StemCell Therapy

Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Dr. Steven Gore at the Advanced Cell Therapy Lab at Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, where cells are manufactured that fight a rare form of leukemia.

Dr. Steven Gore at the Advanced Cell Therapy Lab at Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, where cells are manufactured that fight a rare form of leukemia.

Rare leukemia targeted by modifying patients immune cells

NEW HAVEN >> Young patients with a particular type of leukemia who have relapsed after going into remission may find new hope through a treatment that involves modifying a patients own T cells, an important part of the immune system, to destroy cancer cells.

While the therapy, in which genes are inserted into a patients T cells, is expected to receive Food and Drug Administration approval soon for pediatric patients, researchers hope that it will be effective for adult patients as well and for more types of cancers, according to Dr. Steven Gore, director of hematologic malignancies at the Yale Cancer Center.

The cancer thats the focus of this T cell therapy is B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is the most common leukemia in kids and its commonly cured in the 2- to 10-year-old age group, Gore said. He said about 70 percent of children with the cancer are cured.

However, the rest suffer a recurrence of the disease even after treatment with chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.

Its getting to be a difficult situation, Gore said.

There are 3,100 cases of children with B-lineage ALL each year, he said.

B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are white blood cells that produce antibodies, which fight infection. A characteristic of B cells is that they have a protein on their surface called CD19, which is the key to the new treatment.

The new process, marketed by Novartis and first developed at the University of Pennsylvania, involves harvesting T cells from the patient. Novartis then introduces DNA into these T cells, introducing new genes into the T cells, [which] include a receptor that will recognize CD19, Gore said. The genes that are fused into the T cells are manufactured in the lab but are copies of normal human genes, Gore said. The new cell is called a chimeric antigen receptor T cell, or CAR-T cell.

Normal T cells fight disease, and we know that T cells can attack cancer cells as well, but getting them to do so in the host where the cancer has developed is tricky, Gore said. Cancer cells are very similar [to] normal cells from which they derive.

Turning the T cells into CAR-T cells helps by targeting the CD19 marker on the B cells. CD19 happens to be a pretty good target for cancer technology because its only on B cells, Gore said. These new CAR-T cells latch onto the leukemia cells.

Reproducing cells

Then, once they see that theyre needed, the CAR-T cells are going to make more of themselves. Theyre going to make a whole army-full beside what we gave the patient, Gore said. Other genes in the introduced DNA give the immune system the go-ahead to kill these leukemia cells.

The CAR-T cells target both healthy and malignant B cells, but people live all the time without B cells, Gore said, by relying on drugs such as rituximab.

The treatment is not easy on the patient, however. When this massive influx of these new T cells attack all these leukemia cells, youre basically setting up a jihad in your body, Gore said. People can get very critically ill after this therapy, even needing to be treated in the intensive care unit.

Despite the hardship, the FDAs Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 10-0 on July 12 to recommend approval of CAR-T therapy, and it is very rare that an ODAC approval does not end up in an FDA approval, Gore said.

In one trial, 41 of 50 patients with relapsed or refractory B-lineage ALL each achieved complete remission after three months, Gore said, and 60 percent of those patients were still in remission six months later.

It will be rapidly opened up to adults as well, theres no question about it, he said. Some people think this therapy may replace stem cell therapy and doctors hope it can be given before a patient relapses, avoiding stem cell transplants.

We dont have long-term follow-up to know if these patients are cured, Gore said. Theyve certainly been rescued from otherwise-certain death.

Gore said the Yale School of Medicine has been approached by Novartis to be one of the rollout sites for this therapy.

While the new treatment targets a relatively rare cancer, its likely to be effective in other cancers involving B cells, including other types of leukemia and lymphoma, Gore said. (Not all lymphomas and leukemias are B cell cancers, however.) This rare leukemia has been the subject of all this investigation because CD19 is such a low-hanging fruit, because we can live without B cells, he said.

But the technology can theoretically be adapted to any kind of tumor, he said. Theoretically, you could make a CAR-T to target any particular kind of cancer provided that that cancer expresses certain proteins that are predominantly limited to the cancer and not important vital organs.

Call Ed Stannard at 203-680-9382.

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Rare leukemia targeted by modifying patients' immune cells - New Haven Register

A team of scientists from the UNC School of Medicine and North Carolina State University (NCSU), U.S. have developed promising research towards possible stem cell treatment for several lung conditions, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis, all of which are known to be fatal conditions. In the journal Respiratory Research, the scientists demonstrated that they could harvest lung stem cells from people using a relatively non-invasive, doctors office technique. They were then able to multiply the harvested lung cells in the lab to yield enough cells sufficient for human therapy.

In a second study, published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, the team showed that in rodents they could use the same type of lung cell to successfully treat a model of IPF a chronic, irreversible, and ultimately fatal disease characterised by a progressive decline in lung function. These diseases of the lung involve the build-up of fibrous, scar-like tissue, typically due to chronic lung inflammation. As this fibrous tissue replaces working lung tissue, the lungs become less able to transfer oxygen to the blood. Patients ultimately are at risk of early death from respiratory failure. In the case of IPF, which has been linked to smoking, most patients live for fewer than five years after diagnosis.

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Lung fibrosis? Stem cell therapy holds promise - The Hindu

CRISPRs original promise appears to be coming to fruition after a potentially fatal hereditary gene was edited out of an embryo.

CRISPR or CRISPR-Cas9, to give it its full name is heralded as an advanced technique that could change the course of medicine by allowing researchers to cut out genetic mutations in embryos that contribute to hereditary conditions.

One of the first steps to this becoming a reality has taken place, with help from a team of international researchers that, for the first time, used CRISPR to correct a mutation that leads to heart conditions in future generations.

In a paper published to Nature, the team revealed that it used the technique on embryos in their earliest stage of development to cut out the genes that lead to the formation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common cause of sudden death in athletes and young people.

Affecting approximately 1 in 500 people, the condition is caused by a dominant mutation in the MYBPC3 gene. Those with the faulty gene have a 50pc chance of passing it on to their children.

To achieve this major breakthrough, the researchers generated stem cells from a skin biopsy from a person with HCM and, using CRISPR, specifically targeted the MYBPC3 gene for repair.

The donors own stem cells were then inserted in place of the mutation during the next round of cell division, by using either a synthetic DNA sequence or the non-mutated copy of the MYBPC3 gene as a template.

Using IVF techniques, the researchers injected the best-performing gene-editing components into healthy donor eggs, newly fertilised with the donors sperm.

To their surprise, analysis of the repair work was found to be both very safe and efficient. A high percentage of the embryonic cells were repaired, and it did not induce any unintended mutations in other genes.

This might allay of reports on CRISPR over the past few months, whichshowed examples of the technique mutating other genes unrelated to experiments, suggesting it could lead to more damage than good.

Thanks to advances in stem cell technologies and gene editing, we are finally starting to address disease-causing mutations that impact potentially millions of people, said Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a professor from the Salk Institute and one of the authors of the paper.

Gene editing is still in its infancy so even though this preliminary effort was found to be safe and effective, it is crucial that we continue to proceed with the utmost caution, paying the highest attention to ethical considerations.

The team stressed, however, that these are still very preliminary results and more research will need to be done to ensure no unintended effects occur.

This latest news comes just days after a team in the US announced it had changed the DNA of a large number of one-cell embryos, paving the way for a process to correct defective genes that cause inherited diseases.

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CRISPR used to edit out sudden-death gene mutations in major first - Siliconrepublic.com

The secret to healing what ails you lies within your own DNA.(photo credit:DREAMSTIME)

Scientists have, for the first time, corrected a disease-causing mutation in early-stage human embryos using gene editing.

The technique, which uses the CRISPR- Cas9 system, corrected the mutation for a heart condition at the earliest stage of embryonic development so that the defect would not be passed on to future generations.

It could pave the way for improved in vitro fertilization outcomes as well as eventual cures for some thousands of diseases caused by mutations in single genes.

The breakthrough and accomplishment by American and Korean scientists, was recently explained in the journal Nature. Its a collaboration between the Salk Institute, Oregon Health and Science University and South Koreas Institute for Basic Science.

Thanks to advances in stem cell technologies and gene editing, we are finally starting to address disease-causing mutations that impact potentially millions of people, said Prof. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte of Salks gene expression lab and a corresponding author of the paper. Gene editing is still in its infancy, so even though this preliminary effort was found to be safe and effective, it is crucial that we continue to proceed with the utmost caution, paying the highest attention to ethical considerations.

Though gene-editing tools have the power to potentially cure a number of diseases, scientists have proceeded cautiously partly to avoid introducing unintended mutations into the germ line (cells that become eggs or sperm).

Izpisua Belmonte is uniquely qualified to speak on the ethics of genome editing because, as a member of the Committee on Human Gene Editing at the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, he helped author the 2016 roadmap Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics and Governance.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common cause of sudden death in otherwise healthy young athletes, and affects approximately one in 500 people. It is caused by a dominant mutation in the MYBPC3 gene, but often goes undetected until it is too late. Since people with a mutant copy of the MYBPC3 gene have a 50% chance of passing it on to their own children, being able to correct the mutation in embryos would prevent the disease not only in affected children but also in their descendants.

The researchers generated induced pluripotent stem cells from a skin biopsy donated by a male with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and developed a gene-editing strategy based on CRISPR-Cas9 that would specifically target the mutated copy of the MYBPC3 gene for repair. The targeted mutated MYBPC3 gene was cut by the Cas9 enzyme, allowing the donors cells own DNA -repair mechanisms to fix the mutation during the next round of cell division by using either a synthetic DNA sequence or the non-mutated copy of MYBPC3 gene as a template.

Using IVF techniques, the researchers injected the best-performing gene-editing components into healthy donor eggs that are newly fertilized with donors sperm. All the cells in the early embryos are then analyzed at single-cell resolution to see how effectively the mutation was repaired.

They were surprised by the safety and efficiency of the method. Not only were a high percentage of embryonic cells get fixed, but also gene correction didnt induce any detectable off-target mutations and genome instability major concerns for gene editing.

The researchers also developed an effective strategy to ensure the repair occurred consistently in all the cells of the embryo, as incomplete repairs can lead to some cells continuing to carry the mutation.

Even though the success rate in patient cells cultured in a dish was low, we saw that the gene correction seems to be very robust in embryos of which one copy of the MYBPC3 gene is mutated, said Jun Wu, a Salk staff scientist and one of the authors.

This was in part because, after CRISPR- Cas9 mediated enzymatic cutting of the mutated gene copy, the embryo initiated its own repairs. Instead of using the provided synthetic DNA template, the team surprisingly found that the embryo preferentially used the available healthy copy of the gene to repair the mutated part.

Our technology successfully repairs the disease-causing gene mutation by taking advantage of a DNA repair response unique to early embryos, said Wu.

The authors emphasized that although promising, these are very preliminary results and more research will need to be done to ensure no unintended effects occur.

Our results demonstrate the great potential of embryonic gene editing, but we must continue to realistically assess the risks as well as the benefits, they added.

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Early gene-editing holds promise for preventing inherited diseases - The Jerusalem Post

The Department of Health (DOH) has encouraged all Filipinos to have their eyes checked in observance of Sight Saving Month, which was aimed at supporting efforts to reduce the prevalence of avoidable blindness.

The DOH spearheads the annual observance this month by virtue of Proclamation No. 40.

This years theme, Universal Eye Health: No More Avoidable Blindness, was designed to strengthen public awareness on the importance of proper eye care and promote the prevention of avoidable blindness, which is a serious public health issue of global magnitude.

Avoidable blindness left unaddressed, particularly for those who are blind or have severe visual impairment, results in reduced functional ability and loss of self-esteem and contributes towards the reduction of quality of life, the DOH said.

The disability from visual impairment has considerable economic implications with loss of productivity and income and can lead to poverty and social dependency, it said.

Early detection and preventive care can help keep our eyes healthy and avoid common causes of blindness, the DOH said.

According to a 2012 report from the World Health Organization, approximately 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, with 39 million blind and 246 million with low vision.

Globally, cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness followed by glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration as the secondary causes.

In the Philippines, the estimated number of persons who are bilaterally blind is 332,150 of which 33 percent or around 109,609 is due to cataract, 25 percent (83,037) due to errors of refraction (EOR) and 14 percent (46,501) due to glaucoma. The rest are due to other eye conditions like glaucoma, retinopathy and maculopathy.

In addition to this statistics, the current number of persons with bilateral low vision is 2,179,733 of which 43 percent (937,285) is due to EOR, 34 percent (741,109) cataract, and the rest is caused by glaucoma and other eye diseases.

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.

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DOH tells Pinoys: Avoid blindness, have your eyes checked ... - Inquirer.net

Courtesy of "Flesh of my Blood"

A slate of short films depicting lead characters with disabilities has been making the rounds at film festivals worldwide, giving voice to a demographic mostly ignored in mainstream cinema and TV. Blindness, Annette Cyrs impassioned study of a painter discovering she will lose her eyesight made waves at the Palm Springs Intl. Shortfest this June, along with Mari Sanders documentary short 80% Disabled, which exposes what life is like for a handicapped filmmaker yearning to live independently.

SEE MORE: From the August 01, 2017, issue of Variety

Flesh of My Flesh, written and directed by award-winning South African filmmaker Matthys Boshoff, has screened at numerous fests, including the 2017 Nashville Film Festival. The film is a haunting, heartbreaking and sometimes humorous semi-autobiographical look at a married couple whose lives are devastated when their daughter dies in a car accident and the mother is left paralyzed from the neck down. In real life, Boshoff, raised in Pretoria, South Africa, was in a car accident at age 4 that took the life of his older sister.. His mother became a quadriplegic and his father her caretaker.

What was interesting to me, in the context of a romantic relationship, was what happens when you get committed to somebody with an able body and then suddenly life happens and youve got to deal with it, says Boshoff, whos currently at work on the feature-length version of the film. Where you often have the attention and the empathy and sympathy going towards the person who had the accident or has the disability, often its the caretaker who suffers the greatest psychological stress and is the most strained.

In her film Still Sophie, which also screened at Nashville and won best documentary at the Red Dirt Film Festival, filmmaker Caroline Knight wanted to explore the effects of aphasia, the impairment of language and communication due to a brain injury, usually a stroke, on the life of 19-year-old singer Sophie Salveson. With a run-time of seven minutes, the film, produced by Chad McClarnon, is a precise and inspiring look at the power of will and determination over medical diagnosis.

Shes so expressive and I still feel like I understand everything shes trying to say despite the aphasia holding back her words, says Knight, whose mother is Salvesons speech therapist. Shes still Sophie its all in the title. Shes still there and shes everything she was before the stroke. This thing has changed the course of her life, but shes still very much creative and bright and one of the funniest people I know.

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Filmmakers Strive to Raise Awareness of the Disabled in Entertainment With Fully-Formed Characters - Variety

Evils origins hit close to home.

Every monster has a mother. Every act of violence that has ever been perpetrated by one human being upon another or others every single one, minor or major has been done so by the son or daughter of someone, to the son or daughter of someone else. And in the eyes of a mother, our faults are opportunities, our flaws are our uniquity, and our damage is never our responsibility, it is the result of a world that doesnt understand us.

This is the narrative perspective that launches The Sunshine Boy, a three-minute, rotoscope-animated short film from writer/director Naaman Azhari. Inspired by real and all too-common events, the film consists of a mothers voiceover about her artistic, sensitive, and perhaps misunderstood son, a high school student. As she dotes on his distinctions, we see his side of these emotions and the horror they unleash.

The Sunshine Boy isnt the most novel narrative out there, but its not supposed to be, part of its point is how frighteningly regular such depicted events are. What is unique and captivating about the film is its perspective, one that shows us how a mothers love is unwavering, but also blinding.

Source: Short of the Week

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Short of the Day: 'The Sunshine Boy' Reveals the Blindness Caused by a Mother's Love - Film School Rejects

In genetics, a mosaic (or mosaicism) means the presence of two different genotypes in an individual which developed from a single fertilized egg. As a result, the individual has two or more genetically different cell lines derived from a single zygote.[1]

Mosaicism may result from:

The phenomenon was discovered by Curt Stern. In 1936, he demonstrated that recombination, normal in meiosis, can also take place in mitosis.[2] When it does, it results in somatic (body) mosaics. These are organisms which contain two or more genetically distinct types of tissue.[3]

A genetic chimera is an organism composed of two or more sets of genetically distinct cells. Dispermic chimeras happen when two fertilized eggs fuse together. Mosaics are a different kind of chimerism: they originate from a single fertilized egg.

This is easiest to see with eye colours. When eye colours vary between the two eyes, or within one or both eyes, the condition is called heterochromia iridis (= 'different coloured iris'). It can have many different causes, both genetic and accidental. For example, David Bowie had the appearance of different eye colours due to an injury that caused one pupil to be permanently dilated.

On this page, only genetic mosaicism is discussed.

The most common cause of mosaicism in mammalian females is X-inactivation. Females have two X chromosomes (and males have only one). The two X chromosomes in a female are rarely identical. They have the same genes, but at some loci (positions) they may have different alleles (versions of the same gene).

In the early embryo, each cell independently and randomly inactivates one copy of the X chromosome.[4] This inactivation lasts the lifetime of the cell, and all the descendants of the cell inactivate that same chromosome.

This phenomenon shows in the colouration of calico cats and tortoiseshell cats. These females are heterozygous for the X-linked colour genes: the genes for their coat colours are carried on the X chromosome. X-inactivation causes groups of cells to carry either one or the other X-chromosome in an active state.[5]

X-inactivation is reversed in the female germline, so that all egg cells contain an active X chromosome.

Mosaicism refers to differences in the genotype of various cell populations in the same individual, but X-inactivation is an epigenetic change, a switching off of genes on one chromosome. It is not a change in the genotype.[6] Descendent cells of the embryo carry the same X-inactivation as the original cells. This may give rise to mild symptoms in female 'carriers' of X-linked genetic disorders.[7]

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Mosaic (genetics) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free ...

THE NEWS that researchers have carried out the first known attempt to create genetically modified human embryos is another signpost in an astounding revolution unfolding before our eyes. This is not the first breakthrough nor will it be the last, but it should serve as a reminder an unmistakable one that this realm of scientific inquiry, manipulating the tiny building blocks of life, demands caution as well as enthusiasm and encouragement.

The latest effort, led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health & Science University, with researchers from South Korea, China, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California and others, involved editing the DNA of single-cell embryos with CRISPR-Cas9, a tool for genome engineering that is much simpler, faster and cheaper than earlier methods, and which has sparked an explosion of interest in possible applications. According to a report published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the researchers were able to demonstrate that it is possible to safely and efficiently correct defective genes that cause inherited diseases.

The embryos they modified were not allowed to develop for more than a few days and were not implanted in a womb. In earlier research in China, the modified DNA was taken up by only some cells, not all, and suffered other setbacks, raising questions about its effectiveness. The latest research team reports it achieved efficiency, accuracy and safety with the approach.

If so, the research may be yet another step toward what is called germline engineering, or changing the genetic material in reproductive cells, so that any offspring would pass the changes on to future generations. The potential impact is huge; thousands of inherited diseases are caused by mutations in single genes, so editing the germline cells of individuals who carry these mutations could allow them to have children without the risk of passing on the conditions.

But the dangers and concerns are also significant. The technique could be used to enhance human traits beyond just eradicating disease, such as creating designer babies, or for other malevolent purposes. Genome editing was singled out for concern in a 2016 report to Congress from the U.S. intelligence community about potential wordwide threats: Given the broad distribution, low cost, and accelerated pace of development of this dual-use technology, its deliberate or unintentional misuse might lead to far-reaching economic and national security implications.

In a report this year, a panel of the National Academy of Sciences addressed the potential and the risks of germline engineering, concluding that basic research should proceed, closely watched. But the panel also said, Do not proceed at this time with human genome editing for purposes other than treatment or prevention of disease and disability. This seems to us to strike a reasonable balance, but one that will require vigilance transparency, oversight and public awareness to ensure the fruits of this remarkable revolution are not somehow abused or misused.

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A life-changing genetics breakthrough deserves celebration and demands caution - Washington Post

Personal genetics company 23andMe will be teaming up with the Milken Institute, a think tank, and pharmaceutical company Lundbeck to drive enrollment for a genetic study designed to grasp the underlying biology of major depressive and bipolar disorders.The study will combine cognitive assessments with genetic data and survey responses to assess how genes influence brain processes -- such as attention, decision-making and visual perception -- in individuals who live with these serious mental health conditions.In the United States alone, more than 16 million people are living with a major depressive disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, while nearly 6 million Americans suffer from bipolar disorder. The causes of these disorders are largely unknown, but there are clues: research from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, for example, suggests major depressive and bipolar disorders are caused by a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors. Other studies back up the hypothesis that theres a genetic component involved.In August 2016 a landmark study was published by 23andMe, Massachusetts General Hospital and Pfizer, detailing the scientific connection between genetics and depression, said Anna Faaborg, Research Communities manager at 23andMe. In that study, we identified 15 genetic regions that were linked to depression. However, even with recent scientific advancements, more research is needed to help accelerate our understanding of these conditions and drive medical discoveries forward. We want to expand on the genetic component, looking at additional phenotypic factors of depression and bipolar, to hopefully gain a more holistic understanding of these diseases.To conduct this research, 23andMe intends to recruit 15,000 people with major depressive disorder and 10,000 people with bipolar disorder. The study is open to anyone aged 18 to 50 who has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder, has been prescribed medication to treat his/her condition, lives in the United States and has access to the internet through a desktop or laptop computer.This study is the first to combine data from genetics, cognitive tests and online surveys at this scale, said Faaborg. The hope is to gain a greater understanding of how genetics is related to brain functions such as attention, decision-making and reaction time. This knowledge of the biological underpinnings of disease could ultimately inform the development of novel, disease-modifying therapies.As part of the study, consenting participants will receive the 23andMe Personal Genome Service at no cost, including more than 75 personalized genetic reports about their health, traits and ancestry. Theyll provide a saliva sample for DNA genotyping, and then complete nine monthly online cognitive assessment sessions each lasting between 10-30 minutes. Participants de-identified data will be analyzed for clues as to how genetics and environmental factors combine to impact their brain function and behavior.Participants will receive regular updates about the progress of the study via email or newsletters. If there is a publishable result from the study, 23andMe will publish that information in a peer-reviewed journal and make it open access for all those interested in learning about the findings.At this early stage, we cannot anticipate where the data will lead us or exactly which analyses will be performed, said Faaborg.The study will build on 23andMes body of research in mood disorders. Its launch furthers the companys genetic discovery efforts with research collaborations already established in Parkinsons disease, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease, and more than 75 peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals

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23andMe to launch study exploring role of genetics in depression, bipolar disorders - MobiHealthNews

Seattle Genetics has agreed to buy the Bristol-Myers Squibb manufacturing plant in Bothell for $43.3 million, giving the biotech the ability to make its own bulk quantities of antibodies for treating cancer.

Special to The Seattle Times

Seattle Genetics has agreed to buy the Bristol-Myers Squibb manufacturing plant in Bothell for $43.3 million, giving the biotech the ability to make its own bulk quantities of antibodies for treating cancer.

Until now the Bothell-based company has relied entirely on contract manufacturers.

Seattle Genetics will continue to use contract manufacturers because of its international footprint, but this will give us our first manufacturing facility that we actually own, said Clay Siegall, the companys chairman, president and CEO.

About 75 people work at the Bristol-Myers facility on Bothells Monte Villa Parkway. Our hope is to keep the team intact, Siegall said Tuesday.

Seattle Genetics now leases seven buildings in its Canyon Park campus, which is about 20 blocks north of the new property.

The company paid $17.8 million for the land and the building, and an additional $25.5 million for the equipment and the building improvements, Siegall said. The deal gives Seattle Genetics ownership of a fully staffed and operating plant that requires little modification.

Were really excited about this, he said. It gives us the ability to control more of our supply chain.

The company will use the plant to make vials of antibodies that are used to treat cancers. Its leading product, Advetris, is now approved for treating patients with two kinds of lymphomas.

Revenue at Seattle Genetics has climbed steadily in the last five years, but so have the losses. Last year the company lost $140million on total revenue of $418 million, according to company reports.

The sale could set the stage for Bristol-Myers exit from the region.

In December the New York-based company said it would not renew a lease that expires in 2019 for its ZymoGenetics unit on Seattles Lake Union. Bristol-Meyers bought the ZymoGenetics research arm in the former Seattle City Light Steam Plant, as well as the production plant now sold to Seattle Genetics, in 2010 for $885 million.

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Seattle Genetics buys biotech factory in Bothell | The Seattle Times - The Seattle Times

Quick Take

Genetic information company Invitae (NVTA) has announced agreements to acquire two companies, privately-held Good Start Genetics and CombiMatrix (CBMX).

The target companies offer a range of prenatal and post-pregnancy genetic-based screening services for clinicians and their patients.

Invitae is acquiring these two firms as part of an ongoing strategy to create a genetic information cafeteria that provides a wide range of diagnostics options.

Target Companies

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Good Start was founded in 2008 to develop prenatal screening tests for persons wishing to have children.

Management is headed by CEO Jeffrey Luber, who has been with the company since 2014 and was previously CEO of EXACT Sciences (EXAS) during its turnaround and recapitalization. He was also co-founder and Vice President Corporate Development at SynapDx.

Below is a brief overview video about GoodStarts carrier screening:

(Source: Motivity Video)

Good Start has developed three types of tests:

Good Start had raised $32 million in investment from top tier investors such as OrbiMed, Safeguard Scientifics (SFE) and SV Health Investors.

CombiMatrix, which held its IPO in 2002, provides miscarriage analysis and advanced DNA testing for in-vitro fertility screening and determining genetic abnormalities involved in miscarriage & pediatric developmental disorders.

Prior to the acquisition announcement, CombiMatrix had a market capitalization of approximately $14.4 million.

Acquisition Terms and Rationale

For Good Start, Invitae intends to pay cash of $18.3 million, 1.65 million shares of Invitae stock ($15 million worth) and the assumption of Good Starts obligations, for a total transaction value of approximately $39.3 million.

For CombiMatrix, Invitae intends to pay up to $27 million in NVTA stock for CombiMatrix stock, RSUs and in-the-money options, plus up to $6 million in NVTA stock for Series F warrants, which were originally sold in 2016 as part of an $8 million financing. If holders of less than 90% of outstanding Series F warrants tender, then Invitae has the option to terminate the acquisition.

Notably, the deal announcement states that the cost to Invitae of those warrants may increase as follows,

To the extent the Series F warrants are not exchanged and are either exercised or assumed as part of the acquisition, the consideration payable by Invitae could increase by up to approximately $15.0 million in shares of Invitae, or approximately 1.58 million shares, subject to adjustment based upon a net cash calculation for CombiMatrix at the time of the acquisition.

Thus, Invitae is on the hook for up to an additional $15 million in stock consideration for CombiMatrix pertaining to what the Series F warrant holders choose to do.

So, to sum up both transactions, Invitae is spending $18.3 million in cash, issuing $48 million worth of stock and is potentially on the hook for an additional $15 million in stock, for a total combined deal value of $81.3 million.

Invitaes most recent 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, indicated cash and marketable securities of $96.7 million and total liabilities of $70.3 million, so it appears the company has ample resources to pay for these two acquisitions since they are mostly paid for with stock.

The rationale for Invitaes moves to acquire both companies is to expand its offerings to families both before pregnancy and after childbirth or miscarriage.

This in turn is part of Invitaes strategic approach of providing genetic information to individuals throughout their life span.

As Invitae CEO Sean George stated in the deal announcement,

This is a transformative moment for Invitae, for our industry, and importantly for patients. By acquiring Good Start and CombiMatrix, Invitae intends to create the industry's first comprehensive genetic information platform providing high-quality, affordable genetic information coupled with world-class clinical expertise to inform healthcare decisions throughout every stage of an individual's life. We believe the strength of our existing platform, strategic acquisitions like these and our network of partners will fuel continued growth and further establish Invitae as a leading genetic information service provider.

Invitae management hasnt been shy about acquiring companies as it sees fit. I previously wrote on the companies last acquisition in June in my article, Invitae Acquires CancerGene Connect for Patient Family History Collection.

Invitae appears to be assembling a veritable cafeteria of options for genetic information for consumers, healthcare providers and other market participants.

Investors like what they see so far, although Invitaes stock in the past year has largely moved within a range of $6.00 per share to $11.00 per share. The stock is up 7.75% on the current two acquisition deal announcement:

(Source: Seeking Alpha)

It is likely that both acquisitions will be a drag on EPS in the near term, but promise to increase Invitaes breadth of service offerings as management appears to intend it to become a one-stop shop for genetic information.

The big question is whether or not that is a viable model in the nascent market for genetic information. Acquiring companies on the cheap certainly helps, although Im not convinced that these acquisitions are necessarily cheap.

So, the jury is out, and management will need to prove the value of these transactions over the next 12 to 18 months.

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Invitae To Acquire Good Start Genetics And CombiMatrix - Seeking Alpha

MANILA, Philippines - Over two million people nationwide are blind or suffering from poor vision, the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday.

As of this year, the DOH said an estimated 332,150 people in the country are bilaterally blind while the current number of persons with bilateral low vision has already reached 2,179,733.

Of the total number of bilaterally blind, 33 percent or about 109,609 cases were due to cataract while 25 percent was caused by error in refraction (EOR). Fourteen percent was due to glaucoma.

About 937, 285 or 43 percent of those suffering from bilateral low vision was due to EOR, 34 percent or 741,109 was caused by cataract while the rest was attributed to glaucoma and other eye diseases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, with 39 million blindand 246 million with low vision.

Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness globally followed by glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration asthesecondary causes.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Health experts said blindness or severe visual impairment results in reduced functional ability and loss of self-esteem and contributes toward the reduction of quality of life.

The disability from visual impairment has considerable economic implications with loss of productivity and income and can lead to poverty and social dependency, experts said.

To address the problem, the government drafted anew National Policy on the Prevention Program onBlindness that is more responsive tochanging trends in the prevalence of eye diseases.

The DOH also spearheaded yesterday the annual observance of theSight Saving Month with the themeUniversal Eye Health: No More Avoidable Blindness.

Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said this years theme is aimed at strengthening public awareness on the importance of proper eye care andpromote theprevention of avoidable blindness, which is now considered aserious public health issue of global magnitude.

Ubial said early detection and preventive care can help keep the eyes healthy and avoid common causes of blindness.

Thus, the DOHs current thrust isto integrate eye care into public health programs at thelocal government unitlevel for continued advocacy and promotion of comprehensive eye care with focus on avoidable blindness.

She said the development of the Community Eye Health Program (CEHP), particularly at the primary level, district and provincial settings will be able to make most of the shared referral and service delivery network from barangay health stations, rural health units up to tertiary hospitals.

Aside from several provinces in the regions that have adopted the CEHP,the model isbeing expanded to the poorest provinces like Eastern Samar, Leyte andSurigao.

Population and individual eye care services focusing on the prevention and management of avoidable blindness (cataract, EOR, childhood blindness, other emerging eye diseases) at each stage of the life cycle shall be provided through the functional service delivery network (SDN).

Through the SDN, families especially the poor and marginalized are profiled, navigated, referred and arrangements made with health providers at the different levels of care.

I would like to assure the public that DOH is serious in its mandate and commitment to ensure that every Filipino, particularly the poor, indigent and marginalized has access to affordable and quality eye care, Ubial stressed.

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Over 2 million Pinoys blind, sight-impaired - Philippine Star

Dubliner's medtech in focus to save eyesight

Independent.ie

Irish-founded and backed biometric technology business Compact Imaging plans to use its advanced medical imaging technology to reduce sight loss from macular degeneration and diabetes.

http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/dubliners-medtech-in-focus-to-save-eyesight-36003948.html

http://www.independent.ie/incoming/article36004106.ece/6dcd7/AUTOCROP/h342/Depositphotos_12204209_xl-2015.jpg

Irish-founded and backed biometric technology business Compact Imaging plans to use its advanced medical imaging technology to reduce sight loss from macular degeneration and diabetes.

The firm was co-founded in 2003 by Dublin-born UCD graduate and physicist Dr Josh Hogan and is backed by a number of Irish investors, including US-based Irish serial entrepreneur and tech investor John Ryan, as well as the Galway University Foundation and the University of Limerick Foundation, which have small stakes.

To date, the firm has raised around 8m from a group of 24 angel investors plus the two universities. Among its advisors are Prof Martin Leahy at NUI Galway - where groundbreaking research and scientists have been instrumental to its success - and James L Taylor, a former ceo of Carl Zeiss Meditec, a medtech business.

It is talking with potential partners about commercialising the technology, which will likely result in it being incorporated in devices that look similar to virtual reality goggles, ceo Don Bogue said.

People with diabetes, who are at risk of diabetic retinopathy and others at risk of macular degeneration, usually visit their optometrist every month for a test to detect a change in the thickness of their retinas.

However, Compact Imaging's technology would see them use low-cost goggles at home every day.

These devices will record a result and upload it over the internet for the specialist to review. This will save time for both the patient and the specialist as neither will need to attend appointments unless there has been a change, the company claims, resulting in cost and efficiency savings for healthcare systems.

It will also enable any problems to be detected earlier, at which point medical intervention may be able to save people's vision, Bogue added.

The number of people with age-related macular degeneration is forecast to reach 196million by 2020, rising to 288m in 2040, according to research published in The Lancet medical journal.

The numbers at risk of diabetic retinopathy are even greater, with 145m people, out of 415m diabetics having some form of it in 2015. This is projected to rise to 215m out of 642m by 2040, according to figures from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

The plans have emerged after the company recently became a partner with Stanford University R&D offshoot SRI International in a 10m ($12.5m) contract awarded by IARPA in the US, the advanced R&D wing of its intelligence agencies.

The partnership involves the firm building on its cost and size advantages in multiple reference optical coherence tomography (OCT), considered the world's fastest growing medical imaging technology.

It will apply this to next generation biometric security - fingerprint scanning - for identity authentication. The technology will be incorporated in small, low-cost devices and works by being able to detect deeper fingerprints, known as sub-dermal ones, by looking at the tiny blood vessels that make up the fingerprint, where changes in heart rate, sweating and blood flow can be seen.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, in 2015 the US Customs and Border Protection Agency processed nearly 400 million people entering the US, of whom almost 40 million required a secondary inspection because of suspicious behaviour or adverse information in the primary screening process when their fingerprints were scanned.

Prof Leahy said: "The security of personal data is a pressing global concern as we are using fingerprints for everything from phone unlocking to security checks.

"Technology developed at NUI Galway is supporting businesses and governments to verify identities more rigorously to make our personal data more secure."

Bogue emphasised the advantages the company has found in working with Prof Leahy at NUI Galway and the availability of PhD researchers to work on its technology, in contrast with Silicon Valley, where it is headquartered.

He said: "For the last two years I've served on the Industry Advisory Board at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics, a Science Foundation Centre of Excellence that brings together the data analytics research capabilities of DCU, NUIG, UCD and UCC.

"Serving on this board has provided a great opportunity for us, as a small and still emerging company, to get into the room with world-class data analytics scientists and researchers, as well as strong commercial players, such as Cisco, IBM, Intel and others.

"In the fields of both biometric security and medical monitoring, these connections ultimately will prove invaluable."

Sunday Indo Business

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Dubliner's medtech in focus to save eyesight - Independent.ie

Cataract is one of the main reasons for blindness and there are a lot of misconceptions about it. Unawareness can be dangerous leading to permanent loss of vision. It is imperative to educate the public about various facts related to cataract. As per World Health Organisation , today there is an estimated 180 million people worldwide who are visually disabled.

Of these, between 40 and 45 million persons are blind and approximately 50 per cent of the worlds blind suffer from cataract. In order to make a concerted worldwide effort, who and a task force of international NGOs have prepared and launched a common agenda for global action: VISION 2020 The Right to Sight - A global initiative for elimination of avoidable blindness.

Cataract nowadays can be treated with advance technology and surgery options. Some of the misconceptions about cataract as a disease are:

Misconception 1: Cataract occurs only among aged people.

Fact: Cataracts can occur even on a year old baby. India is home to around 400 million blind children. But the important fact is that this is preventable. Lack of awareness amongst parents and society at large leads to late diagnosis and therefore poor visual outcomes in these children. The first six months after birth are crucial for development of vision and sight centre in the brain.

During this period, if a child is deprived of vision due to reasons like cataracts, glaucoma or refractive errors which goes unnoticed and untreated, the vision development can be hampered for life.

Modern lifestyles, food choices, sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise are leading to earlier diabetes and this is the most significant factor that has caused this demographic shift.

Misconception 2:Cataract cures with time.

Fact:This is the most dangerous misconception. Once cataract has occurred, total lens will be affected. If the patient stops smoking, maintains a balanced diet or wear sunglasses to get protection from UV rays, cataract will grow slowly. But there is no chance that it will be cured on its own with time.

Misconception 3: Eye-drops, antiinflammatory drugs and vitamins restrict chances of cataract.

Fact: No drug or eye drops to prevent or restrict cataract has been invented as yet. It is a progressive disease. Surgery is the only effective treatment option for it.

Misconception 4: Fear of losing eye sight post-surgery

Fact: Only surgery can protect from losing eye sight permanently. Modern cataract surgery technology, Femto Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS), has automated some of the most critical steps in cataract procedures bringing new levels of safety, accuracy, predictability and has gained worldwide acceptance since its inception. The Femto-laser system enhances safety by improving a surgeons performance, and reducing chances of human error. The computer-controlled incisions made by the laser are more accurate than manual incisions, especially in terms of the depth and architecture.These bladeless incisions result in better wound sealing and fewer chances of infections.

Misconception 5: For best surgery results, cataract must develop fully

Fact: A cataract does not have to become ripe before it can be removed. With modern advances, they can now be removed from the eye at any stage of development. The longer a cataract develops, the more it hardens. At advanced stages, it can become difficult to remove. In certain situations, it is safer to remove it sooner rather than later.

Misconception 6: Cataract surgery should be done only in winter

Fact:There is no seasonal difference in the success of surgery.Waiting till the next winter will only harden and advance the cataract further, causing more vision loss and more difficulty in its removal.

Misconception 7: Cataract surgeries are all of the same kind

Fact: The operation of cataract usually ranges up to Rs.1.5 lakh. Most people believe that the pricing is different, but the surgery is the same. Pricing depends on various factors like the type of lens or the kinds of technology being used, to mention a few.

Misconception 8:Cataracts can come back

Fact: In most cases, cataract does not return post surgery. Sometimes a secondary cataract can develop due to cell growth in the artificial intra ocular lens, resulting in blurred vision. But this condition may be corrected with normal laser.

Misconception 9: The eye remains absolutely healthy after cataract surgery

Fact: The eye lens and its problems are one of the most difficult ones; therefore it cannot be assumed that the eye will remain healthy post the surgery. Retinarelated or infection-related problems can occur anytime. Therefore, regular checkup is necessary after the surgery.

(The writer is MBBS, DOMS, MS (IPGMER), Susrut Eye Foundation & Research Centre)

See the article here:
Growing awareness on cataracts - The Statesman

PEMBROKE UNC Pembroke is partnering with Tuskegee University to launch a pathway for UNCP graduates to study veterinary medicine.

The Pre-Veterinary Medicine Scholars Program will serve as a pipeline and inspire UNC Pembroke graduates to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

The two universities signed a memorandum of understanding during a ceremony at UNCP last month.

At UNCP, we are guided by a set of six core values among them service, collaboration and innovation, said Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings. Those are the values that drive this partnership and all of our efforts to create new Pathways to Success for UNCP students.

Ruby Perry, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Brandon Morgan, director of admissions and recruitment at Tuskegee, made the 450-mile trip to attend the signing ceremony.

You could have signed this agreement from your desk in Alabama, Cummings said. But by making this trip you are demonstrating your commitment to this partnership, to this community and to this region of North Carolina.

And we are grateful.

The program is open to all students. However, the two institutions understand the need to increase racial diversity in the veterinary workforce.

Students participating in the program must meet specific criteria to be eligible for the early assurance of admission at Tuskegee. Students must be majoring in Animal Science, Veterinary Science or Science.

The requirements include completing an early assurance application, interview, and maintaining a specific grade-point average and GRE scores.

Beginning in 2017, students must demonstrate 100 hours of animal experience with a licensed veterinarian and, in 2018, students must demonstrate 200 hours of animal experience with a licensed veterinarian.

This partnership between two great universities, which share a similar history, provides a pathway for UNC Pembroke students with a dream to serve their communities through veterinary medicine, said Jeff Frederick, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UNCP. At UNCP, we are committed to providing comprehensive academic opportunities on campus as well as looking for partnership pathways with great sister institutions when that is a better strategy.

In January, UNCP signed a similar agreement with the College of Veterinary Medicine at N.C. State University.

Cummings called the collaboration a natural partnership, alluding to significant number of local Tuskegee-educated veterinarians, including Drs. David Brooks, Curt Locklear Jr., Terry Clark, Michael Deese, Melissa Chavis, and Isaac Martinez. Several attended the signing ceremony.

Brooks and Locklear, both UNCP alumni, were the first to carve academic paths from UNCP to Alabama in the early 1970s when they were recruited by Tuskegee alum and professor Ellis Hall. He was the first African American to achieve board certification in the American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Its amazing, the circle this has taken from something that started from a recruiting trip in 1973, said Brooks, owner of Pembroke Veterinary Hospital. I dont think it was coincidental. It was Gods will.

A partnership between UNCP and Tuskegee had been discussed for some time, but, according to Dr. Brooks, Chancellor Cummings served as the catalyst to inking the deal.

This is going to be a symbiotic relationship, Brooks said. Each institution will enhance the other with the ultimate benefit being the students and Gods creatures.

Curt Locklear Jr., owner of Southeastern Veterinary Hospital, said the signing agreement was a proud moment in his life. During the event, he took a trip down memory lane.

I was reminiscing back when Dr. Hall came to Pembroke and recruited us to come to Tuskegee, Locklear said. In my mind, this agreement between UNCP and Tuskegee began in the 1970s.

The finalizing of this agreement is the culmination of that recruitment trip 43 years ago. It made me proud to be American Indian, a UNCP graduate and a graduate of Tuskegee University.

Ruby Perry, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University, left, and UNCP Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings are all smiles after announcing a partnership between in the two institutions in veterinary medicine.

Mark Locklear is a Public Relations specialist for The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

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UNCP, Tuskegee partner to produce veterinarians - The Robesonian

Rudi Keller @CDTCivilWar

The University of Missouris College of Veterinary Medicine reversed a planned budget cut after pressure from agriculture interests and veterinarians made it unlikely the move would save any money.

Under President Mun Chois spring directive to find savings and do so without using an across-the-board approach, the college needed to find $2.4 million in savings, former Dean Neil Olson wrote in a memo distributed June 6 to the colleges faculty. To meet that goal, Olson wrote that the college would cut back on its animal reproductive services by eliminating the Theriogenology Service and curtailing companion animal, small ruminant and embryo transfer reproductive services in 2019.

The Missouri Cattlemens Association and the Missouri Veterinary Medicine Association objected strongly to the decision. While training in theriogenology would continue, students would have less hands-on experience if the cut stood, said Mike Deering, executive vice president of the cattlemens association.

They would no longer train veterinarians to specialize in reproduction of our livestock, when that is the bread and butter in our state, Deering said.

Olson left his job on Tuesday. The cattlemens association reported that the cut had been reversed by interim Dean Carolyn Henry in its Friday newsletter. Henry was traveling Friday afternoon and could not be reached.

The industry advocates asking for the cut to be reconsidered made good points, said Tracey Berry, spokeswoman for the college. The cut threatened to disrupt giving to the school, she said.

Her review of the budget situation and the impact of cutting these program led her to believe the net income loss from stakeholders was not going to save us any money in 2019 or beyond, Berry said. That is why she put the brakes on that decision.

The reversal brought praise for Henry in the newsletter.

With only one day on the job as the interim dean, Carolyn Henry recognized the need to keep the program intact and quickly solved a problem, association President Butch Meier said in the newsletter. This is the kind of leadership our future veterinarians deserve.

Missouri is the nations sixth-largest producer of cattle and calves and the seventh largest producer of hogs and pigs, Olsons memo states.

Theriogenology helps animal producers improve strains and maintain genetic purity, Deering said. Embryo transfer is an especially important skill because it allows producers of seed stocks to expand production by placing an embryo from one breed into a female of another. The female becomes a living incubator and the supply of high-quality animals is increased, Deering said.

There are specialists but every single large animal veterinarian has to have some reproduction training, especially on the cow-calf side, Deering said.

Other groups that joined in the effort to reverse the cut included the American Kennel Club and hog producers, Deering said.

Henry was concerned about the industry objections as she reconsidered the cut, Berry said.

It is fair to say our interim dean is supportive of theriogenology, she said. It is an area where we can expand and grow.

The cuts werent intended to save money until 2019, Berry said. By committing to keep the services, Henry can look for ways to collaborate with animal science and biological science research, she said.

It is an area of potential revenue growth, she said.

rkeller@columbiatribune.com

573-815-1709

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University of Missouri reverses cut to veterinary services - Columbia Daily Tribune

(INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana)The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has named Dr. L. Garry Adams recipient of its 2017 AVMA Award. Adams, who received the award during AVMA Convention 2017 in Indianapolis, is recognized for his leadership and significant contributions to the advancement of organized veterinary medicine.

"Throughout his career, Dr. Adams has played a significant role in supporting and strengthening many veterinary and medical organizations," said Dr. Tom Meyer, AVMA president. "His consistent participation and outstanding leadership have been instrumental in building stronger state and national organizations. I congratulate Dr. Adams on receiving this well-deserved award and I thank him for his tireless efforts and invaluable influence in the advancement of organized veterinary medicine."

For more than 30 years, Dr. Adams has lent his leadership to a wide array of medical associations and professional societies, including among others, the Texas Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Academy of Pathology, and serving as a Lifetime Member of the AVMA. He has also contributed expertise to a variety of committees and boards, including the AVMA's Council on Research, Council on Education, Committee on International Veterinary Affairs, and the Global Food Security Summit organizing committee. He has been the recipient of many industry awards, including the AVMF/AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award in 2012 and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) 2015 Senator John Melcher, DVM Leadership in Public Policy Award. Dr. Adams received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and Ph.D., in Veterinary Pathology from Texas A&M University. He also holds Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. He currently serves as Senior Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathology at Texas A&M University.

Visit avma.org/Awards for more details on the AVMA's Veterinary Excellence Awards program.

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Dr. L. Garry Adams awarded 2017 AVMA Award for Contributions to Advancement of Organized Veterinary Medicine - American Veterinary Medical Association

Quality of life and end of life should go hand-in-hand when it comes to caring for older horses, yet a balanced assessment and a final decision can be subjective and highly emotive, making a veterinarians job even more challenging.

The British Equine Veterinary Associations (BEVA) 2017 Congress will devote an afternoon of discussion to this sensitive topic on Friday, Sept. 15, at Liverpool Arena Convention Centre.

Making the decision to end a horses life is probably the most difficult aspect of owning or caring for one, and the process is undoubtedly hard for the attending veterinarian, as well. Nicky Jarvis, BVetMed, Cert AVP (Equine Medicine), Cert AVP (Equine Surgery Soft Tissue), MRCVS, head veterinarian at Redwings Horse Sanctuary, will moderate the end-of-life session at Congress, which aims to explore the major aspects of euthanasia and the implications for owners, veterinarians, and insurance.

Georgina Crossman, MBA, PhD, who coordinated Advancing Equine Scientific Excellences collaborative project considering equine end of life and euthanasia, will commence with a look at owners attitudes to euthanasia. Lesley Barwise-Munro, BSc, BVM&S, CertEP, MRCVS, of Alnorthumbria Vets, a Fdration Equestre Internationale veterinary official, senior racecourse vet, and honorary vice president of the National Equine Welfare Council, will follow with the practicalities of euthanasiahow to perform it well and pitfalls to avoid.

Monica Aleman, MVZ Cert., PhD, Dipl. ACVIM (internal medicine and neurology), associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, will share her knowledge on electrophysical studies of euthanasia. And Karen Cook, a teaching fellow at the University of Surrey School of Health Sciences and a registered adult nursewhos career has been dominated by palliative and end-of-life carewill then draw any relevant comparisons with end-of-life care in humans.

Andrew Harrison, BVSc, CertEP, CertVA, MRCVS, a partner at Three Counties Equine Hospital, will close the session with a pertinent look at BEVA Guidelines and insurance implications of euthanasia.

As vets, we must balance the privilege and responsibility that comes from access to euthanasia when maintaining animal welfare, said Mark Bowen, BVetMed, PhD, CertEM (IntMed), MRCVS, senior vice-president of BEVA. Decisions are currently based upon personal views and experience as well as an awareness of our clients emotional needs and a considerable amount of anthropomorphism when deciding on 'the right time'. In the absence of an evidence-based method for assessing quality of life, this session will review what we do know and how to make this final act as stress-free as possible for all involved.

Organized by horse vets for horse vets BEVA Congress Europes largest equine veterinary conference. This year it will be held at Liverpool Arena Convention Centre, in England, September 13-16. The program will include a line-up of practitioner friendly big cheese speakers, extensive continuing professional development, quality science, and novel demonstrations. Learn more at beva.org.uk/home/education/congress.

Excerpt from:
Equine End-of-Life Session Scheduled for BEVA Congress - TheHorse.com

August 02, 2017

Contact: Anissa L. Riley, Director of External AffairsTuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, 334-724-4509

Students from across the U.S. recently completed a seven-week program, hosted by Tuskegee Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine, designed to prepare them to apply to and succeed in a collegiate veterinary program.

The colleges Summer Enrichment and Reinforcement Program is a long-standing enhancement program that has benefitted students for more than 30 years. This years cohort included 18 students nearing the completion of their bachelors degrees, nearing application for admittance to the veterinary program, and currently enrolled and desiring additional academic enrichment.

SERP has proven to be a very useful program to help motivated students who may need an extra edge to succeed in a demanding veterinary curriculum, said Dr. Roslyn Casimir-Whittington, the colleges interim associate dean for academic and student affairs, and an assistant professor in the Department of Pathobiology.

The program seeks to improve students ability to process scientific concepts, as well as their critical thinking and academic survival skills, which include effective communication, note-taking, time management, and test-taking. During the seven-week, on-campus program, students were introduced to all areas of the veterinary medical curriculum, such as veterinary anatomy, pathology, parasitology, pharmacology, necropsy, large and small animal surgery, and public health. At the end of the program, SERP participants present a clinical case to college faculty, who provide the students with constructive feedback.

During SERP, I learned how to handle a large workload without becoming too stressed. I also acquired techniques to minimize my test anxiety, which will help me as I move forward in my education, said program participant Danielle Bass, a doctoral veterinary medicine candidate from Frankfort, Kentucky.

In addition, the college expanded SERP programming to address a rising epidemic of suicide within the veterinary medical profession. This year, wellness activities reinforced the importance of achieving work-life balance and included mindfulness-focused walking, coloring and meditation; playing golf; and participating in Zumba and tai chi classes.

Health and wellness have become a major focus in veterinary medical education and the veterinary profession, and we are finding innovative ways to promote better well-being among our students, said Dr. Ruby L. Perry, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

To learn more about Tuskegee Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine and its summer programs, visit http://www.tuskegee.edu/vetmed.

2017 Tuskegee University

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Summer enrichment program prepares students for Tuskegee veterinary curriculum - Tuskegee University