StemCell Therapy

A U.S. biotech company is preparing to start experiments using stem cells to try to stimulate 20 brain-dead patients back to life. And no, this isn't an elevator pitch for a sci-fi horror film.

The Mind Unleashed reports the company Bioquark will be trying to use stem cells to regrow and stimulate neurons to bring the patients back from brain death. It works like this: They implant stem cells in the patient's brain while also infusing the spinal cord with chemicals typically used to try and wake up coma patients. Then, hopefully, brain activity is essentially 'jump-started.' The technique is untested, so these experiments will go a long way toward proving (or disproving) the viability of the process.

Bioquark CEO Ira Pastor said they hope to see some results within 2-3 months after treatment begins, with the long-term goal being to develop techniques for brain-dead patients to eventually be able to make a full recovery. Which is certainly a heady, and ethically tricky, goal. You know, and also kind of scary. Ambitious and potentially live-saving, but still a little freaky.

What do you think of the technique? Is this going to revolutionize brain recovery or be the first step toward the T-virus?

(via The Mind Unleashed)

Original post:
Scientists moving ahead with research to resurrect the dead with stem cells - Blastr

Auditory Illnesses

One of the most common causes of hearing loss is damage to the thousands of hair cells found within the inner ear. These hair cells detect and translate sound waves into nerve signals, enabling us to hear sound. As crucial as these hair cells are to hearing, these are susceptible to damage caused by excessive noise, old age, or certain medications. Once these hair cells are destroyed in a human ear, they dont regenerate.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sensory hair cell injuryaccounts for 90 percent of hearing loss cases in the United States. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reportsthat about 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, and 32 million of these are children.

But what if these hair cells could be regrown? Thats the idea behind astudy conducted by a team of scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Their research has long been in the making and is now published in the journal Cell Reports.

In 2012, lead scientist Albert Edge discovered stem cells in the ear called Lgr5+ cells. These were also found in the lining of human intestines, where they actively regenerate every eight days. Edges team found a way to convincethese stem cells to developinto hair cells instead of intestinal cells. The process took a great deal of time, however, and it only yielded 200 hair cells.Now, the team had managed to grow 11,500 hair cells from the Lgr5+ cells in mice, which are among the few mammals whose cells can regenerate when they are newly born.

The researchers achieved this higher yield by adding a new step to their process. After taking the Lgr5+ cells from the mice, they coaxed them to divide within a special growth medium. This increased the number of Lgr5+ cells two-thousandfold. The stem cells were then moved to a different kind of growth culture, at which point certain chemicals were added that turned the Lgr5+ cells into hair cells.

Each human ear has about 16,000 hair cells in itscochlea, the actual hearing organ found deep in the ear canal. These hair cells are divided into outer hair cells and inner hair cells, each with a specialized role in handling sound.

While these lab-grown hair cells seem to have many characteristics similar to these outer and inner hair cells, Edge admits that they may not yet be fully functional. His team tested their technique on a sample of healthy ear tissue taken from a 40-year-old brain tumor patient that underwent a labyrinthectomy. The isolated adult human stem cells did differentiate into hair cells, but not as robustly as the mouse cells had.

Still, neuroscience professor and hair-cell regeneration expert Jeff Corwin from the University of Virginia School of Medicinetold Live Science he found the research to be a very impressive studyby a dream team of scientists. Corwin, who wasnt involved in the study, called it a big advance in sensory hearing cell regeneration. You can see in their paper that they are perfecting their technique as they go along, he added.

While the team works to continue improving their methods, Edge said that their lab-grown hair cells may have one immediate application large sets of the cells can be made and used to test drugs and identify which compounds can heal damaged hair cells or induce regeneration.

Go here to see the original:
A New Breakthrough in Lab-Grown Cells Could Restore Hearing - Futurism

By Jos Cibelli By Jos Cibelli March 3 at 12:41 PM

In 1997 Dolly the sheep was introduced to the world by biologists Keith Campbell, Ian Wilmut and colleagues. Not just any lamb, Dolly was a clone. Rather than being made from a sperm and an egg, she originated with a mammary gland cell of a no-longerliving six-year-old Fynn Dorset ewe.

With her birth, a scientific and societal revolution was also born.

Some prominent scientists thought it was too good to be true. But more animals were cloned: first the laboratory mouse, then cows, goats, pigs, horses, even dogs, ferrets and camels. By early 2000, the issue was settled: Dolly was real and cloning adults was possible.

The implications of cloning animals in our society were self-evident from the start. Our advancing ability to reprogram adult, already specialized cells and start them over as something new may one day be the key to creating cells and organs that match the immune system of each individual patient in need of replacements.

But what somehow got lost was the fact that a clone was born at Day Zero created from the cell of another animal that was six years old. Researchers have spent the past 20 years trying to untangle the mysteries of how clones age. How old, biologically, are these animals born from other adult animals cells?

Decades of cloning research

Dolly became an international celebrity, but she was not the first vertebrate to be cloned from a cell taken from the body of another animal. In 1962, developmental biologist John Gurdon cloned the first adult animal by taking a cell from the intestine of one frog and injecting it into an egg of another. Gurdons work did not go unnoticed he went on to share the 2012 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. But it was Dolly who captured our imagination. Was it because she was a warm-blooded animal, a mammal, much closer to human? If you could do it in a sheep, you could do it in us!

Dolly, along with Gurdons frogs from 35 years earlier and all the other experiments in between, redirected our scientific studies. It was amazing to see a differentiated cell an adult cell specialized to do its particular job transform into an embryonic one that could go on to give rise to all the other cells of a normal body. We researchers wondered whether we could go further: Could we in the lab make an adult cell once again undifferentiated, without needing to make a cloned embryo?

A decade after Dolly was announced, stem cell researcher Shynia Yamanakas team did just that. He went on to be the Nobel co-recipient with Gurdon for showing that mature cells could be reprogrammed to become pluripotent: able to develop into any specialized adult cell.

Now we have the possibility of making individualized replacement cells potentially any kind to replace tissue damaged by injury, genetic disorders and degeneration. Not only cells: We may soon be able to have our own organs grown in a nonhuman host, ready to be transplanted when needed.

If Dolly was responsible for unleashing the events that culminate in new methods of making fully compatible cells and organs, then her legacy would be to improve the health of practically all human beings on this planet. And yet I am convinced that there are even better things to come.

Dollys secrets still unfolding

In the winter of 2013, I found myself driving on the wrong side of the road through the Nottingham countryside. In contrast to the luscious landscape, I was in a state of gloom: I was on my way to see Keith Campbells family after his sudden death a few weeks earlier.

Keith was a smart, fun, loving friend who, along with Ian Wilmut and colleagues at the Roslin Institute, had brought us Dolly 15 years earlier. We had met at a conference in the early 1990s, when we were both budding scientists playing around with cloning, Keith with sheep, I with cows. An extrovert by nature, he quickly dazzled me with his wit, self-deprecating humor and nonstop chat, all delivered in a thick West Midlands accent. Our friendship that began then continued until his death.

When I knocked at the door of his quaint farmhouse, my plan was to stay just a few minutes, pay my respects to his wife and leave. Five hours and several Guinnesses later, I left feeling grateful. Keith could do that to you, but this time it wasnt Keith, it was his latest work speaking for him. Thats because his wife very generously told me about the project Keith had been working on at the time of his death. I couldnt hide my excitement: Could it be possible that after 20 years, the most striking aspect of Dollys legacy was not yet revealed?

See, when Dolly was cloned, she was created using a cell from a six-year-old sheep. And she died at age 6 , a premature death for a breed that lives an average of nine years or more. People assumed that an offspring cloned from an adult was starting at an age disadvantage; rather than truly being a newborn, it seemed as though a clones internal age would be more advanced than the length of its own life would suggest. Thus the notion that clones biological age and their chronological one were out of sync and that cloned animals will die young.

Some of us were convinced that if the cloning procedure was done properly, the biological clock should be reset: A newborn clone would truly start at Day Zero. We worked very hard to prove our point. We were not convinced by a single DNA analysis done in Dolly showing slightly shorter telomeres, the repetitive DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes that count how many times a cell divides. We presented strong scientific evidence showing that cloned cows had all the same molecular signs of aging as a non-clone, predicting a normal life span. Others showed the same in cloned mice. But we couldnt ignore reports from colleagues interpreting biological signs in cloned animals that they attributed to incomplete resetting of the biological clock. So the jury was out.

Aging studies are very hard to do because there are only two data points that really count: date of birth and date of death. If you want to know the life span of an individual, you have to wait until its natural death. Little did I know, that is what Keith had been doing back in 2012.

On that Saturday afternoon I spent in Keiths house in Nottingham, I saw a photo of the animals in Keiths latest study: several cloned Dollies, all much older than Dolly at the time she had died, and they looked terrific. I was in awe.

The data were confidential, so I had to remain silent until late last year when the work was posthumously published. Keiths co-authors humbly said: For those clones that survive beyond the perinatal period ... the emerging consensus, supported by the current data, is that they are healthy and seem to age normally.

These findings became even more relevant when in December researchers at the Scripps Research Institute found that induced pluripotent stem cells reprogrammed using the Yamanaka factors retain the aging epigenetic signature of the donor individual. In other words, using these four genes to attempt to reprogram the cells does not seem to reset the biological clock.

The new Dollies are now telling us that if we take a cell from an animal of any age and we introduce its nucleus into a non-fertilized mature egg, we can have an individual born with its life span fully restored. They confirmed that all signs of biological and chronological age matched between cloned and non-cloned sheep.

There seems to be a natural, built-in mechanism in the eggs that can rejuvenate a cell. We dont know what it is yet, but it is there. Our group as well as others are hard at work, and as soon as someone finds it, the most astonishing legacy of Dolly will be realized.

Cibelli is scientific director of the Larcel-Bionand laboratory in Spain and a professor of animal biotechnology at Michigan State University. This article was originally published on theconversation.com.

Read the rest here:
We know Dolly the sheep was cloned 20 years ago, but how old was she at birth? - Washington Post

If ever there were a problem that might seem tailor-made for philanthropy, it's fighting blindness. Losing sight is a horrifying fate for anyone to contemplate, and it's not surprising that blindness has motivated some deep-pocketed donors for at least a century. Over the past few decades, significant gains have been made in this area. In the United States, for example, the Foundation Fighting Blindnessco-founded by venture capitalist George Gund in 1971has raised over $600 million to fund research advances to prevent and cure retinal degenerative diseases that affect more than 10 million Americans. Worldwide, a range of efforts have sought to bring poor countries affordable cataract surgery. Cataracts are the main cause of blindness for half of the 40 million or so people who cannot see. Millions of people can see today because of these efforts.

This fight would seem eminently winnable, given that the World Health Organization estimates that 80 percent of blindness is avoidable, meaning it can be either prevented or reversed. Spurred on by that hopeful fact, the WHO galvanized a plan in 1999 called Vision 2020,a global initiative to prevent avoidable blindness, with a coalition that includes a number of foundations and top nonprofits.That milestone is now just three years away, and much work remains.

As usual, one key obstacle to faster progress has been funding. Never mind that the world's 2,500 billionaires now have assets of around $7.6 trillionthere's just never enough private or public money to fight blindness. Today's wealthy spend a fortune on luxuries even as millions of their fellow human beings cannot see. As a practical matter, reducing blindness has to compete with a bunch of other global health priorities, starting with diseases that actually kill people, like malaria and HIV/AIDS.

In addition, there aren't nearly as many major funders focused on preventing blindness as you might think. Very few of the largest U.S. foundations have made this a priority.

The Gates Foundation has patched in and out of this issue over the past 18 years, spending tens of millions fighting neglected tropical diseases that cause blindness, including large grants in the past to the Carter Center, the Task Force for Global Health, and Johns Hopkins University. But blindness hasn't been a big priority lately, at least compared to the foundation's investments in other areas.

Recently, the MacArthur Foundation announced that two of its eight semi-finalists for a special $100 million grant were organizations fighting blindness: Himalayan Cataract and the Carter Center. The fact these two made it into the top tier out of 2,000 proposals underscores the potential for big new money to make a huge impact (which is the goal of Mac's 100&Change competition).

While MacArthur's entry into the blindness space could be a game-changer, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation stands out as one of the steadier big funders here. In particular, it's worked tirelessly to eliminate trachoma, a major cause of blindness. Trachoma is a result of repeated chlamydia trachomatis infections in the eyes. The infection, which typically starts in infancy or childhood, causes the eyelid to turn inward, resulting in corneal scarring caused by the eyelashes rubbing on the eyeball. Trachoma is incredibly painful, and if left untreated, leads to irreversible blindness. The debilitating disease is endemic in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Hilton uses the World Health Organizations (WHO) SAFE strategy (surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement) approach to eliminating blinding trachoma in Mali, Niger, and Tanzania. The foundation has played a crucial role in eliminating the disease in Ghana, which achieved its elimination targets in 2014. While this is a major success, Hilton isnt celebrating just yet. The foundation still has blinding trachoma in its sights and just awarded millions in grants to eliminate the disease.

Related: Researching Blindness Treatments? Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is on Your Side

Hilton made a total of $11.725 million in grants to three organizations that know more than a little bit about trachoma and avoidable blindness.

At just under $6 million, Helen Keller International received the largest award in this round. Established over 100 years ago, Helen Keller International has been on the front lines of the global trachoma battle since the 1950s, and has over 120 programs across Africa and Asia. Using the WHO's SAFE strategy as well, Helen Keller administered more than 80.5 million integrated neglected tropical disease (NTD) treatments in six African countries in 2016.

Coming in a close second behind Helen Keller International, the Carter Center received a $5.1 million grant from Hilton. The Carter Center has been a leader for over 30 years in the war against NTDs such as guinea worm, river blindness and trachoma. Since 1999, Carter has implemented the SAFE strategy in Mali and Niger. The Carter Center has facilitated thousands of surgeries and administered more than 500 million doses of antibiotics through its mass drug administration programs. Carter has also backed the construction of nearly 220,000 latrines in Mali and Niger. Better water, sanitation, and hygiene plays a critical role in preventing the spread of trachoma.

The final grant in this round was awarded to Sightsavers, which received $650,000. Sightsavers is a U.K.-based organization that has been working to eliminate avoidable blindness for six decades in over 30 countries around the world. Over the years, the group has supported more than 575 million treatments for blinding and potentially blinding conditions, and backed over 8 million surgeries to restore sight. Caroline Harper, CEO of Sightsavers, called Hiltons donation vital to meeting the WHO target for eliminating blinding trachoma by 2020.

Helen Keller International and the Carter Center are using the Hilton grants for trachoma prevention and elimination programs in Mali and Niger. Sightsavers is using its donation from Hilton to back its work in Mali. Both countries are within reach of their trachoma elimination targets.

Related: Where Have Hiltons Global Grants Been Going Lately?

The Hilton Foundations $11.725 million in grants certainly provides a nice boost toward eliminating trachoma in Mali and Niger, and the leveraging power of those funds could help both countries reach the elimination finish line. Hiltons latest trachoma grants require a dollar-for-dollar match by 2020 from each organization. Meaning, the foundation is effectively mounting a three-year, $23.45 million trachoma eradication campaign.

Read more:
Philanthropy vs. Blindness: What's the Latest? - Inside Philanthropy

Student hopes to cure mpother

Jonathan Munson and Madeleine Dart, KIII 4:51 PM. PST March 03, 2017

CORPUS CHRISTI (KIII NEWS) - Del Mar College student Jessica Lybarger, a mechanical engineering major, said she is pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering so that someday she can build her mother a pair of robotic eyes.

Lybarger's mother was diagnosed seven years ago with diabetic retinopathy. The condition led to her mother going blind in both eyes, despite more than 100 surgeries.

In a post by Del Mar College, Jessica said, "I just want her to enjoy all the memories with us as a family. My mom has missed out on seeing my brother get married, and soon I will get married too. I hope that with the success of my robotics, I can help change the lives of others who suffer from the same condition as her."

See the post below:

Kiii News Reporter Madeleine Dart spoke with Lynbarger Friday and came back with her story.

( 2017 KIII)

Read this article:
Texas student pursues major in hopes of fixing mother's blindness ... - kgw.com

Deborah Allard Herald News Staff Reporter @debsallard

SWANSEA Kids lose their glasses. It happens.

But, when Connor Latessa lost his glasses a few weeks ago, the color went out of his life.

Connor, 13, is color blind. Most of what he sees appears in shades of brown.

But, Connors special glasses allowed him to see a full rainbow of colors until he lost those glasses at school or on the way home from school.

They made everything more colorful and vibrant, Connor said.

Rachel Latessa, Connors mom, said she surprised him with the $600 glasses hed been wanting for months. It was during a Christmas party with the family all there to see Connor try out his new glasses, while they held up colorful balloons.

Connor cried when he got his first look at all the reds and greens hed been missing, and especially when he saw the Christmas lights outside.

When I got them I was very emotional, Connor said. I really didnt know what I was seeing.

He said greens and browns are mixed up to him. And, he has a hard time distinguishing between blues and purples. Orange appears as green, and light blue as pink.

We found out when I was really little, Connor said.

Latessa said she noticed things she found odd when he was young, like calling his light blue blanket pink, and crying when he was given green lollipops, though they were really orange.

Different colors, he would call something else, and hes really smart, Latessa said.

When Connor was 5, she had him examined and found out for sure he was color blind. I wasnt surprised, Latessa said.

Its an affliction carried by the women in Latessas family and passed only to male children. Im a carrier, she said.

Her father saw only in black and white, and got in trouble when he was in school for coloring everything black the most vibrant color to him in the crayon box.

Connor understands everything about the condition, and even made it his science project at Joseph Case Junior High School, where he is a student.

Its because of the X and Y chromosome, Connor said, going on to explain the scientific intricacies. He said it affects one in 10 men and one in 200 women. Hes right, according to several websites.

Latessa said Connor being color blind is just something theyve learned to live with, though the glasses are a big help, especially outside where they work best.

It doesnt affect us too much, Latessa said. At times, Ill see something very colorful, and it makes me sad. I wish he could see it.

When a friend of the Latessa family learned that Connor had lost his beloved glasses, she started an online fundraising campaign and collected $500 in just a few hours.

Latessa said shes still hoping someone finds the glasses before buying a new pair.

The glasses look just like sunglasses and are EnChroma brand, which blends a marriage of color vision science and optical technology, according to its website.

If anyone locates the special glasses, contact Latessa at rmlatessa@aol.com or drop them at the office of Joseph Case Junior High School.

See the original post here:
Swansea boy with color blindness hoping for return of special glasses - Fall River Herald News

An Army veteran from Reno County has been indicted on federal charges of collecting $63,000 in benefits by pretending to be blind, U.S. attorney Tom Beall announced Thursday.

Billy J. Alumbaugh, 61, and his ex-wife, Debra K. Alumbaugh, both of Turon, each are charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the government and one count of theft of government funds, according to a news release from the U.S. attorneys office in Wichita.

An indictment unsealed Thursday accuses Alumnbaugh of fraudulently receiving a supplemental monthly pension by claiming he was legally blind and needed assistance to perform routine activities.

Alumnbaugh claimed he was unable to drive and needed assistance with reading medication labels, buying groceries and going to medical appointments, the news release said. The indictment charges him with making periodic trips to the Veterans Administration hospital in Wichita, where specialists couldnt find medical reasons for his blindness.

From 2009 to 2016, while he was receiving assistance, he maintained a Kansas drivers license that did not require corrective lenses and routinely drove his car. In October 2016, he and his ex-wife arrived at the VA hospital, with his ex-wife driving. She also drove when the appointment was over, but they stopped the car after driving a few blocks and switched seats so he could drive, the news release said.

If convicted, the conspiracy charge carries a sentence of up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The theft charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and $250,000.

The Veterans Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson will prosecute the case.

Originally posted here:
Indictment: VA sees through veteran's claim of blindness after catching him driving to the hospital - Hutchinson News

Shares of Puma Biotechnology Inc (NASDAQ: PBYI) plunged more than 25 percent following plans to modify the summary of product characteristics (SmPC) in its European Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for its breast cancer drug neratinib.

The company now plans to restrict the intended population to patients initiating neratinib treatment within one year after completion of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy.

Earlier, the proposed indication was for the "extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early-stage HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer who have received prior adjuvant trastuzumab based therapy."

Puma submitted its neratinib MAA last summer.

During the regulators meeting, the timeline for Neratinib was discussed. Neratinib will likely be sequenced immediately after adjuvant trastuzumab. Furthermore, more benefits were observed in the subgroup of patients who received neratinib within one year from prior trastuzumab completion.

Related Link: Here's What To Expect Following Trump's Drug Pricing 'Robbery' Comments

In addition, data from the pivotal adjuvant trastuzumab trials suggest that patients are at higher risk of recurrence closer to completion of adjuvant trastuzumab, and the risk of recurrence may decrease over time.

Puma also noted that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) is continuing to review Puma's MAA and has not yet made a final decision to recommend approval of the drug for the updated or any other indication and there is no guarantee when, if ever, the MAA will be approved.

Separately, Puma reported a wider loss for its fourth quarter. On a GAAP basis, Puma reported a net loss applicable to common stock of $72.7 million, or $2.04 per share, versus a net loss of $61.7 million, or $1.90 per share, a year ago.

Excluding items, the loss came in at $1.22 a share versus loss of $1.23 a share, last year. However, the loss was better than consensus loss estimate of $1.92 a share.

On December 31, 2016, Puma had cash and cash equivalents of $194.5 million and marketable securities of $35.0 million.

Shares of Puma closed Wednesdays trading at $38.05. In the pre-market hours Thursday, the stock plunged 26.41 percent to $28.

According to the verified Twitter account of TheStreet's senior columnist Adam Feuerstein, "Hedge funds that own $PBYI are screaming at sell side analysts to defend the stock."

TheStreet also published on its website a possible connection between Puma's movements and those of Roche Holding Ltd. (ADR) (OTC: RHHBY). Feuerstein and Martin Baccardax wrote: "The Roche AG (RHHBY) breast cancer drug Perjeta notched an important win in the closely followed 'Aphinity' clinical trial, promising to add billions of dollars in sales to the Swiss drugmaker's top line. Perjeta's success spells big trouble for Puma Biotechnology (PBYI), which could see its competeing, but still approved, breast cancer drug neratinib without any patients to treat."

At last check in Thursday's pre-market session, shares of Puma were down 26.54 percent at $27.95. ADR shares of Roche were up 5.75 percent at $32.30.

Posted-In: Biotech Earnings News Health Care FDA Movers Media Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Read more here:
Puma Biotechnology Shares Plunge On Plans To Modify Neratinib European MAA, Competitor Roche's Perjeta Win - Benzinga

March 3, 2017 6:13am NASDAQ:IBB

From Taki Tsaklanos: Biotechnology stocks are breaking out. They have been consolidating for nearly 20 months. Investors lost interestand that is exactly what smart investors, in general, want to see in order to buy a market.

That is also how bull markets start: when nobody talks about it and only a minority of investors is buying it.

Now here it becomes interesting. InvestingHavens research team has closely followed biotechnology, and has written extensively about it last year. The red line throughout all articles was that smart investors are not in a hurry to buy biotech, but prefer to see which direction biotech would go. This is what was published on InvestingHaven until fall of last year:

Biotechnology Close To A Major Breakdown Level

Health Sector Testing All-Time Highs In 2016, Biotech A Buy After Breaking Out

Alert: Biotechnology and Health Sector Testing Long Time Support

Biotechnology Stocks Have News For Investors: It is Now or Never

In other words, on several occasions last year biotechnology stocks were ready to break down, but eventually they did not. The market refused to go lower, and that was a very important observation, which was shared with our readers: Biotechnology Stocks Refusing To Break Down

Then, something very interesting happened in January: Biotech And Health Care Stock Market Sector Showing Signs Of Life. That was the first sign that biotechnology stocks could go higher.

Today, they are attempting to break out.

The most interesting part was what InvestingHavens team wrote last year in April: Biotechnology Sentiment At Multi-Year Extremes. What Should Investors Do? Right at a time when a major breakout attempt in biotechnology stocks was at play, at a time when sentiment was extremely bullish, we wrote this:

What does all this mean to investors? Combining chart patterns with sentiment data is very useful for investors. We believe that a short term top has developed. Biotechnology needs to cool off a bit, which means a retracement is the most likely outcome for the coming weeks. The key is to watch how far the retracement will go: if prices remain within the existing pattern, above support, there is an opportunity for investors to buy the dips. As long as prices remain within the current chart pattern, it is not a good idea to short this market, unless you are a very short term oriented trader.

As a reminder, it was when IBB was trading at 280 points, in April last year, right before it fell 15 percent. Astute readers were very happy, and they keep on thanking us for our wise words.

Right now, biotechnology stocks are going through a serious attempt to break out from their 20-month consolidation period. If the 300 level in IBB holds for at least 5 consecutive days, biotech will go higher in the coming weeks and months.

The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) was unchanged in premarket trading Friday. Year-to-date, IBB has gained 12.97%, versus a 6.59% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

IBB currently has an ETF Daily News SMART Grade of A (Strong Buy), and is ranked #2 of 36 ETFs in the Health & Biotech ETFs category.

This article is brought to you courtesy of Investing Haven.

Tags: biotech Health Care NASDAQ:IBB Taki Tsaklanos

Categories: NASDAQ:IBB

Continued here:
iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (ETF)(NASDAQ:IBB ... - ETF Daily News (blog)

Rheumatoid arthritis: New treatment option for difficult-to-treat patients Science Daily Nowadays, treatments for rheumatoid arthritis are changed very quickly, once it is established that one is failing to effect any significant improvement. This means that many patients can be helped very quickly. On the other hand, there are patients ...

Continue reading here:
Rheumatoid arthritis: New treatment option for difficult-to-treat patients - Science Daily

Most people think that aromatherapy is all about bath and beauty products, but it is so much more than that. Ive used aromatherapy in the protocols for many different health conditions with great results for over 25 years. Here are some of my preferred essential oils for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout (a form of arthritis in the big toe) and fibromyalgia, which is technically a form of arthritis that affects the muscles and soft tissues of the body:

Use diluted in small amounts topically for healing joint pain. Black pepper essential oil provides a pleasant warming effect on the joints while its analgesic compounds go to work reducing pain. Because it is so strong, it can be a bit harsh on sensitive skin, so be sure it is well dilutedno more than one or two drops per teaspoon of carrier oil.

This highly effective natural analgesic oil works on most types of pain, including both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, as well as gouta type of arthritis of the big toe. Because it is extremely potent, use only one drop to one hundred drops, or about one teaspoon of carrier oil after first conducting a skin patch test. Avoid using if you have extremely sensitive skin.

Ginger essential oil brings a soothing warmth when applied to arthritic joint, but it is also great for easing the muscular pain and stiffness of fibromyalgia. Use no two to three drops in a teaspoon of carrier oil and apply topically to affected joints.

Both a pain reliever and nervous system relaxant, lavender is good for easing joint and muscle aches, as well as easing stiffness. If pain is keeping you awake at night, lavender essential oil is also great for sleep, particularly if a drop or two of the essential oil is rubbed on the soles of the feet or palms of the hands before bed. While most essential oils need to be diluted, lavender can often be tolerated neat (undiluted) by most people. However, if you have extremely sensitive skin, dilute two drops of lavender in about 4 drops of a carrier oil like fractionated coconut or apricot kernel oil.

Lemongrass oil is useful for toning the connective tissues and can be helpful when the tendons no longer hold the joints with precision. Dilute in few drops in a teaspoon of carrier oil.

Marjoram oil can be used for easing muscle aches and stiffness along with helping to heal bruises and joint sprains. It is a good choice for topical use for those with fibromyalgia, which is a form of arthritis. It helps with pain but also alleviates muscle tightness. Avoid marjoram essential oil if you have epilepsy.

Peppermint contains analgesic compounds that reduce pain and inflammation. Like lavender, it can usually be tolerated on the skin in its neat form (undiluted) to help reduce pain. A little goes a long way as this oil leaves an intense cooling sensation on the skin. Use one drop and massage into painful or inflamed joints. Wash hands immediately and avoid eye contact.

Make sure you select high quality, pure, undiluted essential oils. While you may end up diluting the oils yourself, most of the oils on the market are diluted in less-than-desirable oils. High quality oils cost more than the cheap varieties on the market but are worth the increased price. Many cheap varieties can also contain synthetic versions of the oils, which offer no therapeutic value and may actually be harmful. But, worse than that, many cheap oils are adulterated with solvents used during the extraction process or toxic pesticides used in the growing process of the herbs from which the oils are extracted.

After diluting the oil in carrier oil, always conduct a 48-hour patch test on a small inconspicuous part of your skin to determine whether you have any sensitivity to the essential oils.

Related:Dont Believe in Herbal Medicine? 10 Things to Change Your MindThe 5 Best Herbs to Soothe Your NervesShould You Actually Starve a Fever?

Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM is the publisher of the free e-news Worlds Healthiest News, president of PureFood BC, and an international best-selling and 20-time published book author whose works include: Arthritis-Proof Your Life: Secrets to Pain-Free Living Without Drugs.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Go here to see the original:
7 Essential Oils for Arthritis - Care2.com

Scientists discover new mechanism that leads to inflammation in ... Science Daily New research findings suggest that synovial CD4+ T cells that produce IL-21 contribute to joint inflammation by activating synovial fibroblasts in rheumatoid ... and more »

See the rest here:
Scientists discover new mechanism that leads to inflammation in ... - Science Daily

By Staff

Scientists believe that certain synovial cells contribute to inflammation by activating synovial fibroblasts in people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They believe that having a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of inflammation in the disease is important for designing new therapies for RA.

In a study published in theJournal of Leukocyte Biology, points to synovial CD4+ T cells that produce IL-21 as the contributing factor to joint inflammation when they trigger synovial fibroblasts.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis with active disease (inflamed joints) have difficulty for instance in using their hands and also with walking, said Maria Cristina Lebre, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, Department of Experimental Immunology in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

New targeted therapies such as that proposed in this study (decrease in inflammation) will certainly improve the quality of life of patients by increasing their mobility, she added.

Using a novel isolation method, scientists isolated T cells from synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis that produced IL-21 and TNF and compared these with cells that did not produce this cytokine.

When cells that produced IL-21 were put in culture with synovial fibroblasts (which are the main contributors to joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis), they induced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by these synovial fibroblasts, and cells that do not produce IL-21, did not demonstrate this same outcome.

The results of this study suggest that a combined therapy targeting IL-21 and TNF might be beneficial for patients that do not respond to anti-TNF therapy or other current therapies.

This research could also have an impact on other diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and Crohns disease.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis often become refractory to treatment provoking the need to try different drugs targeting different pathways, said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. The identification of a new inflammatory target in rheumatoid arthritis holds promise for better treatment for these patients and perhaps those with other autoimmune or inflammatory diseases.

Go here to read the rest:
New Mechanism that Triggers Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Discovered - National Pain Report

Home Kidney Health National Kidney Month: Rheumatoid arthritis and kidneys, nephrotic syndrome, kidney damage, and yoga poses

March is kidney month as detailed by the American Kidney Fund. In recognition, here is Bel Marra Healths kidney health update, featuring information on rheumatoid arthritis, nephrotic syndrome, kidney damage, and yoga to improve kidney health.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients are at an increased risk for chronic kidney disease. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a higher risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) along with an increase in inflammation within the first year of diagnosis, corticosteroid usage, hypertension, and obesity. The researchers recommend that rheumatoid arthritis patients be tested periodically for signs of kidney problems. Patients should also work to manage blood pressure by avoiding high-salt diets and scaling back on medications that can harm the kidneys.

The study looked at 813 Mayo Clinic patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 813 patients without the condition. Over the course of 20 years, rheumatoid arthritis patients had a one in four chance of developing chronic kidney disease, in comparison to the general public who had a one in five chance.Continue reading

Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney disorder that results from the release of too much protein in the urine. When damage is caused to the blood vessels within the kidneys, which filter waste and water, it can lead to nephritic syndrome. Nephrotic syndrome leads to swelling of the feet and ankles, along with other health conditions as well.

To treat nephritic syndrome, its important to treat the underlying health issue causing it. Because nephrotic syndrome can lead to other complications, its important to begin treatment right away.Continue reading

A deficiency of the anti-aging hormone klotho has been found in patients with diabetes who are also suffering from early stage kidney diseasea discovery that may lead to the development of new treatments. This hormone has previously been linked to the protection of the vascular system and has been found to help prevent abnormal symptoms of aging, such as atherosclerosisthe thickening of the artery walls. Atherosclerosis is characteristic of many age-related medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, making klotho levels extremely relevant to healthy aging.

This newest study was conducted by Kings College London and tested blood and urine samples gathered from 78 participants with type 1 diabetes. Thirty-three of these participants were also showing signs of early stage diabetic kidney disease, also referred to as microalbuminuria. These 33 patients had much lower levels of klotho circulating in their systems, while the remaining participants had levels similar to those seen in healthy adults.Continue reading

A new method for detecting and locating kidney damage has been developed by researchers from Aarhus University. The method combines the use of blood tests and/or urine tests to first diagnose whether the kidney has been injured by measuring the levels of an enzyme called fumarase. Fumarase is released from the cells of the kidney when they are damaged by an outside factor. Researchers have concluded that the higher the level of fumarase present in the blood or urine tests, the greater the damage sustained to the kidney.

Once damage has been confirmed, patients are placed in a scanner that allows doctors to determine which kidney is damaged, as well as the specific location of the damaged tissue. This method is effective as early as half an hour after the injury first occurs, and for as long as one full week afterwards. The whole process takes approximately 45 minutes, making it extremely efficient in diagnosing patients so the treatment can start sooner and any further damage is prevented.Continue reading

Yoga can be beneficial in promoting kidney health. The main role of the kidneys is to help filter waste from the body, along with secreting necessary hormones and stabilizing blood pressure. The kidneys also help maintain homeostasis which goes to show how important the kidneys really are for the healthy functioning of the entire body, not just the urinary system.

Although modern medicine has come a long way in improving treatment for kidney diseases, there are natural remedies that can offer relief, too. Case in point, yoga can be an effective approach to the risk of kidney stones and improving kidney function.

Yoga promotes overall well-being and a healthy lifestyle. It is a safe mode of treatment for kidney disease patients because it is not associated with any adverse side effects.

Yoga can stimulate and massage various organs, this way promoting health. When paired with a kidney-friendly diet, it can yield even better results and more significant improvement.Continue reading

Related: Urinary tract infection update: Kidney stones vs UTI and risk factors, prevention, and natural treatment of UTI

Related Reading:

Lower back pain and frequent urination: Causes and treatments

Cloudy urine: Causes, symptoms, and treatments

Here is the original post:
National Kidney Month: Rheumatoid arthritis and kidneys, nephrotic syndrome, kidney damage, and yoga poses - Bel Marra Health

Q. A friend of mine just had an LVAD inserted. What's that?

A. LVAD stands for left ventricular assist device. The left ventricle is the pumping chamber of the heart. When it is damaged, its pumping ability is reduced, and the patient may develop heart failure, often manifested by shortness of breath, ankle swelling, cough, fatigue and exercise intolerance. The damaged left ventricle can be helped by medication, but in extreme cases, sometimes the only option is a new heart a heart transplant. But some people (because of age or other medical conditions) may not be transplant candidates. And others are candidates but are so sick that in the past they used to die while waiting for a donor heart to become available. That's where an LVAD can come into play. It is a mechanical pump that is surgically implanted, and it works with the patient's own heart to improve circulation and blood flow. Symptoms often are improved, and LVADs have been a lifesaver for many patients. The devices have become better, more reliable, smaller and safer over the years. And while they certainly have important complications associated with their use, LVADs have enabled very sick patients to live better and longer lives.

Wynne is vice president for health affairs at UND, dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and a professor of medicine. He is a cardiologist by training.

Submit a question to Health Matters at healthmatters@med.und.edu or Health Matters, 501 North Columbia Road, Stop 9037, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037. Remember, no personal details, please.

The content of this column is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice or care. The information provided herein should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this column.

See the article here:
New devices help diabetes patients - Grand Forks Herald

Science Daily

New treatment for fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes burns up fat in liver Science Daily It is linked to obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Up to 30 percent of subjects with NAFLD develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in which hepatic inflammation and scarring can lead to cirrhosis and liver ...

Read this article:
New treatment for fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes burns up fat in liver - Science Daily

The Zimbabwe Daily

New potential cause of type 1 diabetes Science Daily T1D, previously known as juvenile diabetes, affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans and is the result of the loss of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The prevailing belief was that the root cause of T1D was the immune system mistakenly ... Curing Diabetes Natural Home Remedies Offer Type 2 Diabetes CureMilitary Technologies Is the cure for Diabetes here?The Zimbabwe Daily all 4 news articles »

Visit link:
New potential cause of type 1 diabetes - Science Daily

Researchers at Columbia University have retracted a 2013 paper in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, after uncovering abnormalities in the stem cell lines that undermined the conclusions in the paper.

Last year, corresponding author Dieter Eglidiscoveredhe could notreproduce key data in the 2013 paper because almost all the cell lines first author Haiqing Hua used contained abnormalities, casting doubt on the overall findings. When Egli reached out to Hua foranswers, Hua could not explain the abnormalities. As a result, Hua and Egli agreed the paper should be retracted.

Since some of the details of how the paper ended up relying on abnormal cells remain unclear, the university confirmed to us that it is investigating the matter.

Heres the retraction notice for iPSC-derived cells model diabetes due to glucokinase deficiency, cited 42 times:

The corresponding authors were made aware of karyotype abnormalities through a routine quality control test of pluripotent stem cells used in the studies reported in this paper. After extensive internal review and genetic analysis, they found that the karyotypes of some of the cells used for the experiments reported were abnormal and that the normal karyotypes shown in Figure 1 and Supplemental Figure 2 were not from cell lines used in the study. They also cannot confirm the endonuclease-mediated correction of the mutant GCK G299R allele. H. Hua takes responsibility for the characterization and presentation of cell line karyotypes and the genetic manipulations. Because of these discrepancies, the authors wish to retract the article. They apologize for these errors and for any inconvenience caused to others.

In the fall of 2009, Hua joined Rudolph Leibels diabetes and nutrition lab at Columbia University, under the co-supervision ofEgli, who brought an expertise in stem cell biology. Hua told us:

The aim of my research project was to leverage the expertise of both Dr. Egli (on stem cell biology) and Dr. Leibel (on diabetes) and to demonstrate the concept that the islet cells generated in the lab from diabetic patients through stem cell technology would present comparable dysfunction as the islet cells in the patients body. Because we chose patients with genetic mutations that cause diabetes, we were hoping to demonstrate that correction of the mutations would restore the normal function of the islet cells.

But, Hua noted, he wasnt and still isnt an expert in stem cell biology, so he had to learn on the job:

When I began the project, I never worked with cells before and had no experience or understanding of cell line karyotype.

Hua started by generating several cell lines from a diabetic patient. To check that the genetic makeup of these cell lines were the same, he sent several for analysis to a contracted service, which examines 20 cells per cell line and generates a report:

I did karyotype analysis for the cell lines right after I derived them, probably in 2011, before I started to do any experiments on them. The reports came back with some cells being normal and some being abnormal. To be fair, I thought what I learned from Dr. Egli was that it is a normal phenomenon that some cells are abnormal as long as the number is not high.

Indeed, Egli, an assistant professor of stem cell biology at Columbia University Medical Center, confirmed that pluripotent stem cells are often prone to undergo abnormalities:

Karyotypic abnormalities are common, and occur in many cells upon extended cultures, so this is not in and of itself a concern. Often one can go back to earlier cultures that are normal.

Hua published the work in 2013, along with a relatedpaper in Diabetes in 2014, -Cell Dysfunction Due to Increased ER Stress in a Stem Cell Model of Wolfram Syndrome. Hua believes, at a conceptual level, both papers achieved the goal of demonstrating that the correction of the mutations would restore the normal function of the islet cells.

In 2014, Hua told usthat he moved back to China for family reasons.

Last year, other investigators asked Egli to share the cells lines from the 2013 study. To ensure he was providing high quality material, Egli sent what he believed to be normal cell lines from the study for quality control testing. Egli said thats when he learned many of the cell lines contained abnormalities.

To suss out the problem, Egli went back to the cell lines stored in the lab to look for normal cells:

Dr. Hua had already left the University at that time and so I personally started to look for karyotypically normal cells. There were no normal cells to be found.

Egli explained what the abnormalities meant for the study results:

You could best describe the abnormalities of the [cell] lines [Hua] used as mumbo-jumbo. There were multiple rearrangements in the chromosomes in the cell lines and thus you wouldnt know if the effects you saw were due to gene modifications or simply due to those rearrangements. Essentially, the abnormal cell lines question the entire paper, and its very unlikely the paper would have been accepted at the journal.

When Egli failed to reproduce the data from the 2013 paper, he contacted Hua to find out where the normal cell lines were. But Hua was not sure in fact, he told us it was a surprise to learn that most of the cell lines he had used contained abnormalities, adding:

another layer of complication is that when cells became karyotype abnormal, they could behave like cancer cells, namely they could start as minor portion in the culture but later on took over and became majority. So another mistake we made was that we didnt perform karyotype analysis at the end of the study to make sure that after all the experiments we did, the cells were still normal.

A spokesperson at Columbia University verified that the university is conducting an investigation into the issues:

I could confirm that there is an ongoing investigation.

When Hua was informed of these issues, he suggested the study be retracted:

Immediately, I proposed to Dr. Egli and Dr. Leibel that we should retract the publication because we were not certain about the conclusion any more.

Hua takes responsibility for what happened, adding:

So this was done at very early phase of my research, and I was busy with a lot of parallel projects since I was the first post-doc of Dr. EgliBecause I wasnt understanding the problem correctly, I put up the figures with normal karyotype as first figure for the publication and continued my research with one particular cell line.

Egli also talked about the experience of retracting a paper:

Retracting a paper is not a rewarding process, and often reports stay in the literature even if they should not. Retracting the paper exposes us to the possibility of damage. I took proactive steps to investigate and retract because I wanted to correct the record. This would not have happened without my initiative involving 2-3 months of benchwork.

Hua described this as a truly unfortunate and painful chapter, which he hopes others can learn from:

The health of academic world and advance of science really depends on correction of previous mistakes and clearance of uncertainties. [A]voiding overwhelming multitasking is important. At the first year of my research, I was setting the lab together with Dr. Egli and meanwhile performed more than 100 experiments. Each of them would took more than 10 days and I was really stacking all the experiments. This particular project was about one fourth of my effort at that time. My biggest recommendation or reflection would be that it is very very very important to quality control and characterize starting materials of a project. Many people, including myself, are more focused on rushing the project forward and do not realized that if the starting materials are flawed, anything built on them has no solid foundation.

Hat tip: Rolf Degen

Like Retraction Watch? Consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our growth. You can also follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, add us to your RSS reader, sign up on our homepage for an email every time theres a new post, or subscribe to our daily digest. Click here to review our Comments Policy. For a sneak peek at what were working on, click here.

Read more from the original source:
Unexplained abnormalities in stem cells prompt Columbia researchers to pull diabetes paper - Retraction Watch (blog)

Meg Farris talks about a new diabetes study.

Meg Farris , WWL 5:32 PM. CST March 02, 2017

NEW ORLEANS - Diabetes,or high blood sugar,causes damage to the blood vessels over time, and that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

A study in Metairie,funded by the National Institutes of Health, is looking into a different way of preventing heart attacks in people with type-2 diabetes.

Alfred Gagliano or 'Gags' as he is called, found out he was moving toward having type-2 diabetes.

"I did have some studies. Doctor did some blood tests and saidI was close. Had to watch the sweets, whichI do," said Gagliano, who has pre-diabetes.

He is getting his blood sugar levels under control with medication and exercise.

"I ride a bike.I walk.I like to shop, soI walk around the mall a few timeseveryday," saidGagliano.

That's important, because diabetes puts you at high risk for having heart attacks and strokes. The National Institutes of Heath is funding a study to see if chelation can lower a diabetic's risk. Chelation is an IVtreatment that helps flush the body of heavy metals that are toxic.

"Not everybody in the environment obviously has toxicity,but we all have a certain amount of heavy metals just from living in an industrialized society," explained Dr. Robert Jeanfreau, an internist withMedPharmics.

A study 15 years ago, found that people with type-2 diabetes who had had a heart attack and got chelation, were less likely to have future attacks.

"What they found was there was about a 43 percent reduction in second cardiovascular events," said Dr. Jeanfreau.

A free national study going on in Metairie, is looking to see if 40IV chelation treatments, will keep diabetics who have had a heart attack, from having another one. Study participants will come in once a week and relax while getting a three-hour infusion. Gags has never had a heart attack so he doesn't qualify for the study, but hopes it will help others.

"I've known some people that have had full blown diabetes andI had a friend, a couple of friends, that have died from it," said Gagliano.

Doctors are looking for people with type-2 diabetes, 50 and older, who have had a heart attack in the past. To see if you qualify for this free study call MedPharmics at 504-457-2721.

( 2017 WWL)

Link:
Local study seeks to prevent heart attacks in Type-2 diabetes patients - WWLTV.com

Swiss Engineer Michele Angelo Besso was a close friend of Einsteins. Upon his death, the father of relativity said, "Now Besso has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us ... know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."

We often think of the afterlife as a spiritual or religious belief, when in a way, its pursuit is also somewhat familiar to science. Robert Lanza, M.D. takes things one step further. He thinks we start out with a wrong assumption, that we have it all backward. It isnt the universe which is supreme, but life. In fact, life and in particular consciousness are essential to the makeup of the universe, he says. Through the theory of biocentrism, he believes he can prove that space and time do not exist, unless our consciousness says they do.

This is an all-encompassing theory which in Greek means life center. Though radical, if one day proven correct, it could have ramifications for the study of physics, biology, consciousness, the brain, and even AI. Consider a blade of grass. Your brain through your eyes tells you its green. But what if a neuroscientist could reconnoiter that part of the brain where the concept registers, and make it indicate red or yellow instead? Lanza reminds us that all reality is sensory information interpreted by our brain.

Its our consciousness that puts our reality together. For instance, space-time in physics is different from how we experience these, separate concepts in real life. Science treats the space-time continuum as a solid principle. According to Lanza they are simply tools of our mind. Death too in his view cannot exist in any real sense.

Dr. Robert Lanza in his laboratory, 2009.

Notice how, for instance, when you are a child, days and weeks seem to drag on, while when you get older, they fly by. Time itself hasnt changed, just our perception of it. Whether the universe actually works the way in which we perceive it isnt readily known. One of the fundamental laws of Newtonian physics is that energy isnt created or destroyed, it simply takes another form. The energy trapped in our brain must take another form then, even when a person dies. Meanwhile, our senses tell us that its their end. But where does this energy go? In a world with endless space and time, could death really exist? If not, is immortality a phenomenon which occurs within space-time or outside of it?

Dr. Lanza isnt some newfangled guru. Hes a biotech Zion, and currently, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (http://www.robertlanza.com/). Hes studying stem cells and their application for treating disease. Previous to this, he did some research on embryonic stem cells and in cloning, both with animals and humans. Lanza is also an adjunct professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.

In quantum physics, particles can be observed in several different states at the same time. This is called superposition. They in fact, exist in all possible states simultaneously. In terms of predicting what a particle will do, nothing is absolute. Each state has its own range of probability. In Lanzas view, each corresponds with a different universe.

This coincides with the many worlds theory, also known as the multiverse. Each universe is thought to operate with its own physical laws. Anything that can occur does, with one possibility playing out in each realm. Our life, Lanza believes, at one stage or another, is occurring across many universes simultaneously. Yet, your life on one world wouldnt influence your life in another.

What are the chances that death is a portal into another universe?

What has long plagued particle physicists is that observation affects reality. Consider the famous double-slit test. In this classic experiment, physicists observe a particle passing through two slits in a barrier. When the phenomenon is observed, it behaves like a particle, a little cannonball shooting directly through the slits. If it isnt observed, it performs like a wave, gliding through both openings at once. This shows that energy and matter are made up of both particles and waves, and that ones mere observation changes its form.

Such inconsistencies dont prove the existence of the multiverse, however. Yet, through the scaffolding of biocentrism or this new Theory of Everything, the physics begins to take shape. Consciousness is an essential force in the universe, according to this theory, which shows why the properties of energy, matter, space, and time, depend on whether or not a conscious mind is observing them. Lanza uses other research to support his view.

A 2002 study of photons or light particles, showed that they communicated with one another. When one photon was guided to a certain place, it was picked up by a detector. Researchers used a scrambler to force it to remain a particle rather than a wave. After one was sent out and reached its destination, the second photon crossed the same space instantaneously. It was as if it knew where it was going, and the knowledge must have traveled back to it faster than the speed of light. Another supporting factor in an entirely different category, is the Goldilocks principle. This is the theory that the universe was made just right for supporting life.

Photons being smashed at the CERN large hadron collider. By ESO/M. Kornmesser [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Critics argue that unexplained phenomena in physics only occurs on the quantum level. They also point out that there is no direct evidence of the existence of other universes. Several physicists have told Forbes that Lanzas writings look more like works of philosophy rather than science. The doctor himself states that he is healing a glaring rift, and applying innovative methods from biotech to physics. He also admits his theory lacks a mathematical basis. As such, Lanzas working on the supporting mathematical structure. Papers are expected to follow in scientific journals.

Another competing theory accounts for inconsistencies in quantum physics by stating that the universe is an illusion. It could be for instance, a projection created by a highly advanced quantum computer. Though still entirely theoretical, biocentrism offers those of us who want the comfort of an afterlife scenario or even of reincarnation, without giving up a devotion to science, an avenue to explore. In this vein, Lanza wrote, Life is an adventure that transcends our ordinary linear way of thinking. When we die, we do so not in the random billiard-ball-matrix but in the inescapable-life-matrix. Life has a non-linear dimensionality; it's like a perennial flower that returns to bloom in the multiverse.

To learn more about biocentrism, click here:

Go here to read the rest:
Biocentrism Posits That Death Is Merely Transport into Another Universe - Big Think