StemCell Therapy

This article was originally published here

EPMA J. 2020 Nov 13:1-21. doi: 10.1007/s13167-020-00230-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The long evolutionary battle between humans and pathogens has played an important role in shaping the current network of host-pathogen interactions. Each organ brings new challenges from the perspective of a pathogen to establish a suitable niche for survival while subverting the protective mechanisms of the host. Lungs, the organ for oxygen exchange, have been an easy target for pathogens due to its accessibility. The organ has evolved diverse capabilities to provide the flexibility required for an organisms health and at the same time maintain protective functionality to prevent and resolve assault by pathogens. The pathogenic invasions are strongly challenged by healthy lung architecture which includes the presence and activity of the epithelium, mucous, antimicrobial proteins, surfactants, and immune cells. Competitively, the pathogens in the form of viruses, bacteria, and fungi have evolved an arsenal of strategies that can over-ride the hosts protective mechanisms. While bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) can survive in dormant form for years before getting active in humans, novel pathogens can wreak havoc as they pose a high risk of morbidity and mortality in a very short duration of time. Recently, a coronavirus strain SARS-CoV-2 has caused a pandemic which provides us an opportunity to look at the host manipulative strategies used by respiratory pathogens. Their ability to hide, modify, evade, and exploit cells processes are key to their survival. While pathogens like M. tuberculosis have been infecting humans for thousands of years, SARS-CoV-2 has been the cause of the recent pandemic. Molecular understanding of the strategies used by these pathogens could greatly serve in design of predictive, preventive, personalized medicine (PPPM). In this article, we have emphasized on the clinically relevant evasive strategies of the pathogens in the lungs with emphasis on M. tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2. The molecular basis of these evasive strategies illuminated through advances in genomics, cell, and structural biology can assist in the mapping of vulnerable molecular networks which can be exploited translationally. These evolutionary approaches can further assist in generating screening and therapeutic options for susceptible populations and could be a promising approach for the prediction, prevention of disease, and the development of personalized medicines. Further, tailoring the clinical data of COVID-19 patients with their physiological responses in light of known host-respiratory pathogen interactions can provide opportunities to improve patient profiling and stratification according to identified therapeutic targets.

PMID:33204369 | PMC:PMC7661834 | DOI:10.1007/s13167-020-00230-1

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Infections of the lung: a predictive, preventive and personalized perspective through the lens of evolution, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and its...

As one of the nations top 25 public research universities, UConn is home to many faculty and student inventors. The discoveries they make in the lab could some day become products and services that help society. They could also launch Connecticut companies that provide high paying jobs in the state. But its not always easy to think like an entrepreneur when youve been trained as an academic researcher.

Abhijit (Jit) Banerjee, Ph.D., MBA, is leading UConns mission to help more faculty and students participate in commercialization activities. Banerjee, who has extensive experience facilitating public-private partnerships, joined UConns Office of the Vice President for Research as Associate Vice President, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in May 2020. He leads Technology Commercialization Services, a group that specializes in transforming UConn inventions into products, services, and companies that help society.

Our efforts to bring the fruits of our research to the world are tremendously strengthened by Jits arrival at UConn, says President Thomas Katsouleas. His background, skills, and passion for the work are going to help us become even more prolific and successful in demonstrating the value of the world-class research being done at UConn.

Banerjee recently answered a few questions about becoming a Husky during a pandemic and the importance of innovation to tackle the worlds great challenges.

Connecticut has a rich history of innovation and invention. How does UConn contribute to this legacy? What do you think the University can do to help the states economic health now and in the future?

The innovation engine runs 24/7, 365 days at UConn. The Universitys 14 schools and colleges are filled with world-class faculty and students who are building on UConns strong legacy of innovation. Our footprint isnt limited to the local geography either. UConn has a statewide impact, with programs like the UConn Technology Incubation Program (TIP), a flagship program that supports UConn companies as well as external ventures. TIPs three locations in Storrs, Farmington, and the soon-to-be-launched Stamford site support the states economy because it grows and attracts companies that want to locate in Connecticut and will create jobs here. Another example is the Innovation Partnership Building at UConn Tech Park, which is a world-class engineering living lab that is an asset to the states engineering and manufacturing industry.

With all of these hubs of innovation, I am convinced that the University still has too many well kept secrets for businesses and citizens around our state. We have expert faculty in every field, talented students to bolster the states innovation workforce, and unparalleled facilities to help solve problems and make breakthroughs for any industry sector, from manufacturing to personalized medicine.

In a fiercely competitive national environment where every state is aggressively looking to expand their funding and improve their economic health, success comes when the state, its agencies, and major innovation engines like UConn work hand-in-hand. I plan to do everything I can to help UConn continue our collaborative approach to support state economic development goals.

In your newly created role within the Office of the Vice President for Research, you are responsible for leading UConns efforts to enhance entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology commercialization for UConn companies and external ventures. How do you and your team support these efforts?

The Technology Commercialization Service (TCS) team is responsible for protecting intellectual property that is generated at UConn and bringing inventions from bench to marketplace or bedside through commercialization. A major focus for TCS is fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem that enables faculty and students to pursue commercialization of their discoveries whether it be through licensing to existing companies or forming startups. The TCS team has dedicated and passionate individuals who are deeply committed to the University and all faculty, regardless of the discipline.

As Ive met with leaders at each school and college, it has become clear that there is an opportunity for TCS to take much bigger and strategic roles across the University, and we are excited to take that on.

How has the pandemic affected innovation, in your opinion? What challenges and opportunities does it provide for faculty and student innovators?

The impact of COVID-19 on global well-being is now being felt in every sphere, from mental health to the economy to education. This pandemic has taught us to quickly adapt, pivot, and rely on both instincts and innovation to get through this and survive the new normal.

As the world collectively works to find a vaccine for this pathogen, we shouldnt stop innovating and seeking solutions for other major challenges we still face. Climate change, wild fires, tsunami, and hurricanes are impacting both human lives and our ecosystem. As we know, any slight imbalance in this ecosystem can cause disasters which are often irreversible. There are thousands of other conditions that still need effective treatments. We can still do more to develop innovative technologies that support the defense sector. For all of these problems, science, innovation, and commercialization can help find solutions. I am confident UConn inventors will be part of the solution and TCS is here to support them on that path.

You joined UConn while the University was still in the middle of the COVID-19 ramp down. How do you like being a Husky so far during these unprecedented times?

COVID-19 has changed the way we conduct business and interact, and for the unforeseen future, we need to accept this as the new normal. Our individual responsibility to stay healthy and follow guidance from scientific experts to reduce risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection adds another layer of complexity. From what Ive seen so far, at the individual and organizational level, UConn Nation is pivoting and adapting to continue working towards our educational, research, and service goals.

But I have to admit that even before I came to UConn, I felt an affinity for Husky Nation, since our family dog was a Siberian Husky named Mishi. We recently lost him to cancer, but he brought out the best in us as humans and I can see that same core value in everyone Ive met so far at UConn.

To learn more about UConn technologies and startups, visit http://www.innovation.uconn.edu

Follow UConn Research on Twitter & LinkedIn.

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Q&A: The Magic of University Entrepreneurship - UConn Today

Cell and gene therapy is booming amid the ongoing pandemic, and this is driving up demand for synthetic DNA products, often produced and delivered by CDMOs.

Karen Fallen started her career at Celltech Biologics in the UK, which was acquired in 1996 by Swiss giant Lonza, a world leader in the pharmaceutical manufacturing space. She stayed there for 31 years before moving on to the role of CEO at Touchlight DNA Services in October.

The market in DNA and nucleic acid medicine is just exploding. Cell and gene therapies have the biggest growth of all the biologics out there and DNA is the essential starting material, Fallen told me.

For several years, UK-based company Touchlight Genetics has been producing a form of synthetic DNA, called doggyboneDNA, that is designed to simplify the manufacturing of DNA vaccines and gene therapy.

To meet the ever-increasing demand for its products, Touchlight Genetics created a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) arm of the business called Touchlight DNA Services, which Fallen now leads.

Traditionally, the DNA necessary for these treatments has been produced by bacteria. Touchlight is developing a method to create this DNA enzymatically, which removes the need to include certain genes required by the bacteria and thus makes the final product simpler and safer.

Its really quick to actually produce the DNA, much faster than the bacterial methodology of doing it, Fallen noted. Its also very scalable.

The increasing need for fast, cheap and accurate DNA synthesis in recent years has led a number of biotechs in Europe to try and meet the demand, such as DNAScript, Evonetix, Nuclera, and Camena Bioscience, among others.

The demand has further increased with the Covid-19 pandemic, since many of the companies developing vaccines or treatments for Covid-19 require DNA as a starting material. So do many tests to diagnose Covid-19 infections.

Theres a lot of potential RNA and [DNA] vaccines out there, Fallen said. The demand for DNA was already outstripping supply, and that was just with cell and gene therapy demands. The Covid-19 impact has just accentuated that.

While CDMOs are crucial to the drug development industry, they often dont receive the same level of public and media attention as biotechs and big pharma. But Fallen thinks their importance is only increasing as cutting-edge treatments become commonplace, as many biotechs working on advanced therapies do not have the capacity for advanced manufacturing.

I think that the CDMO industry over the last few years has really come into its own At least 70% of the innovator molecules out there reside with biotechs that dont always have the capability to develop or manufacture them, Fallen told me.

The supply chain is imperative. Its all very well developing a molecule, but if you cant manufacture it or deliver it, then youre going to go nowhere.

Starting a new job as a CEO is a challenge for most people, but particularly so at the moment with the pandemic hanging over everyone and most people working completely remotely.

I met all the people by Zoom, which isnt often the easiest thing to do. But that gives you an idea of the culture of the company.

Thanks to her experience running a business unit at Lonza, Fallen has learned a lot about how to be a good leader. Ive always found that people follow you because they want to, not because youre in a position of power You need to listen to people, see what motivates them, and then you can get people on board.

Youve also got to make tough decisions quickly as well. You cant have an endless amount of data to make decisions on, youve just got to go with it and have the confidence to do that.

Fallen is a strong believer in supporting others. I have become, surprisingly, even to myself, a role model. I spent a fair amount of time talking with some of the more junior people [at Lonza] mentoring them and giving them my perspective on the world. I have shared what Ive learned as Ive been going along and given some advice on how to handle certain situations.

Although she has been lucky in that respect, Fallen recognizes that diversity can be a problem in CDMOs, biotechs, and pharma companies, particularly at higher management levels.

Youve got to try and get rid of unconscious biases. I know a lot of companies are putting people into positions just to get the numbers up, but Im not convinced thats the right way of doing it. I think you just have to have an open mind and give people the opportunity. From my experience, that is mostly successful.

Youve got to take a risk with people sometimes. Ive been in that position of people taking risks with me. Youve got to then support them, youve got to develop them in the right way, dont just talk them into something. But if you do that, I think you get what you want out of people.

Cover illustration by Elena Resko, picture provided by Touchlight DNA Services.

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CDMOs Are the Unsung Heroes of the Gene and Cell Therapy... - Labiotech.eu

SALT LAKE CITY - No doubt about it, Cinch Wight is going to be a cowboy just like his dad.

"He loves the dog and the horses and the cows," shared Cinch's dad, Alex Wight.

But it has been a wild ride for this young bronco. A mandatory newborn screening test at birth revealed Cinch had spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA.

"That was the first time I'd ever even heard the term and what it was, and so it was very scary," recalledCinch's mom, Amber Wight.

A neuromuscular disorder can paralyze a baby in the first few weeks of life.

"My first thought was he's never going to be able to ride broncs or anything like that," expressed Alex.

But just one day after Cinch was born, the FDA approved a new gene therapy.

"We were pretty excited to get a phone call from the department of health, you know, and have this baby here who we can use this treatment on after its approval," explained Dr. Russell Butterfield, a pediatric neurologist at University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital.

A critical gene in little Cinch was missing. Butterfield used an infusion to deliver a virus carrying a new copy of the gene into Cinch's nerve cells.

"It's like a delivery truck to deliver genes to where you want them to go. What that does do is it stops the disease right where it is," Butterfield explained.

Just a few years ago, most children born with SMA didn't make it to their second birthday. Now?

"The hardest is holding a baby in one hand and holding that drug in the other and really feeling the weight of that, and understanding that how different this child's life will be with this new medicine," Butterfield said.

It took a lot of courage for this family to get this far. That's why Alex wrote a book for his son, a true story about how real cowboys never give up.

"I wanted to let him know that no matter how hard it gets, as long as he keeps going, he'll be all right," shared Alex.

Doctors don't know if the one-time infusion will last a lifetime or will have to be repeated, and there could be a possible risk of inflammation to the liver that doctors will closely monitor.

The gene replacement therapy costs $2.1 million. Insurance paid for most of it, but Alex hopes sales from his children's book will help pay the rest. You can find the book, "A Cowboy and His Horse," on Amazon.

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Health Beat: Boy saved by groundbreaking gene replacement therapy - WFMZ Allentown

In brief

From 6 to 27 November 2020, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will be carrying out a public consultation seeking feedback on the proposed Health Products Act ("Amendment of First Schedule") Order 2020 ("HPA Amendment Order"), and the proposed Health Products (Cell Tissue and Gene Therapy Products) Regulations 2020 ("CTGTP Regulations") (collectively, the "Proposed Regulations"), which seek to regulate cell, tissue and gene therapy products (CTGTP). The Proposed Regulations seek to flesh out (i) a definition of CTGTP, (ii) a risk-based regulatory approach for CTGTPs, and (iii) introduce requirements unique to CTGTP.

Comments

CTGTP are a notably emerging and cutting edge field of medicine, providing great potential for the development of new treatment opportunities. Apart from being able to engineer the growth of healthy and functional tissues to reconstruct, regenerate or repairdamaged tissues or organs, CTGTP may also be used in therapies to treat or cure disease through the modification of individual genes.

The HSA has noted that the CTGTP regulations are reportedly intended to facilitate patient access to therapies that meet appropriate safety, efficacy and quality standards, and to provide a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework to support product development and facilitate product commercialisation. Given the novelty of this legislation, it may be beneficial for businesses to participate in the public consultation given their expertise and experience in this area of medicine. This could also assist toensure that any eventual laws appropriately account for the unique nature of CTGTP while not being excessively onerous on suppliers, importers, and manufacturers.

In more detail

From 6 to 27 November 2020, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will be carrying out a public consultation seeking feedback on the proposed Health Products Act ("Amendment of First Schedule") Order 2020 ("HPA Amendment Order"), and the proposed Health Products (Cell Tissue and Gene Therapy Products) Regulations 2020 ("CTGTP Regulations") (collectively, the "Proposed Regulations"), which seek to regulate cell, tissue and gene therapy products (CTGTP) as a new category of health products. The Proposed Regulations are intended to provide (i) a definition of CTGTP, (ii) a risk-based regulatory approach for CTGTPs, and (iii) introduce requirements unique to CTGTP.

Part (i) will be addressed via the HPA Amendment Order, which seeks to insert the following definition of CTGTP under the Health Products Act: "a substance consisting of human cells or tissues that are either autologous obtained from the same individual) or allogeneic (obtained from another individual), viable animal cells or tissues, or recombinant nucleic acids (i.e. modified DNA or RNA as carriers of a therapeutic gene); that is intended for diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any human disease or medical condition".

The CTGTP Regulations in turn, addressparts (ii) and (iii). The proposed regulatory framework is generally split into the following areas:

The draft HPA Amendment Order and CTGTP Regulations can be foundhereandhere. Feedback on the regulations may be providedhere.

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Singapore: Public consultation on Proposed Regulations of Cell, Tissue and Gene Therapy Products - Lexology

MILAN, Italy and NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genenta Science, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a hematopoietic stem progenitor cell gene therapy for cancer (Temferon), announced that highly experienced biotech executive and investor Stephen Squinto, PhD joint Genenta and will be appointed as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

The appointment will be effective with the approval of the Genenta Shareholders Meeting. Pierluigi Paracchi, currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genenta, will continue to serve as CEO.

Dr Squinto is currently Executive Partner of the healthcare investment company OrbiMed Advisors and has more than 25 years experience in the biotech industry, including as Chief Executive Officer of the gene therapy company Passage Bio. He was a co-founder of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Chief Global Operations Officer and Global Head of Research, and previously held several senior leadership positions at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Dr Squinto currently serves on the Board of Directors of a several biotech and healthcare companies and has received numerous honors and awards from academic and professional organizations for his scientific work. He received his PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Loyola University of Chicago.

Pierluigi Paracchi, CEO of Genenta, said: I am delighted to welcome Steve Squinto to Genenta as our new Chairman. Steve will provide valuable input and guidance to the development on Genenta, based on his outstanding and extensive time in biotech industry. In particular, his time as CEO of the gene therapy company Passage Bio provides a clear parallel to Genenta, as we continue to develop the stem cell gene therapy Temferon.

Stephen Squinto said: It as honor to be invited to be Chairman of Genenta, a truly exciting company which has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat cancer through its novel immuno-gene therapy Temferon. I am looking forward to working with the outstanding team already in place to progress this treatment, which has potential against a broad range of tumors both as first line and as combination therapy, further through clinical trials and towards market.

About Genenta Science

Genenta (www.genenta.com) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a proprietary hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for cancer. Temferon is based on ex-vivo gene transfer into autologous hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to deliver immunomodulatory molecules directly via tumor-infiltrating monocytes/macrophages (Tie2 Expressing Monocytes - TEMs). Temferon, which is under investigation in a Phase I/II clinical trial in newly diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme patients, is not restricted to pre-selected tumor antigens nor type and may reach solid tumors, one of the main unresolved challenge in immuno oncology. Based in Milan, Italy, and New York, USA, Genenta has raised 33.6 million (~$40 million ) in three separate rounds of financing.

Continue reading here:
Genenta to Appoint Stephen Squinto, Experienced Biotech Executive and Investor, as Chairman - BioSpace

BOSTON and LONDON, Nov. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ORTX), a global gene therapy leader, today announced that its chief executive officer, Bobby Gaspar, M.D., Ph.D. will participate in a pre-recorded fireside chat as part of the Piper Sandler 32nd Annual Virtual Healthcare Conference. Management will also be available for one-on-one meetings on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

The fireside chat is available for on-demand viewing under "Events" in the Investors & Media section of the company's website at http://www.orchard-tx.com and will remain available for approximately 90 days.

About Orchard

Orchard Therapeutics is a global gene therapy leader dedicated to transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases through the development of innovative, potentially curative gene therapies. Our ex vivo autologous gene therapy approach harnesses the power of genetically modified blood stem cells and seeks to correct the underlying cause of disease in a single administration. In 2018, Orchard acquired GSKs rare disease gene therapy portfolio, which originated from a pioneering collaboration between GSK and the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, Italy. Orchard now has one of the deepest and most advanced gene therapy product candidate pipelines in the industry spanning multiple therapeutic areas where the disease burden on children, families and caregivers is immense and current treatment options are limited or do not exist.

Orchard has its global headquarters in London and U.S. headquarters in Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.orchard-tx.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Availability of Other Information About Orchard

Investors and others should note that Orchard communicates with its investors and the public using the company website (www.orchard-tx.com), the investor relations website (ir.orchard-tx.com), and on social media (TwitterandLinkedIn), including but not limited to investor presentations and investor fact sheets,U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissionfilings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The information that Orchard posts on these channels and websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, Orchard encourages investors, the media, and others interested in Orchard to review the information that is posted on these channels, including the investor relations website, on a regular basis. This list of channels may be updated from time to time on Orchards investor relations website and may include additional social media channels. The contents of Orchards website or these channels, or any other website that may be accessed from its website or these channels, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933.

Contacts

Investors

Renee LeckDirector, Investor Relations+1 862-242-0764Renee.Leck@orchard-tx.com

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Orchard Therapeutics to Present at Piper Sandler 32nd Annual Virtual Healthcare Conference - GlobeNewswire

Bridging the gap: SYNGAP1 protein is located mostly at synapses, the junctions between neurons (green).

Spectrum is covering the 2020 International SYNGAP1 Scientific Conference, which took place virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. Here were highlighting researchers reactions to noteworthy presentations.

Drug test: A new assay allows researchers to test thousands of candidate drugs for their ability to boost expression of the autism gene SYNGAP1. The tool may help researchers identify and screen potential treatments for people with mutations that silence the gene. Gavin Rumbaugh, professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research in Jupiter, Florida, presented the unpublished results on 18 November.

The assay uses neurons from mice with one intact and one mutated copy of SYNGAP1. The researchers genetically engineer the mice so that SYNGAP1 protein made from the intact copy is tagged with luciferase the enzyme that gives fireflies their glow.

They then grow these neurons in tiny wells and add a different candidate drug to each well. The amount of SYNGAP1 protein in the dish gives a proportionate amount of light in your well, Rumbaugh says.

Rumbaugh and his team plan to use the platform to run through more than 100,000 different experimental compounds in 2021, he says.

Thats going to be really exciting for drug discovery efforts for SYNGAP1. I think thats going to be a game changer, says Karun Singh, senior scientist at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, who was not involved in the work.

It will be very exciting to see if they are able to uncover any useful hits with their novel approach, says Helen Bateup, associate professor of neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the work.

Treatment across ages: A leading theory of autism is that the condition is characterized by a signaling imbalance: too much excitation or too little inhibition in the brain. One of the key players in creating this imbalance is thought to be inhibitory interneurons, which employ the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). And mutations to SYNGAP1 may disrupt GABAs function, said James Clement, assistant professor of neuroscience at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore, India, in a presentation on 18 November.

GABA is excitatory early on in brain development and inhibitory later on a switch that seems to be impaired in mice with SYNGAP1 mutations, he says. He and his team have tested a new compound that restores the GABA switch in mice and eases almost all SYNGAP1-related traits including seizures, learning issues and motor impairment in the mice. It works in newborn and adolescent mice. Due to a pending patent application, Clement and his lab are not revealing the compounds name.

I think its important to test efficacy at multiple ages, as they have done, to understand which phenotypes or problems can be improved with early treatment and which might still be responsive to treatment even if its administered later in life, says Bateup, who was not involved in the work. The idea that GABA may remain depolarizing for longer in SYNGAP1 mutant mice is quite interesting.

Clements lab was the only other lab that was presenting at this meeting that presented data from a very early age, says Shilpa Kadam, associate professor of neurology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, who was not involved in the work.

Motor coordination: For mice, the loss of SYNGAP1 function in the striatum impairs their goal-directed learning and seems to lead to inflexible behavior, Bateup said in a presentation on 18 November.

Helen Bateups work looking at striatal function as it relates to motor coordination and motor learning is also pretty exciting and may shed light not only on the motor-coordination difficulties but also the repetitive or habitual motor behaviors, says Constance Smith-Hicks, child neurologist and research scientist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, who was not involved in the work.

Bateups presentation also demonstrated that SYNGAP1 deletion seems to affect neurons differently depending on which type of dopamine receptor they express.

We know SYNGAP1 is at most excitatory synapses, so why shes seeing some functional effects in one type of cell and not the other, I find that interesting, says Richard Huganir, professor of neuroscience and psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who was not involved in the work.

Its exciting to be able to kind of pinpoint which pathway might be involved and get a better understanding of the circuits that are disrupted, says Singh, who was not involved in the work.

Protein levels: People with a nonfunctional copy of SYNGAP1 have about half the typical amount of SYNGAP1 protein. Increasing the activity of the intact copy of the gene could help restore typical functioning, Huganir said in a presentation on 18 November.

He and his team tested this idea on two unique mouse models in unpublished work. Instead ofhaving one intact and one missing copyof the SYNGAP1 gene, as is typical for SYNGAP1 mouse models, each mouse model carriesone intact copy of the gene and one with a mutation seen in people. Both mice produce about half the typical amount of SYNGAP1 protein and show the same behaviors as the classical knockout mouse, despite having different types of mutations.

These new mouse models are crucial because they can directly correlate to what is happening in the humans, says Clement, who was not involved in the work.

Huganir and his team are testing different types of gene therapies to increase SYNGAP1 protein up to the typical levels, and have found that there are two SYNGAP1 protein isoforms, or slight variations of the protein.

One of the isoforms can restore synaptic plasticity in the animal model for SYNGAP1, so I think thats really exciting because even though theres multiple isoforms, it seems that one might be more important from a gene therapy point of view, says Singh, who was not involved in the work. Its pretty exciting to have a specific target now.

Read more reports from the2020 International SYNGAP1 Scientific Conference.

Link:
Reactions from the 2020 SYNGAP1 Scientific Conference - Spectrum

During the Targeted Oncology Case Based Peer Perspectives event, Javier L. Munoz, MD, Hematologist/Oncologist Director, Lymphoma Program Mayo Clinic, discussed the case of 60-year-old patient with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).

Targeted Oncology: What are the standard regimens in treating T-cell lymphoma?

MUNOZ: Historically, we have been prescribing CHOP [cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, and prednisone] or CHOP-like regimens. There are retrospective German data showing the addition of etoposides, so CHOEP instead of CHOP, may be beneficial, particularly for patients who were younger than 65 years.1 That is not a randomized trial, it was a retrospective study, so the strength of the data was relatively weak.1 The data of brentuximab vedotin [Adcetris] plus CHP [cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, prednisone] versus CHOP [was from] a randomized trial, so its a stronger level of evidence compared with that etoposide data.

What do the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend?

The category 1 recommendation for ALCL [anaplastic large cell lymphoma] is brentuximab vedotin plus CHP, according to the NCCN.2 For that particular indication, I think most people are not going to argue that brentuximab plus CHP is the way to go.

For the other subtypesand numbers for the other subtypes were smaller compared with ALCLits a bit more blurry. You still have brentuximab vedotin plus CHP, but you also have the options of CHOP, CHOEP.

What was the rationale for ECHELON-2 [NCT01777152] in this population? This was a randomized study, brentuximab vedotin plus CHP versus CHOP.3 The bottom line is that this trial was a replacement strategy. Vincristine, or Oncovin, is a vinca alkaloid, and it causes neuropathy. For brentuximab, an antibody-drug conjugate, its payload is also a vinca drug. Vinca alkaloids cause neuropathy, so the trial replaced those agents, resulting in this trial. It was a double-dummy, [double-blind] study, so patients received placebobrentuximab and CHP or they received CHOP. The CD30 expression needed to be 10% or higher for the patient to be able to enroll. The investigators allowed multiple subtypes of T-cell lymphomas: PTCL not otherwise specified, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma.

The reality is that most of you are going see PTCL, not otherwise specified, because its the most common subtype I see; maybe the runner-up is angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, and then the next one is going to be ALCL. And again, there are a couple of flavors: ALK-positive and ALK-negative. ALK-negative is, prognostically, closer to PTCL. The primary end point was progression-free survival [PFS] but, of course, they looked at other things like overall survival.3

What were the outcomes of this trial for patients? PFS was a primary end point, and this was the most important factor or variable that they looked at, and with CHOP you get 20.8 months of PFS; with brentuximab plus CHP you got 48.2 months. So, more than double the primary end point, and that is why I like to start with PTCL, because ECHELON-2 definitely looked more impressive than the ECHELON-1 trial [NCT01712490]. Theyre both important papers; ECHELON-1 was published in New England Journal of Medicine,4 ECHELON-2 was only published in Lancet. The difference, the numbers that you see, are more dramatic in ECHELON-2 in PTCL compared with Hodgkin lymphoma, but both are relevant papers. More than double the results, and you could see that that separation is maintained over time.

They looked at overall survival, and there was also a difference. Even though the primary end point was PFS, your patients are also going to live longer if you go with brentuximab plus CHP.

The complete response rate was 68% for [brentuximab vedotin plus CHP] versus 56% for CHOP. Of course, the objective response rate is also higher for brentuximab plus CHP, as well [TABLE5 ].

As I said, both drugs can potentially cause neuropathy. Lets take a look at the safety profile. Peripheral neuropathy for brentuximab plus CHP, grade 3 or higher, was 4%, for CHOP, it was 3%. Remember, vincristine in the CHOP regimen can also cause neuropathy. Not a big difference there. For any grade of neuropathy, the numbers are 45% for brentuximab plus CHP and 41% for CHOP.

Now, could you die from CHOP, or brentuximab plus CHP? Of course. Luckily for us, its single digits. Its rareIm sure that we have all had patients that we have lost during CHOP or R-CHOP [rituximab (Rituxan) plus CHOP] for B-cell lymphomas, but 3% for brentuximab plus CHP and 4% for CHOP.

If this patient achieved a complete response to frontline therapy, would you consider transplant?

Before the ECHELON trials, most of us knew that CHOP was suboptimal; we just did not know what was better than CHOP. Thats why we were playing with etoposide, based on that retrospective German data and doing CHOEP, sometimes even EPOCH [etoposide phosphate, prednisone, vincristine sulfate, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin hydrochloride] for these patients. Because CHOP was suboptimal, we wanted to do something additional, and that is why many patients have received consolidation with transplants.

We consider so many factors for transplant-eligible patientsthe performance status, comorbidities, age; but in general, Im prone to offer [transplant] to patients who have these T-cell lymphomas because, again, its a bad disease, and its not a curative intent. You are not giving the treatment with a curative intent. You want to keep the disease at bay as much as possible.

What is the impact of consolidative stem cell transplant after frontline brentuximab plus CHP for patients?

In a post hoc analysis, for the patients who achieved complete remission [CR], 38 patients in CR, received the transplant, and 76 patients in CR did not; it was certainly not the primary end point.5 It was presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in 2019. Again, we are tempted to prescribe the transplant because, historically, these patients have done so poorly. The majority of these patients in CR after brentuximab plus CHP did not receive a transplant, 38 patients did receive a transplant, and it seems that the patients that received the consolidation with the transplant did better than the patients who did not receive the transplant. You have the 3-year progression-free survival numbers: 76% and 53%, though my bias at this point would be young, relatively young, or with few comorbidities, good performance statusI would certainly send the patient to get a second opinion.

What would be your approach toward second-line therapy at progression?

The number 1 option is a clinical trial. Id also consider pralatrexate [Folotyn]. Belinostat [Beleodaq], pralatrexate, and romidepsin [Istodax] are going to give an overall response somewhere between 20% to 30%, and complete remissions that are approximately 10%, give or take. Duration of response is usually going to be less than a year. Bottom line, we need to do better for PTCL when its relapsed/refractory. We need to do good when it comes to our frontline therapies, so, hopefully, we can provide a long period of time of remission for our patients.

References:

1. Schmitz N, Trmper L, Ziepert M, et al. Treatment and prognosis of mature T-cell and NK-cell lymphoma: an analysis of patients with T-cell lymphoma treated in studies of the German high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma study group. Blood. 2010;116(18):3418- 3425. doi:10.1182/blood-2010-02-270785

2. NCCN. Clinical practice guidelines in oncology. T-cell lymphomas, version 1.2021. Accessed October 14, 2020. https://bit.ly/3kcUHLL

3. Horwitz S, OConnor OA, Pro B, et al; ECHELON-2 Study Group. Brentuximab vedotin with chemotherapy for CD30-positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma (ECHELON-2): a global, double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2019;393(10168):229-240. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32984-2

4. Connors JM, Jurczak W, Straus DJ; ECHELON-1 Study Group. Brentuximab vedotin with chemotherapy for stage III or IV hodgkins lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(4):331-344. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1708984

5. Savage KJ, Horwitz SM, Advani RH. An exploratory analysis of brentuximab vedotin plus chp (A+CHP) in the frontline treatment of patients with CD30+ peripheral T-cell lymphomas (ECHELON-2): impact of consolidative stem cell transplant. Blood. 2019; 134(suppl 1):464. doi:10.1182/blood-2019-122781

Link:
Exploring First-line Therapies in Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas - Targeted Oncology

SEATTLE, Nov. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ADPT), a commercial stage biotechnology company that aims to translate the genetics of the adaptive immune system into clinical products to diagnose and treat disease, together with its collaborators will present data from more than 35 abstracts studying the use of Adaptives clonoSEQ Assay for minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) virtual 62nd Annual Meeting and Exposition, December 5-8. clonoSEQ is the first and only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared assay for MRD assessment in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and is widely available to clinicians and patients across the U.S.

We are thrilled to see so many investigators presenting clonoSEQ data at ASH this year, among the more than 300 ASH studies highlighting MRD data, significantly growing the body of evidence validating this tool as a critical measure of patient outcomes, said Lance Baldo, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Adaptive Biotechnologies. As innovation continues for the treatment of blood cancers with novel and highly targeted therapies that create deep and durable responses for patients, we see clinicians increasingly utilizing clonoSEQ to help guide day-to-day patient care.

Assessment of MRD is a way to directly detect and quantify remaining disease, even in the absence of symptoms, across a spectrum of blood cancers. A patients MRD status gives clinicians timely information about how a patient may be responding to treatment, so patients and providers can be in control when it comes to managing their disease and treatment decisions.

clonoSEQ, the first clinical application of Adaptives immune medicine platform, will be featured in 14 oral presentations and 23 posters at ASH. Data on clinical and research utility from studies, as well as findings based on real-world experience, will be presented across a range of cancers including multiple myeloma, ALL, CLL and non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). These new data show a correlation between clonoSEQ MRD results and improved blood cancer patient outcomes, enhanced clinical decision-making, and potential savings to the healthcare system.

Additional data at ASH this year will highlight Adaptives immune profiling research tool, immunoSEQ, to quantitatively assess the immune response to novel therapies in development.

Key presentations include:

AbouttheclonoSEQ AssayThe clonoSEQ Assay is the first and only FDA-cleared assay for MRD in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma (MM) and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Minimal residual disease (MRD) refers to the small number of cancer cells that can stay in the body during and after treatment. clonoSEQ was initially granted De Novo designation and marketing authorization by the FDA for the detection and monitoring of MRD in patients with MM and B-ALL using DNA from bone marrow samples.InAugust 2020, clonoSEQ received additional clearance from theFDA to detect and monitor MRD in blood or bone marrow from patients with CLL.

The clonoSEQ Assay leverages Adaptives proprietary immune medicine platform to identify and quantify specific DNA sequences found in malignant cells, allowing clinicians to assess and monitor MRD during and after treatment. The assay provides standardized, accurate and sensitive measurement of MRD that allows physicians to predict patient outcomes, assess response to therapy over time, monitor patients during remission and predict potential relapse. Clinical practice guidelines in hematological malignancies recognize that MRD status is a reliable indicator of clinical outcomes and response to therapy, and clinical outcomes have been shown to be strongly associated with MRD levels measured by the clonoSEQ Assay in patients diagnosed with CLL, MM and ALL.

The clonoSEQ Assay is a single-site test performed at Adaptive Biotechnologies.In addition to its FDA-cleared uses, clonoSEQ is also available as a CLIA-validated laboratory developed test (LDT) service for use in other lymphoid cancers and sample types. For important information about the FDA-cleared uses of clonoSEQ, including the full intended use, limitations, and detailed performance characteristics, please visitwww.clonoSEQ.com/technical-summary.

About immunoSEQ Assay Adaptives immunoSEQ Assay helps researchers make discoveries in areas such as oncology, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases and basic immunology. The immunoSEQ Assay can identify millions of T- and B-cell receptors from a single sample in exquisite detail. Offered as a Service or Kit, the immunoSEQ Assay is used to ask and answer translational research questions and discover new prognostic and diagnostic signals in clinical trials. The immunoSEQ Assay provides quantitative, reproducible sequencing results along with access to powerful, easy-to-use analysis tools. The immunoSEQ Assay is for research use only and is not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About AdaptiveAdaptive Biotechnologies is a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on harnessing the inherent biology of the adaptive immune system to transform the diagnosis and treatment of disease. We believe the adaptive immune system is natures most finely tuned diagnostic and therapeutic for most diseases, but the inability to decode it has prevented the medical community from fully leveraging its capabilities. Our proprietary immune medicine platform reveals and translates the massive genetics of the adaptive immune system with scale, precision and speed to develop products in life sciences research, clinical diagnostics and drug discovery. We have two commercial products and a robust clinical pipeline to diagnose, monitor and enable the treatment of diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions and infectious diseases. Our goal is to develop and commercialize immune-driven clinical products tailored to each individual patient.

For more information, please visit adaptivebiotech.com and follow us on http://www.twitter.com/adaptivebiotech.

Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. All statements contained in this release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our ability to develop, commercialize and achieve market acceptance of our current and planned products and services, our research and development efforts, and other matters regarding our business strategies, use of capital, results of operations and financial position, and plans and objectives for future operations.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words may, will, could, would, should, expect, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, project, potential, continue, ongoing or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are described under "Risk Factors," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and elsewhere in the documents we file with theSecurities and Exchange Commissionfrom time to time. We caution you that forward-looking statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our projections of the future, about which we cannot be certain. As a result, the forward-looking statements may not prove to be accurate. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law.

MEDIA CONTACT:Beth Keshishian917-912-7195media@adaptivebiotech.com

ADAPTIVE INVESTORS:Karina Calzadilla201-396-1687

Carrie Mendivil, Gilmartin Groupinvestors@adaptivebiotech.com

Read the original post:
Adaptive Biotechnologies and Collaborators to Present Data from More Than 35 Abstracts at ASH 2020 Highlighting Clinical Relevance of MRD Testing with...

The Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market was valued at US$ XX million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ XX million by 2025, at a CAGR of XX percentage during the forecast period. In this study, 2019 has been considered as the base and 2020 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market

Deep analysis about market status (2016-2019), competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of products, industry development trends (2019-2025), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also been included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry have been analysed scientifically. This report will help you to establish comprehensive overview of the Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market

Get a Sample Copy of the Report at: https://i2iresearch.com/report/global-circulating-tumor-cells-(ctc)-market-2020-market-size-share-growth-trends-forecast-2025/#download-sample

The Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market is analysed based on product types, major applications and key players

Key product type:Ex-Vivo Positive SelectionIn-Vivo Positive SelectionNegative SelectionMicrochips & Single Spiral Micro Channel

Key applications:Tumorigenesis ResearchEmt Biomarkers DevelopmentCancer Stem Cell ResearchOthers

Key players or companies covered are:AdnaGenApocellBiocepCanopus BioscienceCreatv MicrotechIkonisysIV DiagnosticsMiltenyi BiotechNanostring TechnologiesRarecells DiagnosticsVitatex

The report provides analysis & data at a regional level (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa , Rest of the world) & Country level (13 key countries The U.S, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Italy, China, Japan, India, Middle East, Africa, South America)

Inquire or share your questions, if any: https://i2iresearch.com/report/global-circulating-tumor-cells-(ctc)-market-2020-market-size-share-growth-trends-forecast-2025/

Key questions answered in the report:1. What is the current size of the Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market, at a global, regional & country level?2. How is the market segmented, who are the key end user segments?3. What are the key drivers, challenges & trends that is likely to impact businesses in the Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market?4. What is the likely market forecast & how will be Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market impacted?5. What is the competitive landscape, who are the key players?6. What are some of the recent M&A, PE / VC deals that have happened in the Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market?

The report also analysis the impact of COVID 19 based on a scenario-based modelling. This provides a clear view of how has COVID impacted the growth cycle & when is the likely recovery of the industry is expected to pre-covid levels.

Contact us:i2iResearch info to intelligenceLocational Office: *India, *United State, *GermanyEmail: [emailprotected]Toll-free: +1-800-419-8865 | Phone: +91 98801 53667

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Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Market Growth Analysis and Forecast to 2026 by Applications and Competitors - Cheshire Media

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "North America Tissue Engineering Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis By Material Type, Applications, and Country" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The North America tissue engineering market is expected to reach US$ 12,230.37 million by 2027 from US$ 4,456.95 million in 2019; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 13.8% during 2020-2027.

The market growth is primarily attributed to the increasing incidences of chronic diseases, road accidents, and trauma injuries, and technological advancements in 3D tissue engineering techniques. High cost associated to the tissue engineering process is one of the major factors restraining the growth of the market. Additionally, increasing financial contributions by government and private sector are likely to fuel the growth of the North America tissue engineering market during the forecast period.

Tissue engineering is a blend of material methods and cellular activities. This approach involves the use of physicochemical and biochemical attributes of humans to replace the biological tissues and strengthen them. It is an innovative technology that works either separately or in conjunction with scaffolds, stem cells, regenerative medicine, and growth factors or negotiators. The process utilizes molecular and cellular processes in combination with the principles of material engineering to surgically repair and restore tissue.

According to the US Centers of Medicare and Medicaid, more than 900 million surgeries are performed for bone reconstruction or replacement. This has resulted in urgent need for increasing the grants and funding for tissue engineering; government funding for the ongoing research for tissue regeneration is a major driver for market growth in North America. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding study in 2018 , the research studies related with tissue engineering and regenerative medicines in US has received funding of USD 1.8 and USD 1.0 billion, respectively.

The US government is also encouraging innovation in healthcare through funding and establishing manufacturing hubs. For instance, in 2014, the National Institutes of Health established a 3D bioprinting Exchange to promote open-source sharing of biomaterial and other technologies used in tissue engineering.

Moreover, the US FDA currently approves dental, orthopedics, and craniomaxillary tissue engineering products, and the expected approvals for other tissue engineered products in other therapeutic segments would also offer significant opportunities in the North America market. In 2019, Aspect Biosystems (Canada) collaborated with the National Research Council of Canada to develop a new tissue engineered therapeutic model for the treatment of various central nervous system diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.

In the US, due to an increasing number of COVID-19 infected patients, healthcare professionals and leading organizations are rechanneling the flow of healthcare resources from R&D to primary care, which is slowing down the process of innovation. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic is also hindering the conduct of clinical trials and drug development, and the operations of diagnostic industry in the US.

For instance, Stryker Corporation, a well-known player in the tissue engineering industry, has diverted operations to manufacture COVID-19 diagnostics and PPE kits. Moreover, according to a recent survey by Medscape in July 2020, substantial disruption has been witnessed in routine research activities that include tissue engineering and regenerative medicines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid increase in the number of the infected patients in the US and Canada is likely to result in the slowdown of the market growth in the near future.

In 2019, the biologically derived material segment accounted for the largest share of the North America tissue engineering market. The growth of the market for this segment is attributed to the rising adoption of biomaterials due to their natural regenerative potential to restore tissue functioning and ability to facilitate the on demand release of chemokines with this procedure. Further, the synthetic material segment is likely to register the highest CAGR in the market during the forecast period.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

2. North America Tissue Engineering Market - Key Takeaways

3. Research Methodology

4. North America Tissue Engineering Market - Market Landscape

4.1 Overview

4.2 PEST Analysis

4.3 Expert Opinion

5. North America Tissue Engineering Market - Key Market Dynamics

5.1 Key Market Drivers

5.1.1 Increasing incidences of chronic diseases, road accidents and traumatic injuries.

5.1.2 Technological Advancements in the Field of 3D Tissue Engineering

5.1.3 Increasing government and Private sectors funding

5.2 Key Market Restraints

5.2.1 High Cost of Treatment Options Involving Tissue Engineering

5.3 Impact Analysis

6. Tissue Engineering Market - North America Analysis

6.1 North America Tissue Engineering Market Revenue Forecasts and Analysis

7. North America Tissue Engineering Market Analysis - By Material Type

7.1 Overview

7.2 North America Tissue Engineering Market, By Material Type 2019-2027 (%)

7.2.1 North America Tissue Engineering Market Devices Revenue and Forecasts to 2027, By Material Type (US$ Mn)

7.3 Biologically Derived Material

7.3.1 Overview

7.3.2 North America Biologically Derived Material Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

7.4 Synthetic material

7.5 Others

8. North America Tissue Engineering Market Analysis - By Application

8.1 Overview

8.2 North America Tissue Engineering Market, By Application 2019-2027 (%)

8.2.1 North America Tissue Engineering Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2027, By Application (US$ Mn)

8.3 Orthopedic, Musculoskeletal & Spine

8.3.1 Overview

8.3.2 North America Orthopedic, Musculoskeletal & Spine: Tissue Engineering Market Segment Revenue and Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

8.4 Neurology

8.5 Cardiology & Vascular

8.6 Skin

8.7 Other

9. Tissue Engineering Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2027 - Regional Analysis

10. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on North America Tissue Engineering Market

10.1 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic

11. Company Profiles

11.1 Key Facts

11.2 Business Description

11.3 Products and Services

11.4 Financial Overview

11.5 SWOT Analysis

11.6 Key Developments

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/x7afv7

Excerpt from:
North America Tissue Engineering Market Report 2020: Market is Expected to Reach US$12.23 Billion by 2027 from US$4.45 Billion in 2019 -...

Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) who were treated with certain integrative medicine (IM) therapies had lower levels of negative symptoms and reported a higher quality of life (QOL). These findings, from an online survey, were published in Cancer Medicine.

For this study, 858 patients with MPNs were recruited by researchers at the Mayo Clinic Arizona through social media and email during 2016. Patients were assessed by the MPN-Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (MPN-SAF TSS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-2, Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) Usual, and for quality of life.

More than 2 dozen IM therapies were reported, including multiple forms of exercise, massage, nutrition, meditation, and several types of physical, group, and psychological therapies.

Lower average MPN-SAF TSS scores were reported by patients who participated in aerobic exercise (33.2 vs 39.7; P <.001) and strength training (34.0 vs 37.7; P =.013).

Mean QOL was reported as higher among patients who received massage (5.0 vs 4.6; P =.04) and went to support groups (5.4 vs 4.6; P =.002).

The likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression was lower among patients who participated in aerobic exercise (odds ratio [OR], 0.60; 95% CI, 0.42-0.86; P =.006), yoga (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.39-0.94; P =.025), and strength training (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.91; P =.019).

This study may have been limited by its overwhelming gender bias, in which the ratio of women to men was 3:1.

The study authors concluded that in addition to pharmacologic therapies, IM therapies may aid in alleviating negative symptoms of MPN and increase quality of life.

Disclosure: Multiple authors declared affiliations with industry. Please refer to the original article for a full list of disclosures.

Reference

Gowin K, Langlais BT, Kosiorek HE, et al. The SIMM study: survey of integrative medicine in myeloproliferative neoplasms. Cancer Med. Published online November 3, 2020. doi:10.1002/cam4.3566

This article originally appeared on Oncology Nurse Advisor

Go here to read the rest:
Integrative Medicine Therapies Effectively Increase Quality of Life for Patients With Myeloproliferative Neoplasms - Cancer Therapy Advisor

RAKxa promises tailored wellness programmes that fuse science-led technology with holistic therapies and anti-inflammatory cuisine. Olivia Palamountain reports

Fully integrative wellness and medical retreat RAKxawill open this Decemberin Bangkok.

It will deliver tailored wellness programmes designed by certified medical doctors combining advanced medical treatments with holistic therapies.

The first of its kind in Thailand, RAKxa promises a fullytransformative experience through personalised three- to- fourteen dayprogrammes based on real results using cutting -edge technology.

The opening of RAKxa typifies the current appetite for Hyper Health and Extreme Wellness clinics, facilities and treatments, as reported in Globetrenders Future of Luxury Travel Forecast, now amplified more than ever before due to thecoronavirus pandemic.Situated on Bang Kachao, a protected island on the Chao Phraya Riverpopular with cyclists and nature lovers, the facility is surrounded bylush botanical gardens and comprises 40 Garden Villas, 20 Pool Villas and 2 Residences. The Pool Villas and Presidential Villas are expected in early 2021.A series of 10 different programmes are on offer, each focused on a different health goal. These include gut health, body/facial, and de-stressing solutions plus immunity boosting, 2020s hottest health trend.

Nightly rates for the Immunity Booster package start from US$2,000 per person with a minimum of a three-night stay.

Guests begin the RAKxa experience at home with a pre-arrival questionnaire to help the team establish long-term health goals and tailor the programme accordingly.

The medical side of things comes care of the VitalLife Scientific Wellness Clinic (a subsidiary company of the Bumrungrad International Hospital). It provides DNA tests, epigenetics, gut microbiome and inflammation analysis. The clinic will also offer light therapy, IV nutrient therapy, CryoSauna, infrared sauna and hormone replacement therapy. The VitalLife medical doctors will work alongside practitioners at RAKxas Holistic Wellness Centre RAKxa Jai. Holistic treatments span Traditional Thai Medicine (TTM), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurvedic treatments and energy healing practices.

Each day will be packed with acombination of these specialised holistic and scientific treatments along witha bespoke diet plan and activity schedule for optimum results.

Fitness training takes place in the Olympic-standard medical gym with hydrothermal spa facilities, while activities include dance classes, Tai Chi, Yoga, Muay Thai boxing and hiking.Fuelling the experience is cuisine from RAKxas two restaurants Unam and Ukhao eachguided by an anti-inflammatory philosophy and centred on local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients. Cooking classes and organic food lectures are also on the menu.

See original here:
RAKxa in Bangkok is a fully integrative medical wellness retreat - Globetrender

The practice of medicine is rapidly changing. Physicians can no longer afford to keep small, private practices with personalized care open for business. Soaring medical malpractice premiums along with high rent costs, staff salaries and uncompensated administrative burdens have physicians searching for a more cost-effective solution.

The Affordable Care Act, with high deductibles, turned doctors into collection agencies chasing unpaid deductibles. Many are finding the only alternative is to become employees of a large healthcare system or group. These systems tend to require physicians to keep referrals in house, essentially crushing small private practices that are not in their network. Hedge funds and venture capitalists who are buying up these practices are finding out that physician productivity drops once doctors become 95 employees. Patients dont like the new medicine where they are rushed in and out of an appointment while the doctor is busy inputting data on a tablet or computer.

There is a growing national movement of patients seeking private care, concierge care and integrative medicine. These patients are seeking an attentive physician who will give them the time and attention they require to seek and get answers for their visit. I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Magdalena Swierczewski, a board-certified internal medicine doctor who received her training at NYU Medical Center in New York. When asked what is Integrative medicine, Dr. Swierczewski explained that it is a healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.

As defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health, Integrative medicine combines the mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness. Integrative health care often brings conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. It emphasizes a holistic, patient-focused approach to healthcare and wellness-often including mental, emotional, functional, spiritual, social, and community aspects-and treating the whole person rather than, for example, one organ system. It aims for well-coordinated care between different providers and institutions.

When I asked Dr. Swierczewski what are the principles of integrative medicine, she explained that it was a partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process and the appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the bodys innate healing response. She went on to say that they consider all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body. They adhere to a philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically. Dr. Swierczewski recognizes that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry driven, and be open to new paradigms as well as using natural, effective and less invasive interventions whenever possible.

She also tries to use broader concepts of the promotion of health and prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease. One of the goals as physician educators is the training of practitioners to be models of health and healing, committed to the process of self-exploration and self-development. Dr. Swierczewski stated, My mission is to help each patient achieve their optimal health through various treatment modalities, which are founded in Conventional as well as Integrative Complementary Medicine. My goal is to choose scientifically validated therapies from both conventional and CAM systems. I am not wedded to a particular dogma, Western or Eastern, only to the get-the-patient-better philosophy.

All acute and chronic medical problems/concerns are addressed using conventional internal medicine along with (if requested) Integrative Complimentary Medicine to achieve optimal health. Her practice offers 24/7 access to her via phone, email or video, face-to-face extended appointment time (90120 minute initial visit), same-day sick visits, and home visits/house calls.

I asked the doctor if the patient would be seeing her or a medical assistant, which seems to be the new normal, and she responded by telling me in her practice she spends two hours with her patient on the initial visit. Followup exams are one hour, during which physical exams are done with vitals; bloodwork and labs are reviewed as well as medication and supplement reviews, along with a medical plan. In most conventional offices, the patient is lucky to get 15 minutes with the physician, and sometimes they are only seen by the physicians assistant. Dr. Swierczewski stressed that her practice is focused on face-to-face patient-to-doctor extended visits.

Dr. Swierczewski limits the number of patients in her practice. This enables her to give the highest quality of care to each and every patient. She prides herself on getting to know her patients well on a medical and personal level as it pertains to their medical treatment. By doing this, she stressed that she can better understand and discover the root cause of disease which allows her to formulate a treatment plan that heals the patient and creates their optimal health.

The last question I posed to Dr. Swierczewski was why she went into medicine. Her response was that she comes from a long line of doctors, teachers and artists. She enjoys working with people and getting to know them with the intention of helping them get back to balance with body, mind and soul. There are not many things more satisfying than truly helping transform a persons life to optimal health and wellness.

It seems like private care is growing in America like Harley Street in London, where people seek private care outside the long waits and rationed care of socialized medicine.

Peter Michalos, MD is Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons; Past President of Medical Staff and Past Chief of Surgery Southampton Hospital; Chairman Hamptons Health Society. He has been a resident of Southampton for three decades.

Read this article:
Health on the Frontlines: Integrative and Concierge Medicine Explained - Dan's Papers

When you hear the word "integrative," does it make you think of "woo-woo" pseudoscience?I'm here to tell you the reality is far from that. Integrative care simply means blending the best of modern, Western medicine with ancient and holistic practicesand I, like many experts, believe it's truly the future of health care.

It is a common misconception that integrative doctors don't believe in or follow science. I was trained in pediatrics at one of the top-rated Western pediatric residencies in America, and my partner trained in an Ivy League pediatric program.Science always guides our decisions.

Modern medicine is amazing and wonderful. We have cures for diseases that caused major suffering just a few years ago.If your child gets pneumonia, we have antibiotics that can heal them within days.If your child gets injured, there is technology like X-rays and MRIs that can show us exactly what is going on.This is nothing short of magic.

But unfortunately, in today's medical system, we focus our attention far more on treatment than on prevention or the root cause of disease. In many scenarios, we don't need to use a medication, but Western medicine is often quick to jump to a pill. That's because today's doctors (myself included) were taught all about pharmaceutical medicine, and it's often the only solution we know.

Integrative medicine doesn't reject pharmaceutical interventions but rather expands a practitioner's options to support the body.An integrative pediatrician may use supplements, tinctures, or ancient healing practices in place or alongside medications. The trick is in balancing those two worlds and recognizing when it would be unsafe to use a natural option in place of a medication.

Integrative pediatricians come in all shapes and sizes. Some are generalists who perform all regular pediatric functions with a natural spin.Others are more specialized and focus on specific conditions like autism, ADHD, cancer, behavior issues, Lyme disease, PANDAS/PANS, autoimmune conditions, gut health issues, and others.

Originally posted here:
I'm An Integrative Pediatrician & This Is What People Get Wrong About My Job - mindbodygreen.com

As COVID-19 surges across Minnesota and state hospitals near capacity, Sahan Journal checked in with a Minneapolis community health clinic to see how immigrant populations are coping.

Roli Dwiveldi is the chief clinic officer at Community-University Health Care Center in Minneapolis Ventura Village Neighborhood. A federally qualified health center, CUHCC specializes in serving patients who dont have health insurance.

Roughly 40 percent of CUHCCs patients are Black and East African, about 23 percent Latino, and the rest are white, Asian and indigenous.

Instead of contracting COVID-19 from going to the bars at night or informal gatherings, Dwiveldi said most of CUHCCs patients are contracting the virus from their living situation or workplace.

Many also dont have easy access to COVID-19 testing, which is why CUHCC has been going to their homes and neighborhoods periodically with mobile testing events.

We spoke with Dwiveldi about how the recent COVID-19 surge is affecting immigrant populations, what people can do to protect themselves, and what to expect in the coming months once a vaccine becomes available.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.

What has your COVID-19 patient volume looked like recently? Has it gone up as infections across the state have gone up?

Dr. Dwiveldi: Yes, definitely. The disparities are real, especially in our Latinx communities, our Black communities, and our indigenous and Native American populations.

The reason the disparities exist is because of the social determinants of health, which can be access to care, transportation, language barriers, and how a lot of folks are essential employees. To respond to these needs, we bring teams of folks to the communities to provide testing.

In the last couple of weeks theres been more demand for testing. Last week, in just three hours we had 40 patients show up for the testing.

Are patients who know theyre infected with the virus coming to the clinic to be treated?

We are trying to keep patients in their houses and provide the care that they need there. The main things that matter is if our patients have access to medication, to food, to supportive care. We serve a lot of patients who experience homelessness. So, having connections in the communities to provide housing so that they can quarantine themselves is key. In my mind, that is safer than getting medicine.

How many of your patients are experiencing mild and moderate symptoms versus serious symptoms?

Most of the patients are in the younger age group, up to age 35 or 40, and they are experiencing mild to moderate illness. Weve had some folks in their 70s or 80s who needed hospitalization to stabilize, and then they got discharged. The majority of folks are mild to moderate illnesses and can be managed at home.

What medications are you recommending for patients infected with COVID-19?

At CUHCC, one of our providers is very interested in integrative medicine. We have been recommending a lot of immune boosters like vitamin D, vitamin C, melatonin, black seed oil. If someone has a fever, then we recommend hydration and Tylenol. We had a patient with signs and symptoms of pneumonia. In that case, we will treat them with antibiotics and inhalers.

How long are symptoms in patients generally lasting?

It is unpredictable. There are acute symptoms and then there are chronic symptoms. Acute symptoms like a fever might resolve within two weeks; a cough might resolve in three weeks. But chronic symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, fogginessall those can take several weeks, or up to two or three months.

How are most of your patients getting infected? From the state level, were hearing the leading cause in recent weeks is people going out to restaurants and bars.

For us it is more like experiencing homelessness, living in crowded housing, being an essential employeethose are the factors which are mainly responsible for infection. Things like living in public housing, working in a crowded environment. People have a fear that if they dont go back to work they might lose their job.

There are some people who have not been able to follow recommendations like wearing a mask or keeping good hygiene because they dont have access to those things.

Because of the disparities, a lot of our patients also have uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled asthma, obesity, and heart problems. The bottom line is systemic inequities lead to comorbidities and put many of our patients at a higher risk of getting a severe COVID-19 illness.

What percentage of CUHCCs COVID-19 testing are coming back positive?

In the beginning we were around 25-26 percent. But since we launched mobile testing and started doing larger events, we are at 16 percent. I know this is way, way higher than the state or national average. (Editors note: Since the pandemic began in March, the overall number of peoples COVID-19 tests who came back positive across the state is 7 percent as of November 20. But positive rates across the state have increased sharply in recent weeks. Minnesotas most recent seven-day average was 15 percent.)

Are you advising the community to act any differently than a few months ago, given the recent surge of infections?

Religious gatherings are very common in the communities we serve. I have been asking people to not go to mosques, dont be engaged in any social or religious gatherings. Just pray at home. Also, I get a lot of questions from our patients like, Well, if I had it once, that means I had it and I cannot get it again. No, you can get it again, even if you had it once.

A lot of our community members are following masking guidance but are not using the masks correctly. So we have done a lot of education around using the masks correctly.

Come to the clinic only if it is needed. We can provide care by telehealth. Some patients dont want to come to the clinic at all because there is so much fear of, If I go to the clinic I will get the virus. While the other population, they will be coming to the clinic all the time because it is hard for them to do telehealth. Were trying to find the balance and making sure that we have adequate access for the people who need to come to the clinic to get the care, and also provide adequate care to the people at home. We have done a lot of work on telehealth education, setting up people on My Chart and engaging our interpreters to do education at mobile testing events.

Any other guidelines you want to tell people right now?

Stay home when you are sick; dont step outside at all. If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, quarantine. Take a lot of immune boosters. Stay healthy by eating healthy and also taking vitamin D and vitamin C, elderberry juiceall the immune boosters that can keep you safe.

Have you started talking to patients about the coming COVID-19 vaccine?

We have, and it is going to be a very long journey. It will be very hard to immunize the number of people to get the effectiveness where we want to be. There is so much fear and lack of trust around the vaccine. We will have to break so many barriers. I am working on a task force with community-based researchers, physicians from different health care systems, a lot of members from the Somali community, the Latinx community and Native American communities to build messaging around the vaccine. It will require a lot of work.

Have you come up with ways to earn community trust over the vaccine yet?

I had a meeting with an imam a few weeks ago, and we started talking about it. The best way will be engaging leaders that the community already trusts. I can say a hundred things and people might not understand or trust or believe me. But if a community leaderespecially a religious leader says something that the community can understand and process, it can go a long way.

We will be transparent with what the data is showing about the vaccine. Ultimately, our job is to be as honest as we can be to put the communities we serve in the drivers seat so they have the power to make the decision to get vaccinated.

Read the original:
Access to medicine, food and supportive care: A clinic serving immigrant communities focuses on keys to getting people through the COVID-19 surge. -...

NEWTOWN, PA A local family physician has opened a drive-up COVID-19 testing site in Newtown.

In response to rising COVID-19 cases in Bucks County, Dr. Lori Gerber, owner of Refresh Integrative Medicine & Aesthetics on North State Street, has opened a drive-up COVID-19 testing center in lower Bucks County.

"There are not a lot of testing options in this area right now, and I felt the need was pretty dire," Dr. Gerber in a news release. "Instead of only offering testing to my patients, I decided to work with a fast, dependable lab to better serve the entire community."

The test site opened on Tuesday at 530 Washington Crossing Road in Newtown, in the parking lot of Congregation Brothers of Israel.

A modular trailer has been set up where patients take a deep nasal swab test, which detects genetic material of the coronavirus. The sample is shipped overnight via Fed-Ex to a lab in Virginia, with an estimated turnaround time of 72 hours. Patients receive results directly from the lab via text message, and those who receive a positive test for the virus will receive a call from Dr. Gerber or a member of her team.

Testing is by appointment only and patients can schedule online. Both cash and insurance are accepted. For those without health insurance, the out-of-pocket cost for a test is $125.

Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Click here to schedule an appointment.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said she expects masks will be necessary "well into" 2021. "Maybe until the end of 2021."

By Kara Seymour, Patch Staff

Go here to read the rest:
COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing Site Opens In Newtown - Patch.com

With just under two weeks to go, we are excited to share some of the latest confirmed speakers at VOICES, BoFs annual gathering for big thinkers.

Farfetch founder, chairman & chief executive Jos Neves joins Alibaba Group president J. Michael Evans in their first live conversation about the recent game-changing partnership with Richemont.

The renowned sleep expert Matt Walker joins Oura chief executive Harpreet Rai in a discussion about the science of sleep.

Rent the Runway co-founder & chief executive Jennifer Hyman will share her learnings on the pandemics impact on the fashion rental model.

Belgian economist Jan-Emmanuel De Neve will reveal insights on wellbeing, productivity, economic growth and inequality from The World Happiness Report.

Deepak Chopra, the New York Times best-selling author and pioneer of integrative medicine, and Carmen Busquets, investor and entrepreneur, will speak on how meditation can awaken the mind.

Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, a leading racial justice organisation driven by more than 7.2 million members who are building power for Black communities, will speak on the global racial reckoning of 2020.

Sinad Burke, activist and advocate for disability, will speak to Samira Nasr, editor-in-chief of Harpers Bazaar on inclusion in fashion and media.

Designer Jonathan Anderson and artist Anthea Hamilton will speak to BoFs Tim Blanks about their recent groundbreaking creative collaboration for Tate Britain.

Virgil Abloh, artistic director of Louis Vuitton Men will speak to Paul Davison, chief executive and co-founder of Clubhouse, the pioneering social audio app.

Discover the full agenda for VOICES 2020, where you can see an overview of each session and all the global experts we are convening for the fashion industrys most anticipated annual conference.

If youre a BoF Professional member, register here. If youre not, learn more and sign up for a 30-day trial to BoF Professional, which includes access to VOICES 2020.

For senior executives who want to go deeper, a VOICES 2020 Executive Pass will give you a more immersive VOICES experience.

VOICES 2020 is made possible in part through our partners McKinsey & Company, Affirm, SCAD and Invisible Collection.

BoFs ANNUAL GATHERING FOR BIG THINKERS

VOICES brings together the movers, shakers and trailblazers of the global fashion industry and unites them with the big thinkers, entrepreneurs and inspiring people who are shaping the wider world, hosted by BoF founder and editor-in-chief, Imran Amed, and led by BoF's expert editors and correspondents. Register now to reserve your spot.

1. THE WIDER WORLD: Making sense of 2020 and charting a way forward2. INSIDE THE FASHION SYSTEM: Addressing the industrys most important challenges and opportunities3. TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: Exploring how new technologies will change consumer behaviour4. REINVENTING RETAIL: Understanding how forces accelerated by the pandemic are completely reshaping the retail landscape5. LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE: Finding the balance, insight and inspiration to be the most authentic, healthy version of yourself

JOIN US FOR A GLOBAL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY

This year, VOICES will be delivered via a live broadcast adapted to the unique circumstances of the Covid-19 era and BoF Professional and BoF Professional Student members anywhere in the world can take part in this live global conversation as the industry looks ahead to 2021. If you are not a member, sign up today with our 30 day trial, including access to VOICES 2020.

Continue reading here:
Learn from Leaders at Farfetch, Alibaba and Rent the Runway at VOICES 2020 | BoF - The Business of Fashion

The new year is always a good time to 'reset' your life and implement new and improved health and fitness habits.

Maintaining new routines isnt easy, but here are four wellness retreats around the world that will help put the architecture in place that you need to live better.

Following the opening of Revivo in Bali in 2018, the brand will be launching a new wellness retreat in the Tarn region of France, in summer 2021.

Revivo Chteau de Fiac will take over a renovated castle on a three-hectare estate, and will feature 16 bedrooms, as well as a salt cave, a spa offering massages and hydrotherapy, bootcamp circuits, and the chance to eat freshly grown vegetables from the on-site garden.

Revivo is a proponent of teaching mind-body connectivity so always incorporates physical activity such as yoga with art classes and meditation, for example.

Also opening in spring/summer 2021, Qatars Zulal Wellness Resort will be the Middle Easts inaugural full-immersion wellness destination and the worlds first centre for traditional Arabic Islamic medicine.

Operated by wellness pioneer Chiva-Som, Zulal will have 120 rooms in a Family Wellness enclave, and 60 suites and villas in a separate zone for adults-only.

Just one hours drive away from Doha International airport, the extravagant hideaway will prescribe healing methods based on centuries of knowledge provided by Islamic medicinal historians and herbalists.

Situated in northern Goa, India, Kings Mansion will join Revivo and Zulal in making its debut in 2021.

Bringing together science and genomics with Ayurvedic medicine, the cutting-edge retreat will offer six wellbeing programmes, including areas such as:

Stays are a minimum of one week and both the Shodhana and Kshipra Shodhana detox programmes require a DNA test before arrival. These tests are to determine genetic pre-dispositions for certain health conditions, thereby allowing for highly personalised treatments.

Located on Lake Constance in southern Germany, Buchinger Wilhelmi is a hotel-clinic specialising in therapeutic fasting and integrative medicine.

In September it launched a new Immunity+ programme that is designed to boost wellbeing (with the specific aim of reducing the risk of getting Covid-19), and is bookable as a 110 add-on to its fasting packages.

After guests have been given a quick blood test on arrival to make sure they dont have Covid, they then get to relax in luxurious surroundings while embarking on a calorie-restricted regime (ten days costs 2,340 per person), which includes nurse checks, consultations with a doctor, daily activities, and a menu of freshly-made vegetable bouillon and pressed fruit juices.

Dr Francoise Wilhelmi de Toledo, scientific director at Buchinger Wilhelmi, explains, When you fast, all your digestive processes are in rest. Without needing the energy to digest, all stresses are diminished and you actually need less immunity.

"During this time, you change your microbiome. You stimulate the lungs, skin, kidneys, liver and the system itself triggers autophagy an extraordinary capacity of the body to eliminate damaged cellular structures. When you fast, you activate stem cells to rejuvenate immune cells.

Jenny Southan is editor and founder of travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender.

See original here:
Four life-changing wellness retreats from around the world - Euronews