StemCell Therapy

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A unique molecular structureevident in induced pluripotent stem cells taken from people with young-onset Parkinson's diseasesuggests that the defects may be present throughout patients' lives, and that they could therefore be used as diagnostic markers.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) taken from patients with young-onset Parkinson's disease (YOPD) and grown into dopamine-producing neurons displayed a molecular signature that was corrected in vitro, as well as in the mice striatum, by a drug already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a study published in the January 27 online edition of Nature Medicine found.

Although the patients had no known genetic mutations associated with PD, the neurons grown from their iPSCs nonetheless displayed abnormally high levels of soluble alpha-synucleina classic phenotype of the disease, but one never before seen in iPSCs from patients whose disease developed later in life. Surprisingly, for reasons not yet understood, the cells also had high levels of phosphorylated protein kinase C-alpha (PKC).

In addition, the cells also had another well-known hallmark of PD: abnormally low levels of lysosomal membrane proteins, such as LAMP1. Because lysosomes break down excess proteins like alpha-synuclein, their reduced levels in PD have long been regarded as a key pathogenic mechanism.

When the study team tested agents known to activate lysosomal function, they found that a drug previously approved by the FDA as an ointment for treating precancerous lesions, PEP005, corrected all the observed abnormalities in vitro: it reduced alpha-synuclein and PKC levels while increasing LAMP1 abundance. It also decreased alpha-synuclein production when delivered to the mouse striatum.

Unexpectedly, however, PEP005 did not work by activating lysosomal function; rather, it caused another key protein-clearing cellular structure, the proteasome, to break down alpha-synuclein more readily.

The findings suggest that the defects seen in the iPSCs are present throughout patients' lives, and that they could therefore be used as diagnostic markers. Moreover, the drug PEP005 should be considered a potentially promising therapeutic candidate for YOPD and perhaps even for the 90 percent of PD patients in whom the disease develops after the age of 50, according to the study's senior author, Clive Svendsen, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and professor of biomedical sciences and medicine at Cedars-Sinai.

These findings suggest that one day we may be able to detect and take early action to prevent this disease in at-risk individuals, said study coauthor Michele Tagliati, MD, FAAN, director of the movement disorders program and professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

But the study still raises questions regarding the biological mechanisms, and certainly does not warrant off-label prescribing of PEP005 at this time, said Marco Baptista, PhD, vice president of research programs at the Michael J. Fox Foundation, who was not involved with the study.

Repurposing PEP005 is a long way away, Dr. Baptista said. This is not something that neurologists should be thinking about prescribing or recommending to their patients.

Accumulation of alpha-synuclein has been seen in iPSC-derived dopaminergic cultures taken from patients with known genetic defects, but such defects account for only about 10 percent of the PD population. In those without known mutations, on the other hand, no defects in iPSC-derived dopamine-producing neurons have been seen. Until now, however, such studies had been conducted only in patients who had developed PD after age 50.

My idea was why to look in young-onset patients, said Dr. Svendsen.

The idea paid off more richly than he expected. We were shocked to find a very, very prominent phenotype, a buildup of alpha-synuclein, in the neurons of these patients who are genetically normal, Dr. Svendsen said. None of the controls had a buildup of synuclein, and all but one of the early PD patients had a twofold increase in it.

The signature is so consistent, he said, that it offers a natural model that can be interrogated to further understand its workings.

Because high levels of PKC were also seen, Dr. Svendsen said, We picked a bunch of drugs known to reduce PKC. We found one, PEP005, which is actually extracted from the milkweed plant, and it completely reduced synuclein levels almost to normal in dopaminergic neurons. And it also increased dopamine levels in those cells, so we got two for one.

After observing the effects of PEP005 in vitro, We put it into the mouse brain and found it reduced synuclein in vivo, Dr. Svendsen said. But we had to infuse it right into the brain. We're now trying to work out how to get it across the blood-brain barrier more efficiently.

To determine how PEP005 lowers cellular levels of alpha-synuclein, his group tested whether it was activating the lysosome, but found to their surprise that it did not do this until after the synuclein had already been degraded.

Then we asked whether it could be the proteosome, which also breaks down proteins but normally doesn't break down synuclein, Dr. Svendsen said. But when we applied PEP005, it did activate the proteasome. So we think that might be the mechanism.

Because the drug is currently applied externally, Dr. Svendsen said, the next step will be to see if it crosses the blood-brain barrier when applied to the skin of mice, and whether that results in a lowering of synuclein levels in dopaminergic neurons.

Justin Ichida, PhD, the Richard N. Merkin assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine, said the findings are quite important in the field. The potential diagnostic tools they made could be important in clinical care. And identifying a drug that may very effectively reverse the disease in neurons is a very important discovery.

He wondered, however, whether the increase in alpha-synuclein is truly specific to Parkinson's neurons or if it would also be seen in iPSC neurons from patients with Alzheimer's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

I wonder if alpha-synuclein accumulating is a sign of PD in a dish or is a consequence of neurodegeneration or impaired protein degradation in general, Dr. Ichida said. That's a key question if you want to use this molecular signature as a diagnostic tool.

He also questioned if proteins other than alpha-synuclein, such as tau, would also be seen to accumulate in the iPSCs of YOPD patients.

If one of the protein-clearance mechanisms in the cell is working poorly, you would imagine that other things would also accumulate, Dr. Ichida said.

In response, Dr. Svendsen said that while some proteins other than alpha-synuclein were reported in the paper at increased levels, We did not look at tau specifically, but are in the process of looking right now. It could be that synuclein and some other proteins are somehow altered to evade them from being degraded by the lysosome, or that there is a general lysosomal problem.

Patrik Brundin, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Science and Jay Van Andel Endowed Chair at Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, MI, called the paper very interesting and thought-provoking. If these findings hold up, they could shift our understanding of young-onset PD. They imply that there is a strong genetic component that has not been picked up in prior genetic studies.

Dr. Brundin said he would like to see the results replicated in another lab using different sets of reagents. It is so intriguing and rather unexpected that one wonders if the observations really apply, as the study states, to 95 percent of all YOPD.

He also questioned whether all the young-onset PD patients are similar. Clearly the iPSCs studied here are not monogenetic PD, so they must be very diverse genetically and still all have the same alpha-synuclein change.

Dr. Brundin also asked why the abnormalities seen in YOPD neurons have not previously been seen in older cases of PD. Is there a specific cutoff regarding age-of-onset when these purposed genetic differences apply? he asked.

Dr. Svendsen responded: We don't know why the YO have this phenotype or exactly what the cut off is. We have, however, looked at one adult-onset case that did not show this phenotype. Also, one of our YO cases did not show this phenotype. Thus some patients even with early onset may not have it. We are currently testing many more cases from older-onset patients.

Dr. Brundin also wanted to know whether non-dopaminergic neurons have the same deficits described in the study.

We don't know which neurons specifically have the protein deficit as we cannot do single-cell proteomics, Dr. Svendsen answered. It could be a little in all cells or a lot in a small set. Immunocytochemistry is not quantitative but showed that it is more likely a general increase in synuclein and not specific to dopaminergic neurons.

While the findings in iPSCs suggest that the abnormal levels of alpha-synuclein must be present at birth, Dr. Brundin said, I do not know how to reconcile the present findings with genetic data.

The absence of previously described mutations in the YOPD patients means only that more work must be done to uncover the genetic underpinnings, Dr. Svendsen said.

We're just at the tip of the iceberg with understanding the genome, he said. It's such a bizarrely complex beast. Perhaps there are a thousand different proteins interacting to stop the synuclein from being degraded. In 10 years, we probably will be clever enough to see it. We know it must be there. Now the genome guys will go after it.

Dr. Baptista from the Michael J. Fox Foundation said he agreed with the view that there must be genetic alterations underpinning the defects seen in the iPSCs.

Just because we call something non-genetic could simply reflect the current ignorance of the field, he said. I think the discoveries are simply difficult to make.

He added that he wished that the main comparator in the study was not healthy controls, and that there were more older-onset iPSCs to compare against YOPD patients' samples.

Dr. Svendsen said it could be that the iPSCs from older-onset patients might yet be found with additional study to display abnormalities similar to those seen in YOPD.

Right now we only see it in young onset, he said. We may need to leave the cultures longer to see in the older-onset patients. We are doing those experiments now.

Drs. Tagliati and Svendsen disclosed that an intellectual patent is pending for diagnostic and drug screening for molecular signatures of early-onset Parkinson's disease. Dr. Ikeda is a co-founder of AcuraStem Inc. Dr. Brundin has received commercial support as a consultant from Renovo Neural, Inc., Lundbeck A/S, AbbVie, Fujifilm-Cellular Dynamics International, Axial Biotherapeutics, and Living Cell Technologies. He has also received commercial support for research from Lundbeck A/S and Roche and has ownership interests in Acousort AB and Axial Biotherapeutics. Dr. Baptista had no disclosures.

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Molecular Signature of Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease Is... : Neurology Today - LWW Journals

Netherton syndrome, a rare skin disease caused by a single genetic mutation, is exacerbated by the presence of two common Staphylococcal bacteria living on human skin, one of which was previously thought to only offer protective properties, report University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers.

Our study shows how closely tied the human genome is to the genetic information in our skin microbiome. This rare disease is due to a mutation in a human gene. But, in adults, the symptoms of the disease are driven by the skin microbiome, said senior author Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, Irma Gigli Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

The two genomes work closely together. When one is off, even by a single gene, the other genome reacts.

In a multi-institutional study published online in Cell Reports on March 3, 2020, Gallo and collaborators identified how Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis can act as a catalyst for skin inflammation and barrier damage in mouse models.

S. aureus is a pathogenic bacteria known to aggravate skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis. When it becomes resistant to antibiotics, it is known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. It is a leading cause of death resulting from infection in the United States.

Conversely, S. epidermidis is common on healthy human skin and presumed benign. In a previous study, Gallo reported that a specific strain of this bacterium seemed to hold a protective property by secreting a chemical that kills several types of cancer cells but does not appear to be toxic to normal cells. S. epidermidis was also known to promote wound repair, skin immunity and limit pathogen infections. It was not known that, in some cases, S. epidermidis can have pathogenic effects.

Netherton syndrome is a result of a mutation in the SPINK5 gene, which normally provides instructions for making a protein called LEKT1. This protein is a type of protease inhibitor.

With the loss of LEKT1, excess proteases are stimulated by Staphylococcal bacteria on people with Netherton syndrome. This protease activity leads to a breakdown of proteins and skin inflammation.

This is a major breakthrough for these patients as it describes how we can treat a human genetic mutation by targeting the microbiome, said Gallo, who is also a faculty member in the Center for Microbiome Innovation at UC San Diego. Altering bacterial gene expression is much easier than trying to fix a mutation in humans.

Researchers swabbed the skin of 10 people with Netherton syndrome and found that their skin microbiome had an abundance of certain strains of S. aureus and S. epidermidis. However, unlike the skin of normal subjects, the excess bacteria produced genes that could not be controlled due to the gene mutation in Netherton syndrome.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most people with this recessive inherited genetic disorder have immune system-related problems, such as food allergies, hay fever, asthma, or an inflammatory skin disorder called eczema. It is estimated that 1 in 200,000 newborns are affected.

In addition to demonstrating how an abnormal skin microbiome promotes inflammation in Netherton syndrome, this study provides one of the most detailed genomic descriptions to date of the skin microbiome, said Gallo.

Co-authors include: Michael R. Williams, James A. Sanford, Livia S. Zaramela, Anna M. Butcher and Karsten Zengler of UC San Diego; Laura Cau, of UC San Diego and SILAB; Shadi Khalil, of UC San Diego and University of Virginia School of Medicine; Yichen Wang and Alain Hovnanian of Imagine Institute and Universit Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cit; Drishti Kaul and Christopher L. Dupont of J. Craig Venter Institute; and Alexander R. Horswill of Department of Veterans Affairs Denver Health Care System and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Funding for this research came, in part, from the National Institutes of Health (R37AI052453, R01AR076082, R01AR074302 and R01AR069653) and the Atopic Dermatitis Research Network (U19 AI117673).

Disclosure: Gallo is a co-founder, scientific advisor, consultant, and has equity in MatriSys Biosciences and is a consultant, receives income, and has equity in Sente. All other authors declare no competing interests.

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Presence of Staph Bacteria in Skin Microbiome Promotes Netherton Syndrome Inflammation - UC San Diego Health

The Stanford Medicine Clinical Virology Laboratory launched a new diagnostic test for detecting coronavirus on Wednesday. The new test, which can deliver results within 12 to 24 hours, will rapidly identify infected people and could help limit the spread of the virus.

The test is currently in use only on patients at Stanford Health Care and Stanford Childrens Health suspected of having the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The test was validated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) for testing involving human subjects.

The lab that developed the test is led by Benjamin Pinsky, associate professor of pathology and infectious diseases at the Stanford School of Medicine.

Testing is essential because it helps to identify both asymptomatic carriers and infected people, Pinsky told The Daily. These results then inform treatment, quarantine and the allocation of vital medical resources.

The sooner we know a patient is positive, the sooner we can take the right action to provide care and take steps to ensure the safety of people they came into contact with, whether thats health care providers or the patients loved ones, Pinsky wrote in an email to The Daily.

According to the Stanford Medicine News Center, it is not yet clear how long a patient needs to be infected before testing positive and whether someone not yet showing symptoms could test positive.

While the situation continues to evolve, rapid identification of infected people could help limit the spread of the virus, Pinsky wrote. Public health experts have indicated that prompt identification and quarantine of infected people is critical to limiting the spread of the virus.

Pinsky and his team began developing the test in late January, as they worked to optimize previous coronavirus tests for current U.S. testing guidelines.

The test uses a technique called real-time RT-PCR to detect the presence of genetic material in samples obtained from nasal swabs of potentially infected people, Pinsky wrote.

He added that the test screens for two viral genes.

The first encodes a protein called an envelope protein, which is found in the membrane that surrounds the virus, Pinsky wrote. It then confirms the positive result by testing for a gene encoding a second protein called RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

The release of this test comes on the heels of an announcement from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) that now allows in-house diagnostic testing without FDA approval. Previously, all nasal swabs had to be sent to public health agencies for further testing.

The release also came one day before Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne confirmed that Stanford Medicine is currently caring for a few patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 in a statement to the University community on Thursday.

Our hospitals and clinics on campus provide essential health care for the people of our region, Tessier-Lavigne wrote.

This article has been corrected to reflect the correct technique used by the test to detect genetic material. The Daily regrets this error.

Contact Emma Talley at emmat332 at stanford.edu and Ujwal Srivastava at ujwal at stanford.edu.

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Stanford-developed coronavirus test to be used at Stanford Hospital - The Stanford Daily

Maggie L. Shaw

Evolution. Disruption. Innovation. Telemedicine. A virtual exchange of information. Healthcare has lagged behind in these aspects, but its necessary to transcend time and distance, according to Susan Dentzer, senior policy fellow at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy.

Dentzer spoke passionately about elevating the quality of cancer care delivery by changing the system and asking these questions:

Her biggest question of all: for healthcare that mainly involves exchanges of information, not the laying of hands, why isnt more of it done virtually today? Especially when study results show high levels of patient satisfaction, higher quality of life, less depression, and less stress with telehealth and tele-oncology.

According to Dentzer, its time to think outside the box, incorporating data and technology to elevate cancer care delivery. And she provided a telling question from her friend A. Mark Fendrick, MD, co-editor in chief of The American Journal of Managed Care, that illustrates how despite advancements in cancer care, obstacles to optimizing its delivery remain: Why do we have Star Wars medicine on a Flintstones delivery platform. Shouldnt we at least advance to The Jetsons?

What many dont realize is that telemedicine, at least the idea of it, has been around for decades. Since the late 1960s. During her presentation, Dentzer told of how Kenneth D. Bird, MD, a former internist and pulmonary specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, developed the first telemedicine system between Logan Airport and Mass General in 1968, with a second link in 1970. However, the system was abandoned in the 1970s.

A common theme that ran throughout her presentation was that its time for healthcare and cancer care to move outside the conventional walls of practices. To not be afraid of innovation. To move closer to patients where they are in their homes and communities. To elevate the quality of cancer care to such a level that it minimizes the amount of time people have to be in the hospital. But doing so first means addressing several important challenges:

So, what can we do? What are some examples of where opportunities to innovate in medicine lie?

Tele-oncology. This has already been shown to improve access to care and decrease costs, Dentzer noted. And with oral cancer drugs and immunotherapies being delivered on an outpatient basis in some instance, tele-oncology can help in this space by providing remote supervision of chemotherapy, thereby preventing unnecessary trips to the hospital or doctors office.

For example, Boston Universitys Biomedical Optical Technologies Lab (BOTLab) has developed a wearable probe, now in clinical trials, that uses near-infrared spectroscopy to measure hemoglobin, metabolism, water, and fat levels in tumors. The University of Arizona created its telemedicine program in 1996 and introduced tele-mammography between rural locations and the university in the early 2000s; womens images from a remote location are analyzed within 45 minutes at the university. Lastly, in 1995, Kansas University Medical Center instituted its first tele-oncology program with a multidisciplinary team that is 250 miles from a rural medical center, which itself has nurses.

Tele-genetics. Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers genetic counseling in real-time, which can be accessed over the phone or through video conference. As this is a service that is not easy to always access, especially when patients are hundreds of miles away, making the counseling more portable can only serve to increase access to care.

Symptom management. Because not all patients need to be seen in the clinic, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance provides a web portal through which they can enter symptoms, and this will send an alert to their care team. And that alert leads to a phone call.

Provider education in immuno-oncology. This is especially needed foremergency medicine physicians. Telemedicine can increase engagement and communication between experienced oncologists and emergency medicine physicians who may have limited knowledge of immunotherapies and their adverse effects. It also provides opportunities for online learning and 24/7 access to critical care information.

Access to clinical trials. Denzler pointed out that almost 8 of 10 clinical trials can be delayed, even closed, because recruitment takes too long. Telemedicine can remedy this by expediting patients access to clinical trials through automated platforms.

I would argue that the status quo is not an option. You need to take advantage of these capabilities really fast, Dentzer noted.

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Thinking Outside the Box to Elevate, Increase Access to Cancer Care - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Copy Cat was born Dec. 22, 2001.

Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biological Sciences

CC, the worlds first cloned cat, has passed away at the age of 18 after being diagnosed with kidney failure.

CC, short for Copy Cat, passed away on March 3 in College Station, the same place where her life began as a result of groundbreaking cloning work done by Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) researchers.

CC was born Dec. 22, 2001, and was adopted by Dr. Duane Kraemer, a senior professor in the colleges Reproduction Sciences Laboratory, and his wife, Shirley, six months after her birth.

We in the CVM are saddened by the passing of CC. As the first cloned cat, CC advanced science by helping all in the scientific community understand that cloning can be effective in producing a healthy animal, said Dr. Eleanor M. Green, the Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M.

While she lived a long, normal, and happy life, CC was extraordinary in what she represented to the Kraemers, the CVM, and science as a whole, Green said. The entire CVM community mourns her loss, as all at Texas A&M cared deeply about her as a member of the Aggie family, and especially for the Kraemers, for whom CC was a beloved pet for 18 years.

CCs story began with Dr. Mark Westhusin, a CVM professor and the principal investigator of the Missyplicity Project, a $3.7 million effort to clone a mixed-breed dog named Missy that was owned by John Sperling, founder of the University of Phoenix.

When the news of the project spread, people around the country became interested in saving pets tissues that could possibly be used for cloning in the future. This demand resulted in the establishment of Genetic Savings and Clone (GSC), Inc., led by Sperlings colleagues Lou Hawthorne and Dr. Charles Long.

While GSC became a bank for these tissues, Westhusin and his team at Texas A&M began to explore the cloning of other pet species, specifically cats.

CC was produced using nuclear transfer of DNA from cells that were derived from a female domestic shorthair named Rainbow.

Copy Cat was adopted at six months old by Dr. Duane Kraemer, a senior professor in Reproduction Sciences Laboratory, and his wife, Shirley, six months after her birth.

Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biological Sciences

Once it was clear the nuclear transfer was successful, Kraemer and other scientists transferred the embryos into a surrogate mother, who gave birth to a healthy kitten about two months later.

Though the cats were identical on a genetic level, developmental factors led them to have slightly different coat patterns and color distributions.

CCs passing makes me reflect on my own life as much as hers, Westhusin said. Cloning now is becoming so common, but it was incredible when it was beginning. Our work with CC was an important seed to plant to keep the science and the ideas and imagination moving forward.

CC also became one of the first cloned cats to become a mother. When CC was five years old, she gave birth to three kittens that lived with her for the rest of her life in a custom, two-story cat house in the Kraemers backyard.

CC was the biggest story out of A&M ever and still is, as far as international reach is concerned, Kraemer said. Every paper and magazine had pictures of her in it. She was one of the biggest accomplishments of my career.

While CC represented a great advancement in genetic research, to the Kraemers, she was also a beloved pet. She will be missed by them especially, but also by those at the CVM, Texas A&M and beyond who have followed her story since birth.

CC was a great cat and a real joy, Kraemer said. She was part of the family and very special to us. We will miss her every day.

Throughout her lifetime, CC regularly made news for her birth, pregnancy and each birthday. She proved to the world that cloned animals can live the same full, healthy lives as non-cloned animals, including being able to produce healthy offspring.

Before CC, no pet had ever been successfully cloned with 100 percent genetic identity.

The research that led to CCs birth kickstarted a global pet cloning industry led by ViaGen Pets, which today clones cats for $35,000 and dogs for $50,000.

Though CC was the first successfully cloned pet, Texas A&M has gone on to clone more species than any other institution in the world, including horses, pigs, goats, cattle and deer.

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World's First Cloned Cat Dies - Texas A&M University Today

Some analysts predict the emerging science of cultured meat -- aka lab meat or synthetic meat -- could threaten the market share of "plant-based meat" producers like Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND), Impossible Foods, and others in the near future. Growing meat separate from an animal might possibly solve the ethical, environmental, and culinary issues of meat and meat substitutes in one fell swoop. But while Fools investing in food stocks centered on plant-based meat may wonder whether lab meat threatens their portfolio's value, other evidence suggests it might be a proverbial "nothingburger" after all.

People first thought about cultured meat in the 1930s, and scientists grew the first meat outside an animal in the early 1970s. However, methods are just now getting sophisticated enough to produce affordable, high-quality lab meat.

To grow cultured meat, scientists place animal cells (muscle stem cells, fat cells, and collagen) in a nutritional medium inside a bioreactor where they can multiply. Artificial circulation carries nutrients and oxygen to the multiplying cells. The overall process is called "cellular agriculture."

Producing meat while avoiding the death of living animals is cellular agriculture's primary attraction for many people. Scientists also believe it's possible to make the meat healthier while growing it, raising protein content, lowering saturated fat levels (possibly to zero), and enhancing its vitamin content. Proponents also cite cultured meat's environmental benefits, since it doesn't require land deforestation to make space for grazing land, involves far lower water inputs, and might release fewer greenhouse gases.

Image source: Getty Images

Based on these factors, some analysts expect explosive growth in lab meat once it's launched in the next few years. A.T. Kearney projects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41% for cultured meat between 2025 and 2040, capturing 35% of the global meat market by 2040. During the same period, they predict 9% CAGR for plant-based meats. Additionally, plant-based meat growth is front-loaded in their model, slowing rapidly and gaining less than 0.5% annually closer to 2040, for a total 25% market share. Conventional meat, in their projection, will experience negative growth, shrinking at 3% annually and dwindling to 40% of the market.

Cultured meat is still too expensive for mass appeal or budgets, but its price trajectory over the past few years shows an exponential drop as technology rapidly improves. In 2013, Professor Mark Post produced the first fully cultured hamburger for slightly more than $300,000, or $1.2 million per pound. By 2017, four years later, Memphis Meats grew chicken meat via cellular agriculture for $9,000 a pound, slashed to $1,000 per pound the following year. One year after that, in 2019, Aleph Farms managed to create lab beef for $100 per pound.

Commercial production of cultured meat appears from these figures to be on the cusp of feasibility. The first lab meats may feature on restaurant menus or perhaps specialized grocery shelves in 2020 or 2021. Simply producing the meat at an affordable price doesn't ensure its dominance over standard meat or plant-based meats, though. Lab meat still needs to prove how it stacks up against these established alternatives.

Plant-based meats and cultured meat will probably go head to head in three main areas to determine which will win the biggest market share: ethics, environmental impact, and flavor. While lab meat has strengths in each of these areas, plant-based meats have also come a long way from the limp, tasteless, poorly textured soy patties of yore. Some of lab meat's advantages might not be as large as certain analysts paint them.

When it comes to ethical considerations, it's very difficult to measure potential changes in consumer preference, especially among vegans and vegetarians. Nevertheless, plant-based meats appear to have an unassailable advantage in this area. Since they are made of plant ingredients, they are fully vegetarian and vegan. Cultured meat, on the other hand, still carries potential ethical baggage from the viewpoint of vegans.

Nevertheless, lab meat could potentially capture some of the vegan market among those less concerned with deeper ethical questions, and who simply object to killing animals. Similarly, some people who currently eat meat might switch to lab meat, preferring a "killing-free" alternative even if they'll eat standard meat in the absence of cultured substitutes. Lab meat could also potentially make market inroads in so-called "mixed" households where meat-eaters and vegans live together, helping make the "carnists'" dietary preferences less objectionable to the vegans.

According to Piplsay research, 15% of Americans have tried plant-based meat substitutes because they wanted to go vegan or vegetarian, but wanted a way to sate their meat cravings. Though nowhere near a precise analog, this statistic might give a vague clue about the minimum percent of vegans who might be expected to try lab meat.

Cultured meat advocates cite the eco-friendly nature of their product, which uses much less water and land than livestock farms while moderately reducing energy use. However, according to research carried out jointly by Impossible Foods and Quantis, plant-based meats offer practically identical environmental benefits -- though that study did not measure energy use:

Assuming this data is accurate, lab meat -- while certainly far "greener" than conventional meat -- holds no environmental edge over plant-based meats.

Taste, texture, "mouthfeel," practical use in meat-based recipes, and other measures related to the culinary appeal of meat substitutes are the third area where lab meat needs to prove itself competitive. Where early soy patties were once disgusting to many people, with a flavor quite unlike meat, unpleasant texture, and failure to match the appetizing qualities of actual meat, today's plant-based meats are built to emulate the experience of eating meat as closely as possible.

Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and other makers are pouring dollars into plant-based meat research and innovation, making their products as close to meat as possible. Traits engineered into the plant-based meats include correct firmness, juiciness, darkening from pink to brown as they cook, and even "bleeding" for those who want a rare burger or steak.

According to taste testers from Food & Wine, at least, the wizards in Beyond's and Impossible's labs have largely succeeded, very closely imitating the taste of actual meat, creating suitably crumbly burgers that taste right with condiments and match up to the correct texture and juiciness. Other brands are less successful, tasting more like "veggie burgers" than meat.

As far as lab meat is concerned, those who have tried it and reported on the experience say that it tastes rather like chicken or beef found in McDonald's food. While some people might judge that a somewhat dubious recommendation, lab meat will likely hold its own alongside standard burgers and chicken, and the better plant-based meats. We'll need to wait and see whether that's significant enough to make a difference when plant-based alternatives taste much the same.

While commercial cultured meat is clearly coming soon, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods can probably rest easy as long as they don't get complacent. Their products already closely emulate the experience of eating meat, while avoiding all the ethical issues and matching cellular agriculture one-for-one in terms of eco-friendliness.

Lab meat, once cheap enough for common consumption and improved enough to have culinary appeal, will undoubtedly win over some converts. Some vegans may want to return to the experience of eating "real" meat without the guilt, while some meat-eaters will prefer killing-free meat even if they're not willing to go to extent of eating plant substitutes in order to get it. Mixed households might find it useful for keeping the peace in the kitchen while still giving everyone the dietary items they want.

However, cultured meat's rise to dominance, as predicted by some analysts, seems a somewhat improbable scenario. Plant-based meats got there first, offer the same eating experience, and lack some of cultured meats' lingering downsides. Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and other plant-based meat producers will likely enjoy strong long-term viability despite cellular agriculture and, if its upsurge appears strong enough, they may have the cash on hand to simply acquire some of the best new brands and use their existing infrastructure to turn them into an even bigger success.

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Will Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods Survive Lab Meats Challenge? - Motley Fool

Stem cell research has been the subject of discussion and heated debate for many years. Much of the social and political drama surrounding stem cells is the result of misunderstanding what stem cells are, where they come from, and what they can do for those with injuries and diseases.

Working from a common set of facts is a great way to dispel controversy, however. Whether we fall into the pro-choice or pro-life camp, it is more than evident that supporting stem cell research, including the development of stem cell therapies, is very much a pro-life position to take.

Stem cells function essentially like raw materials for the body. Depending on instructions from the body (or researchers in laboratories), stem cells can become many other types of cells with specialized functions.

The daughters of stem cells either become new stem cells (self-renewal) or they become more specialized cells for use in specific areas of the body (differentiation). These specialized cells include brain cells, heart muscle cells, bone cells, blood cells and others.

There are several reasons why stem cells are the focus of some of the most important medical science research today:

This last avenue of medical research stem cell therapies is the most consequential as well as the most controversial, depending on your point of view. Understanding stem cell therapy and its divisiveness requires understanding where stem cells come from in medical research and why they have considerable palliative potential.

Stem cells come from one of these three sources:

Embryonic stem cells are the most controversial as well as the most important type of stem cells right now. Thanks to a low-information electorate and gross misinformation from within the government, embryonic stem cells remain mired in needless debate.

Despite the rhetoric, these cells arent harvested from slain newborns. Instead, they are carefully gathered from blastocysts. Blastocysts are three-to-five-day-old embryos comprised of around 150 cells. According to some religious-political arguments, blastocysts are potential human beings, and therefore deserve legal protection.

Embryonic stem cells are the most valuable in medical research because they are fully pluripotent, which means they are versatile enough to become any type of cell the body requires to heal or repair itself.

Adults have limited numbers of stem cells in a variety of bodily tissues, including fat and bone marrow. Unlike pluripotent embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have more limits on the types of cells they can become.

However, medical researchers keep uncovering evidence that adult stem cells may be more pliable than they originally believed. There is reason to believe cells from adult bone marrow may eventually help patients overcome heart disease and neurological problems. However, adult stem cells are more likely than embryonic stem cells to show abnormalities and environment-induced damage, including cell replication errors and toxins.

The newest efforts in stem cell research involve using genetic manipulation to turn adult stem cells into more versatile embryonic variants. This could help side-step the thorny abortion controversy, but its also not clear at present whether these altered stem cells may bring unforeseen side-effects when used in humans.

More research is required to fully understand the medical potential of perinatal stem cells. However, some scientists believe they may in time become a viable replacement for other types of stem cells. Perinatal stem cells come from amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood.

Using a standard amniocentesis, doctors can extract umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, amniotic membrane and fluid stem cells, amniotic epithelial cells and others.

Among other things, stem cell therapy is the next step forward for organ transplants. Instead of waiting on a transplant waiting list, patients may soon be able to have new organs grown from their very own stem cells.

Bone marrow transplants are one of the best-known examples of stem cell therapy. This is where doctors take bone marrow cells and induce them to become heart muscle cells.

Stem cell-based therapies hold significant promise across a wide range of medical conditions and diseases. With the right approach, stem cells show the potential to:

As the FDA notes, there is a lot of hype surrounding stem cell therapy. Much of it is warranted, but some of it deserves caution.

According to the FDA, stem cells have the potential to treat diseases or conditions for which few treatments exist. The FDA has a thorough investigational process for new stem cell-based treatments. This includes Investigational New Drug Applications (IND) and conducting animal testing.

However, the FDA notes that not every medical entity submits an IND when they bring a new stem cell therapy to market. It is vital that patients seek out only FDA-reviewed stem cell therapies and learn all they can about the potential risks, which include reactions at the administration site and even the growth of tumors.

The FDA submitted a paper, Clarifying Stem-Cell Therapys Benefits and Risks, to the New England Journal of Medicine in 2017. Its goal is to help patients fully understand what theyre getting themselves into.

For now, a great deal more research is required before we begin deploying stem cell therapies on a larger scale. The only FDA-approved stem cell therapies on the market today involve treating cancer in bone marrow and blood. Some clinics claim their therapy delivers miracle-like cures for everything from sports injuries to muscular dystrophy, but there just isnt enough evidence yet to take them at face value.

Unfortunately, the religious and political climate makes this evidence difficult to achieve. In some parts of the United States, the hostility toward stem cell researchers and medical practitioners has reached dangerous new levels.

Republicans in Ohio and Georgia want to make it illegal for doctors to perform routine procedures on ectopic pregnancies. This condition is life-threatening for the mother and involves the removal of a nonviable embryo from the fallopian tube.

These laws wouldnt just outlaw ectopic pregnancy surgery in the name of potential human life. It would, in fact, require women to undergo a reimplantation procedure after the ectopic pregnancy is corrected by a physician. If this procedure was actually medically possible, it would be dangerous and unnecessary. Thankfully, it doesnt exist outside the nightmarish imaginations of some of the more extreme Christian lawmakers and Planned Parenthood demonstrators.

Acquiring embryonic stem cells from ectopic pregnancies would seem to be the least controversial way to go about it. Unfortunately, even that small step toward medical progress sees itself hampered by reactionary politics.

No matter how theyre acquired, however, the 150 or so cells in blastocysts are packed with medical potential. Its clear that further exploration down this road will unlock unprecedented scientific progress. It will also, almost certainly, save many times more potential life than even the most outlandish estimates of what the achievement will cost us to achieve. Abortions today are rarer and safer than ever, and the vast majority occur within eight weeks of conception.

The medical community is poised for a revolution here, using these and other nonviable embryos and blastocysts. But realizing that potential requires, among other things, that we collectively make peace with modern medicine and family planning.

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Despite Pro-Life Claims, Stem Cell Therapy Has Very Real Benefits and Should Be Accessible - Patheos

The biopharma space has stepped up its efforts to both prevent and treat the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that is threatening to bring the world to its knees.

A month is a very long time when it comes to infectious diseases. The first cases and deaths from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) led to a response to contain the virus, but the difficulties of containment and the nature of international travel means cases and deaths have become global.

The latest statistics place the number of cases at 95,483 and deaths at 3,286 across 84 countries, though by the time you are reading this the number is likely to have skyrocketed.

So as the world tilters on the edge of a pandemic, we take a look at how industry is responding. There is no specific treatment for the virus, nor a vaccine, but a proactive response is seeing the pharma industry throw everything in its arsenal at attempting to stymie this global threat.

First off, vaccines. As the World Health Organization (WHO) states it can take a number of years for a new vaccine to be developed, it has not stopped companies and academia stepping up their R&D efforts.

Both Sanofi and J&J have separately teamed up with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expediate vaccine development.

Sanofi Pasteur aims to reverse engineer proteins isolated from the virus to produce DNA sequences, which will then be mass produced using Sanofi Pasteurs baculoviral expression system and formulated into a vaccine that elicits an immune response. Well that is the aim.

Johnson & Johnsons unit Janssen Pharmaceutical, meanwhile, is reviewing products in development for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), to identify promising candidates for the novel coronavirus, and aims to upscale production and manufacturing capacities, leveraging its AdVac and PER.C6 technologies.

Another Big Vaccine company, GlaxoSmithKline, has teamed with Chinese biotech Clover Biopharmaceuticals to help develop a preclinical protein-based vaccine candidate. GSK will provide its pandemic adjuvant system for further evaluation of Clovers S-Trimer, a trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike (S)-protein subunit vaccine candidate produced using a mammalian cell-culture based expression system.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals has also entered the race, and like GSK has teamed up with a Chinese company. Together with Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology and a grant of up to $9 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Inovio hopes to bring its DNA vaccine candidate INO-4800 rapidly into clinical trials. VGXI a subsidiary of GeneOne Life Science has been selected to manufacture the DNA vaccine from its facilities in The Woodlands, Texas.

Thegenome sequence for 2019-nCoVwas published on January 10, 2020, a VGXI spokesperson recently toldBioprocess Insider. This DNA sequence information is used by Inovio and their collaborators at the Wistar Institute to design a synthetic DNA plasmid for manufacturing at VGXI. No viral particles or proteins are involved in the manufacturing process. When delivered as a vaccine, the DNA plasmid can elicit a protective immune response.

RNA vaccines are also being investigated. Moderna Therapeutics recently shipped the first batch of its investigational messenger RNA vaccine mRNA-1273 to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for use in a Phase I study. The vaccine is designed to train the immune system to recognize cells invaded by the coronavirus.

Moderna also received a grant from CEPI, as has CureVac, which is looking to use its mRNA vaccine platform to expedite a candidate into trials. CureVacs technology and mRNA platform are especially suitable to rapidly provide a response to a viral outbreak situation like this, said CureVac CTO Mariola Fotin-Mleczek. Currently, we are in the process of developing a vaccine that, after successful preclinical tests, could be tested rapidly in humans in a clinical study.

But industry could be pipped to the clinical trial post by academia, with Israels MIGAL Research Institute claiming to be sitting on a human vaccine against COVID-19 as a by-product of a vaccine it has developed against avian coronavirus Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV).

From research conducted at MIGAL, it has been found that the poultry coronavirus has high genetic similarity to the human COVID-19, and that it uses the same infection mechanism, a fact that increases the likelihood of achieving an effective human vaccine in a very short period of time, the Institute says.

According to MIGALs Biotechnology group leader Chen Katz, the vaccine is based on a new protein expression vector, which forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis a cellular process in which substances are brought into a cell by surrounding the material with cell membrane, forming a vesicle containing the ingested material causing the body to form antibodies against the virus.

Other pharma companies are looking to treat coronavirus, rather than prevent.

Regeneron has teamed with the HHS to use its VelociSuite technologies to identify and validation and develop preclinical candidates and bring them to development, having followed a similar approach to advance its investigational Ebola treatment REGN-EB3.

The tech platform includes the VelocImmune mouse technology, a genetically modified strain in which genes encoding mouse immune system proteins have been replaced by their human equivalents.

The life-saving results seen with our investigational Ebola therapy last year underscore the potential impact of Regenerons rapid response platform for addressing emerging outbreaks, said George Yancopoulos, Regeneron CSO. Our unique suite of technologies expedites and improves the drug discovery and development process at every stage, positioning Regeneron to respond quickly and effectively to new pathogens.

Meanwhile this week, Takeda announced it is looking to a therapy to target COVID-19 based on polyclonal hyperimmune globulin (H-IG). The candidate, TAK-888, aims to concentrate pathogen-specific antibodies from plasma collected from recovered patients. Initially, due to a lack of current donors, the firm will produce the therapy in a segregated area within its manufacturing facility in Georgia.

The Japan-headquartered firm will also review its current pipeline for any other viable candidates to take on COVID-19.

Such an approach has aided Gilead Sciences efforts. The firm has begun two Phase III clinical studies of its antiviral candidate remdesivir, developed (though never approved) to treat Ebola virus. It has also shown promise against other infectious diseases including Marburg, MERS and SARS.

This is an experimental medicine that has only been used in a small number of patients with COVID-19 to date, so Gilead does not have an appropriately robust understanding of the effect of this drug to warrant broad use at this time, Gilead said.

With about 1,000 patients set to be tested with remdesivir, Gilead has turned to a stockpile manufactured in response to Ebola to address present coronavirus needs, and in anticipation of expanded use is manufacturing two formulations of remdesivir, in both liquid and freeze-dried forms, while upping capacity and production internally and externally.

According to San Marinos Bioscience Institute SpA, a regenerative medicine center and stem cell production facility, mesenchymal stem cells could potentially be treatment for the novel coronavirus by improving lung microenvironment, inhibiting immune system overactivation, promoting tissue repair, protecting lung alveoli epithelial cells, preventing pulmonary fibrosis, and improving lung function.

The company, citing the Chinese open repository for scientific researchers chinaXiv.org , says at least 14 trials are taking place in China using stem cells to treat coronavirus patients after positive animal testing showed stem cells might be able to repair the severe organ damage caused by the virus.

The firm even reports that a critically ill 65-year-old Chinese woman infected with SARS-CoV-2, whose conditions significantly improved after the infusion of mesenchymal stem cells.

If mesenchymal stem cells do prove to be the solution to the potential coronavirus crisis, Bioscience Institute alludes to the advantage that they are obtained from fat cells.

That means that everyone can utilize his/her cells, eliminating any contamination or rejection risk, said Giuseppe Mucci, CEO of Bioscience Institute.

But expanding them to the quantity needed for infusion, that corresponds to at least 1 million cells per kg of weight, takes 2 to 3 weeks. That is why it is useful to cryopreserve a personal reserve of mesenchymal stem cells, that would allow to access an early, more successful, treatment.

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How industry hopes to take on COVID-19 - Bioprocess Insider - BioProcess Insider

It is the worlds biggest killer and yet we dont fully understand the leading cause behind it.

Cardiovascular diseases claimed an estimated 17.9 million lives in 2016 31 per cent of all deaths around the globe.

And 85 per cent of these were due to heart attacks and stroke, most commonly caused by a blockage of the arteries known as atherosclerosis.

Now an international team led by a Cambridge professor of cardiovascular medicine is competing for a 30million prize from the British Heart Foundation to unravel its secrets.

If they beat the other three shortlisted teams in the charitys Big Beat Challenge, they will create the worlds first 3D map of atherosclerosis at single cell resolution, giving unparalleled insight into this hardening or blocking of the arteries.

Prof Ziad Mallat, of the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge, tells the Cambridge Independent:We are excited about the prospect of this. We hope we have assembled the right team.

Atherosclerosis is very debilitating. If it happens in the arteries that supply the brain, it causes stroke. If it happens in the arteries supplying the heart, it causes heart attacks.

It is really common across the world. Every five minutes in the UK there is one heart attack and one stroke.

Why is this having such a huge impact on the quality of life of people? We believe something is not being treated or understood.

Clinicians currently treat the risk factors for the disease, which include high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.

What we dont do is really treat what causes the disease, which is the malfunctioning of the immune system, says Prof Mallat.

When you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, this injures the arteries. Initially, the immune system sends immune cells to the injured vessel to try to heal the artery.

However, what we know is that most of the time the immune system doesnt operate properly and this prevents the healing, and so the disease progresses.

We have good understanding of how this happens in pre-clinical models, like mouse models, but very limited understanding of how it happens in humans.

We think this is what is preventing doctors and scientists from finding a treatment that would transform the way patients are treated.

Through their iMap, as they are calling it, Prof Mallat and the team of global experts he has assembled want to understand what is happening in the accumulations, known as plaques, that block the arteries and affect blood flow to the heart and other parts of the body. The plaques can be made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances.

These plaques obstruct the lumen [the interior space in the artery] and even burst into the lumen, leading to clot formation, which obstructs the blood flow. This causes the heart attacks and strokes, says Prof Mallat.

Our idea is to build the first 3D map of these fatty plaques, at

. We would like to know what each immune cell and each cell in the vessel wall is doing. What is its genetic make-up? What is its protein make-up? What is the fuel that it is using? Why, when the immune cell comes along to do a good job, does it stop doing it?

We want to interrogate each cell and work out how it is interacting and communicating with other cells.

Only with this 3D map of the plaques will we be able to understand what is happening inside. Once we have done this, we will be able to harness this knowledge to find new protective methodologies and therapies.

These therapies could harness the immune system, which raises the possibility of vaccinating against atherosclerosis.

If we understand how the immune cells react, we can use the information to re-educate them with vaccination, suggests Prof Mallat. If they are overreacting to fat components or protein components, we can educate them to make them do the right job when they see this in the arteries, to reduce the inflammation and limit the development of the disease.

The scale of this challenge, however, is vast and requires a multi-disciplinary approach.

It needs a lot of different expertise around the world, says Prof Mallat. You need good cardiologists, good molecular biologists, immunologists, mathematicians and computer scientists because the information will be huge and needs to be integrated together. You need people who know a lot about genomics, lipidomics and proteomics, so we have gathered world-leading experts in each of these areas to come together and look at this problem from every angle possible.

Among those helping Prof Mallat is Sarah Teichmann, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute at Hinxton, who is the co-founder of the global consortium working on the Human Cell Atlas a hugely ambitious and important project creating comprehensive reference maps of all human cells in the human body.

They are looking at the make-up of healthy organs, notes Prof Mallat. Some of the investigators are mapping some of the arteries and are looking at vascular cells like endothelial cells. It is intriguing but nobody else is looking at other cells in the artery. We are looking at both the healthy arteries and the diseased arteries. It is building on the work of the Human Cell Atlas.

Also on the team are experts from Imperial College London, Germany, France, Spain, the La Jolla Institute of Immunology in San Diego and from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Key to their work is the need for data and samples, and the group has multiple sources available.

We have organ donors from the Cambridge bio-repository and the clinical school at Mount Sinai, so we have access to healthy and diseased arteries from the same individuals.

We have access to blood from these individuals and to immune cells from other parts of the body, so we can compare what the immune cells are doing in different compartments.

The other source is from a cohort of thousands of individuals, through a collaboration with Professor Valentin Fuster in Madrid, who have been followed for more than 10 years, and they will be followed for another 10 years.

We have blood samples and microbiota from them. We also have access to imaging of their arteries. They are followed for cardiovascular outcomes, so if someone has a heart attack or stroke, it is documented.

We will be able to look at the ageing of the immune system in these individuals and how this correlates to changes in their arteries and the occurrence of disease.

All of this is being done at very high resolution, which has not been done before. Integrating the information from the genes, the proteins, the lipids and so on, to have a broad view, has never been possible.

There are parallels with the work being carried out at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute under Prof Greg Hannon, where the first virtual 3D tumour is being created using a multi-disciplinary team.

We are discussing with him how we can integrate some of the technologies he is developing. It will be fantastic to collaborate with him on this, says Prof Mallat.

What is known already is that our arteries are sensitive to changes in blood flow.

Even subtle perturbations in the micro-environment are sensed by the arteries and can be considered as a danger, explains Prof Mallat.

When it interprets this as a danger, it sends signals to the immune system to react. I would say this is happening almost continuously, and is aggravated of course when you have additional stimuli like high blood cholesterol or exposure to smoke.

While the use of imaging and monitoring of biomarkers is helping us diagnose atherosclerosis earlier, Prof Mallat describes this as not optimal, because we dont understand the disease in a comprehensive manner. A 3D map would aid diagnosis, prediction and prevention of disease, as well as opening up new therapeutic avenues.

Nobody knew 10 or 15 years ago that the immune system could play such a huge role in cancer, Prof Mallat points out. Now cancer immunotherapy is advancing enormously. We are convinced that atherosclerosis is highly motivated by the immune system but no-one is targeting the immune system to treat it. Thats why we want to understand it and we think this could really induce a revolution in our understanding and how we treat it.

Cambridge Cardiovascular to host events at Cambridge Science Festival

Visitors to Cambridge Science Festival will have a chance to find out more about the iMap project and the work of cardiovascular researchers.

Cambridge Cardiovascular, an umbrella group for the field, is involved in organising activities once again at this years festival, which runs from March 9 to 22.

At 6-7pm on Wednesday, March 18 at the Mill Lane lecture rooms in Cambridge, a talk titled More than a blocked pipe: The hardening of the arteries and their role in stroke and heart attacks will be delivered by Dr Nick Evans, of the Department of Medicine, and Prof Melinda Duer, of the Department of Chemistry.

At 6-7pm on Friday, March 20, also at Mill Lane lecture rooms, Dr Sanjay Sinha, of Cambridge Stem Cell Instituteand the Department of Medicine will discuss Mending broken hearts: stem cells for heart disease.

Then, from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, March 22, A View of the Heart will be on offer at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, in Long Road, where cardiovascular scientists will help you explore the organ and visualise heartbeats.

Book at sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk.

The Big Beat Challenge

The British Heart Foundations 30million Big Beat Challenge is designed as the charitys moon-shot to propel our understanding of cardiovascular disease into a new era.

Some 75 applications were received from 40 countries following its launch in August 2018, and these have been whittled down to four, including the one led by Prof Mallat to map and treat atherosclerosis. The other ideas are:

Hybrid heart

Led by Jolanda Kluin, professor of translational cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, this team plans to create a solution for heart failure by developing a soft robotic heart. They intend to design, build, test and implant a hybrid heart that consists of a soft robotic shell forming the soft artificial muscles and sensors to enable natural motion, and a tissue-engineered lining to make sure all the surfaces in contact with blood are safe. With wireless energy transfer, the vision is that this could replace the need for human heart transplantation.

Echoes

Led by Professor Frank Rademakers, chief medical technology officer at University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, this team would develop wearable technology that can be used in daily life to capture more data than ever before. This information ranging from symptoms and physical activity to heart function and air quality could be used alongside genetic and healthcare data to transform diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of heart and circulatory diseases through the creation of a digital twin.

Cure heart

This project aims to provide a cure for inherited, killer heart muscle diseases. Led by Professor Hugh Watkins, BHF chair of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford, these researchers will develop a treatment that targets and silences the faulty genes responsible for cardiomyopathies diseases of the heart muscle that can lead to sudden death at an early age. They intend to combine a deep understanding of underlying genetic mechanisms with new technologies, to stop the progression of the damage caused by genetic heart muscle diseases, or even reverse the damage.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: Heart and circulatory diseases remain the number one cause of death worldwide.

Were taking small steps forward every year but whats needed is a giant leap, which wont be achieved by a business-as-usual approach.

The Big Beat Challenge embodies our ambition to turbo-charge progress and could lead to its own man on the moon moment. I have absolutely no doubt the winning idea will define the decade in their area.

The teams will prepare their final applications by June 14, with interviews in early September and a decision expected by the end of the year.

Read more

Our guide to the Cambridge Science Festival 2020

Can HIV be cured? Evelyn Trust-funded research at University of Cambridge probes viral latency

Inside the Cambridge lab in pole position to create a new coronavirus vaccine

Sanger Institute scientist helps unveil blueprint for extraordinary Human Cell Atlas

Prof Greg Hannon on taking over at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and creating the worlds first virtual reality tumour

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Prof Ziad Mallat leads Cambridge effort to win 30m to tackle leading cause of heart attacks and strokes - Cambridge Independent

Gene therapy has been used to treat a person with haemophilia for the first time in Ireland, a patient group has announced.

The Irish Haemophilia Society (IHS) confirmed on Thursday morning that the person received gene therapy as part of a clinical trial. IHS chief executive Brian OMahony said the treatment is a momentous occasion for the haemophilia community in Ireland.

The general term haemophilia describes a group of inherited blood disorders in which there is a life-long defect in the clotting mechanism of the blood.

Since the 1970s, haemophilia has been treated by the administration of intravenous infusions of the missing clotting factor. However, work done by companies and academic institutions has given new hope that an effective treatment could be based on gene therapy, the IHS said.

The clinical trial uses a viral vector to deliver gene therapy to the persons liver intravenously. In the past, viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis C decimated the haemophilia population in Ireland through contaminated blood. It is ironic that a virus could now be the delivery system which offers the best hope of a practical cure for severe haemophilia, Mr OMahony said.

It is hoped that the effect of the gene therapy infusion will last for many years and possibly for a lifetime.

The principal investigator on the trial in Ireland is Dr Niamh OConnell of the National Coagulation Centre in St. Jamess Hospital. She said the gene therapy was ground breaking.

The opportunity to participate in clinical trials is part of the commitment of the National Haemophilia Service to personalise treatment and to improve the quality of life and outcomes for people with haemophilia.

The study, which is being run by drug manufacturer UniQure, involves three Irish patients among a total of 60 around the world. There will be an intensive period of monitoring of effectiveness at first, followed by a longer term evaluation over five years. Only one treatment is administered to trial patients.

The particular gene therapy is focused on patients who are missing clotting factor IX, the second most-common type of haemophilia. Earlier results show that the level of clotting factor increased from 1 per cent - generally seen as severe haemophilia - to between 33 and 51 per cent in a small number of individuals treated, levels seen in mild cases or even amongst the non-haemophiliac population.

Professor Martina Hennessy of the Wellcome HRB Clinicial Research facility in St Jamess, where the gene therapy was infused, said that access to high quality research is an integral part of good healthcare because it raises standards and pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved.

Delivering gene therapy requires specialised training and equipment, we have been preparing with Dr OConnell and her team for over a year to undertake this exciting work, in partnership with the Irish Haemophilia Society. Other trials are planned, we hope this expertise leads other Irish patient groups also being able to access potentially life changing treatments in the future, she said.

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Gene therapy used in clinical trial for person with haemophilia - The Irish Times

Listen to the latest episode at this link, or on your favorite app including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Episodes are available every morning on PennLive. Subscribe/Follow and rate the podcast via your favorite app.

A serial child rapist is going behind bars for life after being sentenced to up to 126 years in jail. Meanwhile, a couple is being charged with arson and insurance fraud after allegedly setting fire to their newspaper business. In Pittsburgh, a UPMC researchers new gene therapy could cure diabetes. Also, with Easter on the horizon, Cadbury is on the hunt for a different kind of bunny -- and one Pennsylvania llama is throwing its hat in the race.

Those are the stories we are covering in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Julia Hatmaker. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories in the state.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

Special thanks to Apple Podcast listener wildbill95 for leaving Today in Pa. a review. Heres what they wrote:

Great start to the day! Julia provides the most-needed details on the days news, and makes a great way to begin the morning. Just as important, Julia gives us the lede to stories we now know to look for the in-depth article on the website.

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Serial child rapist sentenced to up to 126 years in jail; new gene therapy from UPMC could cure diabetes: Tod - PennLive

Significantly Expands Companys R&D Capabilities to Advance Industrys Largest Portfolio of Rare Disease Gene Therapy Programs

State of the Art 75,000 Sq. Ft. Research Facility Across From University of Pennsylvania Strengthens Collaboration with Wilson Lab

CRANBURY, N.J. and PHILADELPHIA, March 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amicus Therapeutics (FOLD) today announced the official opening of the companys Global Research and Gene Therapy Center of Excellence in uCity SquareinPhiladelphia to advance its industry leading portfolio of rare disease gene therapy programs. In 2019, Amicus and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) announced a major expansion of their Gene Therapy Collaboration which provides Amicus with disease-specific worldwide rights to Penns Next Generation Gene Therapy Technologies from the Wilson Lab for the majority of lysosomal storage disorders, as well as twelve additional more prevalent rare diseases including Rett Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome and select other muscular dystrophies.

John F. Crowley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ofAmicus Therapeutics, Inc., stated, This is a remarkable advancement in the history of Amicus and further strengthens our great collaboration with Dr. Jim Wilson and the Gene Therapy Center at Penn. Philadelphia is a magnet for talent in gene therapy and an engine for innovation. This new global research center located in the cradle of liberty will become part of the cradle of cures as we move many gene therapy programs forward toward patients in need. With exclusive global rights to 50 rare diseases in collaboration with Dr. Wilsons team we hope to be able to alleviate an enormous amount of human suffering with the great science work that will be done in this new facility.

The 75,000 sq. ft. Center is located on the top three floors of the new building at 3675 Market Street and consists of office and state-of-the-art laboratories. It will ultimately house approximately 200 researchers and drug developers focused exclusively on gene therapies.

A by invitation only ribbon cutting event takes place today to celebrate the opening with special guests to include Dr. Jim Wilson, government officials and patients living with rare diseases and their families.

About Amicus TherapeuticsAmicus Therapeutics (FOLD) is a global, patient-dedicated biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering novel high-quality medicines for people living with rare metabolic diseases. With extraordinary patient focus, Amicus Therapeutics is committed to advancing and expanding a robust pipeline of cutting-edge, first- or best-in-class medicines for rare metabolic diseases. For more information please visit the companys website at http://www.amicusrx.com and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.

CONTACTS:

Media:Christopher ByrneExecutive Director, Corporate Communicationscbyrne@amicusrx.com(609) 662-2798

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Amicus Opens New Global Research and Gene Therapy Center of Excellence in Philadelphia - Yahoo Finance

Allergan and Editas Medicine have made history after scientists used a CRISPR treatment developed by the partners to edit cells inside the human body.

Until now, researchers have used CRISPR in human trials, but removed patients cells and edited them outside the body before re-injecting them a process known as ex vivo treatment.

Allergan and Editas gene therapy AGN151587 or EDIT-101 is designed to treat a rare, inherited form of blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis 10 (LCA10).

The condition often first occurs in infancy, and those with the condition have specific mutations in the genes responsible for the development of the retina, the part of the eye that detects light.

The historical CRISPR moment occurred in the phase 1/2 BRILLIANCE study, after the first LCA10 patient was dosed with the CRISPR genome editing medicine inside the body or in vivo treatment.

Allergan and Editas plan to treat a further 18 LCA10 patients with EDIT-101, to evaluate the treatments safety, tolerability and efficacy.

Although there is a gene therapy available for Lebers Sparks Luxturna it doesnt work for the specific gene mutation which causes LCA10.

In comparison to gene therapies, which insert a working copy of the gene which is missing in a rare disorder, CRISPR therapies are designed to modify the gene itself, instead of supplying a working copy.

CRISPR technology does this by breaking a specific place within DNA which triggers a self-repair mechanism.

However, instead of repairing the original sequence, CRISPR serves as a new template that can be used to modify the sequence and correct a faulty gene.

Although Allergan and Editas have claimed the first in vivo instance of CRISPR treatment, a number of pharma companies and biotechs are carrying out research in the area.

That includes Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics the partners recently revealed initial positive data from the first to patients treated with their investigational CRISPR/Cas9 therapy CTX001 for the treatment of severe haemoglobinopathies.

AstraZeneca is also making a play in the CRISPR field, with a collaboration on a CRISPR-focused research programme with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, the Innovative Genomics Initiative, Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Broad Institute.

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Allergan and Editas claim a CRISPR first in inherited blindness study - PMLiVE

Second highest year for global financings in regenerative medicine, with nearly $10 billion raised globally

Washington, DC, March 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) today announced the release of its 2019 Annual Report and Sector Year in Review, highlighting the organizations key priorities and initiatives, as well as offering an in-depth look at trends and metrics for the cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue engineering sector.

ARM, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019, is the premier international advocacy organization representing the cell and gene therapy and broader regenerative medicine sector. In its 2019 annual report, the organization provides an update on its work with industry, national and international regulatory agencies, public and private payers, patient organizations and other stakeholders to create a positive environment for the development of and access to these innovative therapies.

Using data sourced from ARMs data partner Informa, the report also provides analysis on industry-specific statistics and trends from nearly 1,000 leading cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering, and other regenerative medicine companies worldwide. Key features of the report include total financings for the sector, partnerships and other deals, clinical trial information, anticipated near-term product approvals and regulatory filings, and expert commentary from industry representatives in the US and Europe.

Key findings from the 2019 annual report include:

Globally, companies active in gene and cell therapies and other regenerative medicines raised nearly $10 billion in 2019, the second highest year on record. Venture financings were particularly strong, making up more than $4 billion in global financings a 33% increase over 2018.

There were 1,066 clinical trials underway worldwide by year-end 2019. 10+ product candidates are poised for approval, and the number of approved gene therapies will likely double in the next one to two years.

Companies headquartered in Europe raised $3 billion, the strongest year on record, and were sponsoring 260 trials by the end of the year.

There is a supportive policy environment for regenerative medicines, with policymakers showing a strong interest in promoting the development of, and patient access to, these innovative therapies.

ARM will continue to update this information through new reports to be released after the close of each quarter, tracking sector performance, key financial information, clinical trial numbers, and clinical data events.

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The report is available to download onlinehere, with interactive data and downloadable infographics availablehere. Past reports, issued quarterly and annually, are availablehere.

About The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is an international multi-stakeholder advocacy organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine worldwide. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, providing business development and investor outreach services to support the growth of its member companies and research organizations. Prior to the formation of ARM in 2009, there was no advocacy organization operating in Washington, D.C. to specifically represent the interests of the companies, research institutions, investors and patient groups that comprise the entire regenerative medicine community. Today, ARM has more than 350 members and is the leading global advocacy organization in this field. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visithttp://www.alliancerm.org.

Kaitlyn Donaldson Dupont803-727-8346kdonaldson@alliancerm.org

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The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Releases 2019 Annual Report and Sector Year in Review - Yahoo Finance

An emergency room physician, initially unable to diagnose a disoriented patient, finds on the patient a wallet-sized card providing access to his genome, or all his DNA. The physician quickly searches the genome, diagnoses the problem and sends the patient off for a gene-therapy cure. Thats what a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist imagined 2020 would look like when she reported on the Human Genome Project back in 1996.

The Human Genome Project was an international scientific collaboration that successfully mapped, sequenced and made publicly available the genetic content of human chromosomes or all human DNA. Taking place between 1990 and 2003, the project caused many to speculate about the future of medicine.

In 1996, Walter Gilbert, a Nobel laureate, said, The results of the Human Genome Project will produce a tremendous shift in the way we can do medicine and attack problems of human disease. In 2000, Francis Collins, then head of the HGP at the National Institutes of Health, predicted, Perhaps in another 15 or 20 years, you will see a complete transformation in therapeutic medicine. The same year, President Bill Clinton stated the Human Genome Project would revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases.

It is now 2020 and no one carries a genome card. Physicians typically do not examine your DNA to diagnose or treat you. Why not? As I explain in a recent article in the Journal of Neurogenetics, the causes of common debilitating diseases are complex, so they typically are not amenable to simple genetic treatments, despite the hope and hype to the contrary.

The idea that a single gene can cause common diseases has been around for several decades. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, high-profile scientific journals, including Nature and JAMA, announced single-gene causation of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and alcoholism, among other conditions and behaviors. These articles drew massive attention in the popular media, but were soon retracted or failed attempts at replication. These reevaluations completely undermined the initial conclusions, which often had relied on misguided statistical tests. Biologists were generally aware of these developments, though the follow-up studies received little attention in popular media.

There are indeed individual gene mutations that cause devastating disorders, such as Huntingtons disease. But most common debilitating diseases are not caused by a mutation of a single gene. This is because people who have a debilitating genetic disease, on average, do not survive long enough to have numerous healthy children. In other words, there is strong evolutionary pressure against such mutations. Huntingtons disease is an exception that endures because it typically does not produce symptoms until a patient is beyond their reproductive years. Although new mutations for many other disabling conditions occur by chance, they dont become frequent in the population.

Instead, most common debilitating diseases are caused by combinations of mutations in many genes, each having a very small effect. They interact with one another and with environmental factors, modifying the production of proteins from genes. The many kinds of microbes that live within the human body can play a role, too.

Since common serious diseases are rarely caused by single-gene mutations, they cannot be cured by replacing the mutated gene with a normal copy, the premise for gene therapy. Gene therapy has gradually progressed in research along a very bumpy path, which has included accidentally causing leukemia and at least one death, but doctors recently have been successful treating some rare diseases in which a single-gene mutation has had a large effect. Gene therapy for rare single-gene disorders is likely to succeed, but must be tailored to each individual condition. The enormous cost and the relatively small number of patients who can be helped by such a treatment may create insurmountable financial barriers in these cases. For many diseases, gene therapy may never be useful.

The Human Genome Project has had an enormous impact on almost every field of biological research, by spurring technical advances that facilitate fast, precise and relatively inexpensive sequencing and manipulation of DNA. But these advances in research methods have not led to dramatic improvements in treatment of common debilitating diseases.

Although you cannot bring your genome card to your next doctors appointment, perhaps you can bring a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between genes and disease. A more accurate understanding of disease causation may insulate patients against unrealistic stories and false promises.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Why Sequencing the Human Genome Failed to Produce Big Breakthroughs in Disease - Discover Magazine

Ascension St. John Jane Phillips in Bartlesville will present Diabetes Prevention Program, a year-long class, led by certified lifestyle coaches at the end of the month.

Sessions will be weekly March 25th through July 1dt from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., then monthly for the year. Cost is $5 per month. For questions or more information, call 918.331.1143.

Classes are held at the Medical Park Center, 3400 SE Frank Phillips Blvd., Suite 200 in the Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Diabetes and Nutrition Education classroom.

Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Over 88 million American adults have prediabetes thats 1 in 3 adults. Of those 88 million, more than 8 in 10 of them dont even know they have it. Without taking action, many people with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years.

Diabetes is a serious disease that can cause heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, or loss of feet or legs.

The good news is Type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented in people with prediabetes through effective lifestyle programs. With modest lifestyle changes including healthy eating and increased physical activity men and women can decrease the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes.

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News Diabetes Prevention Program to be Offered Soon - Bartlesville Radio

Brushing your teeth frequently may reduce your risk for diabetes, new research suggests.

Using Korean government health records and self-reports, researchers gathered health and behavioral data on 188,013 men and women, average age 53, who were free from diabetes. More than 17 percent had periodontal disease. Over the course of the 10-year study, 31,545 developed diabetes.

After controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, lipid levels, hypertension and other factors, they found that people with periodontal disease had a 9 percent increased risk for developing diabetes. The study is in Diabetologia.

Compared with people who did not brush or brushed only once a day, those who brushed twice a day had a 3 percent reduced risk for diabetes, and those who brushed three times a day an 8 percent reduced risk. The loss of 15 or more teeth was associated with a 21 percent increased risk for developing diabetes.

Neither the number of visits to the dentist or the frequency of professional tooth cleaning was associated with the incidence of diabetes.

The lead author, Dr. Yoonkyung Chang, a professor of neurology at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said that healthy lifestyle has more powerful effects on diabetes prevention than tooth brushing.

But, she said, Frequent tooth brushing reduces local inflammation and bacteremia, and if good brushing habits persist for a long time, this can affect systemic diseases.

The rest is here:
Frequent Tooth Brushing Tied to Lower Diabetes Risk - The New York Times

Coronavirus and Diabetes: What You Need to Know

Unless youve been living under a rock the past few weeks, you have heard of a new and deadly virus that has quickly been spreading around the world: Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which is a highly infectious, acute respiratory disease. This disease only affects mammals and birds, and seems to have originated from a seafood market in the Wuhan Province of China. The numbers are changing daily, but the most recent numbers show that over 76,000 people have been infected with the virus, with 99% of them occurring within mainland China.

Because diabetes education is my passion, I wanted to share some information from author Christine Fallabel, Diabetes Daily. So how dangerous is the Coronavirus, and what do you need to know as a person living with diabetes? Many people who are infected with the virus never seek treatment. According to the World Health Organization, signs of the infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. If you suspect you may be infected, see your doctor right away.

To protect yourself from getting any type of seasonal virus, its best to avoid contact with other sick people, wash your hands frequently (especially and always after using the restroom and before preparing food!), wear a protective mask when traveling through airports or busy bus/train stations, get your flu vaccination, maintain a healthy sleep schedule, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. According to the CDC, Coronavirus is spread by respiratory droplets in the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. The virus can also be spread when an uninfected person touches a surface where the virus is (bathroom countertops or door handles), and then touches their face or mouth. Carrying antimicrobial hand sanitizer with you can help to eliminate this threat.

Sometimes your diabetes gives clues when youre starting to get sick, and one of those clues is higher-than-normal blood sugars. If youre starting to see your numbers creep up for no reason, it could be a sign that youre coming down with something. Stay on top of your diabetes when you get ill. This will include more frequent blood glucose testing, staying hydrated, checking ketones, and if on insulin, might require extra dosages.

Even though most cases are mild, having a chronic illness and a virus at the same time can cause major trouble. Seek help from a physician if you suspect something is beyond your control. Even though we are not in crisis mode concerning the Coronavirus in the United States, always be prepared with extra diabetes supplies lancets, test strips, medications. The main goal is to be proactive in protecting yourself and being aware of how your body responds.

Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes Series

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes and dont know what to do next? Are you afraid of complications? Are you confused about which foods spike your blood glucose? Do you know what your blood glucose ranges should be? Are you wondering what a hemoglobin A1c is and what yours should be?

All of these questions and concerns will be answered in this informative series! Pharmacists, diabetes specialists, and more will be on hand to lead the sessions and allow you to interact, ask questions, and share experiences. You still have time to sign up by calling the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Sulphur Springs at 903-885-3443. Topics to be covered include glucose monitoring, nutrition/meal planning, sick day management, medications, role of physical activity, delaying/preventing complications, or if you already have complications, how to manage them.

Cost is only $25 for the entire series, payable at the first session and includes materials, refreshments, and a chance for door prizes. Sessions will take place at the Hopkins County Extension Office on Mondays and Thursdays, March 9. 12. 16. 19, and 23.

Closing Thought

No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, and disciplined unknown

Article by Johanna Hicks,Texas A&M AgriLife Extension,Family & Community Health Agent

Originally posted here:
Coronavirus and Diabetes: What You Need to Know by Johanna Hicks, Family & Community Health Agent - frontporchnewstexas.com

Diabetes is the signature cause of Lions clubs around the world, as well as right here in Barton County. The Great Bend Evening Lions Club last week presented diabetic emergency kits to area schools.

In all, 14 of the kits went to schools in Great Bend and four to schools in Hoisington, said club member and project organizer Stan Jantz. These are for nurses or students to use.

The kits include snacks and other items for students with blood sugar issues or in some other form of diabetic distress, he said. However, they do not include insulin or other medications.

Approximately 293,860 people in Kansas, or 12.6% of the adult population, have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Of these, an estimated 69,000 have diabetes but dont know it, greatly increasing their health risk.

Nationally, 30.3 million people, or 9.4% of the U.S. population, have diabetes, the ADA notes. An estimated 23.1 million people, or 7.2% of the population, have been diagnosed with diabetes.

But, this is also a global issue. Lions Club International has partnered with the International Diabetes Federation to fight this disease.

In March 2018, Lions Clubs International and the International Diabetes Federation signed a memorandum of understanding, on the occasion of Lions Day at the UN, to establish a cooperative alliance in the global fight against diabetes.

The two organizations came together to help prevent diabetes and improve the quality of life for those living with diabetes worldwide, a joint statement reads.

According to the IDF, In 2019:

Approximately 463 million adults (20-79 years) were living with diabetes; by 2045 this will rise to 700 million.

The proportion of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing in most countries.

79% of adults with diabetes were living in low- and middle-income countries.

1 in 5 of the people who are above 65 years old have diabetes.

1 in 2 (232 million) people with diabetes were undiagnosed.

Diabetes caused 4.2 million deaths.

Diabetes caused at least USD 760 billion dollars in health expenditure in 2019 10% of total spending on adults.

More than 1.1 million children and adolescents are living with type 1 diabetes.

More than 20 million live births (1 in 6 live births) are affected by diabetes during pregnancy.

374 million people are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

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Evening Lions present diabetic kits to local schools - Great Bend Tribune

The findings of a study suggest that health care providers and organizations should follow a set of guidelines for producing engaging, easily digestible YouTube content that helps patients with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, managing their diagnoses.

The researchers specifically focused on how users engage with medical information on diabetes because it stands as one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the US.

The study, conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Utah, the University of Arizona, and Michigan State University, was published in the journalMIS Quarterly.

To conduct this study, the researchers used over 200 search terms to compile a list of 19,873 unique YouTube videos that were uploaded by individual users as well health care organizations, such as Mayo Clinic, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Nutrition Association. Next, they used a deep learning method to identify medical terms found in videos before grouping videos based on how much medical information they contained. They also focused on different ways these videos presented information, via text and images. Subsequently, the researchers assessed the data to determine how viewers collectively paid attention to the videos in different ways.

According to the results of the study, viewers who watched YouTube videos that contained limited medical information (e.g. videos filled with unsubstantial claims or excessive ads) typically did not engage with the videos, suggesting the need for medical content. However, the study also found that viewers who watched YouTube videos saturated with medical terms also struggled to maintain attention. The authors noted that considering the low levels of health literacy in the US, viewers may become intimidated by seeing an abundance of medical terminology.

Our study helps health care practitioners and policymakers understand how users engage with medical information in video format, says study co-author Rema Padman, professor of management science and healthcare informatics at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Heinz College in a press release. It also contributes to enhancing current public health practices by promoting the development of guidelines for the content of educational videos that aim to help people cope with chronic conditions.

Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that specific guidelines should be developed for individuals and organizations that produce YouTube content so they can provide engaging and relevant material to patients with chronic conditions. They recommend using automated video retrieval a method which identifies, and labels videos based on their level of content to accommodate patients varying levels of comprehending medical information.

As organizations produce health-related educational materials for patients, they should think not only about what medical information to deliver, but also how to meet the interest, information needs, and health-literacy levels of the consumers, Prof. Padman suggests. Creators of these materials should use technology and online solutions to reach patients with complex chronic conditions with personalized, contextualized, and just-in-time content.

Originally posted here:
Study Suggests Guidelines to Improve YouTube Video Content for Patients with Diabetes and Other Chronic Health Conditions - DocWire News