Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys in Connecticut | Trantolo Trantolo LLC

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BOBO ()
where you can take your dog swimming : especially hind limb weakness in dogs spinal cord injury treatment focuses on preventing if you want to let your dog swim for more therapeutic reasons.

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Do you use stem cells in regenerative medicine? - prof. Graziella Pellegrini

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Which troubles regenerative medicine concerns? - prof. Graziella Pellegrini

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Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska previously ran a lumber business. (REGENETEK.COM)

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Regenetek is located on Chevrier Boulevard, but its stem-cell study is being conducted at a hospital in India. The study is not listed on any clinical-trial registry. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

The hope of dancing at her sons summertime wedding led Sharon Nordstrom to pay $38,000 for a treatment she hoped would keep her multiple-sclerosis symptoms at bay.

That money paid for what she hoped would be a life-changing stem-cell procedure at a hospital in Pune, India. It was part of what she, and nearly 70 other patients from Manitoba and from as far away as Australia, believed was a clinical study helmed by a brilliant Winnipeg medical researcher with a PhD, who said the procedure could stop MS in its tracks.

Soon after her return in May, Nordstrom began to uncover troubling facts. Doug Broeska, whom patients reverently call "Dr. Doug," has no recognized medical credentials. Regenetek Research, his company based out of a spartan office on Chevrier Boulevard, boasted credentials and positive medical results that didnt add up. Patients who were once ardent supporters were attacked as saboteurs or shills for "Big Pharma" and threatened with removal from the study after they asked questions.

A Free Press investigation has found Broeska fabricated his credentials, including his PhD, and overstated the effects of the stem-cell treatment, for which he often charged desperately ill people $45,000. Four patients spoke to the Free Press on the record, saying they got no benefit from the treatment, got none of the followup common in clinical trials such as MRIs or physical acuity tests and believe they are victims of fraud.

Patients, doctors in India and now Canadian officials are questioning the claims of Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska and his $45,000 stem-cell therapy for MS sufferers.

At least two of Regeneteks former patients have complained to the RCMP, and sources say the Canada Revenue Agency is investigating, though CRA officials would not confirm that. Last week, Regeneteks website, Broeskas LinkedIn page and a "patient-run" Facebook group were taken down.

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City man who ran stem-cell trial for MS patients fabricated credentials, overstated results

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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

By: Mary Agnes Welch and Melissa Martin

Posted: 3:00 AM | Comments:

The University of Winnipeg has axed a joint project with Regenetek Research, the local company selling stem-cell treatment to people with multiple sclerosis.

The move by the university's ethics committee came Wednesday, hours after the Free Press published its investigation into Regenetek owner Doug Broeska's credentials and his clinical trial.

The university's move puts an end to Broeska's repeated claim he was about to launch a study with U of W's kinesiology faculty to track and test some of the 70 patients who paid Regenetek as much as $45,000 for experimental stem-cell transplants in India.

"The patient outcomes have been so significant that we will soon be announcing a companion study with the University of Winnipeg," Broeska told a prospective patient in an email obtained by the Free Press. "Dr. Glen Bergeron, assistant dean and one of Canada's foremost physiotherapeutic specialists (head physiotherapist, Canadian Olympic Team) has confirmed our evidence based on patient observation... and would not have contemplated such a study if our patient/subjects had not demonstrated neural pathway restoration as a result of their therapies."

Winnipeg-based Regenetek and the U of W signed a preliminary letter of intent last spring. The company even gave the U of W $10,000 to hire a young researcher. She moved to Winnipeg from Waterloo, Ont., and began work in November in anticipation the joint research project would soon win ethics approval from the university's review panel.

Last week, the U of W's ethics committee sent the proposal back to Bergeron with questions and concerns. On Wednesday morning, the committee rejected the joint application outright.

Bergeron did not reply to requests for comment. Instead, Jino Distasio, the U of W's associate vice-president of research and innovation, said the university takes the health of study participants extremely seriously and already harboured concerns about the project.

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Fallout from fake credentials

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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Melissa Martin and Mary Agnes Welch

Posted: 2:00 AM | Comments:

The University of Winnipeg has axed a joint project with Regenetek Research, the local company selling stem-cell treatment to people with multiple sclerosis.

The move by the universitys ethics committee came Wednesday, hours after the Free Press published its investigation into Regenetek owner Doug Broeskas credentials and his clinical trial.

The universitys move puts an end to Broeskas repeated claim he was about to launch a study with U of Ws kinesiology faculty to track and test some of the 70 patients who paid Regenetek as much as $45,000 for experimental stem-cell transplants in India.

"The patient outcomes have been so significant that we will soon be announcing a companion study with the University of Winnipeg," Broeska told a prospective patient in an email obtained by the Free Press. "Dr. Glen Bergeron, assistant dean and one of Canadas foremost physiotherapeutic specialists (head physiotherapist, Canadian Olympic Team) has confirmed our evidence based on patient observation... and would not have contemplated such a study if our patient/subjects had not demonstrated neural pathway restoration as a result of their therapies."

Winnipeg-based Regenetek and the U of W signed a preliminary letter of intent last spring. The company even gave the U of W $10,000 to hire a young researcher. She moved to Winnipeg from Waterloo, Ont., and began work in November in anticipation the joint research project would soon win ethics approval from the universitys review panel.

Last week, the U of Ws ethics committee sent the proposal back to Bergeron with questions and concerns. On Wednesday morning, the committee rejected the joint application outright.

Bergeron did not reply to requests for comment. Instead, Jino Distasio, the U of Ws associate vice-president of research and innovation, said the university takes the health of study participants extremely seriously and already harboured concerns about the project.

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U of W cancels proposal for joint research study

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY: Quote) has entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY: Quote) to explore combination regimens from its immuno-oncology portfolio with other mechanisms of action that may accelerate the development of new treatment options for patients.

As per the agreement terms, a phase 1/2 trial will evaluate Bristol-Myers Squibb's approved immunotherapy Opdivo in combination with Lilly's investigational Galunisertib as a potential treatment option for patients with advanced (metastatic and/or unresectable) glioblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer.

Opdivo is approved by FDA for intravenous use for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma while Galunisertib is currently under investigation as an oral treatment for advanced/metastatic malignancies, including phase 2 evaluation in hepatocellular carcinoma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer.

In other related news, Lilly has also entered into a collaboration agreement with Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK: Quote) to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Merck's KEYTRUDA in combination with Lilly compounds in multiple clinical trials.

Merck's KEYTRUDA was granted accelerated approval by FDA last September for unresectable or metastatic melanoma with disease progression following Ipilimumab and, if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor.

BMY closed Tuesday's trading at $63.12, up 1.51%.

Celsus Therapeutics plc (CLTX: Quote) has completed enrollment in its phase II study evaluating the safety and efficacy of MRX-6 cream 2% in a pediatric population with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis.

The topline data from the trial are expected by end-February, 2015.

CLTX closed Tuesday's trading 10.39% higher at $5.95.

Cellular Dynamics International (ICEL: Quote) has entered into a research collaboration with privately-held Cord Blood Registry to reprogram newborn stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells.

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LLY Collaborates With BMY And MRK, CLTX On Watchlist, ZLTQ Continues To Grow

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A pioneering bone marrow post-transplant specialist nurse is introduced in Tyneside - the first post of its kind outside London.

Leading blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan has introduced the role based at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, at Newcastles Freeman Hospital.

Susan Paskar has been employed in the job, funded by Anthony Nolan, to support patients with leukaemia and other blood cancers who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants.

The 38-year-old will be patients dedicated point of contact at the hospital once they have been allowed to go home following their transplant and will be able to offer specialist support and advice.

Susan, who lives in Newcastle and has worked with bone marrow transplant patients at the Freeman Hospital for four years, said: I was very happy to take up this position as I saw that there was a need for more follow-up for patients they get a lot of support early on but we need to be able to continue to support them after their transplants so they can have the best possible quality of life.

I think the patients would tell you that this new role is a vital one. After their initial treatment comes to an end, patients will need long-term monitoring and they are often left with a lot of problems which may need further intervention, and many patients will need extra support to help them get used to the new normal.

Susan will also be able to refer patients to other services, such as dieticians, and to help them overcome any physical and psychological difficulties they experience after their transplant.

She added: It is a very rewarding job as you maintain your relationships with patients for a long time. You get to know your patients, and their families, really well.

Anthony Nolan is introducing three specialist nurse positions as part of its focus on improving quality of life for people after a transplant.

The first nurse, Hayley Leonard, has already taken up a position at The Royal Marsden in London. Susan took up her role in Newcastle in December and a third nurse will be recruited to work at Manchester Royal Infirmary and The Christie, in Manchester.

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Post-transplant specialist nurse is introduced in Newcastle Freeman Hospital

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Stem Cell Therapy: A cure for Diabetes | PlacidWay
http://tiny.cc/DiabetesCure2015 Diabetes treatment can consist of numerous elements, consisting of standard medications, alternative medication, and natural treatments. Alternative therapies...

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Newswise Cancer fighting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, developed in the Sentman laboratory of Dartmouths Norris Cotton Cancer Center, are taking the next step into a Phase I clinical trial beginning early in 2015. Charles Sentman, PhD, first published this novel work with CAR T cells in Blood in 2005 and in Cancer Research in 2006. They demonstrated that their CAR therapies may have broad applicability for many different cancers, and further found that CAR therapy not only eliminated tumors from animals, but also prevented cancer recurrence. Professor Sentman is one of the Scientific Founders of Celdara Medical, LLC (CM), and has been collaborating with CM to translate this work to the clinic. On January 6, Cardio3 BioSciences announced the acquisition of OnCyte, LLC, a division of CM comprising these technologies, to further advance the therapies.

The first therapy to move to a clinical trial is CM-CS1, an autologous CAR T-cell therapy that employs NKG2D, which is a natural killer cell receptor designed to target ligands present on most tumor types, including both hematologic cancers and solid tumors. Many cancers are known to express these targets, including cancers of the pancreas, breast, and prostate. The current clinical trial is in hematologic cancers (i.e. cancers of the blood) such as leukemia and myeloma. The possibility of broad application holds great promise.

Several other related therapies, as well as a next generation platform technology, are in preclinical development. The next generation platform from Sentmans lab combines CAR T cells with another innovation they developed called TCR-inhibiting molecules (TIMs). TIMs are designed to allow CAR therapy to be used with T cells from healthy donors yet avoid Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GVHD). If successful, the TIM/CAR approach will reduce time to treatment, simplify logistics, and significantly decrease costs.

We are very excited about the opportunity to move these novel therapies into the clinic, Sentman said. It is an exciting time in cancer immunotherapy, and the potential of CAR cell therapies holds great promise to improve patients health.

The Sentman laboratory is at Dartmouths Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, NH and is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

About Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center combines advanced cancer research at Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine with patient-centered cancer care provided at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock regional locations in Manchester, Nashua, and Keene, NH, and St. Johnsbury, VT, and at 12 partner hospitals throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. It is one of 41 centers nationwide to earn the National Cancer Institutes Comprehensive Cancer Center designation. Learn more about Norris Cotton Cancer Center research, programs, and clinical trials online at cancer.dartmouth.edu.

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TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers who discovered new gene mutations linked to colon cancer in black Americans say their findings could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment.

In the United States, blacks are significantly more likely to develop colon cancer and to die from the disease than other racial groups.

For the study, the researchers said they used DNA sequencing to examined 50 million bits of data from 20,000 genes. They said that determining gene mutations has been the driving force behind all the new drugs created to treat cancer in the last decade.

"Many of the new cancer drugs on the market today were developed to target specific genes in which mutations were discovered to cause specific cancers," study corresponding author Dr. Sanford Markowitz, an expert in the genetics of cancer at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said in a university news release.

The investigators compared 103 colon cancer samples from black patients and 129 samples from white patients treated at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. They found 20 previously unknown gene mutations in the colon samples from black patients.

About 40 percent of colon cancers in black patients had one or more of these gene mutations, which were three times more common in colon cancers among blacks than among whites.

The findings were published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"This is the first study to perform a comprehensive gene mutation characterization and comparison of these colorectal cancer tumors in two ethnicities -- African-American and Caucasian," lead author Dr. Kishore Guda, an assistant professor in General Medical Sciences (Oncology) at Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in the news release.

"Our next step will be to collaborate with other centers in investigating African-American populations in different regions of the United States to determine whether they also share the unique gene signature found in the Cleveland African-American community," Guda added.

Further research is needed to learn more about the behavior and effects of these mutations, including whether they're linked with more aggressive colon cancer, the study authors said.

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Gene Mutations Linked to Colon Cancer in Black Patients

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A new study has identified genetic mutations that cause the heart condition dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), paving the way for more accurate diagnosis.

By sequencing the gene encoding the muscle protein titin in more than 5,000 people, scientists have worked out which variations are linked to disease, providing information that will help screen high-risk patients.

Titin gene mutations were previously associated with DCM, a leading cause of inherited heart failure, but many people have variations in the genetic code that are completely benign.

The new study, published in Science Translational Medicine, sorts the harmful from the harmless mutations, giving doctors a directory to interpret patients' DNA sequences.

The information could also help researchers develop therapies to prevent or treat heart disease caused by titin mutations.

The study was led by researchers at Imperial College London and Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.

Around one in 250 people are estimated to have DCM. It causes the heart muscle to become thin and weak, often leading to heart failure.

Mutations in the titin gene that make the protein shorter, or truncated, are the most common cause of DCM, accounting for about a quarter of cases. But truncations in the gene are common - around one in 50 people have one - and most are not harmful, making it difficult to develop a useful genetic test.

The researchers sequenced the titin gene from 5,267 people, including healthy volunteers and patients with DCM, and analysed the levels of titin in samples of heart tissue. The results showed that mutations that cause DCM occur at the far end of the gene sequence. Mutations in healthy individuals tend to occur in parts of the gene that aren't included in the final protein, allowing titin to remain functional.

Professor Stuart Cook, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London, who led the study, said: "These results give us a detailed understanding of the molecular basis for dilated cardiomyopathy. We can use this information to screen patients' relatives to identify those at risk of developing the disease, and help them to manage their condition early."

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'Titin' gene mutations will help identify patients at risk of heart failure

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IMAGE:This is a scheme illustrating the study that has identified variants in the CYP3A4 gene associated with paclitaxel severe neuropathy. view more

Credit: CNIO

Paclitaxel is a chemotherapeutic drug that has been shown to be highly effective when treating solid tumours, such as breast, ovarian and lung tumours. However, its use frequently causes peripheral neuropathies, neurological problems that affect the vast majority of patients. Symptoms include tingling and pain in the extremities, cramping, muscular weakness and difficulty walking, in addition to others. In severe cases, the severity of these adverse effects mandates dosage reduction, and even stopping the treatment.

A patients' risk of developing peripheral neuropathy from paclitaxel is unknown. To date, other studies had suggested the existence of genetic variants that could explain an increased susceptibility of the patients to suffer from this disorder, although there was no clinical predictive marker for them.

Now, scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, have identified the first genetic marker associated with severe neurological toxicity. The results could be very valuable in hospital clinical practice, given that they would help to evaluate treatment risks on an individual basis, thereby improving the quality of life for patients carrying these variants.

The authors of the research add that this information could be especially valuable for the Spanish population: "Even though these variants are rare or not frequent in the population, their frequency is greater in Spain than in other countries." One out of every 35 people in Spain carries one of these genetic variants in their genome.

The study, led by Cristina Rodrguez-Antona, researcher from the CNIO Hereditary Endocrine Cancer Group, led by Mercedes Robledo, is published by the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

REDUCED DRUG EXCRETION, GREATER TOXICITY

Researchers initially sequenced the complete exome--the part of the genome that translates into proteins--for 8 Spanish patients with breast cancer who had developed extreme neuropathies after being treated with paclitaxel.

In this first phase of the research, they discovered genetic variants that were associated with a loss of hepatic CYP3A4 enzyme function, an enzyme that is in charge of eliminating the drug from the body.

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CNIO associates rare gene variants with side effects from chemotherapy with paclitaxel

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Scientists are unraveling a mystery behind a fairly common disease that leads to heart failure: Why do some people with a key mutated gene fall ill while others stay healthy?

Researchers tested more than 5,200 people to tease apart when mutations really are harmful or are just bystanders. The work could help in screening families prone to heart failure but also has broader implications as more people undergo genetic tests that can turn up unnecessarily worrying results.

Heart failure, when the heart cannot pump blood properly, is caused by a variety of conditions, including damage from heart attacks. But one trigger is dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that makes the heart's muscle walls stretch out of shape, becoming progressively weaker. It can run in families, but often there's no obvious cause.

Titin is a protein that gives muscle tissue, including heart muscle, its elasticity. In 2012, researchers reported that gene mutations that make that protein shorter, or truncated, were a common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy, accounting for a quarter of cases. The problem: A lot of healthy people also harbor mutations in that stretchy muscle protein, yet some gene tests already look for the glitches.

So a British-led research team mapped the titin-producing gene in 5,267 people, ranging from the healthy to the seriously ill. Where the DNA glitches are located in this huge gene is key, the team reported Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Mutations that caused dilated cardiomyopathy are located at one end of the gene sequence, while mutations in healthy people occur in other spots apparently less important for heart muscle, they reported.

Another discovery: Titin-caused cardiomyopathy is more severe than other forms of the disease, said lead researcher Angharad Roberts of Imperial College London. Those patients are more likely to suffer life-threatening irregular heartbeats, suggesting doctors might use genetic testing to guide therapy including when to implant defibrillators.

Somehow, this truncated protein is poisoning heart muscle cells, the researchers concluded.

When cardiomyopathy runs in the family, close relatives get regular heart screening to see whether they're developing it, too. The researchers said finding which kind of mutation family members harbor could help narrow who's really at risk but it would take more in-depth genetic testing than is routine today.

"In an era where genetic testing and genome sequencing is increasingly available, more and more titin mutations will be identified, often as incidental findings," Roberts said. "Accurate interpretation of these results is vital to avoid unnecessary follow-up and anxiety."

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Germanys Environment Ministry is hoping for a complete ban on green genetic engineering,but a Green party assessment warns that upcoming free trade agreements like TTIP and CETA could still bring genetically modified plants to the European market. EurActiv Germany reports.

After the European Parliament on Tuesday (13 January passed a new Directive on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in Europe, the German Environment Ministry is insisting on a complete ban on green genetic engineering in Germany.

It is very important that a political agreement be reached to generally apply the exclusion clause to Germany, emphasised State Secretary on Environment Jochen Flasbarth on Tuesday (13 January) in Berlin.

Under the new directive, EU member states will now be able to choose to opt-out, restricting or completely banning GMO cultivation within their borders. One of the leading proponents of such a legal ban in Germany is its Ministry of Agriculture, which is led by the Bavarian conservative Christian Social Union (CSU). The Ministry also supports a national ban on cultivation.

In a position paper from the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Minister Barbara Hendricks outlines that she does not want to leave any backdoors open for genetic engineering. The GMO law must be changed, so that controversial green genetic engineering cannot be used under any pretextin Germany, she states in the document, according to a report in the Sddeutsche newspaper.

Green genetic engineering has turned out to be the wrong track, Hendricks said. It is risky for nature and the environment and is not desired by consumers. For this reason I would like us to use the EU rules in the future, that can guarantee freedom from genetic engineering in Germany, she explained.

Meanwhile, an assessment from the Bundestags Green Party faction sees the GMO ban as being threatened by free trade agreements the EU is planning with Canada (CETA) and the United States (TTIP).

Titled Free trade - gateway for agricultural genetic engineering, the study is an analysis, conducted by Christoph Then, of the possible consequences of TTIP based on the CETA text. Then concludes that with TTIP, EU standards for the protection of GMO-free agriculture, such as measures against contamination and maintaining clean seed, will be lowered in the medium-term. The author also predicts changes in the approval procedure.

The studys main conclusions are:

State Secretary Flachsbarth decidedly dismissed concerns over consumer protection. No lowering of standards, such as a softening of GMO regulation, will be accepted through TTIP.

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German Environment Ministry seeks unconditional GMO ban

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IMAGE:New Space facilitates and supports the efforts of researchers, engineers, analysts, investors, business leaders, and policymakers to capitalize on the opportunities of commercial space ventures. Spanning a broad array of... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, January 14, 2015--The commercial aviation industry has medical care standards, as does NASA for traditional space missions, and the emerging commercial space transportation industry will need to define medical care practices as well. The unique risks posed by commercial spaceflight warrant the establishment of Medical Levels of Care to account for the different phases of suborbital and orbital missions, as described in an article published in New Space, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the New Space website until February 14, 2015.

In the article "Considerations toward Defining Medical 'Levels of Care' for Commercial Spaceflight" ," Stefan Neis and David Klaus, University of Colorado, Boulder, review current medical care practices in the civilian aviation industry and traditional space exploration sector and offer suggestions for defining appropriate onboard levels of medical care for the commercial space transportation industry, related to different types and phases of flight. Suborbital tourist flights, for example, might require motion sickness and pain medications, oxygen masks, and possibly pressure suits onboard; whereas longer-term orbital flights would necessitate a higher level of care, including emergency medical equipment and training and perhaps spacesuits.

"Medical constraints are the most important discriminators in determining who in the general population can be a spaceflight participant. This original article adds critical new knowledge to an emerging discipline," says Editor-in-Chief of New Space Prof. Scott Hubbard, Stanford University.

###

About the Journal

New Space facilitates and supports the efforts of researchers, engineers, analysts, investors, business leaders, and policymakers to capitalize on the opportunities of commercial space ventures. Spanning a broad array of topics including technological advancements, global policies, and innovative applications, the journal brings the new space community together to address the challenges and discover new breakthroughs and trends in this epoch of private and public/private space discovery. The Journal is published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print. Complete tables of content are available on the New Space website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science, technology, engineering, medical, and biomedical research, including Big Data, Soft Robotics, 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, and Astrobiology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's more than 80 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers website.

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Experts explore the medical safety needs of civilian space travel

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In three recent deals, drugmakers are betting that personal genetic maps will finally fulfill their early promise to unlock secrets and cure diseases.

At the same time, the agreements revived questions about privacy protections and how useful personal genetic data will prove to be.

Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) committed $1 billion to take control of Foundation Medicine Inc. (FMI), which sequences genes of cancer patients, aiming to customize treatment. Roches Genentech unit said it would pay as much as $60 million for access to 23andMe Inc.s data on customers with Parkinsons disease. And Pfizer Inc. (PFE) reached a deal that will allow the drugmaker to analyze personal genetic information from 650,000 23andMe customers, without giving terms.

The pacts, together with 23andMes announcement that it will enter into partnerships with eight other companies this year, boosted confidence in the commercial value of gene mapping. Since the first draft of a full human genome was deciphered in 2001, researchers have predicted breakthroughs in understanding the origins of disease, only to be frustrated as business developed slowly and regulatory issues cropped up.

Foundation Medicine and 23andMe were created to serve consumers directly and are not developing medicines. Foundation Medicines clients pay to have more than 300 genes in their tumors sequenced, and then receive counseling about voluntarily entering trials of drugs that may address genetic abnormalities in their cancers. Customers of 23andMe, on the other hand, are encouraged to learn about yourself through genetics.

Now drugmakers are seeing research value in the genetic databases the companies have created.

Core to our mission is making data available to other researchers to advance genetic discoveries, and we are committed to doing so in the most responsible way possible, said Angela Calman-Wonson, a spokeswoman for Mountain View, California-based 23andMe.

Genentech will ask 23andMe customers with Parkinsons disease to consent to participate in having their full genomes - - all 6 billion chemical units of their DNA -- sequenced and analyzed. The company will look in those anonymous results for clues to how Parkinsons arises and how to treat it, said Alex Schuth, director of development for technology innovation and diagnostics.

After Genentech has completed its drug discovery work, the genome data will be put into a public database where other researchers and companies can freely study it, Schuth said.

We have no intention to further sell this data to anyone else, he said in telephone interview.

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Deals For Genetic Data Raise Issues of Privacy, Sharing

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(c) 2015, Bloomberg News.

BOSTON In three recent deals, drugmakers are betting that personal genetic maps will finally fulfill their early promise to unlock secrets and cure diseases.

At the same time, the agreements revived questions about privacy protections and how useful personal genetic data will prove to be.

Roche Holding committed $1 billion to take control of Foundation Medicine, which sequences genes of cancer patients, aiming to customize treatment. Roche's Genentech unit said it would pay as much as $60 million for access to 23andMe's data on customers with Parkinson's disease. And Pfizer reached a deal that will allow the drugmaker to analyze personal genetic information from 650,000 23andMe customers, without giving terms.

The pacts, together with 23andMe's announcement that it will enter into partnerships with eight other companies this year, boosted confidence in the commercial value of gene mapping. Since the first draft of a full human genome was deciphered in 2001, researchers have predicted breakthroughs in understanding the origins of disease, only to be frustrated as business developed slowly and regulatory issues cropped up.

Foundation Medicine and 23andMe were created to serve consumers directly and are not developing medicines. Foundation Medicine's clients pay to have more than 300 genes in their tumors sequenced, and then receive counseling about voluntarily entering trials of drugs that may address genetic abnormalities in their cancers. Customers of 23andMe, on the other hand, are encouraged to "learn about yourself" through genetics.

Now drugmakers are seeing research value in the genetic databases the companies have created.

"Core to our mission is making data available to other researchers to advance genetic discoveries, and we are committed to doing so in the most responsible way possible," said Angela Calman-Wonson, a spokeswoman for Mountain View, California-based 23andMe.

Roche's purchase of control of Foundation Medicine shows how integral genetic testing has become to cancer treatment, said Eric Topol, chief academic officer at Scripps Health, a health-care system in San Diego.

"This is the biggest commercial validation that sequencing in cancer is getting legs," he said in a telephone interview. "We're starting to see the beginning of the cancer sequencing story play out."

Originally posted here:
Genome deals raise questions on privacy, sharing health data

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Mutations in a gene that helps repair damaged chromosome ends may make smokers -- especially female smokers -- more susceptible to emphysema, according to results of a new study led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers.

The mutations are one of a few genetic factors directly linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema, since the 1960s, says Mary Armanios, M.D., associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Specifically, the alteration occurs in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, which helps produce an enzyme called telomerase. Telomerase maintains and repairs the "caps" that protect the ends of chromosomes from degradation during cell division. Telomeres gradually shorten with age and act as a sort of cellular clock in cells. Mutations in TERT lead to excessively shortened telomeres.

Using genetic data gathered in COPD studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, Armanios and colleagues found TERT mutations in three of 292 smokers with emphysema. The researchers then looked at a sample of 50 Johns Hopkins patients with syndromes linked to telomere shortening. Among 39 nonsmokers, there were no cases of emphysema. Among smokers, seven of 11 patients, including all six female smokers, had emphysema. Armanios says this suggests that female smokers with telomerase-related mutations may be more susceptible to emphysema.

A report on the research was published Dec. 22 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Lung disease is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and the main risk factors are aging and smoking. However, only about 10 percent of smokers develop COPD, according to Armanios. "Not everyone who smokes gets emphysema, so our study is part of a bigger effort to find out why some people get it and others do not," says Armanios, who notes that other studies have shown that young women who smoke may be more susceptible to emphysema.

The researchers had some clues about telomerase genes from earlier studies, including one in which Armanios and her colleagues identified the impact of shortened telomeres in mice as a risk factor for emphysema after being exposed to cigarette smoke. The scientists previously had noted a link between telomerase mutations and a severe hereditary lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Patients with emphysema often suffer from other health problems, including osteoporosis, liver disease and cancer. These disorders are common in people with shortened telomeres as well. The new study, says Armanios, "may now give us an explanation for why people with emphysema have these systemic problems. If we know that they have a telomerase mutation, it may help us take care of them in a more sophisticated way and delay the onset of those diseases."

Armanios and colleagues published a study last year showing that telomerase mutations may lead to more complications during lung transplants for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

In the current study, only 1 percent of the smokers with severe emphysema carried the TERT mutation, but Armanios says this is comparable to the percentage who carry another known genetic factor related to COPD -- a mutation in the alpha-1 antitrypsin gene.

The researchers only looked at mutations in two telomerase genes but will now search for mutations in other telomere-regulating genes that might also predispose people to lung disease. "There are many genes that regulate the telomere, so it's likely that more than 1 percent could be impacted by these predisposing factors," says Armanios.

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