StemCell Therapy

As we begin the final month of 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has several PDUFA dates to approve drug applications. Heres a look at those scheduled for the first two weeks of the month.

Celgenes Luspatercept for Beta-thalassemia-associated Anemia

Celgene had a target action date of December 4, 2019 for its Biologics License Application (BLA) for luspatercept. Luspatercept is an investigational erythroid maturation agent for adults with very low to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)-associated anemia who have ring sideroblasts and require red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, and for the treatment of adults with beta-thalassemia-associated anemia who require RBC transfusionsit is this second indication for which the company had the December 4 PDUFA date.

Luspatercept is also being reviewed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). It is a first-in-class erythroid maturation agent (EMA) that regulates late-stage red blood cell maturation. The therapy was jointly developed by Celgene and Acceleron. The application was built on the results from the Phase III COMMANDS trial in ESA-nave, lower-risk MDS patients and the Phase II BEYOND trial in non-transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia.

The FDA approved luspatercept-aamt under the brand name of Reblozyl on November 8 for anemia in adults with beta-thalassemia. Beta-thalassemia is a rare, inherited blood disorder caused by a genetic defect in hemoglobin. The target action date for luspatercept for erythroid maturation agent for adults with very low to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)-associated anemia who have ring sideroblasts and require red blood cell (RBC) transfusions is April 4, 2020.

Amgens Biosimilar to Janssens Remicade

Amgen has a target action date of December 14 for its BLA of ABP 710, a biosimilar candidate to Janssen Pharmaceuticals Remicade (infliximab), a drug for various inflammatory diseases such as Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and plaque psoriasis.

ABP 710 (and infliximab) are anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) monoclonal antibodies. The BLA submission includes analytical, pharmacokinetic and clinical data in addition to pharmacology and toxicology data. A Phase III study comparing efficacy, safety and immunogenicity was run in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis and confirmed no clinically meaningful differences between ABP 710 and infliximab.

Avadels FT218 for Narcolepsy

Avadel Pharma has a target action date of December 15 for AV001. The New Drug Application (NDA) was originally accepted in May 2019 under the FDAs Priority Review program, which gives it a statutory six-month review. It was then extended by three months as the result of FDA requests for additional analytical information and Avadels resultant additional submissions.

FT218 is an investigational drug designed to be administered in one single dose, before bedtime, to treat excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy in patients suffering from narcolepsy. It was granted orphan-drug designation by the FDA on January 8, 2018 on the theory that is may be clinically superior to the currently marketed, twice-nightly sodium oxybate product.

On November 25, 2019, Avadel announced it had completed patient enrollment of 205 patients in the REST-ON Phase III clinical trial for FT218. The enrollment target was 205 patients. Additional patients may be enrolled if they meet eligibility criteria. Topline data is expected in the second quarter of 2020.

The company says that if the drug is approved, it has the potential to capture a significant share of the twice-nightly sodium oxybate market, which is currently valued at $1.7 billion per year.

The REST-ON trial is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase III study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of once-nightly FT218. It is under a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with FDA.

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FDA Action Alert: Celgene, Amgen and Avadel - BioSpace

First metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patient showed no detectable circulating tumor cells (CTC) or putative metastatic tumor cells (EMTs) in the peripheral blood. Further, a significant reduction in CCR5 expression was demonstrated on cancer-associated cells after eight weeks of treatment with leronlimab

A second patient with metastatic breast cancer has been enrolled under an emergency use investigational new drug

VANCOUVER, Washington, Dec. 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) CytoDyn Inc. (OTC.QB: CYDY), (CytoDyn or the Company), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab (PRO 140), a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, announced today additional early Phase 1b/2 clinical trial results evaluating leronlimab (PRO 140) patients with CCR5+ metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Data from the first patient enrolled show no detectable circulating tumor cells (CTC) or EMTs in the peripheral blood and additional reductions in CCR5 expression on cancer-associated cells at eight weeks. A second patient with metastatic breast cancer has been enrolled in the trial under an emergency use investigational new drug (IND).

The first patient in the open label study was given a weekly injection of leronlimab at 700mg along with carboplatin. The patient was enrolled in the trial with CCR5-positive, mTNBC and nave to chemotherapy in metastatic setting. The patient was previously exposed to anthracyclines and taxane in neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings.

The fourth blood sample from the mTNBC patient, drawn following eight weeks of treatment, demonstrates a notably sustained response to leronlimab, said Bruce Patterson, M.D., chief executive officer of IncellDx. Other cancer-associated macrophage-like (CAML) cells in the blood sample were found at the lower limits of detection and were also decreased in size. Most importantly, the CAML cells had reduced CCR5 staining compared to samples taken from the patient three weeks earlier, reflecting an ongoing blockade of the CCR5 receptor by leronlimab.

Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of CytoDyn, stated: It is very exciting to see additional preliminary results that demonstrate leronlimabs potential as a therapeutic option to treat mTNBC. We are also pleased to have enrolled a second patient with metastatic breast cancer under an emergency IND. If the results of the second patient are similarly impressive, we plan to file for Breakthrough Therapy designation before the end of January 2020. We have had many patients contact us for treatment under our expanded access protocol and another hospital has opened enrollment for our mTNBC trial. We look forward continuing our research in furtherance of this clinical development plan.

About Triple-Negative Breast CancerTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer characterized by the absence of the three most common types of receptors in the cancer tumor known to fuel most breast cancer growthestrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR) and the hormone epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) gene.1 TNBC cancer occurs in about 10 to 20 percent of diagnosed breast cancers and can be more aggressive and more likely to spread and recur.2,3 Since the triple negative tumor cells lack these receptors, common treatments for breast cancer such as hormone therapy and drugs that target estrogen, progesterone, and HER-2 are ineffective.4 Currently, there are no targeted therapies approved to treat triple negative breast cancer.5

About Leronlimab (PRO 140)The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a Fast Track designation to CytoDyn for two potential indications of leronlimab for deadly diseases. The first as a combination therapy with HAART for HIV-infected patients, and the second is for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Leronlimab is an investigational humanized IgG4 mAb that blocks CCR5, a cellular receptor that is important in HIV infection, tumor metastases, and other diseases, including NASH. Leronlimab has successfully completed nine clinical trials in over 800 people, including meeting its primary endpoints in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients).

In the setting of HIV/AIDS, leronlimab is a viral-entry inhibitor; it masks CCR5, thus protecting healthy T cells from viral infection by blocking the predominant HIV (R5) subtype from entering those cells. Leronlimab has been the subject of nine clinical trials, each of which demonstrated that leronlimab can significantly reduce or control HIV viral load in humans. The leronlimab antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent leading to potentially fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements compared with daily drug therapies currently in use.

In the setting of cancer, research has shown that CCR5 plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Increased CCR5 expression is an indicator of disease status in several cancers. Published studies have shown that blocking CCR5 can reduce tumor metastases in laboratory and animal models of aggressive breast and prostate cancer. Leronlimab reduced human breast cancer metastasis by more than 98 percent in a murine xenograft model. CytoDyn is, therefore, conducting a Phase 2 human clinical trial in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and was granted Fast Track designation in May 2019. Additional research is being conducted with leronlimab in the setting of cancer and NASH with plans to conduct additional clinical studies when appropriate.

The CCR5 receptor appears to play a central role in modulating immune cell trafficking to sites of inflammation and may be important in the development of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and other inflammatory conditions. Clinical studies by others further support the concept that blocking CCR5 using a chemical inhibitor can reduce the clinical impact of acute GvHD without significantly affecting the engraftment of transplanted bone marrow stem cells.

CytoDyn is currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical study with leronlimab to further support the concept that the CCR5 receptor on engrafted cells is critical for the development of acute GvHD and that blocking this receptor from recognizing certain immune signaling molecules is a viable approach to mitigating acute GvHD. The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to leronlimab for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).

About CytoDynCytoDyn is a biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications based on leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 appears to play a key role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells. The CCR5 receptor also appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses, such as graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) and NASH. CytoDyn has successfully completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial with leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients. CytoDyn plans to seek FDA approval for leronlimab in combination therapy and plans to complete the filing of a Biologics License Application (BLA) in 2019 for that indication. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 3 investigative trial with leronlimab (PRO 140) as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients and, plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication, which if successful, could support a label extension. Clinical results to date from multiple trials have shown that leronlimab (PRO 140) can significantly reduce viral burden in people infected with HIV with no reported drug-related serious adverse events (SAEs). Moreover, results from a Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated that leronlimab monotherapy can prevent viral escape in HIV-infected patients, with some patients on leronlimab monotherapy remaining virally suppressed for more than four years. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 trial to evaluate leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD and has received clearance to initiate a clinical trial with leronlimab in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. More information is atwww.cytodyn.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as believes, hopes, intends, estimates, expects, projects, plans, anticipates and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The Companys forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i) the sufficiency of the Companys cash position, (ii) the Companys ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations, (iii) the Companys ability to meet its debt obligations, if any, (iv) the Companys ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third parties, (v) the Companys ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion, (vi) the Companys ability to achieve approval of a marketable product, (vii) the design, implementation and conduct of the Companys clinical trials, (viii) the results of the Companys clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results, (ix) the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved, (x) the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Companys products, (xi) regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process, (xii) general economic and business conditions, (xiii) changes in foreign, political, and social conditions, and (xiv) various other matters, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form 10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release.

CONTACTSFor more information, visitwww.cytodyn.comor contact:

Media:Grace FotiadesLifeSci Public Relationsgfotiades@lifescipublicrelations.com(646) 876-5026

Investors:Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D.President & CEOnpourhassan@cytodyn.com

Source: CytoDyn, Inc.

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CytoDyn Reports Early Results from First Patient in its Phase 1b/2 CCR5+ Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Trial - Stock Day Media

Recently, a new study that appears in the journal Nature, focuses on stem cell therapy and shows unexpected ways in which it may be helpful in recovering the health of the heart. Stem cell therapy has become popular in the past few years due to its benefits for a big number of health conditions.

Currently, there is major ongoing research on stem cells since they are responsible for the regeneration of new cells and may play a fundamental role in understanding the development of a variety of different diseases as well as their potential treatments.

Some of the recent discoveries of medical science include using stem cells as regenerative medicine as they can be turned into particular types of cells that may be able to replace tissues damaged as a result of health issues and thereby control the disease.

Read also:New Study Reveals Hydromethylthionine Slows Cognitive Decline and Brain Atrophy

The therapy can be specifically useful for people with conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, stroke, cancer, burns, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, heart disease, and osteoarthritis.

At the moment, the most successful procedure that involves stem cell therapy is performing a bone marrow transplant. This surgical operation replaces the cells which have been damaged during chemotherapy by programmed stem cells. People are usually able to maintain and live a normal life after recovery from the surgery.

Furthermore, stem cell usage in clinical trials designed for testing the effectiveness, safety, and potential negative impact of new drugs. To do so, the stem cells can be programmed into becoming the type of cells that the drug aims to target.

The new study, which was led by Jeffery Molkentin who is a professor of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the director of Molecular Cardiovascular Microbiology a Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, takes data from a study from the same journal, Nature, from the years 2014 which was conducted by the same medical team.

In the new paper, the team with Molkentin as the principal investigator found some unexpected results. There were two types of stem cells in the clinical trial cardiac progenitor cells and bone marrow mononuclear cells.

The main objective of the new trial was to re-evaluate the results of the 2014 study, which showed that injecting c-kit positive heart stem in the heart does not help in the regeneration of cardiomyocytes, to see how the cell therapy can be made to be effective.

It was instead discovered that injecting an inert chemical called zymosan, which is designed particularly for inducing an innate immune response, or dead stem cells can also be beneficial for the recovery of heart as they may speed up the healing procedure.

Injecting either dead stem cells or zymosan led to a reduction in the development of cellular matrix connective tissue in the areas which had been damaged in the heart. In addition, the mechanical properties of the targeted scar also improved.

Another important finding was that chemical substances such as zymosan are required to be injected directly into the heart for optimum results. In previous clinical trials, direct injections were avoided for safety reasons.

Molkentin and the team state that follow-up studies and trials on this new discovery are imminent as they may be important for developing therapies in the future.

Read more here:
Stem Cell Therapy May Improve Heart Health In New Ways - TheHealthMania

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Transfection Technologies Market Survey by Industry Trends, Growth Rate with CAGR Analysis 2026 By Top Key Players Lonza., Promega Corporation.,...

In a analysts note revealed to clients and investors on Friday, 29 November, equity research analysts at BidaskScores research division upgraded Gamida Cell (NASDAQ:GMDA)s stock to a Hold.

Axt Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) had a decrease of 0.34% in short interest. AXTIs SI was 1.63M shares in December as released by FINRA. Its down 0.34% from 1.64M shares previously. With 349,800 avg volume, 5 days are for Axt Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI)s short sellers to cover AXTIs short positions. The SI to Axt Incs float is 4.63%. It closed at $3.16 lastly. It is up 43.44% since December 2, 2018 and is downtrending. It has underperformed by 43.44% the S&P500. Some Historical AXTI News: 14/05/2018 Eam Investors LLC Exits Position in AXT; 25/04/2018 AXT 1Q EPS 7c; 24/04/2018 AXT Short-Interest Ratio Rises 33% to 7 Days; 21/04/2018 DJ AXT Inc, Inst Holders, 1Q 2018 (AXTI); 11/04/2018 AXT: Demand Remains Soli; 14/03/2018 AXT Closes Below 200-Day Moving Average: Technicals; 24/05/2018 AXT Short-Interest Ratio Rises 63% to 10 Days; 11/04/2018 AXT INC COMPLETED FIRST PHASE OF FACILITIZATION OF ITS NEW MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN DINGXING, CHINA; 11/04/2018 AXT Inc. Lowers 1Q Guidance; 11/04/2018 AXT Completes First Phase of New Factory in Dingxing, China

Gamida Cell Ltd., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing cell therapies to cure cancer, and rare and serious hematologic diseases in the United States, the European Union, and internationally. The company has market cap of $182.65 million. The company's lead product candidate is NiCord, a nicotinamide -expanded cord blood cell therapy that is in Phase 3 clinical trials for use as a curative stem cell graft for patients in hematopoietic stem cell transplant. It currently has negative earnings. It is also developing NAM-NK, an innate immunotherapy of expanded natural killer cells, which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Analysts await Gamida Cell Ltd. (NASDAQ:GMDA) to report earnings on February, 24. After $-0.30 actual earnings per share reported by Gamida Cell Ltd. for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts 30.00% negative EPS growth.

The stock increased 5.96% or $0.31 during the last trading session, reaching $5.43. About 92,358 shares traded or 204.50% up from the average. Gamida Cell Ltd. (NASDAQ:GMDA) has 0.00% since December 2, 2018 and is . It has by 0.00% the S&P500.

More notable recent Gamida Cell Ltd. (NASDAQ:GMDA) news were published by: Finance.Yahoo.com which released: Will Gamida Cell (NASDAQ:GMDA) Spend Its Cash Wisely? Yahoo Finance on November 19, 2019, also Seekingalpha.com with their article: Gamida Cell Ltd. (GMDA) CEO Julian Adams on Q3 2019 Results Earnings Call Transcript Seeking Alpha published on November 13, 2019, Businesswire.com published: Gamida Cell Announces the Date of Its Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results and Webcast Business Wire on November 05, 2019. More interesting news about Gamida Cell Ltd. (NASDAQ:GMDA) were released by: Businesswire.com and their article: Gamida Cell to Present at the 31st Annual Piper Jaffray Healthcare Conference Business Wire published on November 21, 2019 as well as Businesswire.coms news article titled: Gamida Cell Announces Data to be Presented at ASH 2019 Annual Meeting Business Wire with publication date: November 06, 2019.

AXT, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes compound and single element semiconductor substrates. The company has market cap of $127.10 million. The firm makes its semiconductor substrates using its proprietary vertical gradient freeze technology. It currently has negative earnings. It offers semi-insulating gallium with arsenic substrates, which are used for applications in power amplifiers for wireless devices, and transistors and solar cells for drones.

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BidaskScore Ups Gamida Cell (GMDA); Shorts at Axt (AXTI) Lowered By 0.34% - The Broch Herald

Outcome means a special Thanksgiving

Hailie and Treylin Hyman saw the bruising on their baby girls leg as a sign that the active 1-year-old was learning to walk.

But as a blood test would later reveal, little Maci was actually suffering from an extremely rare blood cancer that threatened her life without a risky treatment - atreatmentalmost as dangerous as the disease.

In the beginning, it was very scary, Hailie Hyman told The Greenville News.

I couldnt think of anything but the bad things, she confessed. It was all about the statistics. And the statistics arent good.

Hailie Hyman holds her daughter Maci, 1, before an appointment at the Prisma Health Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.(Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)

Terrifying months followed the diagnosis, punctuated by one critical complication after another, leaving the Boiling Springs couple to wonder if Maci would survive.

Somehow, though, the blue-eyed toddler pulled through.And now her family is looking forward to a special Thanksgiving with much to be grateful for.

The Hymans journey began last February atMacis 1-year-old well-child checkup.

We had no idea anything was wrong, her mom said.But they did a routine (blood test) and a couple of hours later, we got a call saying her platelets were very low.

The Hymans were referred to a hematologist who found other abnormalities in Macis blood and scheduled a bone marrow biopsy to investigate further.

Hailie Hyman holds her daughter Maci, 1, before an appointment at the Prisma Health Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.(Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)

During the procedure, the child suffered an aneurysm in an artery and went into cardiac arrest. The team performed CPR on her for 20 minutes before she was stabilized, her mom said.

Later, in the pediatric intensive care unit, she suffered internal bleeding, too.

It was really hard, she said. There were many nights that I would just pray and pray and pray.

Initially believing Maci had leukemia, doctors subsequently determined she had myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS.

The condition occurs when abnormal cells in the bone marrow leave the patient unable to make enough blood, according to the American Cancer Society.

Its rare, afflicting as few 10,000 Americans a year, though the actual number is unknown.

Maci Hyman, 1, interacts with hospital staff before an appointment at the Prisma Health Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.(Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)

In children, its rarer still. Most people arediagnosed in their 70s.

We were told that just four out of 1 million children get it every year, Hailie Hyman said.

That made the diagnosis elusive at first, said Dr. Nichole Bryant, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist with Prisma Health-Upstate, formerly Greenville Health System.

Shes the only one Ive seen in my career, she said.

Maci had to have regular blood transfusions, antibiotics and other medications to fight the MDS, Bryant said. But the only hope for a cure was a stem cell transplant at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

When they said that was the only treatment plan for MDS, I of course went to Google, Hailie Hyman said. I read about transplant patients and ...all the complications. It was terrifying. But no matter how many bad things I saw, we had to do it. There is no other option.

The transplantis extremely risky.

Hailie Hyman looks at a fish tank with her daughter Maci, 1, before an appointment at the Prisma Health Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.(Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)

First, high doses of chemotherapy are given to destroy the diseased bone marrow, leaving the patient without an immune system, so fighting infections becomes a challenge. Then healthy donor marrow is infused.

Its also fraught with potentially life-threatening complications, including graft vs. host disease, which occurs when immune cells from the donor attack the patients body, Bryant said. Other complications include permanent kidney damage and gastrointestinal problems.

They have to go to hell and back, she said. But its the only option for long-term survival.

Maci had a really rough start, suffering lots and lots and lots of complications, Bryant said.

Her kidneys failed, so she wound up on dialysis. When she couldnt breathe on her own, she was put on a ventilator. And because she couldnt eat, she had to be tube fed.

Hailie Hyman looks at a fish tank with her daughter Maci, 1, before an appointment at the Prisma Health Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.(Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)

She had blistering sores in her mouth and throughout her GI tract, her mom said. Because her liver wasnt functioning properly, her abdomen filled up with fluid that had to be drained. She was bleeding so profusely in her lungs that one of them collapsed.

Maci, who was sedated through much of it, was put on full life support, she said.

That night we almost lost her, her mom said. We were in the hallway crying our eyes out. We didnt know what do to or think. It was pretty scary for a while.

Somehow, Maci made it.

There were so many times during her first months that it seemed like she would not survive, Bryant said. So the fact that she is here ... is really a miracle.

Macis family found an unrelated donor through the National Marrow Donor Program, enlisting hundreds of other people to join the registry in the process, Bryant said.

Nichole Bryant, M.D.(Photo: Provided)

It was an important part of their journey that maybe didnt directly benefit Maci, she said. But if everybody did that, we wouldnt have difficulty finding a donor for anybody.

Doctors have no explanation for why Maci got MDS. She didnt carry the genetic mutation for it and there is no family history.

She is a rare child - and not in a good way, her mom said, adding,Youve got to laugh sometimes or youre going to cry.

Maci was admitted to MUSC on June 2 and released on Oct. 14.

The Hymans, both 22, spent the entire time in Charlestonwhile Hailies mom cared for their older daughter, Athena, now 2.

Treylins employer held his welding job open for him. And other friends and family members did what they could to help.

We had many, many people very generously donate to us to cover expenses at home and living expenses where we were, Hailie Hyman said.

We are thankful for everyone who helped us through it the cards, the gifts, the donations. Every single cent is greatly appreciated.

They still need to travel to Charleston once a week to see the transplant doctor. In between, Maci is seen in Greenville.

She's doing well, but recovery from a transplant can take months to years, Bryant said.

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Her kidneys are functioning again so she was able to come off dialysis. But she still must take many medications, including anti-rejection drugs that suppress her immune system and leaveher at risk for infection. And she still must be tube fed.

She is miles ahead of where she was two months ago, Bryant said. But she still has a long way to go. Its a long, long road.

Macis mom says she can be up and playing one day and flopped over on the couch another. She still experiences a lot of nausea and vomiting, but is doing well compared to where she was.

Hailie Hyman pulls her daughter Maci, 1, in a wagon in the hallway before an appointment at the Prisma Health Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.(Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)

So as the nation pauses to give thanks this Thanksgiving, she says the family will be countingtheir many blessings family andfriends, Gods mercy, andthe doctors and nurses who saved Macis life.

She has battled a lot and overcome a lot, she said. I have no doubt she will be able to get through.

Want to know more about becoming a marrow donor? Go to bethematch.org.

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Upstate SC toddler survives rare cancer and the risky procedure used to treat it - Greenville News

Dr Sister Ltd continues to offer effective skin treatments to both men and women, and they have been doing this for over 45 years now. Doctor Sister provides a comprehensive portfolio of treatments while at the same time delivering natural-looking, regenerative and enhancing results for the face and body. They are big believers in helping slow down the ageing process for each client, as of course, they are unable to stop time for you.

At Dr Sister Ltd, you can be treated by a professional doctor that trains other practitioners. Dr Sisterhimself has introduced over ten ground-breaking treatments to the UK market, along with eight published books, many articles in international peer reviews medical journals and general press, as well as being one of UKs and Europes leading lecturer and trainer in the field of Aesthetic Medicine.

The treatments offered by Dr Sister Ltd are non-invasive so there is no surgery and no downtime. Some of the skin treatments on offer at Dr Sister Ltd include the following; mini face lift, non-surgical face lift, vampire facial, PRP treatment and PRP injection. That is not an exhaustive list and he is also a renowned hormonal expert.

Dr. Sister has perfected safe, effective, natural-looking treatments, which has made him a worldwide expert and teacher in regenerative and innovative procedures such as Dracula PRP, Mint Lift including the new Stem Cell Facelift.

The PRP treatment (Dr. Sister has his own superior trademarked version called Dracula Therapy) may be unfamiliar to some clients. Dr Sister explains the procedure in great detail on their site. APRP treatment is a powerful anti-ageing treatment that involves using your blood as an injectable treatment (PRP Injection). Dr Daniel Sister was the first to introduce the treatment into the UK, and now he calls it Dracula Therapy.

With the Dracula Therapy or vampire facial, you will notice results within 3-4 weeks, and often only one PRP injection is required. However, the treatment may need to be repeated every 2-6 months because of the on-going ageing process.

The PRP injections generally appeal to patients looking for a more natural approach to facial rejuvenation, which is the rejuvenation process of using their cells. This treatment does not use synthetic fillers or animal products and has no risks or side effects.

At Dr Sister Ltd, they are well known for their aesthetic treatments, in particular, the MINT lift and Dr Sister is the training partner for the MINT lift. It is a PDO thread lift that offers exceptional results. Dr. Sister has been particularly impressed by the results as it provides an immediate and obvious lift, which many of his patients are looking for.

Dr Sister Ltd also mentions that local anaesthetic is used making the procedure pain free, and patients generally return to work and usual activities the following day. There are many benefits such as soft tissue lifting, instant lift, results lasting around 18 months.

If you would like to find out more about the treatments on offer at Dr Sister Ltd, there are many ways to get in touch. You can email press@drdanielsister.com your query, and they will get back to you as soon as possible, or you can go online to their website at https://drdanielsister.com. On their site, you will find all the information about the top treatments, fees, testimonials, and Dr Sister Ltd.

Source:https://thenewsfront.com/dr-sister-ltd-offers-effective-skin-treatments-to-both-men-and-women/

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Dr Sister Ltd Offers Effective Skin Treatments to Both Men and Women - The News Front

A research report on Transplant Diagnostics Market by Persistence Market Research features an in-depth analysis on the latest market trends. The report also includes detailed abstracts about statistics, revenue forecasts and market valuation. The report also offers a detailed analysis on the competitive landscape of the market.

Organ transplantation is the need to relocate organ in order to treat organ failure such as liver, pancreas, lungs, kidney, and heart. Human leukocyte antigens are the antigens found on the surface of the cell that regulates the body recognition and rejects foreign tissue transplant. It is the major histocompatibility complex in the human beings, which is controlled by the genes located on the chromosome six. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) diagnostic testing is performed to determine the tissue compatibility between the donor and recipient in organ and bone marrow transplant.

In addition, a close match between a donor and recipient HLA marker is essential. It increases the probability of graft survival and minimizes severe immunologic transplant complications. It is performed with the help of non-molecular assay and molecular assay. The non-molecular assay includes serological assay and mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) assay. In addition, molecular assay comprises PCR-based assay (sequence -pecific primer PCR, and sequence-specific oligonucleotide PCR), and sequencing-based assay (Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing). Hospitals, transplant centers, research laboratories, academic institutes, and commercial service providers are the major end-users of transplant diagnostics.

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North America dominates the global market for transplant diagnostics due to continuous reduction in the average cost of gene sequencing, private-public funding for the development of HLA typing technology and rising number of stem cells, and solid organ-based transplantation in the region. Asia is expected to show a high growth rate in the next five years in the global transplant diagnostics market with China and India being the fastest growing markets in the Asia Pacific region. The key driving forces for the transplant diagnostics market in developing countries are the large pool of patients, improving healthcare infrastructure, rising public and private support to develop human leukocyte antigen typing technologies, and growing focus of life science companies in the region.

Growing geriatric population, rising number of soft tissue, solid and stem cell based transplantation, rising prevalence of chronic diseases, growth in robot-assisted laboratory automation of diagnostic procedures, and technological advancement in the field of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing are some of the key factors driving the growth of the global transplant diagnostics market. In addition, increase in public-private investment to develop innovative human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing products, rising application of HLA typing products in clinical diagnostics, improving healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, continuous reduction in average cost of gene sequencing, and increasing installation base of PCR and NGS instruments are driving the growth of the global transplant diagnostic market. However, factors such as high cost of PCR and NGS instruments, limited medical reimbursement for transplantation procedure, and a huge gap between organ donation and transplantation annually act as major restraints for the growth of the global transplant diagnostics market.

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Increasing shift of preference from serological assay method to genome-based HLA profiling, and rising market penetration in developing countries to develop transplant diagnostic products would pose further opportunities for the growth of the transplant diagnostic market. New product launches and product development are among the major trends for the global transplant diagnostics market.

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Transplant Diagnostics Market to Witness Heightened Revenue Growth During the Forecast Period (2015-2021) - Statsflash

New Report on Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures Market size | Industry Segment by Applications (Cardiovascular, Orthopedic, Gynecology, Opthalmology, General Surgery and Others), by Type (Absorbable Sutures and Non-Absorbable Sutures), Regional Outlook, Market Demand, Latest Trends, Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures Industry Share & Revenue by Manufacturers, Company Profiles, Growth Forecasts 2025. Analyzes current market size and upcoming 5 years growth of this industry.

A comprehensive analysis of the Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures market is presented in this document, along with a brief overview of the segments in the industry. The study presents a feasible estimate of the current market scenario, including the Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures market size with regards to the volume and renumeration. The report is a collection of significant data related to the competitive landscape of the industry. It also contains data with regards to several regions that have successfully established its position in the Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Suturesmarket.

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Repot Scope:

Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures Market Outlook by Applications:

Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures Market Statistics by Types:

Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures market competition by top Manufacturers:

A Glimpse over the highlights of the report:

Providing a thorough outline of the competitive and regional spheres of the Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures market:

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Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Sutures Market Research, Recent Trends and Growth - News by aeresearch

Credit: ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

An array of platinum nanostraws can be used to deliver molecules to cells or sample their contents.

Hollow nanosized needles, or nanostraws, are a promising tool for opening up tiny, temporary holes in cell membranes to deliver molecules or sample a cells contents. Nanostraws could also deliver gene editors into cells for immunotherapy, cutting the need to use costly viruses for the job. But making nanostraws requires expensive manufacturing equipment in a clean room facility, and using nanostraws often requires applying a high voltage in order to open up the cell membrane. Now, researchers have developed a more affordable fabrication approach that can be done in an ordinary lab. Whats more, the new nanostraws are conductive, thus lowering the amount of voltage needed to levels less likely to damage cells (ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b15619).

Researchers made earlier iterations of nanostraws with atomic layer deposition (ALD), which grows thin films of materials such as metal oxides one layer of atoms at a time. In their new approach, Xi Xie of Sun Yat-Sen University and colleagues replaced ALD with electroplating, a simple process which uses an electrical potential to deposit ions in a solution onto a surface.

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They first sputtered a thin layer of gold on the bottom surface of a polycarbonate template containing an array of pores in order to make a conductive base layer. Then they electroplated platinum, gold, or the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)three common materials used in electrophysiology studiesfrom the top. The materials lined the pores of the template, creating the hollow nanostraws. The team then used mechanical polishing and oxygen plasma etching to remove the polycarbonate template, revealing an array of vertical nanostraws, each a few hundred nanometers in diameter. According to Xie, their method can work with templates of various pore sizes or pore densities, or with other plating materials.

Ciro Chiappini, a nanomedicine researcher at Kings College London, says this study is a needed and significant step toward developing affordable nanostraws.

Using a representative platinum nanostraw array, Xie and colleagues demonstrated that they could deliver a fluorescent dye into cultured human cells and extract intracellular materials to examine how the levels of an enzyme changed over time.

The conductivity of the new nanostraws allowed the researchers to open tiny pores in the cell membrane by applying a voltage of only 35 V, a safer range for cells compared with 1020 V needed when using nonconductive nanostraws.

These straws could make cellular treatments such as CAR-T therapy faster, safer, and cheaper, says Nicholas A. Melosh, a materials scientist at Stanford University who has done nanostraw research. Typical immunotherapy delivers therapy to a patients immune cells using viruses, which is costly and carries the risk of dangerous immune responses once the cells are put back into the patient, he says. Nanostraws could potentially deliver the necessary therapies to cells without the need for viruses.

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Electroplating method makes conductive nanostraws for injecting into and sampling from cells - Chemical & Engineering News

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Metal nanoclusters, made up of several to one hundred metal atoms (e.g., Au, Ag, Cu, Pt), are a novel class of intermediate between metal atoms and nanoparticles. As their size (<2 nm) borders on the Fermi wavelength of electrons, metal nanoclusters possess strong photoluminescence in comparison with large metal nanoparticles (>2 nm). This, combined with tunable fluorescence emissions, high photostability, good quantum yields and facile synthesis, make them excellent fluorescent labels for biomedical applications.

However, the reduction of metal ions in liquid solution during synthesis usually causes large nanoparticles rather than small metal nanocluster formation because of their tendency to aggregate. In light of this, proteins whose thiol, amino, and carboxyl groups have a strong affinity for metal atoms are typically used to stabilize metal nanoclusters to protect them from aggregationthese proctected clusters are commonly called protein-protected metal nanoclusters.

Protein-protected metal nanoclusters have excellent biocompatibility and have received considerable attention as a luminescent probe in a number of fields such as biosensing, bioimaging, and imaging-guided therapy. However, apart from unique optical properties, protein-protected metal nanoclusters also possess interesting biological properties such as enzyme-like activity similar to that of natural enzymes; until recently, this has been an overlooked quality that is starting to shine in basic research and practical applications.

Nanozymes is a new termed used to refer to nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like activity. Since professor Yan and coworkers first discovered that nanoparticleswhich are traditionally assumed to be inertpossessed intrinsic enzyme-like activity, a substantial amount of work has focused on further developing and harnessing the advantageous properties of nanozymes, which include high catalytic ability, high stability, and low cost. Nowadays, more than 540 kinds of nanomaterials, which possess intrinsic enzymatic activity, have been reported from 350 laboratories in 30 countries and have been used in biological analysis, environmental treatment, as antibacterial agents, cancer therapy, and antioxidation therapy.

In a recent study published in WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, Professor Xiyun Yan and Kelong Fan explore the newly developing field of biologically active protein-protected metal nanoclusters, namely those that possess peroxidase, oxidase, and catalase activities, and are consequently used for biological analysis and environmental treatment.

An intriguing example of this is bovine serum albumin-protected gold (Au) nanoclusters, which exhibit peroxidase enzymatic activity to catalyze the oxidation of colored organic substrates, which is currently carried out using natural peroxidases. This method showed an advantage over the natural peroxidase-based methods because bovine serum albumin-protected Au nanoclusters exhibited higher robustness and retained enzymatic activity over a wide range of pH and temperatures. In another example, lysozyme-protected platinum (Pt) nanoclusters exhibit oxidase enzymatic activity which has been applied to the oxidative degradation of pollutants, such as methylene blue in lake water.

The proteins themselves not only provide protection and stabilization during synthesis, but can also provide a myriad of other functions to the nanoclusters. Proteins have been shown to enable in vivo applications because of their enhanced biocompatibility. In fact, a protease-responsive sensor for in vivo disease monitoring was designed by utilizing the peroxidase activity of peptide-protected Au nanoclusters and their ultra-small size dependent tumor accumulation and renal clearance properties.

The sensor was developed using peptides which are the substrates/targets of disease related proteases as protective ligands to synthesis the Au nanoclusters nanozymes, which were then conjugated to a carrier. After reaching the site of disease, the sensor was disassembled in response to the dysregulated protease and the liberated Au nanoclusters were filtered through the kidneys and into urine to produce a rapid and sensitive colorimetric readout of diseases state. By employing different enzymatic substrate as protective ligands for Au nanoclusters, this modular approach could enable the rapid detection of a diverse range of diseases with dysregulated protease activities such as cancer, inflammation, and thrombosis.

These findings have extended the horizon of protein-protected metal nanoclusters properties as well as their application in various fields, says Kelong Fan. Furthermore, in the field of nanozymes, protein-protected metal nanoclusters have emerged as an outstanding new addition. Due to their ultra-small size (<2 nm), they usually have higher catalytic activity, more suitable size for in vivo application, better biocompatibility and photoluminescence in comparison with large size nanozymes. We think that ultra-small nanozymes based on protein-protected MNCs are on the verge of attracting great interest across various disciplines and will stimulate research in the fields of nanotechnology and biology.

Despite the advantages and advancedprogress in the development of protein-protected metal nanoclusters asultra-small nanozymes, there are still some challenges that need to be addressedin future work.

First, most researchers still only rely on bovine serum albumin as both the reducing agent and stabilizer. Since we know that protein-protected metal nanoclusters may retain the bioactivity of the protein ligand, it is necessary to explore methods for synthesizing other new protein-protected metal nanoclusters, which will widen the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of protein-protected metal nanoclusters nanozymes.

Second, there are six types of catalytic reactions in nature: oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, isomerases, ligases, and lyases. Thus far, although many protein-protected metal nanoclusters have demonstrated enzyme activities they all are oxidoreductase-like activities such as peroxidase, oxidase, and catalase. Therefore, there is a ample room to develop other types of nanozymes based on protein-protected metal nanoclusters. In this regard, more understanding of the structures and catalytic mechanisms of protein-protected metal nanoclusters is required in addition to the deeper understanding on natural enzymes themselves.

Third, a considerable number of reports have suggested that ultra-small nanozymes based on protein-protected metal nanoclusters are promising tools for biological analysis. However, little is known about the therapeutic function of these ultra-small clusters in vivo despite their advantages of suitable size and good biocompatibility. It is well known that peroxidase, oxidase, and catalase are main enzymes in biological systems involved in the maintenance of redox homeostasis. Thus, more attention should be paid to the usage of these ultra-small nanozymes based on protein-protected metal nanoclusters as bio-catalysts in various human diseases involved in redox dysregulation such as cancer, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases. It is also possible to employ the products of redox nanozymes to treat other diseases, for example, use the toxic hydroxyl radicals produced by peroxidase nanozymes to treat bacterial infection.

Overall, there is still much room for future research and application of ultra-small nanozymes based on protein-protected metal nanoclusters. It is expected that the enzyme-like activity of protein-protected metal nanoclusters will certainly attract broader interests across various disciplines and stimulate research in the fields of nanotechnology and biology, making these emerging ultra-small nanozymes become novel multifunctional nanomaterials for a number of biomedical applications.

Kindly contributed by the authors.

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Protein-Protected Metal Nanoclusters That Behave Like Natural Enzymes - Advanced Science News

Fatima Aouidat,1 Sarah Boumati,2 Memona Khan,1 Frederik Tielens,3 Bich-Thuy Doan,2 Jolanda Spadavecchia1

1CNRS, UMR 7244, CSPBAT, Laboratory of Chemistry, Structures and Properties of Biomaterials And Therapeutic Agents University Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cit, Bobigny, France; 2UTCBS Chimie ParisTech University Paris Descartes - CNRS UMR 8258 INSERM U1022 Equipe Synthesis, Electrochemistry, Imaging and Analytical Systems for Diagnostics SEISAD, Paris, France; 3General Chemistry (ALGC), Vrije University of Brussel (Free University Brussels-VUB), Brussel, Belgium

Correspondence: Jolanda Spadavecchia Email jolanda.spadavecchia@univ-paris13.fr

Introduction: The development of biopolymers for the synthesis of Gd(III) nanoparticles, as therapeutics, could play a key role in nanomedicine. Biocompatible polymers are not only used for complex monovalent biomolecules, but also for the realization of multivalent active targeting materials as diagnostic and/or therapeutic hybrid nanoparticles. In this article, it was reported for the first time, a novel synthesis of Gd(III)biopolymerAu(III) complex, acting as a key ingredient of core-shell gold nanoparticles (Gd(@AuNPs).Material and methods: The physical and chemical evaluation was carried out by spectroscopic analytical techniques (Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible and TEM). The theoretical characterization by DFT (density functional theory) analysis was carried out under specific conditions to investigate the interaction between the Au and the Gd precursors, during the first nucleation step. Magnetic features with relaxivity measurements at 7T were also performed as well as cytotoxicity studies on hepatocyte cell lines for biocompatibility studies. The in vivo detailed dynamic biodistribution studies in mice to characterize the potential applications for biology as MRI contrast agents were then achieved.Results: Physicalchemical evaluation confirms the successful design and reaction supposed. Viabilities of TIB-75 (hepatocytes) cells were evaluated using Alamar blue cytotoxic tests with increasing concentrations of nanoparticles. In vivo biodistribution studies were then accomplished to assess the kinetic behavior of the nanoparticles in mice and characterize their stealthiness property after intravenous injection.Conclusion: We demonstrated that Gd@AuNPs have some advantages to display hepatocytes in the liver. Particularly, these nanoconjugates give a good cellular uptake of several quantities of Gd@NPs into cells, while preserving a T1 contrast inside cells that provide a robust in vivo detection using T1-weighted MR images. These results will strengthen the role of gadolinium as complex to gold in order to tune Gd(@AuNPs) as an innovative diagnostic agent in the field of nanomedicine.

Keywords: Gd-gold complex, theoretical study, MRI, relaxivity, biodistribution

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Design and Synthesis of Gold-Gadolinium-Core-Shell Nanoparticles as Co | IJN - Dove Medical Press

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 3, 2019--

The "Biochips - Technologies, Markets & Companies" report from Jain PharmaBiotech has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report is an analysis of biochip/microarray markets based on technologies and applications. The report starts with a description of technologies as a basis for the estimation of markets.

Technologies include array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), copy number variation (CNV), DNA methylation, ChIP-Chip, RNA splice variants, and microRNA. Separate chapters are devoted to protein biochips/microarrays, microfluidics and nanobiotechnology-based nano-arrays.

Various applications of biochips and microarrays are described throughout the report. Areas of application such as point-of-care, genetic screening, cancer, and diagnosis of infections are included. Separate chapters are devoted to applications in drug discovery and development as well as personalized medicine

The report provides current share of each segment: market size in 2018 and projected value for the years 2023 and 2028. Gene expression has the largest share and is an established market. Share of microarray technologies in other areas will grow with the maximum growth in RNA splice variants followed by epigenetics.

The growth in protein microarrays is somewhat less, partly because it is more mature than the other submarkets and has already shown considerable growth in the past. The impact of next generation sequencing on segments of microarray markets is identified. Customer requirements and unmet needs are described. Markets are also analyzed according to geographical areas.

Brief profiles of companies involved in biochip/microarray technologies are provided. Currently selected 94 companies are included along with a listing of 121 collaborations between companies. The text is supplemented by 21 tables, 11 figures and 140 references to literature.

Key Topics Covered:

0. Executive Summary

1. Introduction

Definitions of biochips/microarray

Terms used for biochips

Historical aspects of biochip/microarray technology

Relation of microarrays to other technologies

Applications of biochips/microarrays

Advantages of biochips/microarrays

2. Biochip and Microarray Technologies

Introduction

Nucleic acid amplification and microarrays

PCR on a chip

Fast PCR biochip

Multiplex microarray-enhanced PCR for DNA analysis

Universal DNA microarray combining PCR and ligase detection reaction

NASBA combined with microarray

Rolling circle amplification on microarrays

LiquiChip-RCAT

Multiplexed Molecular Profiling

Genomewide association scans

Whole genome microarrays

GeneChip Human Genome Arrays

Arrayit's H25K

Transposon insertion site profiling chip

Standardizing the microarrays

Optical Mapping

Imaging technologies used for detection in biochips/microarray

Fluorescence and chemiluminescence

MALDI-MS imaging and tissue microarrays

Surface plasmon resonance technology for microarrays

Microarray imaging systems

Vidia Microarray Imaging Systems

GenePix 4100A Microarray Scanner

Tecan LS Reloaded

Microarrays based on detection by physico-chemical methods

Electrical biochips

Photoelectrochemical synthesis of DNA microarrays

Microchip capillary electrophoresis

Strand displacement amplification on a biochip

Biosensor technologies for biochips

DNA-based biosensors

Arrayed Imaging Reflectometry

Digital electronic biosensor chips

Phototransistor biochip biosensor

Applications of biosensor biochips

Biosensors in food safety

Cholesterol biosensor

Glucose biosensors

Biochips and microarrays for cytogenetics

Chromosomal microarrays

Comparative genomic hybridization

Array-based CGH

NimbleGen CGH arrays

Single-cell array CGH

Regulatory requirements for array CGH

Combination of FISH and gene chips

Combination of CGH and SNP microarray platforms

Fish-on-chip

SignatureChip

Tissue microarrays

Pathology tissue-ChIP

Carbohydrate microarrays

RNA profiling

RNA splice variants

RIP-Chip

miRNAs

Microarrays for miRNAs

Microarrays vs qPCR for measuring miRNAs

Quantitative analysis of miRNAs in tissue microarrays by ISH

Exon microarrays

Microarrays & DNA sequencing

Microarray-based emerging DNA sequencing technologies

Exome sequencing for study of human variation

High-throughput array-based resequencing

Sequencing by hybridization

SOLiD-System based ChIP-Sequencing

Next generation sequencing vs microarrays for expression profiling

Microarrays for synthetic biology

Arrayit microarray platform for synthetic biology

Microarray-based gene synthesis

Magnetophoretic array-based cell sorting for further studies

3. Microfluidics-based Biochips and Microarrays

Introduction

Use of technologies from other industries in microfluidics

Digital dispensing

Lab-on-a-chip

Amplification of fluorescence signal from lab-on-a-chip

Use of glass in microfluidics

LabChip

LabCD

Lab-on-a-brain

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Biochips Technologies, Companies, Applications & Markets, 2028 - 94 Companies are Included Along with a Listing of 121 Collaborations Between...

Dec. 3, 2019 14:48 UTC

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, InvicroLLC, a Konica Minolta Company, has joined Accentures open partner ecosystemthe INTIENT Networkwhich is designed to help solution providers, software vendors and life sciences companies team more effectively to accelerate drug discovery and improve patient outcomes. Invicro is a global provider of imaging biomarkers, core lab services, advanced analytics and software solutions for drug discovery and development.

The INTIENT Network is an integral part of INTIENT Research, Accentures cloud-based informatics suite that is focused on improving productivity, efficiency and innovation in the drug discovery process. Accenture is currently working with a select number of independent software vendors and organizations, including Invicro, to integrate their technology and content into the INTIENT platform.

Through the INTIENT Network, research scientists can access Invicros industry-leading imaging software platforms, iPACS and VivoQuant, that help transform the way translational medicine research is conducted. Invicro joining the network contributes to a robust ecosystemone that offers the most advanced, cloud-based informatics solutions to help accelerate precision medicine studies across all therapeutic areas.

By providing access to Invicros novel software solutions, researchers will easily gain insights from complex biological data at each drug discovery and development phase, stated Mr. Chris Fuller, Vice President of Software for Invicro. The advanced and collaborative capabilities offered by Invicro and Accenture will improve operational efficiencies and help streamline drug discovery efforts by using a data-driven approach.

Invicros capabilities will be available to life sciences companies within a common informatics framework that handles core infrastructure requirements such as data ingestion and cleansing, security and IP management, request management workflow, enterprise search, data governance, and collaboration environments.

Imaging data is enabling some incredible opportunities in early drug discovery, yet there remain challenges around the effective image management, interpretation, and sharing, said Joe Donahue, managing director, Accenture Life Sciences. I look forward to working closely with Invicro to leverage their capabilities to help address these challenges which will, ultimately, lead to better outcomes for patients.

About Invicro Headquartered in Boston, MA, Invicro was founded in 2008 and today has offices, laboratories and clinics around the world, from coast-to-coast within the United States, to Europe and Asia that support leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and top research universities. Invicros multi-disciplinary team provides solutions to help enhance the discovery and development of life-changing drugs across all stages of the drug development pipeline (Phase 0-IV), leveraging all imaging modalities within a broad scope of therapeutic areas, including neurology, oncology, cardiology, and pulmonary. Invicros quantitative biomarker services, advanced analytics tools, and clinical operational services are backed by their industry-leading software informatics platforms, VivoQuant and iPACS.

Invicro is a Konica Minolta company and part of their precision medicine initiative, which aims to accelerate personalized medicine, discover novel therapeutic targets and develop innovative therapeutic technologies for unmet medical needs. Along with their sister company Ambry Genetics, Invicro develops and leverages the latest approaches in quantitative biomarkers including imaging, quantitative pathology and genomics. Visit http://www.invicro.com for more information

About Konica Minolta Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) is a global digital technology company with core strengths in imaging and data analysis, optics, materials, and nano-fabrication. Through innovation, Konica Minolta creates products and digital solutions for the betterment of business and societytoday and for generations to come. Across its Business Technologies, Healthcare, and Industrial-facing businesses, the company aspires to be an Integral Value Provider that applies the full range of its expertise to offer comprehensive solutions to the customers most pressing problems, works with the partners to ensure the solutions are sustainable, anticipates and addresses tomorrows issues, and tailors each solution to meet the unique and specific needs of its valued customers. Leveraging these capabilities, Konica Minolta contributes to productivity improvement and workflow change for its customers and provides leading-edge service solutions in the IoT era. Headquartered in Tokyo and with operations in more than 50 countries, Konica Minolta has more than 43,000 employees serving approximately two million customers in over 150 countries. Konica Minolta is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, (TSE4902). For further information, visit: https://www.konicaminolta.com/.

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Invicro LLC Joins Accenture's INTIENT Network to Help Advance Innovation in Drug Discovery and Scientific Research - BioSpace

A plant-based diet underpins the health of those who live longest according to experts. Beans, legumes and pulses (such as lentils and chickpeas), compared with any other food, are the most important dietary predictor of longevity. They probably offer the best bang for your nutritional buck than any other food out there. David McLain

Wild greens like purslane, dandelion and arugula are a great source of minerals as well as carotenoids the colorful pigments our body converts to vitamin A. David McLain

Mushrooms, particularly shiitake, contain more than 100 compounds with immune-protecting properties. David McLain

Ginger's golden cousin is a powerful anticancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. David McLain

Imo is a supercharged purple sweet potato that doesn't cause blood sugar to spike as much as a regular white potato. David McLain

Residents of Nicoya, Costa Rica -- a population more likely to reach a healthy 90 years old than anyone else on the planet -- use small sweet peppers in most of their dishes, and other peppers are also a staple food in longevity-prone Sardinia and Ikaria in Greece. Peppers are rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C. David McLain

Squash, available in several varieties, belongs to the botanical family Cucurbitaceae, known for providing high levels of useful carotenoids. David McLain

Nuts, as well as nut butters, are prominent in the diet of the Seventh-day Adventists, a religious group with a longer than average lifespan when compared to other Americans. One study found that those who ate a handful of nuts at least five times a week lived two to three years longer than those who didn't eat any nuts. David McLain

Ikarians in Greece drink tea brewed from local rosemary, wild sage and dandelion all of which are herbs known to have anti-inflammatory properties. David McLain

Lime-treated ground corn, or nixtamal, is used to make tortillas eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It increases the body's ability to absorb calcium, iron and minerals. David McLain

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The ingredients to longevity - CNN

HERE IT IS just a few days after Thanksgiving, and Im probably not alone in thinking about the poundage I usually put on (then struggle to lose) in just one extremely treat-filled month. There is no doubt from the many studies on this topic about the relationship between weight and longevity in humans. While there are no studies of longevity in dogs that Im aware of, its likely the same relationship exists.

Longevity in dogs is a problem or rather lack of longevity. The American Veterinary Medical Association claims dogs are living longer. Longer than what? A hundred years ago, sanitation and medical improvements saved infants and the young from early death, greatly affecting human longevity. The claim that dogs are living longer might be related to the reduction and elimination of diseases that kill puppies. At the other end of the spectrum, the sad fact is that dogs do not live as long as they used to.

When I was a child, dogs often lived well into their teens. My next-door-neighbors dog, an Irish setter, was the same age as I. She died when I was a freshman in college. We were both 17. They also had a cocker spaniel that lived to be 20!

Nearly 50 years ago, I interviewed for a job at a Newfoundland kennel with more than 40 dogs, many that were 18 to 20 years old. They fully expected their dogs to live well into their mid-to late teens. Now, a mere 45 years later, a Newfie that lives to be 10 is old hardly an increase in longevity.

While genetics plays a role in longevity, there is a profound message for dog owners in this simple statement: Thin creatures live longer than fat ones.

Could it be that our pets reduced longevity is in part because we feed them too much? There is a lot we dont know about why so few dogs live into their late teens, but certainly one factor could well be excess weight even just a few too many pounds. A 50-pound dog that is just 10 pounds overweight is carrying 20% more weight than its frame and organs are designed for. This is considered to be obesity in humans, but in dogs its considered show weight or proof that we love and spoil our dogs usually said with an apologetic shrug.

If by spoiling our dogs were shortening their lives, wouldnt it be better to be tough (read kind) and cut out fattening snacks? Consider the greyhound, a large, sleek hound with a life expectancy many years beyond large, heavier hounds. Bloodhounds, a similar size, but much heavier dog, live to 10 or 11, while a greyhound often lives to 14 or 15. Greyhounds are one of the only show dogs for whom show weight is not overweight. You can see the ribs of a healthy greyhound, while it is often hard to even feel the ribs on many pet dogs.

I firmly believe that one of the reasons my English mastiffs lived to 13 or 14 (years beyond the life expectancy of the breed) was in part because I keep my dogs thin anathema for many mastiff people. For many giant breed owners, bigger is better. Theyll proudly exclaim, My Mastiff weighed 250 pounds! He might have died at the age of 6 and could barely walk because he was grossly overweight, but, by golly, he was huge!

Veterinarians we talk to almost universally agree that most pet dogs are too fat. In many cases, they have given up fighting that battle. Despite recommendations that the dog needs to lose weight, many owners seem to have a hard time cutting back on their dogs food and seem to believe theyre punishing their dog if they provide low-fat snacks. Youre not! Youre being kinder to your dog.

So in this holiday season, consider not sharing your turkey skin and leftover gravy with your dog. Or if you do, cut back on your dogs food that day. Your dog wont hate you for it, and you might well have him around a few extra months or years.

Gail Fisher, author of The Thinking Dog and a dog behavior consultant, runs All Dogs Gym & Inn in Manchester. To suggest a topic for this column, which appears every other Sunday, email gail@alldogsgym.com or write c/o All Dogs Gym, 505 Sheffield Road, Manchester, NH 03103. Past columns are on her website.

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Gail Fisher's 'Dog Tracks': Spoiling your dog with extra food could cut short its life - The Union Leader

With the rise of fad diets, so-called superfoods, and a growing range of dietary supplements on the market, it's hard to know what to eat to prevent dementia and increase our lifespan. But there is solid science behind the power of certain foods to protect your brain from oxidative damage and improve cognition and memory.

More and more studies are pointing to lifestyle changes to protect our brains from diseases including Alzheimer's. Noted expert Dr. Gary Small, author of "2 Weeks to a Younger Brain" and editor of The Mind-Body Health Report, tells Newsmax that according to researchers at the University of California at San Francisco, up to half the Alzheimer's cases are potentially attributable to "modifiable risk factors."

"In our book we focus on nutrition as well as stress management, physical exercise, and mental stimulation to keep the brain healthy and potentially delay the symptoms of dementia," says Small. In fact, studies have shown that sticking to the MIND diet is associated with 30 to 35 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. The MIND diet, which stands for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, is a hybrid of both the famous Mediterranean and DASH diets.

As we age, our metabolism becomes less efficient and is less able to get rid of compounds generated from what is termed "oxidative stress." The toxic compounds generated by oxidative stress steadily build up, slowly damaging the brain and eventually leading to symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

"Antioxidant fruits and vegetables protect the brain from oxidative stress, which causes wear and tear on our neurons as we age," notes Small. "Omega-3 fats from fish fight brain inflammation, helping us reduce the risk for age-related cognitive decline. Minimizing consumption of processed foods and refined sugars reduces the risk for diabetes, which further protects brain health throughout life."

Here are the five top foods to boost brain power:

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5 Foods to Boost Brain Health and Longevity - Newsmax

Somewhere in a coffee shop in America, some green-haired millennial is typing away feverishly on their brand new Macbook Air, broadcasting to their Twitter followers about how evil capitalism is. As they pour a dab of pasture-grazed New Zealand cows milk into their freshly roasted cup of Guatemalan organic free-trade coffee, they lament their woes to the world. Whycant society give me more? Why cant I enjoy success without hard work? On the other side of the globe, some hard workers in New Zealand are pulling off some prettymajor feats to put that delicious milk on the table.

It all starts at LIC, a New Zealand cooperative whose core business is dairy genetics. (Theyre responsible for inseminating 80% of New Zealands national dairy herd.) Next to LICs headquarters in Hamilton sit the prized bulls whove sired tens of thousands of calves. When the time comes, the bull is loaded into a custom tractor-trailer and taken to a building thats been there for decades. (The bull is transported this way so it doesnt stub its toe while walking over and consequently produce less sperm.) The bull is led up to an attractive cow who stands waiting while a human handler watches and waits. Once the bull convinces the cow that hes not just another player interested in a one-night stand, he mountsher, and this is where all the fun begins.

Collecting a jump Source: Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC)

The human handler then needs to manipulate the bull with a device that collects the prized semen or a jump as its called in dairy lexicon. Once collected, some of the semen is frozen and shipped to various parts of the world. Its where life starts, and its a fitting place for a longevity company to start as well.

Founded in 2015, Hamilton, New Zealand startup Synthase Biotech has taken in$3.36 millionin funding and contributions to develop a platform technology that seems to have limitless promise. The technology behind the company came about as somewhat of an accident while researchers were looking for an alternative to latex when the Japanese were constraining supply. In an Arizona desert exists a shrub that contains latex that also contains an enzyme that prevents the latex from oxidizing. (Oxidization ishow a substance reacts to oxygen, and in some instances its not good like rust.) Its this plant enzyme that may, eventually, be used to increase longevity in humans.

Turns out that humans dont react well to prolonged exposure to oxygen over time. While oxygen is what you need to live, its also what can ultimately take you out in the end.Youve probably all heard of antioxidants which can prevent oxidative damage to cells and tissues by scavenging unconstrained radicals. Its damage that arises from unconstrained free radicals that can eventually be fatal. Synthase Biotech hasan enzyme that it calls Aloxsyn which has extraordinary specificity and rates of reaction against toxic lipid peroxides. In other words, this enzyme can be used to halt and even repair much of the damage that aspects of oxidization can do to mammalian cells, andthe company has developed a way to produce the enzymeusinga fermentation process.

We sat down to talk with Dr. Andrew West of Synthase Biotech, which has IP protection around the use of this enzyme, Aloxsyn, in their first product applications for frozen bull semen and cattle embryos.

Given how much work happens in Hamilton around frozen bull semen, it was a likely place to start. If a cow isnt fertile, its not producing milk. Consequently, you want to maximize cow fertility in order to maximize milk production. Keeping a cow that doesnt produce milk is uneconomic and produces unnecessary greenhouse emissions from its belching, or whatever it is theyre supposed to be doing thats wrecking the planet.

Ideally, fresh semen works best for artificial insemination, but there are many use cases where frozen semen is needed.You may need to transport the semen long distances, or you may want to preserve some semen from a prized bull to be used next year. When using frozen semen instead of fresh semen, fertility rates can drop as you might expect. However, when adding some Aloxsyn to the mix, you can get a better outcome. Thats based on a major trial that Synthase Biotech recently conducted.

If youre talking cattle, the final customer is always the farmer. Thats who Aloxsyn is helping. But its just one of many potential applications for this technology.

Synthases proprietary bioactive, Aloxsyn, may have a positive impact anywhere inflammationcan be found. Dr. West believes that the number of potential applications for the companys enzyme are very large. One application Synthase is looking at is storage of blood platelets, which will require some trial testing, but which represents a huge potential market. Then, there are more sperm applications.

Once a bull has a jump, that sperm dies almost immediately if it doesnt end up inside the cow where it belongs. Whilst working on frozen sperm, it looks like Aloxsyn also extendsthelife of fresh cattle sperm by five days. (LIC scientistsshowed us a proprietary solution theyre using that increases the life of cattle sperm by three days.) Why stop at cattle sperm? Fertility of pigs and horses could also be of interest as well, not to mention human fertility.

Source: Synthase Biotech

All of these fertility applications are higher margin, but there are also lower margin applications that can be considered such as increasing the shelf life of food. With around 30% of food waste in developed markets attributed to food spoilage, its another way that we may be able to help feed all the billions of mouths coming online. (Seems like a fitting application considering that theyre about increasing human fertility.) In order to address high-volume applications like this, production would need to be scaled and costs would need to be driven down. It all requires investment and partnerships with interested parties who want to collaborate.

No longevity companyis without some grand visions of what the future might hold. In some preliminary experiments, a rats heart was stopped from beating for 30 minutes and then blood applied with the enzyme. The rat heart recovered 100% of its function. A rat with a severe stroke could fully recover if Aloxsyn was applied within 45 minutes of that stroke. The implication here is an interesting one. Perhaps lipid peroxides in all thatbacked up blood behind the clot serve to damage the brain when the clot is overcome, and Aloxsyn cleans up those toxins? Its a promising example of what the future might hold, and if you have about $100,000 to pony up, Dr. West says Synthase Biotech will work to create a mouse that produces its own Aloxsyn, a mouse that just might live longer. Its a drop in the bucket forthe many billionairesout thereseeking the fountain of youth. For New Zealand investors, however, that sort of work is pretty risky.

The New Zealand Herald published a pretty comprehensive articleon Synthase Biotech last year which contains some relevant information about the state of biotech in New Zealand. Its dismal. Investorsdont look favorably on life sciences companies and that could be because the New Zealand stock exchange isnt of a size that would support them. (The entire New Zealand stock exchange has a market cap of just $142 billion. To put that number in perspective, Johnson & Johnson is over twice that size with a market cap of $363 billion.)

On the other hand, Australia is much more accepting towards biotechs with about 200 listings on the ASX. Synthase is not pursuing an ASX listing, but if the company moves into development of a human drug based on Aloxsyn, it will need millions of dollars for clinical trials. Significant investments over time will allow Synthase to add a range of human applications to complement its livestock ones. After a few years of selling animal products, their manufacturing operation will have all the kinks sorted out, andthats half the battle before embarking on some human trials.

The more we know about the world, the more we realize how little we know. Thats obvious when you consider how some of the worlds greatest inventions penicillin, X-rays, the microwave, LSD were all discovered by accident. The Peter Thiel types out there who are willing to sink large sums into theburgeoning longevity industrymight find the capital requirements for companies like Synthase Biotech to be more economical. According to a talk by Finistere Ventures a few years back, agtech valuations in the United Statesare half of fintech valuations, while New Zealand agtech valuations are half of that. If the fountain of youth exists inThe Land of the Long White Cloud, its likely to be selling at bargain-basement prices.

We thinkthis AI-powered weight loss app could be a multi-billion dollar business - not because it's backed by the world's most sophisticated investors- but because it works. If you want to lose weight and keep it off for good, check out Noom. People who use Noom lose weight and keep it off for good.

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Increasing Longevity by Decreasing Oxidization - Nanalyze

In a world where the rich always seem to get richer whatever the game, Social Security has always seemed to be one program that was truly progressive it benefited the working class more than the moneyed class. Right?

Sadly, no.

In reality, despite painstaking efforts to ensure that Social Security benefits are distributed fairly, the wealthy are receiving disproportionately large payouts after all. Thats the finding of a new study by Alicia H. Munnell and Anqi Chen of the authoritative Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Munnell and Chen, Boston College

The mismatch lurks within the adjustments made both when workers claim Social Security benefits early that is, before their full retirement age and late. Claim early, and monthly benefits will be reduced; claim late, and theyll be raised. These adjustments aim to make the timing decision actuarially neutral: On average, total lifetime benefits should remain equivalent whether one claims before ones full retirement age or later.

Munnell and Chen calculate that the actuarial adjustments are out of whack and favor late claiming. As a result, they increasingly favor higher earners, they write.

Sigh.

Munnell and Chen identify two culprits in throwing off the math: One is interest rates, which have been lower than experts at the Social Security Administration and on Capitol Hill anticipated when they set the differentials. (The early-retirement option was made available for women in 1956 and for men in 1961. The credit for delaying retirement was introduced in 1972 and recalculated in 1983, according to the authors.)

The second factor may be more significant: Average life expectancy is rising. As a result, retirees are collecting benefits for longer than the designers expected. Longevity is rising faster for wealthier individuals than middle- and lower-income workers, however, which is what makes late claiming more of a boon for the wealthy.

In the six decades since retirement options were broadened, Munnell and Chen write, Much has changed.... Interest rates have declined; life expectancy has increased; and longevity improvements have been much greater for higher earners.

Munnell and Chen assert that because of these two factors the penalty for early retirement is now too high. The bump up for delayed retirement is about right on average, they say, but because of the demographics favoring the wealthy, its too large for those who delay.

Before exploring the ramifications of these findings, lets look at how early and late retirement affect Social Security benefits.

Life expectancy has been rising for the wealthy faster than everyone else and the gap has broadened since the turn of the century.

(Boston College)

A Social Security reform measure in 1983 raised the full retirement age from the traditional 65 in incremental steps. For those born in 1943-54, including those reaching 65 this year, the full retirement age is 66. For those reaching 65 next year, it will be 66 and 2 months. The change tops out at age 67 for those born in 1960 or later.

Workers can start claiming benefits as early as 62, though monthly benefits are reduced by about 6.7% for every year prior to their full retirement. At the other end of the spectrum, workers can defer benefits until age 70, for a roughly 8% bump in monthly benefits for every year deferred.

Consider workers reaching 66 this year, when the average retirement benefit is $1,474.77 per month. Early retirement at 62 would reduce the monthly stipend by about 23%, while deferring until 70 would raise it by about 32%. So if those workers had started taking benefits four years ago, at age 62, theyd be entitled to only about $1,135.57 per month. If they hold out until 70, theyll get more than $1,947 a month. That means a reduction of about $4,000 a year for early retirement, and a gain of $5,667 a year for waiting.

For those expecting to collect the maximum benefit of $2,861 a month at full retirement age this year, early retirement at 62 would have reduced that to $2,209 a month, and deferral to 70 will raise it to $3,770.

Those figures explain the common advice to retirees is to wait as long as possible to start claiming. Of course, the advice isnt right for everyone. It does take more than 12 years of the higher maximum payouts after reaching age 70 to make up for the four years of skipped benefits after age 66, so retirees would need to factor their health expectations into the decision to wait.

More to the point, deferring Social Security isnt practical for many working people. Some are in jobs that are too physically taxing to continue too far into their 60s. Some dont have savings, pensions or other sources of income to live on. Indeed, among the top 20% of earners, just over half claim their retirement benefits at or after their full retirement age. Among the bottom 20%, however, nearly two-thirds claim early.

The salient point is that deferring Social Security tends to become a more inviting option the higher ones income and larger the nest egg. That advantage is compounded by such recipients longer average lifespans.

Wealthier workers are able to wait longer after their full retirement age (FRA) to start claiming Social Security benefits.

(Boston College)

As a research team led by economist Raj Chetty of Stanford reported in 2016, among the top 1% of earners (average household income of about $2 million), the average life expectancy is about 89 for women and 87.3 for men. Among the bottom 20% (average household income of about $25,000), the average life expectancy is about 83 for women and 78 for men.

The differential is based not only on income. Average life expectancy is higher for whites than for African Americans and rise with educational attainment.

As weve reported before, the longevity gap between rich and poor has been widening, largely because life expectancy for those in the bottom 20% has stagnated or even moved backward, while it has soared for those at the top.

The National Academy of Sciences calculated in 2015 that for those born in 1930, males in the bottom 20% who reached age 50 had a life expectancy of 76.6; those with the same characteristics born in 1960 could expect to live only to 76.1. Among the top 20% of income earners, males born in 1930 could expect to live to 81.7, while those born in 1960 could expect to live to 88.8. In other words, a longevity gap of just over five years between rich and poor born in 1930 widened to nearly 13 years for those born in 1960. A similar pattern can be found among women.

That trend line in itself made Social Security less progressive less advantageous for lower-income workers than for the better-off. It also undermined the argument that Social Security could be made fiscally healthier by continuing to raise the retirement age. It would, but at the expense of the working class. The National Academy of Sciences reckoned that raising the official retirement age to 70 would reduce the benefits of those in the lowest fifth of income earners by 25%, but by only 20% for those in the top fifth.

Munnell and Chen dont make specific recommendations about what adjustments should be made in the early- and late-retirement differentials, beyond stating that theyre outdated. Curiously this aspect of Social Security benefits is seldom, if ever, addressed by reform proposals from either left or right. (Progressives generally advocate expanding and raising benefits, while conservatives want to cut them or turn the entire program over to the private sector.)

Redressing the imbalance may not be that difficult. The early-retirement penalty should be recalculated -- that is, reduced -- based on the recent history of interest rates and changes in expectations for their future course.

Reducing the late-retirement credit, currently 8% per year of deferral, is somewhat more complicated. For the individual with average life expectancy, the reduction for early claiming is too large and the delayed retirement credit is about right, Munnell and Chen observe. The problem with the credit is that its right on average but too good for those who actually tend to receive it, i.e., the wealthy.

Finding a way to make the credit fair across the entire income spectrum may require some imagination. But the options could include increasing the income tax on Social Security benefits for high-income taxpayers. Currently, up to 85% of benefits are taxable for those with income of more than $34,000 for individuals or $44,000 for couples. (In other words, a taxpayers tax rate is applied to 85% of benefits, not that 85% of benefits is taxed away.) Tweaking that formula, say by making 100% of the benefits claimed by richer retirees subject to tax might help bring the credit effectively back into line.

The report by Munnell and Chen underscores the inequity bequeathed to Social Security by demographics. The wealthy not only live longer than their poorer colleagues, but they also get an additional windfall from outdated math. Thats how the world works, but that doesnt make it right.

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Column: The rich are getting a windfall from Social Security - Los Angeles Times

Alistair Overeem has been around for a long, long time. Of the course of a 20-year combat sports career, the Dutchman has picked up titles in Strikeforce, Dream, and K-1 and hes still not done yet.

Ahead of his upcoming showdown with Jairzinho Rozenstruik, which will top the UFCs December 7 return to Washington, D.C., Overeem sat down with UFC.com and opened up on the mindset that has kept him competing at the highest level for so long.

Part of it, he says, is simply being hard-wired with a fighters mentality a mentality hes always had.

I think Ive always been a fighter, Overeem said (via MMA Junkie). Ive always kicked ass even before I was professionally a fighter. Id have fights in the street and it even got me in trouble a couple of times.

Some people will never be fighters, and then some people are born fighters.

Overeem also attributes his longevity to his love for fighting.

I think us fighters go for amazing stories, Overeem said. My career in particular has been a long adventure. I think I was built for it. Ive been all over the world. Ive fought in 89 fights, kickboxing and MMA. Im just doing my thing. Im following my passion. Its been a great adventure and Im still going strong.

If Overeem is able to defeat Rozenstruik an undefeated fighter and one of the hottest prospects in the heavyweight division hell once again be close to a UFC heavyweight title shot. The Dutch legend says winning a UFC title would be the icing on the cake of his incredible career.

I have my own goals of course: UFC gold, Overeem said. To win the title would be a great close on my career.

Do you think Alistair Overeem will come out on top in Washington D.C.?

This article first appeared onBJPENN.comon 11/29/2019.

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Alistair Overeem discusses the keys to his longevity - BJPenn.com