. A conflict of interest may exist when an author or the author's institution has a financial or other relationship with other people or organizations that may inappropriately influence the author's work. A conflict can be actual or potential and full disclosure to the Journal is the safest course. All submissions to the Journal must include disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest. The Journal may use such information as a basis for editorial decisions and may publish such disclosures if they are believed to be important to readers in judging the manuscript. A decision may be made by the Journal not to publish on the basis of the declared conflict.

For more information, please refer to: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/conflictsofinterest

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Cell Therapy – Hopkins Medicine

The most successful stem cell therapybone marrow transplanthas been around for more than 40 years. Johns Hopkins researchers played an integral role in establishing the methods for how bone marrow transplants are done, which you can read about in Human Stem Cells at Johns Hopkins: A Forty Year History. The latest developments in bone marrow transplants are Half-Matched Transplants, which may be helpful in treating more diseases than ever before. In The Promise of the Future, three Hopkins researchers who study blood diseases share their ideas about which technologies hold most promise for developing therapies.

Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, are adult cells that are engineered to behave like stem cells and to regain the ability to differentiate into various cell types. Engineered Blood describes current research in generating blood cells that contain disease traits with Those Magic Scissors so we can learn more in the lab about diseases like sickle cell anemia.

Adult stem cells are being used in other applications as well. Stem Cells Enhance Healing tells of an undergraduate biomedical engineering team at Hopkins that has devised medical sutures containing stem cells which speed up healing when stitched in. And A New Path for Cardiac Stem Cells tells of how a patients own heart stem cells were used to repair his heart after a heart attack.

In the podcast What Anti-Depression Treatments Actually Target In The Brain, Hongjun Song reveals that current antidepressant therapies may have unknowingly been targeting stem cells all along.

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Stem cell gene therapy could be key to treating Duchenne …

Scientists at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA have developed a new approach that could eventually be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The stem cell gene therapy could be applicable for 60 percent of people with Duchenne, which affects approximately 1 in 5,000 boys in the U.S. and is the most common fatal childhood genetic disease.

The approach uses a technology called CRISPR/Cas9 to correct genetic mutations that cause the disease. The study, which was led by co-senior authors April Pyle and Melissa Spencer and first author Courtney Young, was published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

The researchers designed the approach to be useful in a clinical setting in the future.

This method is likely 10 years away from being tested in people, said Spencer, professor of neurology in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, co-director of the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA and member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center It is important that we take all the necessary steps to maximize safety while quickly bringing a therapeutic treatment to patients in clinical trials.

Duchenne typically occurs through one mutation in a gene called dystrophin, which makes a protein with the same name. In people without the disease, the dystrophin protein helps strengthen and connect muscle fibers and cells. There are hundreds of mutations in the dystrophin gene that can lead to the disease, but in 60 percent of people with Duchenne, their mutation will occur within a specific hot spot of the gene.

Duchenne mutations cause abnormally low production of the dystrophin protein, which in turn causes muscles to degenerate and become progressively weaker. Symptoms usually begin in early childhood; patients gradually lose mobility and typically die from heart or respiratory failure around age 20. Some current medications can treat the diseases symptoms but none can stop the progression of the disease or significantly improve patients quality of life and there is currently no way to reverse or cure the disease.

The platform developed by the UCLA researchers focuses on the hot spot of the dystrophin gene.

To test the platform, they obtained skin cells from consenting patients at the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, all of whom had mutations that fell within the dystrophin gene hot spot. The researchers reprogrammed the cells to create induced pluripotent stem cells in an FDA-compliant facility at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center; the use of this facility is an important step in the process as preclinical research moves toward human clinical trials. Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, have the ability to become any type of human cell while also maintaining the genetic code from the person they originated from.

Next, the scientists removed the Duchenne mutations in the iPS cells using a gene editing platform they developed that uses the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. (CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.) The platform targets and removes specific regions of the hot spot of the dystrophin gene, which harbors 60 percent of Duchenne mutations, which restores the missing protein.

CRISPR/Cas9 is a naturally occurring reaction that bacteria use to fight viruses. In 2012, scientists discovered they could adapt the process to make cuts in specific human DNA sequences. One part of the CRISPR/Cas9 system acts like a navigation system and can be programmed to seek out a specific part of the genetic code a mutation, for example. The second part of the system can cut mutations out of the genetic code, and in some cases can replace the mutation with a normal genetic sequence.

UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

April Pyle, Courtney Young and Melissa Spencer

Once the UCLA researchers had produced iPS cells that were free from Duchenne mutations, they differentiated the iPS cells into cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle cells and then transplanted the skeletal muscle cells into mice that had a genetic mutation in the dystrophin gene.

They found that the transplanted muscle cells successfully produced the human dystrophin protein.

The result was the largest deletion ever observed in the dystrophin gene using CRISPR/Cas9, and the study was the first to create corrected human iPS cells that could directly restore functional muscle tissue affected by Duchenne. (Previously, scientists had used CRISPR/Cas9 to repair mutations that affect smaller numbers of people with Duchenne, and in cell types that werent necessarily clinically relevant.)

This work demonstrates the feasibility of using a single gene editing platform, plus the regenerative power of stem cells to correct genetic mutations and restore dystrophin production for 60 percent of Duchenne patients, said Pyle, associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center.

Young, a UCLA predoctoral fellow and president of a UCLA student group called Bruin Allies for Duchenne, is particularly passionate about Duchenne research because she has a cousin with the disease.

I already knew I was interested in science, so after my cousins diagnosis, I decided to dedicate my career to finding a cure for Duchenne, Young said. It makes everything a lot more meaningful, knowing that Im doing something to help all the boys who will come after my cousin. I feel like Im contributing and Im excited because the field of Duchenne research is advancing in a really positive direction.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common and severe of the 30 forms of muscular dystrophy.

The UCLA researchers plan to develop strategies to test the Duchenne-specific CRISPR/Cas9 platform to treat the disease in animals as the next step toward perfecting a method that can be used in humans.

The CRISPR/Cas9 platform for Duchenne developed by the UCLA scientists is not yet available in clinical trials and has not been approved by the FDA for use in humans.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, the Rose Hills Foundation Research Award, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicines Bridges Program and the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center. The FDA-compliant facility was supported by a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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Precision Medicine – Food and Drug Administration

FDA's Role in the Precision Medicine Initiative

Most medical treatments are designed for the "average patient" as "one-size-fits-all-approach," that is successful for some patients but not for others. Precision medicine, sometimes known as "personalized medicine" is an innovative approach to disease prevention and treatment that takes into account differences in peoples genes, environments and lifestyles.

Advances in precision medicine have already led to powerful new discoveries and several new FDA-approved treatments that are tailored to specific characteristics of individuals, such as a persons genetic makeup, or the genetic profile of an individuals tumor. Patients with a variety of cancers routinely undergo molecular testing as part of patient care, enabling physicians to select treatments that improve chances of survival and reduce exposure to adverse effects.

To advance these developments, President Obamas Precision Medicine Initiative seeks to identify genetically-based drivers ofdisease in order to develop new, more effective treatments. FDAs role is to ensure the accuracy of genetic tests, many of which are derived from next generation sequencing, a rapid and fairly inexpensive technology that collects data on a persons entire genome.Researchers are combing through segments of this data to look for genetic variants, potentially meaningful differences that might eventually result in a treatment.

However, the vast amount of information generated through next generation sequencing (NGS) poses novel regulatory issues for FDA.Recognizing these challenges, FDA is at work on a workable regulatory platform that will encourage innovation while ensuring accuracy. To get there, weve been issuing discussion papers, holding workshops and collaborating with our stakeholders.

In addition, FDA has created precisionFDA, a community research and development portal that allows for testing, piloting, and validating existing and new bioinformatics approaches to NGS processing.

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Rehabilitation in spinal cord injury – Wikipedia, the free …

When treating a person with a spinal cord injury, repairing the damage created by injury is the ultimate goal. By using a variety of treatments, greater improvements are achieved, and, therefore, treatment should not be limited to one method. Furthermore, increasing activity will increase his/her chances of recovery.[1]

The rehabilitation process following a spinal cord injury typically begins in the acute care setting. Occupational therapy plays an important role in the management of SCI.[2] Recent studies emphasize the importance of early occupational therapy, started immediately after the client is stable. This process includes teaching of coping skills, and physical therapy.[3] Physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists and other health care professionals typically work as a team under the coordination of a physiatrist to decide on goals with the patient and develop a plan of discharge that is appropriate for the patients condition. In the first step, the focus is on support and prevention. Interventions aim to give the individual a sense of control over a situation in which the patient likely feels little independence.[4]

As the patient becomes more stable, they may move to a rehabilitation facility or remain in the acute care setting. The patient begins to take more of an active role in their rehabilitation at this stage and works with the team to develop reasonable functional goals.[5]

In the acute phase physical and occupational therapists focus on the patients respiratory status, prevention of indirect complications (such as pressure sores), maintaining range of motion, and keeping available musculature active.[5]

Depending on the Neurological Level of Impairment (NLI), the muscles responsible for expanding the thorax, which facilitate inhalation, may be affected. If the NLI is such that it affects some of the ventilatory muscles, more emphasis will then be placed on the muscles with intact function. For example, the intercostal muscles receive their innervation from T1T11, and if any are damaged, more emphasis will need to placed on the unaffected muscles which are innervated from higher levels of the CNS. As SCI patients suffer from reduced total lung capacity and tidal volume [6] it is pertinent that physical therapists teach SCI patients accessory breathing techniques (e.g. apical breathing, glossopharyngeal breathing, etc.) that typically are not taught to healthy individuals.

Physical therapists can assist immobilized patients with effective cough techniques, secretion clearance, stretching of the thoracic wall, and suggest abdominal support belts when necessary. The amount of time a patient is immobilized may depend on the level of the spinal cord injury. Physical therapists work with the patient to prevent any complications that may arise due to this immobilization. Other complications that arise from immobilization include muscle atrophy and osteoporosis, especially to the lower limbs, increasing the risk of fractures to the femur and tibia.[7] While passive weight bearing of paralyzed lower extremities appears to be ineffective, stressing the bones through muscular contractions initiated by functional electrical stimulation (FES) has yielded positive results in some cases.[7] The intensity, frequency, and duration of stress to the bones appear to be important determinants of improved bone parameters.[7] Generally, the frequency is effective with three or more weekly exercise sessions. Studies of duration suggest that several months to one or more years of FES are necessary.[7]

Improvement of locomotor function is one of the primary goals for people with a spinal cord injury. SCI treatments may focus on specific goals such as to restore walking or locomotion to an optimal level for the individual. The most effective way to restore locomotion is by complete repair, but techniques are not yet developed for regeneration. Treadmill training, over groundtraining, and functional electrical stimulation can all be used to improve walking or locomotor activity. These activities work if neurons of the central pattern generator (CPG) circuits,[8][9] which generate rhythmic movements of the body, are still functioning. With inactivity, the neurons of CPG degenerate. Therefore, the above activities are important for keeping neurons active until regeneration activities are developed.[1] A 2012 systematic review found insufficient evidence to conclude which locomotor training strategy improves walking function most for people with spinal cord injury.[10] This suggests that it is not the type of training used, but the goals and the routines that have the biggest impact.[1] Applying spinal cord stimulation (transcutaneous or epidurally) during weight supported walking have been shown to improve locomotor output.[11][12][13]

Though rehabilitation interventions are performed during the acute phase, recent literature suggests that 44% of the total hours spent on rehabilitation during the first year after spinal cord injury, occur after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.[14] Participants in this study received 56% of their total physical therapy hours and 52% of their total occupational therapy hours after discharge.[14] This suggests that inpatient rehabilitation lengths of stay are reduced and that post-discharge therapy may replace some of the inpatient treatment.

Whether patients are placed in inpatient rehabilitation or discharged, occupational therapists attempt to maximize functional independence at this stage. Depending on the level of the spinal cord injury, whatever sparing the patient has is optimized. Bed mobility, transfers, wheelchair mobility skills, and performing other activities of daily living (ADLs) are just a few of the interventions that occupational therapists can help the patient with.[15] A major problem for spinal cord injury patients is restricted range of motion. Massage therapy has been used to aid in range of motion rehabilitation. Literature has shown that participants with spinal cord injuries that had massage therapy added into their rehabilitation had significant improvement observed by physical therapist in functional living activities and limb range of motion. This could be due to the decrease in H-Reflex amplitudes measured by EMG that is critical for the comfort of spinal cord injury patients for reducing cramps and spasms.[16]

ADLs can be difficult for an individual with a spinal cord injury; however, through the rehabilitation process, individuals with SCI may be able to live independently in the community with or without full-time attendant care, depending on the level of their injury.[4]

Further interventions focus on support and education for the individual and caregivers.[4] This includes an evaluation of limb function to determine what the patient is capable of doing independently, and teaching the patient self-care skills.[17] Independence in daily activities like eating, bowel and bladder management, and mobility is the goal, as obtaining competency in self-care tasks contributes significantly to an individual's sense of self-confidence[4] and reduces the burden on caregivers. Quality of life issues such as sexual health and function after spinal cord injury are also addressed.[18]

Assistive devices such as wheelchairs have a substantial effect on the quality of life of the patient, and careful selection is important.[19] Teaching the patient how to transfer from different positions, such as from a wheelchair into bed, is an important part of therapy, and devices such as sliding transfer boards and grab bars can assist in these tasks.[17] Individuals who are able to transfer independently from their wheelchair to the driver's seat using a sliding transfer board may be able to return to driving in an adapted vehicle. Complete independence with driving also requires the ability to load and unload one's wheelchair from the vehicle.[4] In addition to acquiring skills such as wheelchair transfers, individuals with a spinal cord injury can greatly benefit from exercise reconditioning. In the majority of cases, spinal cord injury leaves the lower limbs either entirely paralyzed, or with insufficient strength, endurance, or motor control to support safe and effective physical training. Therefore, most exercise training employs the use of arm crank ergometry, wheelchair ergometry, and swimming.[20] In one study, subjects with traumatic spinal cord injury participated in a progressive exercise training program, which involved arm ergometry and resistance training. Subjects in the exercise group experienced significant increases in strength for almost all muscle groups when compared to the control group. Exercisers also reported less stress, fewer depressive symptoms, greater satisfaction with physical functioning, less pain, and better quality of life.[21] Physical therapists are able to provide a variety of exercise interventions, including, passive range of motion exercises, upper body wheeling (arm crank ergometry), functional electrical stimulation, and electrically stimulated resistance exercises all of which can improve arterial function in those living with SCI.[22] Physical therapists can improve the quality of life of individuals with spinal cord injury by developing exercise programs that are tailored to meet individual patient needs. Adapted physical activity equipment can also be used to allow for sport participation: for example, sit-skiis can be used by individuals with a spinal cord injury for cross-country or downhill skiing.

The patient's living environment can also be modified to improve independence. For example, ramps or lifts can be added to a patient's home, and part of rehabilitation involves investigating options for returning to previous interests as well as developing new pursuits.[18] Community participation is an important aspect in maintaining quality of life.[23]

Body weight supported treadmill training is another intervention that physiotherapists may assist with. Body weight supported treadmill training has been researched in an attempt to prevent bone loss in the lower extremities in individuals with spinal cord injury. Research has shown that early weight-bearing after acute spinal cord injury by standing or treadmill walking (5 times weekly for 25 weeks) resulted in no loss or only moderate loss in trabecular bone compared with immobilized subjects who lost 7-9% of trabecular bone at the tibia.[24] Gait training with body weight support, among patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries, has also recently been shown to be more effective than conventional physiotherapy for improving the spatial-temporal and kinematic gait parameters.[25]

A combination of Body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) and robotic-assisted BWSTT is being implemented into some training programs. The benefits include: (1) assist in reproducing leg movements and optimizing gait pattern (speed, step length, amplitude); (2) training sessions can be prolonged and walking speed can be adjusted, increasing motor outcome; (3) provides consistency of movement, where manual interventions/cues by a trainer may be variable (although a trainer should analyze the gait pattern and outcome measures of the training and supervise training).[26] It is important to note that the patient must be an active participant during the robotic movements and try to move with the robot.[26] This type of training would be implemented during the beginning of rehabilitation and progressed to independent locomotion as improvements are made. However, robotic-assisted BWSTT is expensive and often not affordable by physiotherapy clinics.[1] As an alternative, the development of non-motorized exoskeletons are currently being investigated for patients with incomplete SCI.[1] The development of the exoskeleton locomotor device would provide an inexpensive alternative to the robotic devices. The exoskeleton may be used in areas that can not afford robotic devices, or, in areas that can not provide adequate physiotherapy care.

Restorative neurology offers a different paradigm of treating spinal cord injury by focusing on the residual remaining motor control and on the intrinsic function of the sub-lesional spinal cord segments.[27]

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Your spine Spinal Life Australia

Your spine is one of the most important parts of your body. It gives you structure and support. Without a spine, you would not be able to stand up and move freely. It is central to your skeletal system, it supports your head and encloses the spinal cord which runs down a canal in the spine.

Your spinal cord is a thick bundle of nerves, similar to a white fibre optic cable. It is usually about 43cm long and 2cm wide and is the communication link between your brain and other parts of your body.

The 31 pairs of spinal nerves in your spinal cord support a functional nervous system; a system you use whenever you think, see or breath.Messages about feeling or sensation are sent to the brain via the spinal cord, and the brain sends movement or functional messages to the body, also via the spinal cord. Damage to your spinal cord can have a profound impact on your life because once damaged it cannot be repaired.

This is why it is so vital to protect your spine and spinal cord. Read some real life stories about how spinal damage impacts lives.

In most cases, a spinal cord injury is permanent and irreversible. It is a traumatic and devastating experience for the individual, their family and friends. It changes their lives forever.

It can happen to anyone at any time. One person sustains a spinal cord injury every four days in Queensland about 90 people each year. There is no cure prevention is the key.

Spinal cord injury occurs if pressure is applied to the spinal cord, and/or the blood and oxygen supply to the cord is cut off. This can occur when the vertebrae of the spine, enclosing the spinal cord, are displaced or injured.

If the spinal cord is damaged through crushing, bruising or severing, the messages to and from the brain cannot get through. Generally, the level and degree of injury to the spinal cord will determine the extent and areas of paralysis.

The diagram illustrates the various levels of the spine and the extent of paralysis which occurs to the body when the spinal cord is injured at a certain level.

The main difference between paraplegia and quadriplegia relates to the extent of paralysis and loss of feeling in the limbs.

Spinal damage can also occur at the sacral or coccygeal levels. This affects the bowel, bladder and the leg area below the knee. However, many people who injure their spinal cord at this level will be able to walk with the assistance of special aids, such as a walking stick or foot splints.

The damage to the spinal cord may be complete or incomplete, depending on the degree of injury to the nerve fibres.

A complete spinal cord injury means there is complete loss of movement and feeling below the level of the injury. Damage has occurred to the whole spinal cord and no messages are getting past the area of damage. An incomplete spinal cord injury means there is some movement and feeling below the level of the injury. Only part of the spinal cord has been damaged and some messages are getting through.

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Source: Princess Alexandra Hospitals Spinal Injuries Unit 2012

According to the Spinal Cord Injury Network, more than 10,000 people in Australia have a spinal cord injury.

Source: Access Economics 2009

Source: National Disability Services 2010

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Your spine Spinal Life Australia

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Learn About Spinal Cord Injuries | Spine Injury Information

Shepherd Center knows that you and your loved ones have many questions about spinal cord injury. Here are answers to help you learn more:

Every year, about 12,000 people sustain a spinal cord injury. That's 30 new injuries every day. Most of these people are injured in auto and sports-related accidents, falls and industrial mishaps. An estimated 60 percent of these individuals are 30 years old or younger, and the majority of them are men.

In addition to pressure sores, secondary conditions from spinal cord injuryinclude respiratory complications, urinary tract infections, spasticity and scoliosis.

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function, such as mobility and/or feeling. Frequent causes of damage are trauma (car accident, gunshot, falls, etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreichs ataxia, etc.).

The spinal cord does not have to be severed for a loss of function to occur. In fact, in most people with spinal cord injury, the cord is intact, but the damage to it results in loss of function. Spinal cord injury is very different from back injuries, such as ruptured disks, spinal stenosis or pinched nerves.

A person can "break their back or neck" yet not sustain a spinal cord injury if only the bones around the spinal cord (the vertebrae) are damaged, but the spinal cord is not affected. In these situations, the individual may not experience paralysis after the bones are stabilized.

The spinal cord is about 18 inches long and extends from the base of the brain, down the middle of the back, to about the waist. The nerves that lie within the spinal cord are upper motor neurons (UMNs), and their function is to carry the messages back and forth from the brain to the spinal nerves along the spinal tract. The spinal nerves that branch out from the spinal cord to the other parts of the body are called lower motor neurons (LMNs).

These spinal nerves exit and enter at each vertebral level and communicate with specific areas of the body. The sensory portions of the LMN carry messages about sensation from the skin and other body parts and organs to the brain. The motor portions of the LMN send messages from the brain to the various body parts to initiate actions such as muscle movement.

The spinal cord is the major bundle of nerves that carry nerve impulses to and from the brain to the rest of the body. The brain and the spinal cord constitute the central nervous system. Motor and sensory nerves outside the central nervous system constitute the peripheral nervous system. Another diffuse system of nerves that controls involuntary functions, such as blood pressure and temperature regulation, are called the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

The spinal cord is surrounded by rings of bone called vertebra. These bones constitute the spinal column (back bones). In general, the higher in the spinal column the injury occurs, the more dysfunction a person will experience. The vertebra are named according to their location. The eight vertebra in the neck are called the cervical vertebra. The top vertebra is called C-1, the next is C-2, etc. Cervical spinal cord injuries usually cause loss of function in the arms and legs, resulting in quadriplegia. The 12 vertebra in the chest are called the thoracic vertebra. The first thoracic vertebra, T-1, is the vertebra where the top rib attaches.

Injuries in the thoracic region usually affect the chest and the legs, resulting in paraplegia. The vertebra in the lower back between the thoracic vertebra, where the ribs attach, and the pelvis (hip bone), are the lumbar vertebra. The sacral vertebra run from the pelvis to the end of the spinal column. Injuries to the five lumbar vertebra (L-1 thru L-5) and similarly to the five sacral vertebra (S-1 thru S-5) generally result in some loss of function in the hips and legs.

The effects of a spinal cord injury depend on the type and level of the injury. Spinal cord injuries can be divided into two types of injury complete and incomplete. A complete injury means there is no function below the level of the injury no sensation and no voluntary movement. Both sides of the body are equally affected.

An incomplete injury means there is some function below the primary level of injury. A person with an incomplete injury may be able to move one limb more than another, may be able to feel parts of the body that cannot be moved, or may have more functioning on one side of the body than the other. With the advances in acute treatment of spinal cord injuries, incomplete injuries are becoming more common.

The level of injury is very helpful in predicting what parts of the body might be affected by paralysis and loss of function. Remember that in incomplete injuries, there will be some variation in these prognoses.

Cervical (neck) injuries usually result in quadriplegia. Injuries above the C-4 level may require a ventilator for the person to breathe. C-5 injuries often result in shoulder and biceps control, but no control at the wrist or hand. C-6 injuries generally yield wrist control, but no hand function.

Individuals with C-7 and T-1 injuries can straighten their arms, but still may have dexterity problems with the hand and fingers. Injuries at the thoracic level and below result in paraplegia, with the hands not affected. At T-1 to T-8, there is most often control of the hands, but poor trunk control resulting from a lack of abdominal muscle control. Lower thoracic injuries (T-9 to T-12) allow good trunk control and good abdominal muscle control. Sitting balance is very good. Lumbar and sacral injuries yield decreasing control of the hip flexors and legs.

Besides a loss of sensation or motor function, individuals with spinal cord injury also experience other changes. For example, they may experience dysfunction of the bowel and bladder. Very high injuries (C-1, C-2) can result in a loss of many involuntary functions, including the ability to breathe, necessitating breathing aids such as mechanical ventilators or diaphragmatic pacemakers.

Other effects of spinal cord injury may include low blood pressure, inability to regulate blood pressure effectively, reduced control of body temperature, inability to sweat below the level of injury and chronic pain.

In the United States, about 450,000 people are living with SCI. There are about 12,000 new SCIs every year, and the majority of them (82 percent) involve males between the ages of 16-30. These injuries result from motor vehicle accidents (36 percent), violence (28.9 percent) or falls (21.2 percent). Quadriplegia is slightly more common than paraplegia.

Currently, there is no cure for spinal cord injury. There are researchers studying this problem, and there have been many advances in the lab.

Many of the most exciting advances have resulted in a decrease in damage at the time of the injury. Steroid drugs, such as methylprednisolone, reduce swelling, which is a common cause of secondary damage at the time of injury.

When a spinal cord injury occurs, there is usually swelling of the spinal cord. This may cause changes in virtually every system in the body. After days or weeks, the swelling begins to go down, and people may regain some functioning. With many injuries, especially incomplete ones, the individual may recover some function as late as 18 months after the injury. In very rare cases, people with spinal cord injurywill regain some functioning years after the injury. However, only a small fraction of individuals sustaining a spinal cord injury recover all function.

No. Wheelchairs are a tool for mobility. High C-level injuries usually require the individual to use a power wheelchair. Low C-level injuries and below usually allow the person to use a manual chair. Advantages of manual chairs are that they cost less, weigh less, disassemble into smaller pieces and are more agile. However, for the person who needs a power chair, the independence afforded by the chair is worth the limitations.

Some people are able to use braces and crutches for ambulation. These methods of mobility do not mean the person will never use a wheelchair. Many people who use braces still find wheelchairs more useful for longer distances. However, the therapeutic and activity levels allowed by standing or walking briefly may make braces a reasonable alternative for some people.

Of course, people who use wheelchairs aren't always in them. They drive, swim, fly planes, ski and do many activities out of their chair. If you hang around people who use wheelchairs long enough, you may see them sitting in the grass pulling weeds, sitting on your couch, or playing on the floor with children or pets. And, of course, people who use wheelchairs don't sleep in them; they sleep in a bed.

Typically, yes. Before World War II, most people who sustained a spinal cord injury died within weeks of their injury from urinary dysfunction, respiratory infection or bedsores. With the advent of modern antibiotics, modern materials such as plastics and latex, and better procedures for dealing with the everyday issues of living with SCI, many people approach the lifespan of non-disabled individuals.

Long-term data collected by Shepherd Center and the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) show an increase in life expectancy for people who have lived 25 years or more with spinal cord injury. The survival rate at 25 or more years after injury is 60 percent; this number has been climbing steadily over the years. In addition, many of the leading indicators show the quality of that extended life expectancy is good.

Interestingly, other than level of injury, the type of rehabilitation facility used is the greatest indicator of long-term survival. This illustrates the importance of and difference made by going to a facility that specializes in spinal cord injury. People who use ventilators are at some increased danger of dying from pneumonia or respiratory infection, but modern technology is improving in that area as well. Pressure sores are another common cause of hospitalization and if not treated, can be fatal.

Overall, 85 percent of people with spinal cord injury who survive the first 24 hours are still alive 10 years later. The most common cause of death is due to diseases of the respiratory system, with most of these being due to pneumonia. In fact, pneumonia is the single leading cause of death throughout the entire 15-year period immediately following SCI for all age groups, both males and females, whites and non-whites, and people with quadriplegia.

The second leading cause of death is non-ischemic heart disease. These are almost always unexplained heart attacks often occurring among young people who have no previous history of underlying heart disease.

Deaths due to external causes are the third leading cause of death forpeople with spinal cord injury. These include subsequent unintentional injuries, suicides and homicides, but do not include people dying from multiple injuries sustained during the original accident. The majority of these deaths are the result of suicide.

Link:
Learn About Spinal Cord Injuries | Spine Injury Information

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Aftermath and Diagnosis

Effects from Spinal Cord Injury The physical and emotional consequences from a spinal cord injury (SCI) can be devastating. Loss of spinal cord function can affect activities that are autonomous (e.g. breathing) as well as thought-driven actions (e.g. driving). Both motor and sensory functions may be lost.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA), not every spinal cord injury results from a motor vehicle accident (42%), violence (24%), falling (22%), or sports (8%). Occasionally SCIs are caused by diseases such as polio. Spinal cord injuries are usually described using the following terms:

Paraparesis: A slight degree of paralysis affecting the lower extremities

Paraplegia: Complete paralysis of both lower extremities and usually the lower trunk. The upper extremities are not involved.

Quadriparesis: Partial paralysis of all four limbs (arms, legs)

Quadriplegia (or Tetraplegia: Complete paralysis of all four limbs

Other terms used to describe neural dysfunction include:

Paresis: Partial paralysis

Paralysis: Partial or complete loss of motor function

Paresthesias: Abnormal sensation such as burning or tingling

The spinal cord does not have to be severed for function to be lost. Most people with spinal cord dysfunction present with the cord intact. Cord injuries usually fall into one of the following categories:

Contusions, or bruising of the spinal cord

Compression injuries that place pressure on the cord

Lacerations or tearing (e.g., from a bullet)

Central Cord Syndrome

Complete severing (rare) W

When injury occurs and for a time period following, the spinal cord swells. Loss of function occurs below the level of the injury and may be permanent or temporary. Much depends on the severity of the injury.

Symptoms may include loss of motor function, sensation or proprioception. The nerves responsible for these functions transmit their messages through the muscles, tendons, joints and other organs.

Destruction of sensory nerve fibers may lead to loss of sensation such as touch, pressure, and temperature. Reflexes may become exaggerated, bladder and bowel control may be lost, even the ability to breath normally may be compromised.

Diagnosis When spinal cord injury is suspected (e.g., spinal fracture) immediate medical attention is required. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is usually first diagnosed when the patient presents with a loss of function below the level of injury.

The initial evaluation includes x-rays, a CT scan, and possibly a MRI. Fractures are demonstrated on plain radiographs. CT scanning and MRI studies are used to evaluate the soft tissues in the spinal column. In addition, a myelogram may be performed to identify and evaluate spinal cord lesions caused by trauma or disease.

The neurologic evaluation includes assessment of the patient's symptoms, which might include loss of motor or sensory function. Other neurologic symptoms may include pain, numbness, paresthesias (e.g., tingling), muscle spasm, weakness, and bowel/bladder changes.

Read the rest here:
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Aftermath and Diagnosis

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IRM at UPenn – Institute For Regenerative Medicine – Phila

The Institute for Regenerative Medicine is based in the Smilow Center for Translational Research and extends across UPenns campus.

The links between medicine, engineering and veterinary science differentiate Penns Institute for Regenerative Medicine from other stem cell Institutes across the country.

The IRM promotes discoveries in stem cell biology and regeneration to generate new therapies that may alleviate suffering and disease.

When our interdisciplinary research and programs bring together individuals with broad interests and diverse backgrounds, our collaborations lead to greater advances.

Stem cell research is critical to developing new skin tissues and, ultimately, changing the way we care for devastating wounds.

At Penn, we're discovering real possibilities of future treatments for cardiac disease because we have the research and clinical expertise to make it happen.

Wednesday - March 23, 2016

This spring, the BioEYES program celebrates a major milestone: It will serve its 100,000th student. That means in the 14 years since BioEYES began, 100,000 elementary, middle, and high school students from Philadelphia and four

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Wednesday - February 10, 2016

A study from researchers at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia may add new lines to the textbook description of how cancer cells divide uncontrollably and develop into tumors. Their study, published in Nature Communications, identifies

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Scientists say gene editing holds the key to curing a host of intractable diseases, including cystic fibrosis, HIV, cancer, and cataracts, to name a few. Policymakers fear that, if this key fell into the wrong

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IRM at UPenn - Institute For Regenerative Medicine - Phila

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Read the original:
Wayne NJ Geneticist, Ph.D. Doctors - Genetic Counseling ...

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Genetic Counseling Center – Hackensack, NJ – MedicineNet

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Ivan Bilbao-lavieja Hackensack Medical Center Genetics 30 Prospect Ave Ste 1 Hackensack, NJ 07601 (551) 996-5264

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Helio F. Pedro Hackensack Medical Center Genetics 30 Prospect Ave Ste 1 Hackensack, NJ 07601 (551) 996-5264

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Narasimha R. Marella Cancer Genetics Inc 201 State Rt 17 FL 2 Rutherford, NJ 07070 (201) 528-9200

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Punita Gupta St Josephs Regional Medical Center Genetics 703 Main St Paterson, NJ 07503 (973) 754-2727

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Uta Lichter-Konecki New York Presbyterian Hospital Pediatrics 3959 Broadway New York, NY 10032 (212) 305-8504

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Nelly J. Oundjian Harlem Hospital Center-Pediatric Clinic 46 W 137th St New York, NY 10037 (212) 939-8005

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Melissa P. Wasserstein Comprehensive Gaucher Dis Treatment 1 Gustave L Levy Pl # 1497 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-0915

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Amy Yang Comprehensive Gaucher Dis Treatment 1 Gustave L Levy Pl # 1497 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-0915

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Manisha C. Balwani Comprehensive Gaucher Dis Treatment 1 Gustave L Levy Pl # 1497 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-0915

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Chanan Stauffer Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1 Gustave L Levy Pl FL 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-0915

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Ethylin W. Jabs Comprehensive Gaucher Dis Treatment 1 Gustave L Levy Pl # 1497 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-0915

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Keith A. Eddleman Faculty Practice Associates Obstetrics & Gynecology 5 E 98th St FL 2 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-9393

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George A. Diaz Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1428 Madison Ave RM 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-6947

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Bryn Webb Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1428 Madison Ave RM 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-6947

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Any C. Yang Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1428 Madison Ave RM 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-6947

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Lakshmi C. Mehta Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1428 Madison Ave RM 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-6947

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Eric Schadt Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1428 Madison Ave RM 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-6947

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Robert J. Desnick Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1428 Madison Ave RM 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-6947

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Kimihiko Oishi Mount Sinai Medical Center Genetics 1428 Madison Ave RM 12 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-6947

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Elaine M. Pereira Childrens Hospital At Montefiore Medical Center Specialty Clinic 3415 Bainbridge Ave FL 4-5 Bronx, NY 10467 (718) 741-2450

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Joy M. Samanich Childrens Hospital At Montefiore Medical Center Specialty Clinic 3415 Bainbridge Ave FL 4-5 Bronx, NY 10467 (718) 741-2450

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Paul A. Levy Childrens Hospital At Montefiore Medical Center Specialty Clinic 3415 Bainbridge Ave FL 4-5 Bronx, NY 10467 (718) 741-2450

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Robert W. Marion Childrens Evaluation & Rehabilitation Center 1410 Pelham Pkwy S FL 1 Bronx, NY 10461 (718) 430-8600

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Pauline Brenholz Integrated Oncology 521 W 57th St Fl 6 New York, NY 10019 (212) 698-0300

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Mark I. Evans Mark I Evans MD 131 E 65th St New York, NY 10065 (212) 744-2590

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Noah Kauff Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Clinical Genetics 222 E 70th St Lowr LEVEL New York, NY 10021 (646) 888-4050

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Kenneth Offit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Clinical Genetics 222 E 70th St Lowr LEVEL New York, NY 10021 (646) 888-4050

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Robin Russell Marble Hill Family Practice 4256 Bronx Blvd Bronx, NY 10466 (646) 329-8220

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Jessica G. Davis New York Presbyterian Hospital Genetics 505 E 70th St FL 3T3 New York, NY 10021 (646) 962-2205

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Lilian L. Cohen New York Presbyterian Hospital Genetics 505 E 70th St FL 3T3 New York, NY 10021 (646) 962-2205

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Jennifer Bassetti New York Presbyterian Hospital Genetics 505 E 70th St FL 3T3 New York, NY 10021 (646) 962-2205

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Christopher M. Cunniff New York Presbyterian Hospital Genetics 505 E 70th St FL 3T3 New York, NY 10021 (646) 962-2205

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Michel Sadelain Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 1275 York Ave New York, NY 10065 (212) 639-2000

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Zsofia K. Stadler Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 1275 York Ave New York, NY 10065 (212) 639-2000

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Naomi Yachelebich New York University Medical Center Medical Genetics 145 E 32nd St FL 14 New York, NY 10016 (646) 754-2222

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John G. Pappas New York University Medical Center Medical Genetics 145 E 32nd St FL 14 New York, NY 10016 (646) 754-2222

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Susan D. Klugman Montefiore Medical Center Genetics 1695 Eastchester Rd Ste 301 Bronx, NY 10461 (718) 405-8150

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Siobhan M. Dolan Montefiore Medical Center Genetics 1695 Eastchester Rd Ste 301 Bronx, NY 10461 (718) 405-8150

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Franklin T. Desposito Genetic Center 90 Bergen St Ste 5400 Newark, NJ 07103 (973) 972-3300

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Beth A. Pletcher Genetic Center 90 Bergen St Ste 5400 Newark, NJ 07103 (973) 972-3300

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Fredrick J. Gilbreth Pediatrics 121 Dekalb Ave Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 250-6911

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Yiping Geng Yiping Geng MD 13304 41st Ave Ste A Flushing, NY 11355 (718) 353-7265

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Tatyana Zakharenko Nyack Hospital Breast Cancer Center 160 N Midland Ave Nyack, NY 10960 (845) 348-8507

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Lawrence R. Shapiro Hudson Valley Medical Associates 257 Lafayette Ave Ste 200 Suffern, NY 10901 (845) 357-7462

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Simon G. Kupchick MMC Pediatrics 948 48th St FL 3 Brooklyn, NY 11219 (718) 283-8260

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Jackie L. Roberts Diagnostic Perinatal Testing Obstetrics & Gynecology Ultrasound 5014 Fort Hamilton Pkwy Fl 1 Brooklyn, NY 11219 (718) 283-7979

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Elizabeth R. Lim-Melia Children & Women Physicians of Westchester Regional Medical Genetics Inhieritated Metabolism 503 Grasslands Rd Ste 200 Valhalla, NY 10595 (914) 304-5280

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Maryam Banikazemi Children & Women Physicians of Westchester Regional Medical Genetics Inhieritated Metabolism 503 Grasslands Rd Ste 200 Valhalla, NY 10595 (914) 304-5280

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Margot V. Marrero-Stein Children & Women Physicians of Westchester Regional Medical Genetics Inhieritated Metabolism 503 Grasslands Rd Ste 200 Valhalla, NY 10595 (914) 304-5280

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David F. Kronn Children & Women Physicians of Westchester Regional Medical Genetics Inhieritated Metabolism 503 Grasslands Rd Ste 200 Valhalla, NY 10595 (914) 304-5280

Continued here:
Genetic Counseling Center - Hackensack, NJ - MedicineNet

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Genetic Testing & Counseling Philadelphia, PA | Einstein

Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia offers genetic testing as part of a full range of services. Einstein is the only healthcare network in the Philadelphia region to offer prenatal, pediatric, adult and cancer genetics services in one location.

In addition, Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia was the first hospital in the area to initiate and create a Jewish Genetic Disease Screening Program. Housed in the Victor Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases, the program offers ongoing community outreach and education.

Our Programs

Jewish Genetic Diseases Through the Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Screening Program, Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia provides information on eight genetic conditions and how to obtain carrier screening and genetic counseling.

Tay-Sachs Disease A new Einstein study screens for this fatal neurodegenerative disease in people who have at least three grandparents of Irish descent.

Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment Program Einstein Cancer Center provides genetic counseling for cancer patients and their families.

Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia 5501 Old York Road Levy 2 West Philadelphia, PA 19141 Phone: 215-456-8722 Get Directions

Einstein Medical Center Montgomery 559 West Germantown Pike East Norriton, PA 19403 Phone: 877-401-1093 Get Directions

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston …

President Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, M.D.

Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, M.D.

An internationally known researcher and pediatrician, Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, M.D., was appointed president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) October 22, 2012.Dr. Colasurdo joined the faculty of the UTHSC-Houston Medical School in 1995 and was named chair of the division of pediatrics in 2005. In 2007, he became dean and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences at UTHSC-Houston Medical School.

Born in Morrone Del Sannio, Italy, Dr. Colasurdo completed his undergraduate education at Liceo Scientifico Galileo Galilei in Pescara, Italy. He earned his medical degree summa cum laude from G. D'Annunzio School of Medicine in Chieti, Italy. Determined to achieve the best medical training in the world, Dr. Colasurdo decided to come to the United States in 1988. He is a U.S. citizen.

He completed his residency at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and his fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. In Colorado, he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Gary L. Larsen and initiated his studies on the autonomic regulation of the airway smooth muscle, the biology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and ontogeny of airway dysfunction and inflammation in childhood asthma.

Dr. Colasurdo joined the Medical School's faculty in 1995 as an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine. He became the division head in 1997 and started directing the fellowship training program in pediatric pulmonary medicine in 2001. He was named chair of the Department of Pediatrics in 2005.

The physician-in-chief at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, Dr. Colasurdo specializes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pediatric asthma, and other lung disorders in infants and children. Dr. Colasurdo has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Children's Miracle Network, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

His numerous awards include the Dean's Excellence Awards, the David W. Smith Trainee Award from the Western Society for Pediatric Research, and the Basic Scientist Development Award from the National Institutes of Health. In 2008, he received Houston's Executive Communicator of the Year Award from the International Association of Business Communicators; the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB); was elected to faculty membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society-Houston Delta Chapter; received the Facolta di Medicina e Chirurgia Award from the G. D'Annunzio School of Medicine in Chieti, Italy; and received the Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, presented by the Consul General of Italy.

In addition to publishing more than 120 manuscripts, abstracts, book chapters, and review articles, Dr. Colasurdo holds editorial reviewer positions on several scientific journals, including The American Journal of Physiology, The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and Pediatric Pulmonology. He is a member of the American Thoracic Society and the Society for Pediatric Research.

A strong proponent of preserving and promoting the best in medical education, Dr. Colasurdo brought to our school two fellowship training programs recognized by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education: pediatric pulmonology and pediatric critical care. He has trained numerous fellows and junior faculty currently holding positions in academic centers. He created a Division of Medical Education in the Department of Pediatrics dedicated to focusing on new strategies and technologies for resident learning.

As dean, Dr. Colasurdo has created a structure to promote health care quality and safety throughout the clinical, research, and educational missions of the Medical School. He also promulgated a Scholarly Concentrations Program aimed at helping medical students enrich their academic pathways into medical specialties. Under his leadership, the UT Physicians clinical practice of the Medical School has expanded beyond the confines of the Texas Medical Center and into the neighborhoods of Houston.

Board certified in Pediatric Pulmonology and licensed to practice medicine in Italy, Texas and Colorado, Dr. Colasurdo remains an active clinical pulmonologist and has hospital privileges at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the CEO and president of UT Physicians, the medical practice of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston ...

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Biotechnology – The New York Times

Latest Articles

Efforts to expand use of biotechnology to crops other than corn, soybeans, cotton and canola have been hindered by opposition from consumer and environmental groups.

By ANDREW POLLACK

Federal officials have approved a cheaper version of Johnson & Johnsons blockbuster drug Remicade, a biotech medicine for inflammatory diseases.

General Mills said on Friday that it would start labeling all products that contain genetically modified ingredients to comply with a law set to go into effect in Vermont.

The salary, bonus and stock awards given to Fords chief executive, Mark Fields, jumped 17 percent in 2015.

The senators will consider whether the government should require labeling on foods containing genetically engineered ingredients, an issue that has split the food industry.

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER and STEPHANIE STROM

A diverse biotechnology company hopes its genetically engineered mosquitoes can help stop the spread of a devastating virus. But thats just a start.

By ANDREW POLLACK

States should be free to require the labeling of genetically modified food if they want to.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Bioengineers at Rice University recently found that different drops from single fingerpricks on multiple subjects varied substantially.

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

With the success of growing the body parts in a lab, bioengineers are taking a step toward creating replacement organs that can be transplanted into people.

By NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who will leave Rockefeller University to lead Stanford University, has also worked as an executive in the biotech industry,

The two biotech companies initial public offerings are testing the waters after a recent sell-off in biotech.

Businesses allow parents to leverage their wealth, contacts and the hope of investors to jump-start research into the diseases that afflict their children.

By PAUL SULLIVAN

Scientists have shown that DNA molecules can be the basis for a long-term storage system potentially capable of holding all of the worlds digital information in a tiny space.

By JOHN MARKOFF

The herbicide, which contains the old herbicide 2,4-D, was to be used on crops genetically modified to be resistant to it.

The Food and Drug Administration said that the salmon would not have to be labeled as genetically engineered, consistent with its broader stance on widely eaten genetically modified foods.

Senator Orrin G. Hatch objects to language that would limit brand-name drug makers monopoly protections abroad for their cutting-edge medicines known as biologics.

By JACKIE CALMES

The case is significant because it indicates that cell therapies might not have to be customized for each patient.

By ANDREW POLLACK

An irrational phobia of genetically modified crops is causing real harm.

By MARK LYNAS

A confluence of factors, including Chinas slowing growth, falling commodity prices and trouble in the biotech sector, sent the markets lower.

Readers explain why they disagree with Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuels proposed solutions for rising drugs costs.

Efforts to expand use of biotechnology to crops other than corn, soybeans, cotton and canola have been hindered by opposition from consumer and environmental groups.

By ANDREW POLLACK

Federal officials have approved a cheaper version of Johnson & Johnsons blockbuster drug Remicade, a biotech medicine for inflammatory diseases.

General Mills said on Friday that it would start labeling all products that contain genetically modified ingredients to comply with a law set to go into effect in Vermont.

The salary, bonus and stock awards given to Fords chief executive, Mark Fields, jumped 17 percent in 2015.

The senators will consider whether the government should require labeling on foods containing genetically engineered ingredients, an issue that has split the food industry.

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER and STEPHANIE STROM

A diverse biotechnology company hopes its genetically engineered mosquitoes can help stop the spread of a devastating virus. But thats just a start.

By ANDREW POLLACK

States should be free to require the labeling of genetically modified food if they want to.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Bioengineers at Rice University recently found that different drops from single fingerpricks on multiple subjects varied substantially.

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

With the success of growing the body parts in a lab, bioengineers are taking a step toward creating replacement organs that can be transplanted into people.

By NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who will leave Rockefeller University to lead Stanford University, has also worked as an executive in the biotech industry,

The two biotech companies initial public offerings are testing the waters after a recent sell-off in biotech.

Businesses allow parents to leverage their wealth, contacts and the hope of investors to jump-start research into the diseases that afflict their children.

By PAUL SULLIVAN

Scientists have shown that DNA molecules can be the basis for a long-term storage system potentially capable of holding all of the worlds digital information in a tiny space.

By JOHN MARKOFF

The herbicide, which contains the old herbicide 2,4-D, was to be used on crops genetically modified to be resistant to it.

The Food and Drug Administration said that the salmon would not have to be labeled as genetically engineered, consistent with its broader stance on widely eaten genetically modified foods.

Senator Orrin G. Hatch objects to language that would limit brand-name drug makers monopoly protections abroad for their cutting-edge medicines known as biologics.

By JACKIE CALMES

The case is significant because it indicates that cell therapies might not have to be customized for each patient.

By ANDREW POLLACK

An irrational phobia of genetically modified crops is causing real harm.

By MARK LYNAS

A confluence of factors, including Chinas slowing growth, falling commodity prices and trouble in the biotech sector, sent the markets lower.

Readers explain why they disagree with Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuels proposed solutions for rising drugs costs.

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Biotechnology - The New York Times

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Palm Beach State – Biotechnology

SIGN UP TODAY FOR OUR NEXT INFO SESSION!

Palm Beach State College offers two degree programs in biotechnology. Students may choose to enroll inthe Associate in Science (AS) degree, which prepares students for entry into the biotechnology workforce, academic research, and related industries; or a dual Associate in Arts (AA)/(AS) degree option, designed for pre-med and other students planning to transfer to a four-year university. Both the AS and dual AA/AS programs require students to complete a 4-month Biotech internship outside of the College that provides training in real-world academic or industry research.

Our award winning program is taught byPhD level scientific faculty and researchers committed to providing challenging courses to meet the needs of the growing biotech industry.

We also offera 19-credit Biotechnology College Credit Certificate (CCC) for studentswho already have a bachelor's degree and want to gain the in-demand skills employers require and the internship needed to get a high-tech job orto strengthen anapplication to graduate or medical school.

Palm Beach State's biotech business partnership, consisting of over 25 different biotech firms, allows our students unique internship opportunities which develop the skills and experience required for a successful career in the biotechnology field.

Information for Advisors and Prospective Students

To get started in our Biotechnology program or foradditional information pleasecontact:

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Palm Beach State - Biotechnology

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Biotechnology Jobs Hundreds of Jobs in Biotechnology in the …

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Biotechnology jobs in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia for postdocs, researchers, and faculty. Explore more jobs in biomedical engineering, genomics and bioengineering.

Saint Louis, Missouri (US) Salary commensurate with experience as well as an excellent benefit package. vwertich@danforthcenter.org

The Director is responsible for developing and directing efforts to improve agriculture and food security in developing regions of the world.

New

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel GEOMAR Centre for Marine Biotechnology (GEOMAR-Biote E13 (TVD-Bund) Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel GEOMAR: RD 3 Marine Natural Products Chemistry

Analytical marine natural product chemist Deadline: 27th May 2016 GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel is a foundation of public law j...

New

Boston, Massachusetts (US) Salary + Equity Lumio Health

Join a hybrid biotech + software STARTUP as employee #1 on the founding team! Seeking antibody-DNA bioconjugation and immunoassay expertise.

Bonn, Germany (DE) Undisclosed Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

The award targets outstanding talent and a creative approach to research.

Singapore (SG) Commensurate with qualifications and experience Nanyang Technological University

Nanyang Technological University invites applicants to apply for tenure-track faculty positions at the Associate/Assistant Professor level.

Ottawa, Ontario Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

As a member of our Sales Team, you will work in a team environment to manage and exceed budget in a growing and dynamic territory. The territory may

Marsiling, North West Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Directly and through Inside Sales Reps, drives the process of selling designated products and services to customers and prospects.Meet or exceed busi

Tijuana, Estado de Baja California Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESUME IN ENGLISH ONLY Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $17 bill

Millersburg, Pennsylvania Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Process Management by simplifying complex processes; getting more out of fewer resources; understand how to separate and combine tasks into efficient

Millersburg, Pennsylvania Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Process Management by simplifying complex processes; getting more out of fewer resources; understand how to separate and combine tasks into efficient

Millersburg, Pennsylvania Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:Responsible for first-piece and in-process inspection.Responsible for recording and documenting all dimensional

Ottawa, Ontario Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

As a member of our Sales Team, you will work in a team environment to manage and exceed budget in a growing and dynamic territory. The territory may

Carlsbad, California Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Key Objectives of the role: Utilize specialized technical knowledge and skills to make detailed observations and analyze data within operating parame

Pleasanton, California Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

The candidate will be asked to follow established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in an ISO compliant environment while making these materials f

Millersburg, Pennsylvania Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Responsible for performing tubing and bag assembly process according to product printsPerforms solvent assembly of tubing and connectorsPackages and

Millersburg, Pennsylvania Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Process Management by simplifying complex processes; getting more out of fewer resources; understand how to separate and combine tasks into efficient

Horsham, England Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Review and approve investigations submitted by other departments through collaborative working.Support the training and improvement of investigation

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Responsible for working cross-functionally on the design, installation and support of the Thermo Fisher Scientific UnityTM Lab Services Media Science

Middletown, Virginia Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Commission PlansIn collaboration with Finance and Human Resources, support quarterly commission plans for Regional Sales Directors.Manage commission

Marsiling, North West Competitive Thermo Fisher Scientific

Lead and develop a team of regional Sales Development Specialists to drive sales strategy by bringing together the total company value to the respect

2011 - 2016 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights Reserved. AAAS is a partner of HINARI, AGORA OARE, PatientInform, CrossRef and COUNTER.American Association for the Advancement of Science.. Powered by Madgex Job Board Platform

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Biotechnology Jobs Hundreds of Jobs in Biotechnology in the ...

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USDA APHIS | Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS)

Last Modified: Mar 24, 2016

A person may petition the agency that a particular regulated article is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk, and, therefore, is no longer regulated under the plant pest provisions of the Plant Protection Act or the regulations at 7 CFR part 340. The petitioner is required to provide information under 340.6(c)(4) related to plant pest risk that the agency may use to determine whether the regulated article is unlikely to present a greater plant pest risk than the unmodified organism. A GE organism is no longer subject to the regulatory requirements of 7 CFR part 340 or the plant pest provisions of the Plant Protection Act when APHIS determines that it is unlikely to post a plant pest risk.

For more information on BRS' enhanced petition process, including information on transitioning pending petitions, please see our Petition Process Improvements Web page.

APHIS' Improved Petition Process In November 2011, APHIS announced plans to improve the agency's process for making determinations on petitions for nonregulated status for GE organisms. To learn more about APHIS' improved petition process, click here.

Petition Status

Guidance for Petitions

Additional Resources

Additional Information

If you can't find answers to your questions about the petition process here, please contact a BRS biotechnologist by sending your questions to biotechquery@aphis.usda.gov.

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UAH – College of Science – Departments & Programs – Biotechnology

Welcome to Biotechnology at UAH.

The Graduate Program in Biotechnology Science and Engineering is an Interdisciplinary Program with faculty from the Departments of Chemistry, Biological Sciences and Chemical Engineering. Adjunct faculty from the Marshall Space Flight Center and local biotechnology research centers and companies are also involved in the program.

The program's mission is to provide Ph.D. level graduates who are broadly trained in the areas of science and engineering pertinent to biotechnology and who will benefit the economic, educational, and cultural development of Alabama. Graduates of the program are expected to be able to make significant contributions to biotechnology in academic, governmental, and business settings.

The interdisciplinary program in Biotechnology Science and Engineering provides broad training in sciences and engineering dealing with the handling and the processing of macromolecules and living systems. Students receive advanced training in one of three specializations: Structural Biology, Biomolecular Sciences or Bioprocess Engineering. The principal core of instructors and research advisors are drawn from the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Chemical and Materials Engineering. The program includes significant involvement from local biotechnology companies as well as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

Biotechnology is not a single area of study, but a multidisciplinary field concerned with the practical application of biological organisms and their subcellular components to industrial or service manufacturing, to environmental management and health, and to medicine. It is a series of enabling technologies drawn from the fields of microbiology, cellular biology, molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, immunology, fermentation technology, environmental science and engineering which allow one to synthesize, breakdown or transform materials to suit human needs. Biotechnology ("Current Trends in Chemical Technology, Business, and Employment," American Chemical Society, Washington, DC. 1998) can therefore be defined as the safe study and manipulation of biological molecules for development of products or techniques for medical and industrial application. Although biotechnology in the broadest sense is not new, the current ability and demand for manipulating living organisms or their subcellular components to provide useful products, processes or services has reached new heights. Modern biotechnology has resulted from scientific scrutiny of old and familiar processes and from new advances in molecular biology, genetic engineering and fermentation technologies.

The future industrial landscape will continue to include research, development and the manufacturing of products such as proteins and nucleic acids that will be based wholly or in large part on biological processes.

Shelby Center,Room 369J The University of Alabama in Huntsville301 Sparkman Drive Huntsville, AL 35899

Dr. Joseph D. Ng email: uahbiotechnology@gmail.com phone: 256.824.6166 fax: 256.824.6305

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UAH - College of Science - Departments & Programs - Biotechnology

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Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) from Human Skin …

Introduction

The announcement of the ability to produce embryonic cell-like lines from ordinary skin cells has the news media scrambling to get feedback about the possible efficacy of such lines in stem cell therapies. Many politicians have landed on one side or the other, with liberals saying that embryonic stem cell research is still necessary1 and conservatives claiming that all embryonic research should be halted. The marketplace of science will eventually weigh-in on which method(s) are used in real therapies.

Embryonic stem cell (ESC) research has been a hot topic, with conservatives saying that such research is morally unacceptable and liberals saying that conservatives value a clump of cells more than people who have serious disabling diseases. Several groups of medical researchers (including James Thomson, the first person to culture ESC) recently showed that normal skin cells can be reprogrammed to an embryonic state, producing what are now called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Originally performed in mice in June, 2007,2 researchers took four genes OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC and incorporated those genes into the nucleus of cells to induce pluripotency. Such lines could be expanded indefinitely and could differentiate to form numerous kinds of different tissues.

Just five months after the mouse study was published, the feat was repeated by three separate laboratories using human skin cells.3 One research group used the same genes as those used in the mouse study, whereas a second group used OCT3, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28. The techniques were efficient enough to generate one cell line for every 5-10 thousand cells treated. Although not extremely efficient, it is quite usable, since it is possible to obtain hundreds of thousands to millions of cells to carry out these kinds of studies. The technique was recently replicated for adult human skin cells,4 instead of skin cell lines, demonstrating that it could be used to generate patient-specific cell lines.

Studies using iPS cell lines have shown that those cells undergo similar changes compared to what is observed with embryonic stem cells. Cell populations grew at the same rate, telomerase (which preserves the ends of chromosomes) was present in both iPS and ESC. Severalgenes that are silenced in fibroblasts, but active in ESC, were also active in the iPS cells. The iPS cell lines could be differentiated into heart muscle and neuronal cells, in addition to basic cell types (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm). Gene expression assays showed that 5,000 genes from iPS cells showed a five-fold difference in expression compared to those in fibroblasts, although 1,267 genes had a five-fold difference in expression between ESC and iPS cells. According to the James Thomson study, "The human iPS cells described here meet the defining criteria we originally proposed for human ES cells (14), with the significant exception that the iPS cells are not derived from embryos."3

Originally, the new technique is not without its own set of problems, although within two years, virtually all had been resolved. One of the original genes used for reprogramming (c-MYC) has been shown to produce tumors and cancers. Obviously, it would not be a good choice for patient therapy. However, this gene was eliminated in some of the later techniques.5 The second problem was that the genes were originally introduced through the use of a retrovirus that incorporates into the host cell DNA. Depending upon where the gene sequence inserts, it may cause trouble (including mutations and cancers). Those who watched the I am Legend movie will remember that a retrovirus-derived cancer treatment was responsible for turning the surviving members of the human race into an army of grotesque monsters. Although such a transformation is not possible, the initiation of cancer in even a small number of treated patients would make such treatments unusable for human therapy. Two years later the problem of using a retroviral system for reprogramming was solved by switching to a simple lentivirus reprogramming system.6 Within weeks, other researchers went a step further, eliminating viral reprogramming altogether by using reprogramming genes (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LIN28, c-Myc, and KLF4) cloned into a circular piece of DNA called a plasmid.7 Subsequent culture of of the iPS over a period of weeks resulted in the complete loss of the plasmid, but with continued pluripotency. The potential of iPS cells is so great that the researcher who first grew ESC in culture is now one of the leading proponents of iPS stem cell research.

A more recent, but somewhat uncertain potential problem has been identified more recently. Since iPS cells are derived from adult tissues, they tend to harbor some of the same epigenetic profiles as those adult tissues from which they are derived. As cells age or differentiate, certain genes are turned on or off through methylation of those gene's promoters. The process prevents those cells from undergoing additional changes that might cause the cells to lose their differentiated properties. When adults cells are induced to pluripotency, some of those epigenetic profiles are retained in the iPS cells.8 How will these vestiges of adult cells affect iPS ability to differentiate into cells that are useful for disease models or therapy? At this point, we don't know for sure. However, my guess is that different ESC lines will exhibit different epigenetic profiles, as will specific isolates of iPS cells. Although researchers have found no problems in producing differentiated iPS lines, some of these epigenetic changes might interfere with the ultimate function of these cells as differentiated cell lines.

Even with these issues, research institutes are beginning to focus their stem cell research on iPS cells. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center recently opened its Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core Production Facility in late 2011, according to their press release.9

Induction of pluripotency to produce embryonic-like stem cells is the hot topic in stem cell research. The fact that human iPS cells have been produced in many different laboratories after the initial animal studies shows that the technique is robust and easily reproducible. In contrast, the competing technique, human somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning), has never been transferred from animal studies to human application, despite years of attempts. At this point, it seems pretty certain that the iPS technique will soon replace ESC as the preferred means of generating human stem cell lines. However, the disadvantage of iPS cells is that the cell lines produced would be patient specific (only useful for the intended patient), whereas the establishment of ESC lines allows biotech companies to patent the lines in order to make lots of money.

http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/reprogrammed_stem_cells.html Last Modified October 6, 2011

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