StemCell Therapy

The World Health Organization (WHO) said health care workers make up about1 in6 cases of coronavirus around the world and more than a third of cases in some countries.

While health workers represent less than 3% of the population in the large majority of countries and less than 2% in almost all low- and middle-income countries, around 14% of COVID-19 cases reported to WHO are among health workers, the health agency said in a statement Thursday.

Our country is in a historic fight against the Coronavirus. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

In some countries, the proportion can be as high as 35%, the WHO said, noting that COVID-19 has exposed health workers and their families to unprecedented levels of risk and thousands have lost their lives globally.

The WHO noted that its data was limited as its not possible to determine whether medical front line workers were infected in the workplace or in their community setting. The numbers could also be skewed because health workers are typically prioritized for testing.

The pandemic has also placed tremendous psychological stress on health care workers battling the virus on the front lines. In addition to the physical risk, the WHO said a recent review found one in four health workers reported experiencing depression and anxiety during the outbreak, and one in three suffered insomnia.

During a news briefing marking World Patient Safety Day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged governments to address the threats health workers face and announced the launch of the Health Worker Safety Charter. The charter includes steps to better protect workers and improve their mental health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded all of us of the vital role health workers play to relieve suffering and save lives, Tedros said. No country, hospital or clinic can keep its patients safe unless it keeps its health workers safe.

READ MOREABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN AMERICA

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCIENTISTS FIND ANTIBODY THAT NEUTRALIZES CORONAVIRUS

WHEN IS THE COVID VACCINE COMING? HERES WHERE THE BEST CANDIDATES ARE RIGHT NOW.

WHO REPORTS THERE WAS A RECORD-BREAKING ONE-DAY INCREASE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES ON SUNDAY

MAJORITY OF AMERICANS FEAR POLITICAL PRESSURE WILL RUSH CORONAVIRUS VACCINE

Original post:
Health workers make up 1 in 7 reported coronavirus infections, WHO says | TheHill - The Hill

Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market Research Report by Technology (Antisense, Crispr, Talen, and Zfn), by Application (Cell Line Engineering, Diagnostic Applications, Drug Discovery & Development, and Genetic Engineering) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market Research Report by Technology, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05953106/?utm_source=GNW

The Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market is expected to grow from USD 4,901.67 Million in 2019 to USD 14,012.67 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.13%.

Market Segmentation & Coverage:This research report categorizes the Genome Editing/Genome Engineering to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:

Based on Technology, the Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market studied across Antisense, Crispr, Talen, and Zfn.

Based on Application, the Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market studied across Cell Line Engineering, Diagnostic Applications, Drug Discovery & Development, and Genetic Engineering. The Genetic Engineering further studied across Animal Genetic Engineering and Plant Genetic Engineering.

Based on Geography, the Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.

Company Usability Profiles:The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market including Creative Biogene, Crispr Therapeutics, Editas Medicine, Epigenie, Eurofins Scientific SE, Genscript Biotech, Horizon Discovery Group PLC, Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., Intellia Therapeutics, Inc., Lonza Group AG, Merck & Co., Inc., New England Biolabs, OriGene Technologies, Inc., Oxford Genetics Ltd., Precision Biosciences, Sangamo Therapeutics, Synthego Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., and Vigene Bioscience Inc..

FPNV Positioning Matrix:The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.

Competitive Strategic Window:The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.

Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments

The report answers questions such as:1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market?2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market during the forecast period?3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market?4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market?5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market?6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market?Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05953106/?utm_source=GNW

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Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market Research Report by Technology, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 -...

Early in the morning of August 31st, 2020, as Salisha Odum owner/operator of Salishas Delicious Organic Produce, readied her daughter for online school, they both responded immediately to the sound of a plane flying close, at low altitude, to their house and fields.

The plane flew back and forth several times over the course of an hour, and by the third pass, Salisha said the unknown chemicals settled on the land.

Thats when I smelled the chemicals. And then I kind of got sick and dizzy and you know, wasnt feeling good at that time either we were out taking videos because what had happened in the past we wanted to get some footage if we could, Odum said.

Salishas photo records show a plane she traced back to Frey Spray LLC.

The Ally contacted Frey Spray owner Jerry Frey. He denied the allegation.

We werent flying over her house and we werent spraying over her house. Her field was a long ways away and no one else complained next door, Frey said in a phone interview.

Frey Spray LLC

Jerry Frey and Frey Spray are busy, with upwards of seven farm contracts a day, covering 600 acres on average, flying every day during the growing season.

They also spray 11,000 acres for the Churchill County Mosquito, Vector, and Noxious Weed Abatement District. The yearly contract for combatting mosquitos nears $100,000 annually.

Jerry is on the frontline of combatting vector-borne illness like malaria, dengue fever, and West Nile virus. If Zika virus were to arrive in Nevada, Jerry would probably be among the first to know.

Records obtained through the Nevada Department of Agriculture show that the Frey plane was spraying two pesticides on August 31: Fastac CS Insecticide and Yuma 4E Insecticide. Fastac CS is a class 3A insecticide, meaning in part that it is a pyrethroid.

As well as the effects suffered by Salisha, in more recent studies (by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry), this class of insecticides are shown to be possibly carcinogenic at higher levels of exposure. And the Yuma 4E in the class 1B, comes with warnings on its label:

Harmful If Absorbed Through Skin. Causes Moderate Eye Irritation Do not apply this product in a way that will contact workers or other persons, either directly or through drift. Only protected handlers may be in the area during application.

Frey Spray works as far afield as Battle Mountain, Minden/Gardnerville, Yerrington, Winnemucca, and Lovelock.

I asked Jerry Frey about sprays he was using on that day Salishas Delicious Organic Produce farm was allegedly sprayed: Yeahthat would take a long time to do (to describe) We use a horrible variety of that we go with whatever the EPA approves and calls for.

How many agents does Frey use?

Probably close to 100. We try to keep it confined to just a few and thats about as few as we can get; we could enlarge it and go to 200.

We asked if Jerry had any concerns about working so closely with all of these chemicals.

Theyve eliminated a lot of the caustic chemicals we just have to spray more often now, because they just left very weak products on the market. So everyone just has to spray more often. There never used to be this much spraying . . . So its just a matter of who controls the lawmaking, how far they can think ahead.

Jerry addresses permethrins (pesticides naturally derived from chrysanthemums) and pyrethroids (the chemically derived pesticides used in industrial agriculture).

Before Christ they discovered that certain extract other chrysanthemum plants killed worms real good, killed a lot of bugs real good. So of course were in the day and age we are now we reverse engineer it and we manufacture it by the gallon, thousands of gallons and a little bit does a lot.

And if youre sitting on your kitchen table in the gallon jug of this falls over and starts glugging out It could run onto a baby, a brand new born baby and not harm it at all. The salt shaker full of salt is more toxic than what is in that jug when we lean on those products a lot. Theyre called pyrethroids. And permethrins. The pyrethroids are the reverse-engineered. Weve been doing it for years Its just been a wonderful product. And they took a lot of nasty products off the marketthe press made them sound more nasty than they were but we dont care. So [the press has] a job to do. Alarms to ring anyway.

Salishas Delicious Organic Produce and the Challenges faced by Organic Farmers

Churchill County is a leading agricultural region in the state and home to 672 farms and ranches. Nearly $200 million in agricultural products are sold a year. Sixty-three percent of the farms are smaller than 49 acres.

Salisha is/was one of two certified organic farmers in the county at the time of press and is literally surrounded by industrial operations that hulk in size compared to the scale of her organic farm.

According to the USDA, 4 percent of all food sales in the nation are organic.

To achieve United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic certification, farmers must pass regular tests through the course of three years, showing their soil has no herbicide or pesticide residues. Farmers seeking organic certification have to keep their farms, records and practices open to examining inspectors throughout the entire course of the three-year process.

Organic crop and production practices are based on: soil building through composting; use of organic non-genetically modified seeds; crop rotation to keep soil biomes healthy and diverse (as well as to help mitigate pests); pest management relying on the PAMS (prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression) strategy, which is achieved through natural means only, except for a small list of USDA-approved synthetic pesticides.

According to the USDA, organic production is achieved through a combination of practices which promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity [while] avoiding use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering.

All of this with the aim to sustain and regenerate the very systems that raise nutritious wholesome food.

Conventional farming, also known as industrial agriculture, became more popular and widely practiced after WWII, largely in efforts to drive food yields and production up.

Synthetic chemical insecticides and pesticides are permitted and regulated through the Environmental Protection Agencys guidelines. Genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge are permissible in the practices of conventional farming.

Monocropping is also part of the industrial system, allowing for huge yields and productions of produce for human consumption, as well as fodder crops for animal feed. Many of the animals to which the fodder is fed are confined in large-scale farming operations (also known as CAFOs: confined animal farming operations), where they are living in unnaturally dense containment.

The animals are fed grain diets heavily supplemented by hormones for quick fattening and medications to stave off infections, sicknesses and diseases wrought by living in such unnatural proximity.

To treat industrial-scale fields, heavy and specialized machinery like giant tractor systems, airplanes, and helicopters are used to enable large-scale operations.

These practices were introduced with the goal to feed the world and eradicate hunger.

On June 16, 2016, Salisha said Frey Spray wrongly treated her property with glyphosate, an active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. Salisha sued Frey; and the parties settled out of court.

Weve had problems with [Salisha] before and had to go to court. And we never were proven to be wrong there, said Jerry Frey about the glyphosate incident.

Salisha recalls the preliminary court hearing.

Judge Stockard advised the Freys that they were not going to win in court, because we had forensic evidence . . . [positive tests for glyphosate] from the Nevada Department of Agriculture, and so they decided that they would go ahead and settle out of court and thats what we did.

It was only in late 2019 that Salisha was recertified USDA organic, after enduring that three-year period of glyphosate residues diminishing enough in her soils to regain the organic stamp.

Spraying these pesticides on a certified organic farm is a catastrophic event. Testing is underway at Salishas farm, but if these chemicals are present, she would lose her certification.

If Salisha were a conventional farmer, she would have to wait 30-60 days after insecticidal spraying for human consumption of these crops.

As an organic farmer, these same crops have to rest for at least 120 days for the current round of insecticide residue to diminish enough into the soil. To be organically saleable, the USDA must test the soil.

All of this disruption happened with only a couple weeks remaining at Salishas primary farmers market in Reno.

Salishas other main outlet, the Fallon Food Hub, now has a serious shortage of organic vegetables.

Planning for Next Season

As Salisha thinks ahead to her next growing season, she awaits the latest round of test results to decide her next course of action regarding the alleged spray-over of her farms, which could mean possible litigation.

Now are the days of big harvest. Many crops are coming in, and lots of sales will be made. Meanwhile, Salishas turned the water off. She has chalked-up the rest of 2020 as a loss.

A lot of work I put in is pretty much wasted Its my preference not to buy food at the store if I dont have to, because if I can go out there and know whats in the product and its got my work in there too, you know, its even better I agree with my customers that my food tastes the best. I truly believe that thats what got me into this in the first place, is wanting to have good food.

All Im really worried about is being an organic farmer and feeding people good food. I mean, thats what I do in life, you know.

Salishas Delicious Organic Produce in Churchill County is a microcosm of organic farming in the United States. Clouds of prohibited chemical agents surround organic farms. Salisha says one farmers gold is another farmers poison.

I mean, if you look at the list of the toxicity on this stuff, its utterly crazy that anybody would even think about putting it on food this is a problem that I know that the United States is facing and its probably not just my farm whos has to go through things like this. And so Im hoping that maybe we can just bring awareness to whats actually going on, and maybe also bring awareness to [the sprayers] as to the effects that it has on people

Once youve been actually exposed to these chemicals, then you can honestly say, I know this is not good for me.

This stuff is poison. And I dont understand why today we call things that are poison, not poison. Back when I was a kid, we put a skull and crossbones on poison. You dont see that anymore. And to me, thats a scary thing.

Anthony Postman writes about agriculture, sustainability and the environment for the Ally. Support his work.

Originally posted here:
Alleged Pesticide Spraying of organic farm in Fallon highlights the differences between organic and conventional agriculture - The Sierra Nevada Ally

Organoids, which originate from stem cells, are a tool with great potential for modeling tissue and disease biology. The idea is to build miniature tissues and organs that accurately resemble and behave like their real counterparts. But there have been limitations to their development. A new study has taken organoids a step further by inducing intestinal stem cells to form tube-shaped epithelia with an accessible lumen and a similar spatial arrangement of crypt- and villus-like domains to that in vivo. These mini-intestines also retain key physiological hallmarks of the intestine and have a notable capacity to regenerate.

The work is published in Nature in the paper titled, Homeostatic mini-intestines through scaffold-guided organoid morphogenesis.

Organoids could complement animal testing by providing healthy or diseased human tissues, expediting the lengthy journey from lab to clinical trial. Beyond that, organoid technology may hold promise, in the long-term, to replace damaged tissues or even organs in the future. For example, by taking stem cells from a patient and growing them into a new liver, heart, kidney, or lung.

So far, established methods of making organoids come with considerable drawbacks: stem cells develop uncontrollably into circular and closed tissues that have a short lifespan, as well as non-physiological size and shape, all of which result in overall anatomical and/or physiological inconsistency with real-life organs.

Now, scientists from the group led by Matthias Ltolf, PhD, professor at EPFLs Institute of Bioengineering, have found a way to guide stem cells to form an intestinal organoid that looks and functions just like real tissue. The method exploits the ability of stem cells to grow and organize themselves along a tube-shaped scaffold that mimics the surface of the native tissue, placed inside a microfluidic chip.

The researchers used a laser to sculpt the gut-shaped scaffold within a hydrogel, a soft mix of crosslinked proteins found in the guts extracellular matrix supporting the cells in the native tissue. Aside from being the substrate on which the stem cells could grow, the hydrogel thus also provides the form or geometry that would build the final intestinal tissue.

Once seeded in the gut-like scaffold, within hours, the stem cells spread across the scaffold, forming a continuous layer of cells with its characteristic crypt structures and villus-like domains. Then came a surprising result: the scientists found that the stem cells arranged themselves in order to form a functional tiny gut.

It looks like the geometry of the hydrogel scaffold, with its crypt-shaped cavities, directly influences the behavior of the stem cells so that they are maintained in the cavities and differentiate in the areas outside, just like in the native tissue, said Ltolf. The stem cells didnt just adapt to the shape of the scaffold, they produced all the key differentiated cell types found in the real gut, with some rare and specialized cell types normally not found in organoids.

Intestinal tissues are known for the highest cell turnover rates in the body, resulting in a massive amount of shed dead cells accumulating in the lumen of the classical organoids that grow as closed spheres and require weekly breaking down into small fragments to maintain them in culture. The introduction of a microfluidic system allowed us to efficiently perfuse these mini-guts and establish a long-lived homeostatic organoid system in which cell birth and death are balanced, said Mike Nikolaev, a graduate student and the first author of the paper.

The researchers demonstrated that these miniature intestines share many functional features with their in vivo counterparts. For example, they can regenerate after massive tissue damage and they can be used to model inflammatory processes or host-microbe interactions in a way not previously possible with any other tissue model grown in the laboratory.

In addition, this approach is broadly applicable for the growth of miniature tissues from stem cells derived from other organs such as the lung, liver, or pancreas, and from biopsies of human patients. Our work, explained Ltolf, shows that tissue engineering can be used to control organoid development and build next-gen organoids with high physiological relevance, opening up exciting perspectives for disease modeling, drug discovery, diagnostics, and regenerative medicine.

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Intestinal Organoid Built That Looks and Functions Like Real Tissue - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

On Sept. 15, Dr. Frances Arnold, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering at California Institute of Technology, gave the fall John R. and Donna S. Hall Engineering Lecture to over 700 participants over Zoom.

The lecture covered the concept of directed evolution, for which Arnold was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Directed evolution uses lab technologies that create mutations in a pre-selected gene. These genes are then used to manufacture the mutated enzymes, which are then tested for function. Enzymes that help facilitate the reaction are selected and the process continues until the scientist is satisfied with the results.

The Hustler spoke with Dr. Frances Arnold on a Sept. 15 Zoom call about how she overcomes roadblocks, what inspires her and her advice to students.

Vanderbilt Hustler: What is a concept that still amazes you to this day?

Dr. Frances Arnold: Evolution, I think its amazing that such a simple engineering process can solve such complex problems. Were just at the beginning of this whole idea that you can reprogram the biological world, and use evolution to do it. Its mind-boggling. Youre lucky youre young. Youre going to see such incredible advances, such amazing things that you can do with biology.

When you face a roadblock in a project, what is the first thing you do?

It depends how big the roadblock is. If its an important problem, and Ive got to get over it, I find other ways to solve the same problems. Just as often I say, its not really worth getting over that roadblock, lets turn right and see whats over there.

Especially for engineers, this is one of the treasures of being an engineer. Were trying to make things that nobody has made before. Were trying to understand where we can go with, say, reprogramming the biological world. So, if you cant do one thing, there are 500,000 other things that you can do, so I think its important to adapt to roadblocks.

Could you talk about what motivated you to go into chemical engineering? You got your undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering at Princeton; what guided you after you had that strong foundation?

When I was a mechanical engineer, I wanted to engineer the most complicated things on the planet, and to me, that was an airplane or rocket ship. I took this job in Brazil and was looking at ethanol fuels and engineering something like biofuels. I realized that human engineering complexity is the tiniest fraction of the complexity of the biological world and not nearly as elegant. I love how a bird flies. There are very different solutions to the same problem, but the biological solutions are so amazing.

So, I decided to go into chemical engineering as a graduate student, mainly to try to do biofuels research, but of course, that was the end of that. Reagan was the new president. Cars were getting long again, and no one cared about energy efficiency. But it was the beginning of the DNA revolution, so I said, there is a whole new world of biological engineering that Im going to be part of. Chemical engineering was a great way to combine chemistry, biology and engineering.

At that time, was chemical engineering fairly separated from the biological sciences?

Chemical engineering has a long history of dealing with biological processes, but they werent doing it using genetic engineering, they were doing it at the process design level ethanol plants and agriculture and food science and things like that. But what happened starting in the later [19]70s and early [19]80s is that these new techniques of recombinant DNA technology started to become available.

I and other people realized that you could solve engineering problems at the level of the catalyst. If you could design a better catalyst, you could solve all sorts of process problems. We took the long history of chemical engineering and grew this new protein engineering out of it.

What do you see as the future of the enzymes you are making?

I dream of the day that all the synthetic chemists will be replaced by bacteria. (laughs) It makes me popular in the chemistry circles. Think about it, if you could just genetically encode all these transformations, you could take renewable resources to anything you want.

You worked at the forefront of the variety of disciplines, chemistry, biology, engineering as well as agriculture. Is there anything you are more interested in learning more about?

Im learning more about everything everyday. I take on new jobs, Im on the board of directors of Alphabet [Google parent company], so Im learning about antitrust suits. The world is a fascinating place. Theres lots of science, but theres lots of other interesting and important things to learn about. Im always listening to seminars and getting ideas, it never stops.

Beyond science, in college, what were some of the things that formulated the perspectives you have today?

That was my problem. I became a mechanical engineer because that had the fewest number of requirements. Then I could take Russian, Italian, French, economics and development. At Princeton, its a very liberal arts school, but also a good engineering school. I was able to learn a lot of different things and explore different ideas.

I think thats very important as a young person because you never know where your inspiration will come from. I also took a lot of time off. I lived in Spain, Italy, Brazil. You never know when something is going to be useful to you later on.

One problem with the educational system is that it is more eye-closing than eye-opening.

How are you able to go beyond calculations and keep an open mind in the sciences and engineering?

All I have to do is remember all the people who told me that what I was doing was a total waste of time. One group said it was impossible; another it wasnt worth doing anyway. These were top scientists, and they really thought they knew. So, I think we all should be humble in thinking what is worth doing and thinking we know the answers because all sorts of crazy surprises come up.

[Students] go and think everything is known. Will there be room for me? Will I be able to make fundamental advances? I felt that same way when I was an undergrad and yet there is so much that is unknown. There is so much gold out there to discover and uncover if you dont close your eyes to it. One problem with the educational system is that it is more eye-closing than eye-opening.

One problem with the educational system is that it is more eye-closing than eye-opening.

What has been your favorite class to teach?

I love teaching my biomolecular engineering class. I have a debate with a rational designer, another faculty member at Caltech, who rationally designs complex molecules and I am the evolutionist. We just throw tomatoes at each other across the room, and students love it. They see the debate in real-time and then they have to make a decision of who is right and who is wrong. Are they both right? When do I use one method versus the other? Thats a fun one.

Do you look more to biology or chemistry when facing a problem?

It really depends. If we are looking for new chemistry to do a chemical reaction that a human has invented, you start with chemistry. What is the mechanism? Is there a protein that looks remotely like this? So, you are inspired by the chemistry. On the other hand, if you want to understand how evolution works, there is no chemistry in that. It is much more in the biology side.

I run a big research group now and almost all the problems are brought in by students and postdocs. My job is to be an editor of ideas rather than the generator of ideas. They are all going to have their own training and way of looking at it and I try not to close their eyes.

At what point did you become interested in preserving the environment?

I was already interested in alternative energy coming out of college. That was part of the environmental problem, but it was more about stability and sustainability. How can we become independent from the Middle East? So, it was also political. As my career has gone on, I see the tremendous destruction that we are doing to the planet. It just becomes worse and worse, so I have become much more interested in trying to limit environmental degradation.

How are you able to carry out such wide-ranging projects?

They are not my ideas. The insect pheromone (Provivi) was my former students who said, I want to take these methods I learned at Caltech and use them on a really important problem. So, that came out of that. That is the wonderful thing about having a technology that is simple to use. Directed evolution is really simple and fundamentally powerful.

All sorts of people will use it for really interesting things, and then I can take at least some tiny amount of credit. Evolution is everything in the biological world. It is not surprising that it has many applications in biotechnology.

How did you get interested in teaching and what inspires you to continue teaching?

I wanted to have no boss. That was the driving force to get me into academics. I have had lots of jobs over my lifetime, and the one thing I really didnt like was having a boss. I went into academics so that I could do what I was interested in. It is a lot of responsibility because you have to do something interesting, otherwise you get booted out.

I wanted to plot my own course. I probably wouldnt have chosen to teach, but I really like working with grad students. I like working with a team and I learned how to do that over the course of my career, so that teaching became more enjoyable as I got better at it.

Do you have advice for undergrad students pursuing engineering or chemistry?

Id like them to know that the horizon is wide open. The field is wide open. There is so much more to do and discover. It is a great way to use your creativity to solve big problemsto do something good for the planet.

See the article here:
Q&A: Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Dr. Frances Arnold speaks to The Hustler about her inspiration and advice to students - The Vanderbilt Hustler

How seriously does one take Dr Li-Meng Yan? And how seriously does one take the paper Unusual Features of the Sars-CoV2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of its Probable Synthetic Route, published by her and co-authors, under the aegis of the Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation, New York, on September 14? As the title suggests, the paper claims the coronavirus was man-made, in a laboratory.

The paper was uploaded on open-source research repository Zenodo, run by CERN, and was reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday (bit.ly/33uFyy4). It wasnt as widely reported as Dr Yans comments in Loose Women, a segment of a TV show hosted by a UK TV channel, on which she pretty much said the same thing, albeit without any of the scientific arguments -- unsubstantiated ones -- presented in the paper.

Heres what that paper claimed:

One, ZC45, a bat virus, or a closely related variant or mutant, bears a striking similarity with Sars-CoV2, as shown by genome sequencing, with a 94%-100% similarity of key viral proteins.

The spike protein of Sars-CoV2 is essentially a trimer (essentially three parts) each of which has an S1 and S2 part with a furin cleavage site at the boundary between the two. Other research has already established that the human cellular enzyme furin cleaves, or breaks, the S1 and S2 unit at the cleavage site, and that the S1 unit then attaches to the ACE receptor, another protein found on the surface of most human cells. This binding then facilitates the entry of the viral protein into human cells. The virus ability to bind with the receptor, and the presence of the cleavage site that responds to a cannon human enzyme, are the reasons Covid-19 is as infective as it is.

Click here for complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Both the furin cleavage site, and the binding ability of the spike protein with the ACE2 receptor arent natural, the paper argued.

In their preface to this scientific hypothesis, the authors also claim that the process of creating such a virus in a laboratory could take only six months. They ask for further research and investigation into the origin of the virus. Even if their hypothesis is subsequently proven erroneous, this is a recommendation that no can argue with the origin of the virus needs to be investigated, not so much to assign blame (although there will be some that too), but to prepare for the next virus and the next pandemic.

Dr Yan, currently in the US, where she fled to in late April, is a virologist who used to work at the University of Hong Kong School of Public Health, and who has for long claimed that China knew of the virus and the fact that human-to-human transmission of the infection was happening, long before it let on. Her claims on the virus being man-made are more recent.

Interestingly, a March paper in Nature titled The Proximal Origin of Sars-Cov2, authored by Kristian G Andersen of Californias Scripps Research Institute, argued, again picking on the same two distinctive features of Sars-CoV2, that the virus was natural. The viral protein showed a high affinity to bind with the receptor, they said, but this interaction wasnt ideal or optimal. In plain English this meant that if anyone had set out to engineer the virus, they would have picked the ideal binding relation, not just another optimal one. The paper also said that there were other coronaviruses that had similar cleavage sites and that this wasnt unique to Sars-CoV2.

However, the two papers differ in one significant aspect. The one published in Nature said the genetic data irrefutably show that Sars-CoV2 is not derived from any previously used virus backbone. Dr Yans said (again, without substantiation that) a genomic sequence analysis reveals that ZC45, or a closely related bat coronavirus, should be the backbone used for the creation of Sars-CoV2.

Also read|Over 5,000 Indians died in West, East Asian countries amid Covid-19 pandemic: Govt informs Parliament

Dr Yans claims are also being seen through a political lens, with scientists in the US pointing out that the two non-profits that published the paper were linked to Steve Bannon, former Trump adviser and former executive chairman of the far-right Breitbart News, casting aspersions on the studys findings.

Clearly, only further research and investigation can shed light on the origin of the virus which has thus far infected 29,927,685 and killed 942,564 around the world. India ended Wednesday with 5,115,846 cases and 83,230 deaths.

But as Vivek Wadhwa, a columnist for this paper, a top technology thinker, and distinguished fellow at Harvard Law Schools Labor and Worklife Program, said in a recent article in Foreign Policy: If genetic engineering wasnt behind this pandemic, it could very well unleash the next one. Thats because, genetic engineering with all its potential for good and bad has become democratised, Wadhwa wrote.

Thanks to a technological revolution in genetic engineering, all the tools needed to create a virus have become so cheap, simple, and readily available that any rogue scientist or college-age biohacker can use them.

Original post:
Covid-19: What you need to know today - Hindustan Times

The Boston Cannabis Board yesterday approved a proposal by the city's first medicinal-marijuana dispensary, on Milk Street, to add recreational pot to its offerings and approved a number of proposed pot shops from East Boston to Roslindale.

The votes by the board do not mean the shops can now open - they still need to win approval from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, which can prove a lengthy process.

However, Patriot Care, which won city approval for its medical dispensary at 21 Milk St. after promising it would not seek to add "adult use" products, will get an expedited review for its shop because it already has approval to sell medical marijuana.

In its vote yesterday, the city board set several conditions on its approval, including that the new shop sell recreational pot only on an appointment basis for its first six months and that it would have to return to that model if, starting in the seventh month, lines start forming outside. Also, the shop can't sell "pre-rolled cannabis products," has to set a minimum order of $35, and has to include educational information about marijuana in each products.

Also yesterday, the board approved:

The board rejected a proposal by Dragon Vapors, LLC for a pot shop at 354-358 Chestnut Hill Ave. in Brighton and deferred until October a vote on a proposal by New Dia LLC for a pot shop that would share space in the building housing the Cask and Flagon across from Fenway Park.

The board approved a proposal by Beacon Compassion, Inc. for a medical dispensary at 1524 VFW Parkway in West Roxbury - it would go in the basement of the building that already houses a liquor store and a sex-toys shop.

Excerpt from:
Recreational pot wins nod in Downtown Crossing and across the city - Universal Hub

Its early days, says the Good Food Institute (GFI), but microbial fermentation is rapidly emerging as the third pillar in the alternative protein industry [alongside cell-cultured and plant-based]," attracting $435m in investment capital in 2020 alone.

Right now, producing protein whether from peas and soybeans or cows and chickens is resource-intensive and time-consuming, requiring large amounts of land, energy and water, says the GFI, which has just released a 72-page reporton fermentation in the alternative protein industry, arguing that itspotential is still largely untapped.

Put another way, it takes years to grow animals, and months or years to grow plants, while microbes can double their biomass in a matter of hours, as Natures Fynd CEO Thomas Jonas recently observed: Microbes are pretty damn efficient. They make great protein and they do it really fast.

Many microorganisms also offer innately high protein content (over 50% by dry weight) coupled with extraordinarily fast and self-sufficient growth, requiring only simple and inexpensive nutrient feedstocks, noted the GFI.

Fermentation-based products can also be manufactured from a distributed network of local production facilities using a fraction of the land, water, and inputs required to raise and feed animals with the added appeal of consistent quality, a lack of price volatility, and security of supply (plus it does not require killing animals on an industrial scale).

While many food ingredients, from enzymes (chymosin, a coagulating enzyme used in cheese production) to sweeteners (Reb M), vitamins (B12, Riboflavin), and colors (beta carotene) have been made via microbial fermentation for years, investment in a new wave of fermentation players focused on the alternative protein industry has exploded over the past two years.

Approaches vary, with some startups using synthetic biology (so-called precision fermentation) to write DNA sequences that can be inserted into microorganisms to instruct them to produce substances currently produced by mammals, from whey and casein proteins (Perfect Day), egg white (Clara Foods), and collagen (Geltor) to proteins found in human breast milk (Triton Algae Innovations).

Other are deploying precision fermentation to produce components that are found in plants, but can be produced more efficiently via fermentation. For example, Impossible Foods uses a genetically engineered yeast strain to produce its flagship meaty-tasting and red-colored ingredient leghemoglobin - heme - which is found in nodules attached to the roots of nitrogen-fixing plants such as soy.

A third group of companies (using so-called biomass fermentation) such as Natures Fynd,Meati Foods, Brewed Foods (Plentify), Air Proteinand Noblegen are growing naturally occurring organisms from protists and bacteria to extremophiles that are inherently high in protein.

Globally, fermentation companies devoted to alternative proteins received more than $274m in venture capital funding in 2019 and $435m in the first seven months of 2020 from investors such as Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Temasek and Horizons Ventures to major CPG and ingredients players such as Kellogg, ADM, Danone, Kraft Heinz, Mars and Tyson.

By mid-2020, 44 fermentation companies focused on alternative proteins had formed around the globe, while several of the worlds largest food and life science companies, including DuPont, Novozymes, and DSM, have also been developing fermentation-derived product lines and solutions tailored to the alternative protein industry, said GFI.

But they're still just scratching the surface, argued report authors Dr Liz Specht and Nate Crosser.

While fermentation has a rich history of use in food, as the modern era has demonstrated, its innovative potential is still largely untapped.

The vast biological diversity of microbial species, coupled with virtually limitless biological synthesis capabilities, translates to immense opportunity for novel alternative protein solutions to emerge from fermentation-based approaches.

Fermentation is a key means of producing animal-origin-free growth factors for cell-cultured meat production, with firms such as ORF Genetics, Richcore, and Peprotech now working in this space.

While some of the strain development work to identify and optimize microbes with potential in this segment uses tools such as gene editing and genetic engineering, noted the GFI, vast progress is also possiblethrough simple adaptation and breeding strategies powered by advanced genomic insights.

The urgency of the moment calls for bold research to explore novel hosts that could significantly outperform the incumbents.

More work is also needed to identify more cost effective or sustainable feedstocks (for the microbes) via converting waste products or agro-industrial byproducts into high-quality protein biomass, says the GFI, noting that the extremophile microorganism developed by Natures Fynd, for example, exhibits wide metabolic flexibility and therefore suitability to diverse feedstocks.

The organism used byAir Protein,meanwhile, uses components found in the air - notably carbon dioxide as feedstock.

This is just the beginning: The opportunity landscape for technology development is completely untapped in this area. Many alternative protein products of the future will harness the plethora of protein production methods now available, with the option of leveraging combinations of proteins derived from plants, animal cell culture, and microbial fermentation.

Dr. Liz Specht, associate director of science and technology, The Good Food Institute

But what about price?

According to the GFI, there is reason to believe that fermentation can achieve price parity with most products through a combination of approaches including increasing scale, improving volumetric productivity (better yields), and prolonging continuous bioprocessing (the longer a process runs continuously at its peak in steady-state growth, the more efficient the overall run will be because the cells are continuously harvested from their maximum productivity).

Fermentation is not just valuable in its own right, offering competitive prices, unparalleled functionality and scalability, and validated mechanisms for establishing and ensuring safety; it stands to revolutionize the entire alternative protein industry, with spillover applications in both plant-based products and cultivated meat.

In 2019, fermentation companies raised over 3.5 times more capital than all cell-cultured meat companies combined.

One aspect of the technology that is less explored in the report is consumer perception, which is less of an issue for companies using microbes to produce ingredients consumers already recognize such as whey or collagen, but could present novel challenges for companies making new-to-the-world ingredients, as Lever VC managing partner Nick Cooney told FoodNavigator-USA in a recent interview.

Consumer acceptance is definitely something we think about in the alternative proteins space when were evaluating companies, and I do think there will be an increased challenge for companies producing novel proteins.

Clearly, bacteria-sourced protein is not something youd find in Grandmas kitchen cupboard, Brewed Foods co-founder Dr Jonathan Gordon, told Food Navigator-USA.

But its not some kind of sci-fi fantasy either, he stressed:The notion of consuming bacteria has become very well established thanks to probiotics, although in our case, the bacteria are not live, but are fully deactivated, so theyre entirely dead, and non spore-forming.

KarunaRawal, CMO at Natures Fynd, added: What we found was that consumers just want to know what it is [the protein source], they dont like it when companies cloud things in[euphemistic]language, and we dont want to confuse anyone.

But Id say were in a different time to when Quorn[a soil micro-organism described on pack as mycoprotein]came to market and since then, the notion of good bacteria, and fermented products have become very mainstream and the landscape has changed.

The GFI breaks the market down into three segments:

Perfect Day,a startup producing milk proteins via microbial fermentation (minus the cows), recently expanded its Series C round from a previously-announced $140m, up to $300m through a new tranche led by CPP Investments and bolstered by long-time supporters Temasek and Horizons Ventures.

The cash injection -bringing its cumulative funding to over $360m -was announced as Berkeley, Calif.-based Perfect Day revealed a series of incremental improvements in recent months enabling it to increase the efficiency of its production process, substantially reducing costs two years ahead of expectations.

While Perfect Day is a b2b company, it recently moved into the b2c space via spinoff The Urgent Company, which is focused on consumer brands, beginning with animal-free ice cream Brave Robot.

Plentify a novel protein sourced from a strain of bacteria that naturally produces high levels of protein is more efficient to produce than plant-based proteins, and compared to animal husbandry, is ludicrously efficient,"claims Brewed Foods co-founder Dr Jonathan Gordon.

The obvious advantage here is the incredible compactness of production. You can basically use waste products to fuel the process. We can produce tons of protein in an incredibly small footprintconsistently and efficiently.

"Protein production is also the primary purpose of the process[whereas most plants harvested for protein also contain large quantities of starch, oil or other components that producers need to find a market for, both for economic and sustainability reasons].

Air Protein(which utilizes single-cell organisms called hydrogenotrophs first studied by NASA in the 1960s),is using components found in the air - notably carbon dioxide - as a low-cost feedstock.

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Microbes, the third pillar in the alternative protein industry: 'The rationale is simple: Fermentation is just more efficient' - FoodNavigator-USA.com

The Reverse-Flash spent his life trying to destroy the Flash, and his efforts have made the speedster the most despicable villain in the DC Universe.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Flash #761, by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands, on sale now.

Lex Luthor, Sinestro, and the Joker are thought of as some of the best villains in comic books. An often overlooked supervillain, Eobard Thawne's Reverse-Flash has proven time and again that he's not only a formidable nemesis of the Flash but thathehas the powers to affect and alter the entire DCU. The level of cruelty and downright brutality the Reverse-Flash displays makes him one of the greatestvillains.

Reverse-Flashwas created byJohn BroomeandCarmine Infantino and first appeared in The Flash #139 in 1963.Thawne comes from the 25th Century in which all mistakes have been eradicated and technology has allowed humans to achieve perfection. Through genetic engineering, Thawne's birth was guided to control everything from his I.Q. to the color of his eyes and hair. After studying the Speed Force and becoming obsessed with Barry Allen, Thawne decides that he'll dowhatever it takes to become like Barry Allen.

Related: The Flash: Reverse-Flash's Secret Superpower Is Absolutely Devious

When Thawne's parentsgave him a little brother to help with his socialization, Thawne goesback in time toerase his baby brother from existence and then kills his parents when they try and interfere with his research. When he's jilted by a love interest who has a fiance, Thawne not onlykills the fiance but erases him from the timeline altogether. When she still won't go out with him, he goes back in time to when she was a little girl and shakes her so violentlythat she becomes brain damaged and is institutionalized. Now his younger self will never have the opportunity to meet her.

Thawne is avillain that if you wrong him, he'll kill you, your best friend, your family, and erase any trace of you from existence. During the "Flashpoint" storyline, Thawne is the only person to know that Barry Allen completely messed up the timeline. Barry went back in time to prevent Thawnefrom killing his mother, thereby creating a new timeline. Thawne helpsBarry realize what he did not because Thawne wants to see everything go back to normal. Thawne wants Barry to have to make the choice of either leaving the timeline screwed up or letting Reverse-Flash kill his mother. Thawne is able to mentally torture people on a level that is seldom seen in comic books.

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The Flash Shows Why the Reverse-Flash Is DC's Greatest Nemesis - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Some of the developers behind The Witcher 3, Dying Light, Dead Island, and Cyberpunk 2077 have come together to start up a new studio. Called Starward Industries, its first outing is a sci-fi game with atompunk aesthetics that is inspired by the works of Stanisaw Lem, a prominent novelist who worked within the same genre.Its called The Invincible, and its set in a world wheretechnology has advanced to the point of seamless space exploration, but equipment remains analogue as the digital revolution has not taken place, nor has The Cold War ended. The games been in the works since 2018, and the devs hope to have it out next year.

We got the chance to chat to project leader and CD Projekt Red vet Marek Markuszewsk ahead of the upcoming PC games reveal. So, first things first, what is it about Lem that the studio likes, and what is it about his work that Markuszewsk thinks translates to a videogame?

The most fascinating and inspiring thing about Lems writing is the extent of the boldness of the provided visionary, he tells us. His stories are multi-layered as if written with the intent to be adapted as interactive entertainment. Not everything is trivial, though. We have specifically chosen a novel with quite a deft theme, indeed a straightforward story related to space exploration, yet reaching to the phase which at present is still not easy to be fully pictured.

While Lem was particularly active between 19462005, Markuszewsk reckons the words he wrote still have plenty of meaning and relevance today. Lem has developed several visions of how humanity and societies may be evolving far into the future when space travel and meeting other species will be the norm, he says. Whilst were just beginning space exploration, many prophecies regarding tech innovations indeed came to life, such as the internet, ebook readers, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, micro-robotics et cetera.

Maybe not always named or working exactly as Lem imagined, but serving precisely the described purposes, rooted in science and psychology. Theres a strong feeling that with the recent trend which includes implants, chips and mental interfaces, were stepping into transhumanism the theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical constraints. Lems works are great to reflect on what challenges such developments may bring.

The themes of the game certainly seem bold and interesting, then, but what will The Invincible feel like from moment-to-moment when youre playing it? Markuszewsk says that the atmosphere draws comparisons to Alien: Isolation, whereas communicating through radio comms will put you in mind of Firewatch.

The gameplay is quite diverse, including exploration, navigation, face to face discussions with NPCs, operating various equipment which is all analogue, solving clues, interacting with robots, piloting drones, crunching data, even driving vehicles, Markuszewsk explains to us. A large part of interaction will include radio comms, sometimes dense, even tense at times, often intimate, closely related to the unfolding events in that way The Invincible can remind of Firewatch.

On the other hand, in terms of gameplay and atmosphere, the closest game I can think of is Alien: Isolation. Among tens of games which weve researched while working on The Invincibles concept, these two titles combined perhaps represent the best of what our game is going to offer.

More? Here are the best space games on PC

Markuszewsk hopes to release The Invincible in the second half of 2021, but thats conditional on several factors. Due to the current state of the world with COVID-19 and beyond, its hard to offer a more narrow timeframe. You can wishlist it on Steam if this one sounds like your kind of thing.

Read more from the original source:
Former Witcher 3 devs are launching a sci-fi novel-inspired game - PCGamesN

News reporting at its best should be nuanced. There are rarely black hats and white hats when it comes to understanding the issues of the day, unless you are 60 Minutes which revels in journalism casting. Life is usually shades of graycomplex. When reporters address controversial topics, its not enough to just get the various elements right; the headline and the editorial thrust should responsibly reflect the multi-dimensionality of a topic; otherwise a story can muddy the understanding of a complex issue and ultimately undermine both science and the publics trust in journalism.

Such is the case for a recent article reporting on a study of Monarch butterfly population declines by an advocacy group, written for Cornell Universitys Alliance for Science, a solid, reputable source of unbiased scientific information.

Why are Monarchs in decline? Its a hotly-debated issue, with many studies with competing conclusions. Anti-biotechnology activist groups have singled out the herbicide glyphosate as a major driver of the decline, so the issue is embedded in a wider, inflamed debate over the controversial weedkiller. Which makes it all the more important that any new science on this issue should be contextualized.

The GLP has addressed this controversy extensively, including providing a dispassionate, science-based analysis in our GMO FAQ resource. We interviewed and sourced a range of scientists on all sides of the issue. Here are two competing quotes, the first from a distinguished, independent scientist discussing the evidence in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; the second from an activist scientist, representative of activist critics, who happens to be affiliated with an organization known for its endorsements of homeopathy and Chinese medicine addressing the controversy:

Here is what the GLP presented to the public in its GMO FAQ as the science consensus on this issuewhich is accurate today:

There is intense scrutiny over the role that GMO crops (and, by extension, herbicides glyphosate and dicamba) often paired with them play in the health of the Monarch butterfly.

Butterfly population declines are often primarily blamed by activists and some scientists on farmers using herbicides to destroy milkweed a poisonous weed that severely damages crops but is a critical food source for butterfly caterpillars growing near their GMO crops. The issue is complex with researchers differing on the causes of the decline.

The insect is facing problems that appear to be more complex than a single culprit. Research suggests the Monarch faces numerous threats, most of them unrelated to the use of herbicides, including climate change and degradation of their overwintering habitat in Mexico.A review of 116 years of data published in 2019 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that agricultural practices, including the use of herbicides, are responsible for less than 20 percent of the monarch decline, blaming most of the declines on deaths during annual migrations to and from Mexico. A2020 study using data compiled by the conservation group Monarch Watch challenges that conclusion, blaming the loss of milkweed on a variety of complex factors,including loss of breeding grounds for weeds due to urbanization and suburbanization, and weed control efforts by organic and conventional farmers.

Thats the science consensus. Which makes it all the more baffling and disappointing when the Cornell Alliance for Science recently posted an article on its well-regarded site with its exaggerated and inflammatory headline and editorial thrust.The articles author, Denmark-based journalist Justin Cremer, opens the articlealready tainted by its headlinewith an exaggerated sentence that contradicts the central conclusion of the study it is reporting.

A new study suggests that extensive agricultural use of glyphosate herbicide is to blame for the decades-long decline in North Americas monarch butterfly population.

Cremer subsequently writes that the study results bolster the milkweed limitation hypothesis. This theory points to the widespread use of glyphosate as the main cause of the population decline.

Heres the problem: This headline and statements contradict the actual study as even Cremer himself acknowledges in an otherwise solidly-reported piece. Also, Cremer does not alert the reader to the source of the data for the study: a Monarch butterfly advocacy group, Monarch Watch. Its standard to inform the reader of potential conflicts of interest.

Milkweed is used exclusively by Monarchs for egg laying on their multi-generational migration from Mexico to Canada and back. As Cremer later points out, the actual study, published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, and headed by University of Kansas emeritus professor (and Monarch expert) Orley Taylor and Iowa State University butterfly authority John Pleasants, is not focused on the glyphosate issue in the main. Its intent, the authors clearly state, is to analyze a popular hypothesis that the severe (more than 90 percent) Monarch population decline over the past few decades is due to losses during the butterflys southern migration.

The study supports an alternative hypothesisthat milkweed supply declines are a driving force, among many other issues, for the decline of these beautiful creatures.And whats behind the milkweed decline? Its not glyphosate directly as the headline asserts; rather, itsland use changes (more on that below).

The worlds most-used weedkiller has long been a popular target of genetic engineering opponents because its used with herbicide-tolerant Roundup Ready (glyphosate) corn and soybean, which now comprise more than 90 percent of all such crops grown in the United States. Previously, these groups blamed the GMO plants themselves for milkweed and Monarch declines. Conservation group Environmental Action summed up the activist case in a recent petition urging individual states to ban glyphosate:

WE NEED TO BAN ROUNDUP TO SAVE MONARCHS.If we want to save the monarch migration, one of natures greatest phenomena, we need to stop the habitat destruction thats been causing their numbers to plummet.A great step that your state can take? Ban Roundup, the weed killer whose active ingredient, glyphosate, decimates the milkweed plant monarchs rely on to survive.

More recently, activist groups have called for home-improvement retailers Lowes and Home Depot to stop selling Roundup (and its generic equivalents) because of its alleged impact on butterflies. Not long after the paper and Alliance for Science story were published, groups like Friends of the Earth and CommonDreams called for a sales ban.

In their pleas, the groups also cited the World Health Organizations (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 2015 monograph, which linked glyphosate to certain cancers (a conclusion refuted by every regulatory agency in the world, including the WHO itself), and promoted organic farming methods (which do not exclude pesticides and also target milkweed removal).

There were media groups that contextualized the story, making the Alliance for Science report stand out even more. ScienceDaily handled it well, focusing on what the study was actually about: a refutation of the migratory hypothesis.

Science News concluded: These findings support the conclusion reached by a team of experts that sustaining the monarch migration will require the restoration of over a billion milkweed stems in the Upper Midwest in the coming years.

Even the progressive online magazine DownToEarth handled the headline and the story with appropriate nuance, writing, The findings led researchers to conclude that a billion milkweed stems needed to be restored in the Upper Midwest in the coming years to sustain Monarch migration. It did not single out one weed removal system or product.

This is where things get complicated, and where the author of the Cornell Alliance repot did not do his homework.Taylor told the Genetic Literacy Project that once glyphosate became popular, years before the introduction of GM corn and soy in the mid-1990s, it did almost eliminate milkweed from farmland. But, he added, that effect ended around 2006. Taylor, his co-author Pleasants and others were more concerned in 2000 about the use of GM crops bred to express Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) Cry toxin, which kills caterpillars, although recent research indicates these insect-resistant plants probably dont pose a risk to butterflies.

In fact, research has shown recent resurgences of Monarch butterflies, though their populations still remain significantly lower than their peak, as the Genetic Literacy Project explains in its FAQ on Monarchs and pesticides:

According to the independent Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, the population in 2018 reached the highest levels of the past 25 years, and the fourth highest level since 1993. The number of butterflies heading south to Mexico may reach as many as 250 million over the 2018-19 winter. At its peak in the 1990s, the population reached an estimated 900 million.

Since 2006, corn and soy production have surged, partly due to overall demand but largely because of the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), signed by President George W. Bush, that encouraged the use of corn-based ethanol in gasoline. The RFS subsequently boosted corn production and, according to Taylor, led to 24 million acres of marginal land being converted to corn cropmore than three quarters of this land was grassland that probably once had milkweed. So, politics is the main driver of the rise in the use of milkweed-killing weedkillers. If glyphosate was banned tomorrow, other weedkillers that are more harmful would replace it and butterflies would be no better off.

In other words, the decline is complex. Even a prominent researcher at Monarch Watch, the source of the data, challenged the simplistic glyphosate theory; according to Cremer, Anurag Agrawal, who was not one of the studys researchers, cautioned Cremer that the situation is more complex than the study suggests and said Monarchs are experiencing stress from multiple sources. But that caution is contradicted by the headline opening line and much of the reporting in Cremers piece.

The real issue, as weird as it may sound, is how do we restore weeds, for thats where Monarchs flourish. Weedy areas are targeted by all farmers, organic and conventional. Monarchs fair no better in organic farms, where they are removed through carbon-belching machinery by hand rather than by using glyphosate or dicamba. The main driver in the reduction of weedy areas, as this study and others conclude, is not the use of glyphosate but urbanization and suburbanization, and the removal of wild areas for housing and industrial uses.

Commenting on the Alliance for Science article Taylor noted:

The text shows there is a failure to understand that long-term trends in populations are based on long-term trends. The trend here is loss of habitat and not mortality during migration or at other times in the annual cycle.

Andrew Kniss, weed scientist at the University of Wyoming, tweeted shortly after the Alliance for Science article posted. Echoing Taylor, he observed that this was an issue of milkweed habitat losses because of land use, not herbicides.

Glyphosate is better than most herbicides, he wroteand that includes weed control chemicals used by organic farmers. If farmers did not use glyphosate, they would just substitute something elsealmost certainly more toxic and ecologically compromisingand the problem would persist.Knisss perspective that this issue is far more complex than the simplistic glyphosate is harmful chants dovetails with the conclusions of a 2016Cornell University study:

In the face of scientific dogma that faults the population decline of monarch butterflies on a lack of milkweed, herbicides and genetically modified crops, a new Cornell University study casts wider blame: sparse autumnal nectar sources, weather and habitat fragmentation.

In other words, this problem is rooted in the removal of weedy plots and not a glyphosate or even a herbicide issue per se. Both organic farmers and conventional farmers need to remove milkweeds; the method of removal should not be the issue.The CAS article served to legitimize out-of-context attacks on a safe and effective herbicide. Intended or not, it implied that farming systems that rely primarily on synthetic weedkillers are more likely to endanger the Monarch than farming systems using natural chemicals or machines to control weeds. Does anyone really believe that if glyphosate or dicamba or a mechanical tiller was not available, farmers would allow weeds, including milkweed, to inundate their farms?

So, what kind of everyday kindness could improve the fate of the Monarch butterfly?

Monarch Watch and other groups have spent years advocating for accelerated planting of milkweed, especially along the migratory corridors through the US and the Canadian Midwest. If farmers cant do it (or wont, because milkweed is a weed and farming is a precarious business) on their farms, addressing areas could work: public areas, highway medians, federal lands, parks, homes and schools. Taylors paper called specifically for replanting 1.4 million stems of milkweed to return to levels seen 40-50 years ago; where they are replanted is a separate issue.

At Monarch Watch, we now have over 30,000 registered sites with at least twice that number that have been created but not registered, Taylor said. There are plenty of opportunities to provide habitats for monarchs and pollinators in lots of marginal areas around farms and even in suburban and urban environments.

Andrew Porterfield is a Contributing Correspondent to the Genetic Literacy Project. He is a writer and editor, and has worked with numerous academic institutions, companies and non-profits in the life sciences.BIO. Follow him on Twitter@AMPorterfield

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Roundup glyphosate weedkiller responsible for the decline in Monarch butterflies? Media and advocacy groups badly misreport study - Genetic Literacy...

New research report on Bio Vanillin market, which is a detailed analysis of this business space inclusive of the trends, competitive landscape, and the market size. Encompassing one or more parameters among product analysis, application potential, and the regional growth landscape, Bio Vanillin market also includes an in-depth study of the industry's competitive scenario.

Increasing consumer preference towards natural ingredients in food &beverage and personal care formulations will drive global bio vanillin market demand. Natural ingredients have been steadily gaining acceptance with consumers, especially across evolved markets, along with regulatory support for labeling standards. Bio vanillin has been developed as an alternative to the synthetic ingredient, which accounts for over 95% of present global demand.

Food &beverages dominated the application landscape, worth over USD 8 million in 2015. Appeal of new flavors in the industry and strong demand for confectionery and bakery products along with persistent development are key stimulating factors.

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.theresearchprocess.com/request-sample/6278

Bio Vanillin Market size is expected to surpass USD 19 million by 2023; according to a new research report

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.theresearchprocess.com/request-sample/6278

Biotechnology is also an important route in terms of addressing food waste and natural feedstock issues, permitting low value compound conversions to products of significant commercial interest. However, commercial success of the product will hinge on competitive bio vanillin market price trend.

Synthetic biology vanillin process is likely to lead the biomass removal required for good agricultural soil. Synthetic organisms may also harm the ecology on their escape either intentionally or unintentionally into the environment from a lab which is likely to be a threat for industry growth.

The product is at its initial development stage, while industry participants claim a natural product, there is some ambiguity regarding this classifications, as a few groups have claimed these products are artificial owing to its production from genetic engineering. Naturally derived vanillin from the pod remains in demand, however, a very high price and limited cultivation is unable to meet global demand.

Key insights from the report include:

Major Highlights from Table of contents are listed below for quick lookup into Bio Vanillin Market report

Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

Chapter 2. Executive Summary

Chapter 3. Bio Vanillin Industry Insights

Chapter 4. Company Profiles

Request Customization on This Report @ https://www.theresearchprocess.com/request-for-customization/6278

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Bio Vanillin Market Key Growth Factors, development trends, key manufacturers and competitive forecast 2023 - The Research Process

Concepts arent magic but they do focus the mind.

Consider, for example, the new economy: new, high-growth industries that are on the cutting edge of technology (Investopedia). In the 1990s, putting all the changes we were going through together in one phrase helped many people redirect job or career searches and stay in the game.

Here are three new concepts that might help us understand the job market today:

In an internet-dependent culture, attention is a form of currency (money). Your attention is valuable and many people are competing for it. Thats a big change from yesteryear:

For most of human history, access to information was limited. Centuries ago many people could not read and education was a luxury. Today we have access to information on a massive scale. Facts, literature, and art are available (often for free) to anyone with an internet connection.

We are presented with a wealth of information, but we have the same amount of mental processing power as we have always had. The number of minutes has also stayed exactly the same in every day. Today attention, not information, is the limiting factor.

Peoples attention mattered just as much in the past as today but there werent such easy ways of getting it. In the attention economy, specific strategies will probably help us stand out in the right ways when planning or safeguarding a career.

When we are seeking a job we are marketing ourselves, so heres a tip on the importance of niche marketing:

Personalization: Content has been getting increasingly niche over the past 510 years, and this will likely continue. There are marketing blogs, then there are blogs that focus on B2B marketing; Instagram marketing; marketing for artists, pool businesses, bed and breakfasts, and pretty much anything else. Plan on this trend to continue. Theres less and less appetite for generic content, but people will always want specific, personal advice tailored just for them.

Its true. When seeking a new job or career, generalities dont work as well as they used to. We need to focus on how we can meet specific needs. Just for example, in the health care industry for seniors, memory care has become a much bigger concern in recent years. So, a job applicant who can say I have the relevant qualifications to work in a home that provides care for elderly persons might not fare as well as one who can add to that, I have taken three specialist courses in memory care for persons with age-related cognitive issues.

That extra qualification gets attention. But, of course, it means that we need to spot trends and make time to update our education along the way.

A dark store is a warehouse full of groceries where staff called pickers select the goods that have been ordered by an online customer. (The Guardian, January 7, 2014).

It could look like a normal store but all the customers are employees. COVID-19 likely helped that retail style along. Amazon-owned Whole Foods, among others, is joining the trend:

With longer aisles, no salad bar, and missing those checkout candy displays, the store will be used to pack up online orders, which have skyrocketed during the pandemic. Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, says its grocery sales tripled, year over year, for the second quarter of 2020.

But this is not just a pandemic-related reaction. Though six of its stores were temporarily converted to handle only online orders, this new dedicated online-only store had been in the works for more than a year, according to company officials. And its not alone. More retailers are accommodating the shift of shopping from in-store to online by turning their physical locations into so-called dark storesminiature warehouse-like spaces where online orders can be packed for pickup or delivery. Retail experts say this is just the start of a major trend.

If customers are not visiting the physical stores, internet-based media will become much more important in reaching them. A career in retail at any level should include awareness of the new ways in which customers are being reached and served.

The first three industrial revolutions are reckoned to be steam power, electricity, and computing. The fourth is really a function of the internet.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. Its a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other technologies.

The attention economy and dark stores are two aspects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution because they both depend on internet-based communication.

To adapt to this technology revolution, we must understand what is happening around us and determine where we fit in. What needs are we are best able to meet? The good news is that the current changes favor individuals with a good idea:

todays machinery the internet- and software-based tools that our knowledge economy businesses are built upon has alleviated the absolute requirement for employees to work together in the same place at the same time. Venture capital has been a leading driver of this trend, turbo-charging the development of the communications, collaboration, and project management tools that have made productive remote-working a reality.

In fact, before Covid-19, the primary barrier to home working was usually organizational reticence or indecision. The pandemic has forced our working practices to catch up to the technology, provoking a decades worth of organizational change overnight as our corporate world has been turned upside down.

Today, there are many new opportunities to make a difference and the challenge is to identify them in the tsunami of the internet.

You may also find worthwhile:

Robot-proofing your career, Peter Thiels way. Jay Richards and Larry L. Linenschmidt continue their discussion of what has changedand what wont changewhen AI disrupts the workplace

Post-Covid: Five ways your job could change. This is a good time to be a creative thinker and innovator.

and

Five possibly unexpected ways the post-Covid office will change. Well all know more about remote working than we ever thought we would.

View original post here:
Three New Concepts That Can Help You Plan Your Career - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

Gene Therapy Market - Snapshot

Introduction of new production, availability of reimbursement together with high occurrences of cancer are estimated to propel growth of the global gene therapy market in the years to come. Gene therapy refers to an experimental technique, which utilizes genes for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. It is expected that in the near future, this technology could assist doctors to place a gene into the cells of a patient for the purpose of his treatment. This therapy could be used as an alternative to surgery or drugs. Scientists are examining various approaches to this therapy, which could comprise

Gene therapy has emerged as a promising treatment option for a large number of diseases such as certain viral infections, certain cancers, and inherited disorders. This factor is likely to work in favor of the global gene therapy market in the years to come.

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Progress in Gene-editing and Genomics Tools to Stoke Demand of Gene Therapy

CAR T-cell use has recently garnered considerable attention from the sponsors following the exhibition of its immense promise in the treatment of several diseases. The promising future of CAR T-cell is estimated to amplify the growth opportunities of the global gene therapy market. Sponsors hail CAR T-cell use as a brand new business model of the future.

In the pipeline of pharmaceutical industry, gene therapy account for a considerable share and this trend is likely to continue in the years to come. In addition, significant advancement has been made in the fields of cellular and molecular biology is likely to fuel growth of the global gene therapy market in the years to come. rapid technological progress made in the gene-editing and genomics tools are further estimated to drive the demand for gene therapy.

Global Gene Therapy Market Snapshot

Expanding at a stellar, double-digits CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 40% over the forecast period of 2018 to 2026, the global gene therapy market is a dizzying trajectory, marking out a rosy landscape for players operating in the playfield. As per a Transparency Market Research report, based on extensive primary and secondary research, states that over the period states, the market would accrue a worth of USD 5164.03 million a steep and impressive increase from the USD 17 million worth noted in 2017.

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Fixing defective genes via introduction of new and healthy ones to fix severe genetic and chronic disorders is seeing an upward curve in demand for reasons of improved medical outcomes, major leaps in terms of technological advancement and minimal die-effects as compared to alternatives. Some of the most significant alternatives include surgery, and drug use.

Some of the most significant factors that the analysts of the report note include focused efforts towards marketing and commercialization, and a slew of approvals of new products hitting the global gene therapy market. Additionally, there are factors such as growing demand experienced for this treatment by a large pool of patients.

It is pertinent to note here that the global gene therapy market is consolidated and is dependent on clinincal research and development of the highest standards in order to chart growth. And, some of the players that operate the market landscape, and are into significant research projects include Gilead Sciences, Inc., Novartis AG, Sibiono GeneTech Co. Ltd., Spark Therapeutics, Inc., CELGENE CORPORATION, and Orchard Therapeutics Limited.

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Yescarta to Dominate Global Gene Therapy Market over the Forecast Period

The global gene therapy market report by TMR is segmented based on type, application, and region. The former includes the only five products that have been approved so far for commercial use. These include Gendicine, Yescarta, Strimvelis, Kymriah, and Luxturna. Riding the first mover benefits, Yescarta helf the dominant position in the market in 2017, and the trend will continue, adding more worth to the sub-segment. This is the product that brought out the initial CAR T therapy in the market for large B-cell lymphoma that relapse.

It is worth noting here that as per the global gene therapy market report, the high incidence of DLBCL and massive commercialization efforts directed towards Yescarta, particularly in Europe, will contribute positively and significantly to the overall growth of the global gene therapy market. The other sub-segment to make a mark over the global gene therapy market landscape will be Luxturna, owing to rising awareness levels and massive efforts towards comercialization.

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Europe to be Ahead of the Global Gene Therapy Market Growth Curve over the Forecast Period

The global gene therapy markets regional segmentation includes incisive growth insights into some of the most significant areas that will shape up the overall growth in the market. These include North America, Europe, and Rest of the World. Researchers involved with the preparation of report claim that a massive chunk of about 40% would be accounted for by Europe over the forecast period. Some of the factors backing-up the market dominance of the region include high incidence of non Hodgkin lymphoma and increase in number of treatment centers into gene therapy.

This growth would be followed by North America region, owing to huge contributions from the United States of America which witnesses about 7500 cases of refractory DLBCL each year. These are ones that qualify for the CAR T therapy.

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Gene Therapy Market Progress in Gene-editing and Genomics Tools to Stoke Demand of Gene Therapy - BioSpace

It turns out a regulatory delay isnt the only bump on Sareptas road to gene therapy glory.

The biotech is being sued by Regenxbio, which is alleging that its slate of gene therapy programs, including two for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy infringes on a patent originally owned by the University of Pennsylvania.

The lawsuit, which was first reported by Bloomberg Law, adds another wrinkle as Sarepta strives to stay in the lead in a race to deliver the first genetic fix for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. After making its name with two antisense drugs neither of which has been proven to have an effect against the crippling disease the Cambridge, MA-based biotech has been viewed as the frontrunner versus Pfizer and trouble-prone Solid Bio. Roche was impressed enough to pay $1.15 billion to acquire ex-US rights to the program.

But Regenxbio wants Sarepta to stop stepping on their patents and pay up. The biotech, which is now based in Rockville, MD, is seeking damages for past, present and/or future infringement equaling no less than a reasonable royalty.

At the center of the dispute is US Patent No. 10,526,617. Jim Wilson, the gene therapy luminary who co-founded Regenxbio, was cited as an inventor on that patent, granted this January.

As it covers a cultured host cell containing a recombinant nucleic acid molecule encoding the capsid protein, the technology can be used to create adeno-associated vectors both in animal studies and for delivering a transgene into humans.

The vectors made using the claimed subject matter of the 617 Patent have unique properties, e.g., an ability to target certain types of cells in the body, the lawsuit states.

Specifically, Regenxbio alleges, Sareptas Duchenne program SRP-9001 is manufactured by a process that includes making and using a cultured host cell a recombinant nucleic acid molecule encoding an AAVrh74 vp1 capsid protein. The same capsid protein is also integral to SRP-9003, the limb girdle candidate, and a host of other follow-on gene therapies.

Regenxbio is suing as Sarepta is sorting out a new request from regulators that can push back its pivotal study for Duchenne. While CEO Doug Ingram assured investors that quality control issues such as this are not uncommon and pinned the delay on an overburdened FDA, he stopped short of promising concrete timelines.

Focused on retinal, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases for its internal pipeline, Regenxbio is perhaps more accomplished as a gene therapy tech provider. Novartis and Abeona have both licensed its NAV tech platform.

It also doesnt shy away from legal actions. In its most recent quarterly report, Regenxbio disclosed that Abeona failed to make a $8 million payment due in April, effectively terminating their licensing agreement. In response to an arbitration claim Abeona filed in May alleging we breached certain responsibilities to communicate with Abeona regarding our prosecution of licensed patents, Regenxbio filed a counterclaim to ask for $28 million including $20 million that would have been owed under the pact.

Last November Regenxbio challenged the FDAs arbitrary and capricious decisions to issue a full clinical hold on its diabetic retinopathy trial and a partial hold on wet age-related macular degeneration. The company had withdrawn the IND for diabetic retinopathy, and the FDA lifted the partial hold for wet AMD two months later.

More:
Sarepta faces another gene therapy hiccup as Regenxbio sues over Jim Wilson's patent - Endpoints News

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Pfizer has spent $800 million to build the leading production platform for gene therapies, the company said on Tuesday in its second day of talks to show how it plans to become a fast-growing innovator. Within three years, the drug giant hopes to launch three potential cures for hemophilia and muscular dystrophyworth as much as $4 billion in annual revenue.

We are in an unrivaled position to go to market, said the head of Pfizers rare-disease business, Suneet Varma, in his Tuesday morning presentation. In another Tuesday talk, the companys immunology leaders highlighted coming breakthroughs for the tens of millions who suffer miserable autoimmune skin disorders.

Pfizer (ticker: PFE) is eager to recast itself as a high-multiple growth stock. By year-end, its slower-selling products will be spun off into a business run by Mylan (MYL). From that point, Pfizer thinks it can boost revenue by 6% a year, despite the patent expirations of nearly $20 billion worth of its products in the latter part of this decade. The expected growth will be fired up by 25 product launches, which Pfizer is explaining in two days of online talks.

After rising Monday, Pfizer stock was down 0.3%, at $36.91, in recent trading. The S&P 500 was up 0.4%.

A rare disease may affect only a few hundred thousand people, but there are a lot of these diseases. Cumulatively, they add up to 400 million people worldwide, said Varma, with fewer than 5% having approved treatments. Pfizer believes the rare-disease market will grow at a double-digit annual rate.

Clinical trials are under way for treatments for the bleeding disorders known as hemophilia A and hemophilia B. After treatment, none of the enrolled patients have had bleeding problems, including some in which more than a year has passed since dosing.

Pfizer hopes for approval and launch of its hemophilia B treatment in 2022. Peak annual sales could hit $500 million to $1 billion, says the company. The hemophilia A launch could happen in 2023 and eventually exceed $1 billion in annual sales.

The gene-therapy treatments can require a short hospital stay. But the possibility of a cure will inspire 30% to 40% of hemophilia patients to seek treatment, Pfizer predicts.

A rival in hemophilia A gene therapy, BioMarin Pharmaceutical (BMRN), had a head start over Pfizer in clinical trials. But last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rebuffed BioMarins application for approval and demanded additional follow-up of its patients for a period that will extend through the end of 2021.

The FDA hasnt asked Pfizer to change its design for the hemophilia A trial that the company will begin in a few weeks, said the chief medical officer of the rare-disease unit, Brenda Cooperstone,

There were some worrisome immune reactions among boys in the continuing clinical trial for Pfizers gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. But after adjustments in the trials preparatory regime, Pfizer says there have been no more of those events. The treatment showed promising efficacy in early phase trials.

The pivotal Phase 3 muscular dystrophy trial will begin within weeks, with the first data expected in 2022. Pfizer hopes for a launch in 2023 of a muscular dystrophy therapy that would be used by 30,000 people a year in the U.S. and Europe, generating over $2 billion in annual revenue. to reach that goal, Pfizer is racing with Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT).

In addition to its rare-disease treatments, Pfizer plans to launch four products for autoimmune disorders by 2025. Two of the products would treat atopic dermatitis, which causes painful itching in up to 30 million Americans. Only a portion of those patients get any treatment today.

Based on successful clinical trials, sufferers of the skin disease can look forward to breakthrough treatments, similar to those launched in recent years for psoriasis, says Pfizers inflammation and immunology business head, Richard Blackburn.

Corrections & Amplifications

Pfizers gene-therapy treatments can require short hospital stays. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the treatments are like bone-marrow transplants, which require months of grueling hospital care.

Write to Bill Alpert at william.alpert@barrons.com

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How Pfizer Plans to Lead the Industry in Gene Therapies - Barron's

China is predicted to continue its rapid bio growth rates, with more than 10 new mAbs

CPhI Annual Report has launched ahead of the firstCPhI Festival of Pharma(5-16 October 2020), the worlds largest digital pharma Expo that predicts dramatic growth of new mAb production in China, capacity shortages for cell and gene therapies in the USA, and the widespread global adoption of single-use technologies, but only limited continuous bioprocessing.

Three CPhI experts from BioPlan Associates Vicky Qing XIA, Leo Cai Yang and Eric Langer explore the rapidly changing global biologics markets, with special reference to the implications for contract outsourcing and Chinas continued emergence as a hub for both bio innovation and contract services.

Remarkably, China is predicted to continue its rapid bio growth rates, with more than 10 new mAbs predicted to be launched per year in the country by 2025. In fact, the total market size will quadruple by 2025, reaching 120bn RMB, and rising further to 190bn RMB by 2030.

According to the CPhI report, bioprocessing outsourcing in China is currently highly stratified with four tiers and just one domestic company intierone WuXi Biologics and a number of international CDMOs including BI, Lonza and Merck. However, by 2025 it is anticipated that as many as five more domestic CDMOs may have reached tier one status, with FDA and EU facility approvals.

Single Use Systems (SUS) are now far and away the leader at both pre-clinical and clinical stages, with nearly 85% now involving a substantial SUS component. Yet whilst its usage continues to grow, continuous bioprocessing is not anticipated to be in mainstream usage by 2025.

The report also suggested that in the US and Europe there is likely to be a cell and gene therapy capacity crunch by 2025, with CDMOs investing in this area already expanding to try and meet the pipelines demand.

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2025 will see cell & gene therapy capacity shortages in US: CPhI report - BSA bureau

Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market research report is the new statistical data source added by A2Z Market Research.

Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market is growing at a High CAGR during the forecast period 2020-2026. The increasing interest of the individuals in this industry is that the major reason for the expansion of this market.

Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market research is an intelligence report with meticulous efforts undertaken to study the right and valuable information. The data which has been looked upon is done considering both, the existing top players and the upcoming competitors. Business strategies of the key players and the new entering market industries are studied in detail. Well explained SWOT analysis, revenue share and contact information are shared in this report analysis.

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Top Key Players Profiled in this report are:

RetroSense Therapeutics, REGENXBIO, AGTC

The key questions answered in this report:

Various factors are responsible for the markets growth trajectory, which are studied at length in the report. In addition, the report lists down the restraints that are posing threat to the global Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration market. It also gauges the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat from new entrants and product substitute, and the degree of competition prevailing in the market. The influence of the latest government guidelines is also analyzed in detail in the report. It studies the Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration markets trajectory between forecast periods.

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The cost analysis of the Global Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market has been performed while keeping in view manufacturing expenses, labor cost, and raw materials and their market concentration rate, suppliers, and price trend. Other factors such as Supply chain, downstream buyers, and sourcing strategy have been assessed to provide a complete and in-depth view of the market. Buyers of the report will also be exposed to a study on market positioning with factors such as target client, brand strategy, and price strategy taken into consideration.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

Table of Contents

Global Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market Research Report 2020 2026

Chapter 1 Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market Overview

Chapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Industry

Chapter 3 Global Market Competition by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by Region

Chapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions

Chapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

Chapter 7 Global Market Analysis by Application

Chapter 8 Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Chapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

Chapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

Chapter 11 Market Effect Factors Analysis

Chapter 12 Global Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market Forecast

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Massive Growth in Gene Therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration Market to Witness Astonishing Growth by 2026 | RetroSense Therapeutics, REGENXBIO,...

Technological advancements have blurred the borders of natural biological processes by giving humans more control. One such area is that of gene editing that allows us to modify the childs genetic make up to not only prevent diseases, and lead to a healthier life, but also personality traits for a more fulfilling life. However, this raises question on ethics, consent of the child and rights of parents. RAGHAV AHOOJA,addresses this issue with the lens of state involvement in controlling the private realm.

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WE are at crossroads wherein we may be able to customize and design the futures of our future generations. Lawmakers, thus, need to solve the ethical dilemmas brought about by such giant scientific leaps.

Even though it may sound like science fiction, the future is here.

Gene editing for therapeutic purposes (namely gene therapy) is being conducted for the removal of diseases in humans and foetuses both. When changes are made to the somatic cells, the modifications arent hereditary. However, when the changes are made to the sperm, egg, or embryo, the modifications are transferred on to the next generation. It is done through a process called germline gene editing.

It seems like German philosopher Neitzsches post-human concept of bermensch (translated as beyond-man or superman) might become real. Using a technology known as CRISPR, one can not only treat diseases but also customize a baby in terms of intelligence, athleticism, and so on. This can permanently enhance the lineage of the family.

Believe it or not, the future is here.

Somatic gene editing has been approved in countries like the United States, although with restrictions. It is for the Courts and lawmakers to decide whether this right to enhance children for their own welfare falls within the right to privacy of the parents, or whether the state has a right to curtail such an action.

According to American jurisprudence, there is a private realm of family life which the state cannot enter. Yet time and again the state has entered this realm, claiming a legitimate interest in regulating the family, especially for the welfare of the child. Thus, whilst there exists a right to privacy under the Fourteenth Amendment, it is not absolute.

In the famous case of Roe v. Wade, the United States Supreme Court held that the right to abortion is embedded in the right to privacy of the parent bearing the child. While the judgment was pro-choice, gene editing doesnt quite fit the bifurcated and antagonistic pro-choice v. pro-life debate. It gives parents the choice to genetically edit their children, and the aim of such editing inter alia is to eradicate disease and enhance children for their own welfare.

(Credit: Edward Jenner, Source: Pexels)

Germany, as opposed to the US, recognises the unborn as an individual with a genetically determined identity, which is unique and inseparable. According to German courts, as the unborn baby grows, it does not only develop into a human being but develops as a human being and is worthy of human dignity. Such human dignity would also include the right to live a dignified life, which is free of disease. Therefore, a blanket ban on gene editing would be violative of human dignity.

It is quite clear that therapeutic gene editing is not violative of human dignity, insofar its aim is to eradicate disease. However, such human dignity also includes the right to free development of personality.

It is quite clear that therapeutic gene editing is not violative of human dignity, insofar its aim is to eradicate disease. However, such human dignity also includes the right to free development of personality.

A plain reading of the German constitutional text would suggest that non-therapeutic editing for personality factors is violative of human dignity. But to the contrary, heritable gene editing for purposes such as personality building will be permissible for strengthening the autonomy of the child. Furthermore, it must be for the welfare of the child and must not restrict the free development of their personality. A thumb rule could be whether the child would subsequently consent to such a modification.

Thus, there is a tripartite relationship of the right of the parents to choose the genetic makeup of their children, the right of the state to regulate such an act, and the right of the unborn baby to consent to such editing.

In India, guidelines permitting development of therapeutic gene editing products were introduced. Currently, heritable gene editing can only be done for purposes of experimentation and the embryo cannot have a life beyond 14 days. Thus, heritable gene editing is yet not fully permitted in India. However, there is scope as the Indian Supreme Court in K.S. Puttaswamy (2017) recognised that the right to privacy encompasses family affairs and childrearing. This would possibly entail the parents right to enhance their child as an extension of their right to choose.

It is an established position in law that technology mustnt be prohibited due to a mere possibility of harm. Rather, a positivist approach must be adopted so as to do the greatest good to the greatest number. In fact, a recent report by a German government-appointed council of experts stated that heritable gene editing is not violative of human dignity.

Further, a joint statement by the councils of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany stated that heritable gene editing is permissible. However, there must be a risk assessment and the risk must be brought down to a minimum acceptable level.

And that at the heart of this liberty lies the right to define ones own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life, without the interference of the state.

The question, when looked at more deeply, is whether the personality and well-being of future generations ought to be subjected to medical decisions or not.

Thus, there is a tripartite relationship of the right of the parents to choose the genetic makeup of their children, the right of the state to regulate such an act, and the right of the unborn baby to consent to such editing.

The American Supreme Court in Planned Parenthood v. Casey has reiterated that the matters involving the intimate choices of a person are central to dignity and autonomy protected under liberty enshrined in the American Constitution. And that at the heart of this liberty lies the right to define ones own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life, without the interference of the state.

(Credit: Ian Panelo, Source: Pexels)

Ultra-modern technologies such as artificial wombs make one think whether a birth is really an event, or a process, and if so then where does the process begin?

Partial ectogenesis (the growth of a baby outside the womb) is already happening. But in time, we might be able to carry out full ectogenesis. As the reliability of such technologies increases, so does their capability. The potential to live outside the mothers womb as opposed to the usual 24 weeks would begin right from the stage of development of the foetus, which is at 8 weeks. Further, with the help of biotech, the ability of an unborn baby to live outside the mothers womb might begin right at fertilisation.

Do we fast forward using techno solutionism or do we let evolution do its thing?

The American Courts have held that an individual whether single or married has the right to privacy which the state cannot infringe. Thus, even a single parent, out of wedlock, can bear such a child and the right to genetically edit unborn babies would be extended to them. The mother and father would be on an equal footing while deciding whether to genetically edit the baby or not.

The aim of the process of childrearing is to produce children with favourable traits and personality and allow them to have a dignified life.

In the first such successfully germline edited babies, scientists predict that it might have actually led to having enhanced their ability to learn and form memories. In another case of successful gene therapy, young children were saved from potentially deadly diseases and lives of isolation.

Therefore, the moot question is: Do we fast forward using techno solutionism or do we let evolution do its thing? Where do we draw the line? Should one circumscribe the limits of technology, or let it take a well-designed course?

Believe it or not, the future is here.

Where does that leave us?

It is for us to decide.

(Raghav Ahooja is a final year student at Rajiv Gandhi National Law University, Punjab. Views are personal.)

Excerpt from:
Gene Editing: Do We Have The Right to Genetically Enhance Our Children? - The Leaflet

New York, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market Research Report by Therapy Type - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05953100/?utm_source=GNW

The Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market is expected to grow from USD 2,946.38 Million in 2019 to USD 6,524.94 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.16%.

Market Segmentation & Coverage:This research report categorizes the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:

Based on Therapy Type , the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market studied across CAR-T Therapy, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapy, and Tissue Engineered Product. The Cell Therapy further studied across Non-stem Cell Therapy and Stem Cell Therapy.

Based on Geography, the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.

Company Usability Profiles:The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market including AveXis, Inc., Bluebird Bio, Inc., Celgene Corporation, Gilead Lifesciences, Inc., JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Kolon TissueGene, Inc., MEDIPOST, Novartis AG, Organogenesis Inc., PHARMICELL Co., Ltd, Spark Therapeutics, Inc., UniQure N.V., and Vericel Corporation.

FPNV Positioning Matrix:The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.

Competitive Strategic Window:The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.

Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments

The report answers questions such as:1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market?2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market during the forecast period?3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market?4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market?5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market?6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market?Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05953100/?utm_source=GNW

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Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Market Research Report by Therapy Type - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 - GlobeNewswire