StemCell Therapy

Doctors are reporting unprecedented success from a new cell and gene therapy for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that's on the rise. Although it's early and the study is small 35 people every patient responded and all but two were in some level of remission within two months.

In a second study of nearly two dozen patients, everyone above a certain dose responded.

Experts at an American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, where the results were announced Monday, say it's a first for multiple myeloma and rare for any cancer treatment to have such success.

Chemotherapy helps 10 to 30 percent of patients; immune system drugs, 35 to 40 percent at best, and some gene-targeting drugs, 70 to 80 percent, "but you don't get to 100," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

"These are impressive results" but time will tell if they last, he said.

ABOUT THE DISEASE

Multiple myeloma affects plasma cells, which make antibodies to fight infection. More than 30,000 cases occur each year in the United States, and more than 115,000 worldwide. It's the second fastest growing cancer for men and the third for women, rising 2 to 3 percent per year, according to the National Cancer Institute. About 60,000 to 70,000 Americans have it now.

Nine new drugs have been approved for it since 2000 but they're not cures; only about half of U.S. patients live five years after diagnosis.

With cell therapy, "I can't say we may get a cure but at least we bring hope of that possibility," said Dr. Frank Fan. He is chief scientific officer of Nanjing Legend Biotech, a Chinese company that tested the treatment with doctors at Xi'an Jiaotong University.

HOW IT WORKS

The treatment, called CAR-T therapy , involves filtering a patient's blood to remove immune system soldiers called T cells. These are altered in a lab to contain a gene that targets cancer and then given back to the patient intravenously.

Doctors call it a "living drug" a one-time treatment to permanently alter cells that multiply in the body into an army to fight cancer. It's shown promise against some leukemias and lymphomas, but this is a new type being tried for multiple myeloma, in patients whose cancer worsened despite many other treatments.

THE STUDIES

In the Chinese study, 19 of 35 patients are long enough past treatment to judge whether they are in complete remission, and 14 are. The other five had at least a partial remission, with their cancer greatly diminished. Some are more than a year past treatment with no sign of disease.

Most patients had a group of side effects common with this treatment, including fever, low blood pressure and trouble breathing. Only two cases were severe and all were treatable and temporary, doctors said.

The second study was done in the U.S. by Bluebird Bio and Celgene, using a cell treatment developed by the National Cancer Institute. It tested four different dose levels of cells in a total of 21 patients. Eighteen are long enough from treatment to judge effectiveness, and all 15 who got an adequate amount of cells had a response. Four have reached full remission so far, and some are more than a year past treatment.

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

The results are "very remarkable" not just for how many responded but how well, said Dr. Kenneth Anderson of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

"We need to be looking for how long these cells persist" and keep the cancer under control, he said.

Dr. Carl June, a University of Pennsylvania researcher who received the conference's top science award for his early work on CAR-T therapy, said "it's very rare" to see everyone respond to a treatment. His lab also had this happen all 22 children testing a new version of CAR-T for leukemia responded, his colleagues reported at the conference.

"The first patients we treated in 2010 haven't relapsed," June said.

Dr. Michael Sabel of the University of Michigan called the treatment "revolutionary."

"This is really the epitome of personalized medicine," extending immune therapy to more types of patients, he said.

NEXT STEPS

Legend Biotech plans to continue the study in up to 100 people in China and plans a study in the U.S. early next year. The treatment is expected to cost $200,000 to $300,000, and "who's going to pay for that is a big issue," Fan said.

"The manufacturing process is very expensive and you can't scale up. It's individualized. You cannot make a batch" as is done with a drug, he said.

Nick Leschly, Bluebird's chief executive, said the next phase of his company's study will test what seems the ideal dose in 20 more people.

Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

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A first: All respond to gene therapy in a blood cancer study - ABC News

By Laurie McginleyThe Washington Post

The oncologist was blunt: Stefanie Joho's colon cancer was raging out of control and there was nothing more she could do. Flanked by her parents and sister, the 23-year-old felt something wet on her shoulder. She looked up to see her father weeping.

"I felt dead inside, utterly demoralized, ready to be done," Joho remembers.

But her younger sister couldn't accept that. When the family got back to Joho's apartment in New York's Flatiron district, Jess opened her laptop and began searching frantically for clinical trials, using medical words she'd heard but not fully understood. An hour later, she came into her sister's room and showed her what she'd found.

"I'm not letting you give up," she told Stefanie. "This is not the end."

That search led to a contact at Johns Hopkins University, and a few days later, Joho got a call from a cancer geneticist co-leading a study there.

"Get down here as fast as you can!" Luis Diaz said. "We are having tremendous success with patients like you."

What followed is an illuminating tale of how one woman's intersection with experimental research helped open a new frontier in cancer treatment with approval of a drug that, for the first time, targets a genetic feature in a tumor rather than the disease's location in the body.

The breakthrough, now made official by the Food and Drug Administration, immediately could benefit some patients with certain kinds of advanced cancer that aren't responding to chemotherapy. Each should be tested for that genetic signature, scientists stress.

"These are people facing death sentences," said Hopkins geneticist Bert Vogelstein. "This treatment might keep some of them in remission for a long time."

A pivotal small trial

In August 2014, Joho stumbled into Hopkins for her first infusion of the immunotherapy drug Keytruda. She was in agony from a malignant mass in her midsection, and even with the copious amounts of OxyContin she was swallowing, she needed a new fentanyl patch on her arm every 48 hours. Yet within just days, the excruciating back pain had eased. Then an unfamiliar sensation hunger returned. She burst into tears when she realized what it was.

As months went by, her tumor shrank and ultimately disappeared. She stopped treatment this past August, free from all signs of disease.

The small trial in Baltimore was pivotal, and not only for the young marketing professional. It showed that immunotherapy could attack colon and other cancers thought to be unstoppable. The key was their tumors' genetic defect, known as mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency akin to a missing spell-check on their DNA. As the DNA copies itself, the abnormality prevents any errors from being fixed. In the cancer cells, that means huge numbers of mutations that are good targets for immunotherapy.

The treatment approach isn't a panacea, however. The glitch under scrutiny which can arise spontaneously or be inherited is found in just 4 percent of cancers overall. But bore in on a few specific types, and the scenario changes dramatically. The problem occurs in up to 20 percent of colon cancers and about 40 percent of endometrial malignancies cancer in the lining of the uterus.

In the United States, researchers estimate that initially about 15,000 people with this defect may be helped by this immunotherapy. That number is likely to rise sharply as doctors begin using it earlier on eligible patients.

Joho was among the first.

Even before Joho got sick, cancer had cast a long shadow on her family. Her mother has Lynch syndrome, a hereditary disorder that sharply raises the risk of certain cancers, and since 2003, Priscilla Joho has suffered colon cancer, uterine cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

Stefanie's older sister, Vanessa, had already tested positive for Lynch syndrome, and Stefanie planned to get tested when she turned 25. But at 22, several months after she graduated from New York University, she began feeling unusually tired. She blamed the fatigue on her demanding job. Her primary-care physician, aware of her mother's medical history, ordered a colonoscopy.

When Joho woke up from the procedure, the gastroenterologist looked "like a ghost," she said. A subsequent CT scan revealed a very large tumor in her colon. She'd definitely inherited Lynch syndrome.

She underwent surgery in January 2013 at Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center, where her mother had been treated. The news was good: The cancer didn't appear to have spread, so she could skip chemotherapy and follow up with scans every three months.

By August of that year, though, Joho started having relentless back pain. Tests detected the invasive tumor in her abdomen. Another operation, and now she started chemo. Once again, in spring 2014, the cancer roared back. Her doctors in New York, where she now was living, switched to a more aggressive chemo regimen.

"This thing is going to kill me," Joho remembered thinking. "It was eating me alive."

Genetics meets immunology

Joho began planning to move to her parents' home in suburban Philadelphia: "I thought, 'I'm dying, and I'd like to breathe fresh air and be around the green and the trees.' "

Her younger sister wasn't ready for her to give up. Jess searched for clinical trials, typing in "immunotherapy" and other terms she'd heard the doctors use. Up popped a trial at Hopkins, where doctors were testing a drug called pembrolizumab.

"Pembro" is part of a class of new medications called checkpoint inhibitors that disable the brakes that keep the immune system from attacking tumors. In September 2014, the treatment was approved by the FDA for advanced melanoma and marketed as Keytruda. The medication made headlines in 2015 when it helped treat former President Jimmy Carter for melanoma that had spread to his brain and liver. It later was cleared for several other malignancies.

Yet researchers still don't know why immunotherapy, once hailed as a game changer, works in only a minority of patients. Figuring that out is important for clinical as well as financial reasons. Keytruda, for example, costs about $150,000 a year.

By the time Joho arrived at Hopkins, the trial had been underway for a year. While an earlier study had shown a similar immunotherapy drug to be effective for a significant proportion of patients with advanced melanoma or lung or kidney cancer, checkpoint inhibitors weren't making headway with colon cancer. A single patient out of 20 had responded in a couple of trials.

Why did some tumors shrink while others didn't? What was different about the single colon cancer patient who benefited? Drew Pardoll, director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Hopkins, and top researcher Suzanne Topalian took the unusual step of consulting with the cancer geneticists who worked one floor up.

"This was the first date in what became the marriage of cancer genetics and cancer immunology," Pardoll said.

In a brainstorming session, the geneticists were quick to offer their theories. They suggested that the melanoma and lung cancer patients had done best because those cancers have lots of mutations, a consequence of exposure to sunlight and cigarette smoke. The mutations produce proteins recognized by the immune system as foreign and ripe for attack, and the drug boosts the system's response.

And that one colon-cancer patient? As Vogelstein recalls, "We all said in unison, 'He must have MMR deficiency!' " because such a genetic glitch would spawn even more mutations.

When the patient's tumor tissue was tested, it was indeed positive for the defect.

The researchers decided to run a small trial, led by Hopkins immunologist Dung Le and geneticist Diaz, to determine whether the defect could predict a patient's response to immunotherapy. The pharmaceutical company Merck provided its still-experimental drug pembrolizumab. Three groups of volunteers were recruited: 10 colon cancer patients whose tumors had the genetic problem; 18 colon cancer patients without it; and 7 patients with other malignancies with the defect.

The first results, published in 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine, were striking. Four out of the 10 colon cancer patients with the defect and 5 out of the other 7 cancer patients with the abnormality responded to the drug. In the remaining group, nothing. Since then, updated numbers have reinforced that a high proportion of patients with the genetic feature benefit from the drug, often for a lengthy period. Other trials by pharmaceutical companies have shown similar results.

The Hopkins investigators found that tumors with the defect had, on average, 1,700 mutations, compared with only 70 for tumors without the problem. That confirmed the theory that high numbers of mutations make it more likely the immune system will recognize and attack cancer if it gets assistance from immunotherapy.

For Joho, now 27 and living in suburban Philadelphia, the hard lesson from the past few years is clear: The cancer field is changing so rapidly that patients can't rely on their doctors to find them the best treatments.

"Oncologists can barely keep up," she said. "My sister found a trial I was a perfect candidate for, and my doctors didn't even know it existed."

Her first several weeks on the trial were rough, and she still has some lasting side effects today joint pain in her knees, minor nausea and fatigue.

"I have had to adapt to some new limits," she acknowledged. "But I still feel better than I have in five years."

Excerpt from:
IT'S A START: Newly approved gene therapy may help 4 percent of cancer patients - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Scientists have used gene therapy to 'switch off' the immune response that causes asthma, and are hopeful that the same technique could be used to target other severe allergies to peanuts, bee venom, and shellfish,keeping them at bay for life.

The research, which has so far seen success in animal trials, works byerasing the memory of the cells responsible for causing an allergic reaction, and if replicated in humans, could offer a one-off treatment for allergy patients.

"The challenge in asthma and allergies is that these immune cells, known as T-cells, develop a form of immune 'memory', and become very resistant to treatments,"says lead researcherRay Steptoefrom the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia.

"We have now been able 'wipe' the memory of these T-cells in animals with gene therapy, de-sensitising the immune system so that it tolerates the [allergen] protein."

An allergic response is a hypersensitive immune reaction to a substance that is normally harmless. When people are exposed to their allergic trigger, it can cause anything from itchy eyes and a runny nose to - in the most extreme cases -death.

Asthma is a common allergic response of the airways affecting 2.5 million Australiansand hundreds of millions around the world. About 80 percent of people who experience asthma in Australia are susceptible to hay fever - an allergic response to rye grass pollen.

"When someone has an allergy or asthma flare-up, the symptoms they experience results from immune cells reacting to protein in the allergen," says lead researcherRay Steptoefrom the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia.

While previous research has looked into using nanoparticle 'trojan horses' to smuggle the allergen past the immune system, and at new immunotherapy approaches, right now, the most effective treatment for people suffering from allergies is to simply avoid all known triggers.

To figure out a better way, Steptoe and his teamtook bone marrow from mice that had been genetically modified to have a resistance against asthma caused by rye grass pollen, and transplanted the bone marrow into unmodified mice.

"We take blood stem cells, insert a gene which regulates the allergen protein, and we put that into the recipient," says Steptoe.

"Those engineered cells produce new blood cells programmed to express the protein and target specific immune cells, which 'turn off' the allergic response."

Even though this study only looked at asthma, the researchers hope that the same approach could be used to provide protection against other common allergies - food and otherwise.

"Our work used an experimental asthma allergen, but this research could be applied to treat those who have severe allergies to peanuts, bee venom, shellfish and the like," Steptoe said.

But before we start throwing our puffers in the bin, the studies still have to be replicated in human trials, and that's where things get much more complicated.

"In the real world, unfortunately, it's not just usually a single allergen protein [that causes an immune response]. There might be several proteins that you might be allergic to and you'd have to target each of those proteins," Steptoe told ScienceAlert.

"We're currently doing experiments to see if we can turn off multiple response at the same time."

The research is published in JCI Insight.

Excerpt from:
Gene therapy has been used to 'switch off' asthma symptoms - ScienceAlert

By Staff ReporterStaff Reporter , 06-Jun-20172017-06-06T00:00:00Z Last updated on 06-Jun-2017 at 10:36 GMT2017-06-06T10:36:21Z

Hitachi Group subsidiary PCT Cell Therapy Services will provide clinical manufacturing services for Orchards autologous gene therapy for the treatment of adenosine deaminase deficiency.

Under terms of the deal, PCT will make clinical supplies of OTL-101, an autologous ex-vivo gene therapy for the treatment of adenosine deaminase deficiency severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID).

The Manufacturing Services Agreement (MSA) is an extension of a previous contract between the UK-based Orchard Therapeutics and its contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO).

We are very pleased to extend our relationship with PCT into a full GMP manufacturing services agreement for OTL-101, Orchards chief manufacturing officer Stewart Craig said in a statement.

As a world-leading CDMO for cell-based therapeutic products, this is an important step in advancing our lead program for the treatment of children afflicted with ADA-SCID.

PCTs CEO Robert Preti added the expansion will now include clinical manufacturing in support of [Orchards] ADA-SCID gene therapy is testament to our successful collaboration and our dedicated stewardship of this important program.

The clinical results are cause for hope among this patient population and we look forward to helping advance this important new therapeutic towards commercialisation.

The deal comes after Orchard announced it had contracted Dutch CMO PharmaCell to manufacture products from its gene therapy pipeline earlier this year, and seven months after the firm inked an alliance with gene and cell therapy firm Oxford BioMedica for process development services and cGMP-grade manufacture of lentiviral vectors.

Orchard did not supply further information when contacted by this publication.

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Orchard Therapeutics hits up Hitachi CDMO to make autologous gene therapy - BioPharma-Reporter.com

Photo: Stocksy/Vegterfoto

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It feels great tobe one of the first people to Instagrammermaid toastor your early-morning workout with your furry BFF. And when its Bachelorette time, does an episodeeven happen if you dont live-tweet it?

All that time looking at screens (and the potentially eye-damaging blue lightthey emit) adds up, thoughespecially sinceyoublink 66 percent less than normal while checkingyour iPhone or watching videoson your laptop,studies show.

Think about how much of your day is spent looking at illuminated digital data: To start off, theres (at least) eight hours at the officeusing your work computer. Plus,the average American looks at their phone 76 timesper dayfor a total of 145 minutes. (A really good argument for ditching your phone on vacation, BTW.) And that doesnt even figure in Netflix binges(hello, nightly hit of Friends, a la Emma Watson).

So how do you know how much is too much? Is it even such a big deal?

2/3

Symptoms like blurred or double vision, fatigue, or recurring headaches are a tipoff. But the best way to assess things is to visit your optometristtheres no hiding that late-night Instagram scrolling habit from them. They can tell if screens are hurting your eyes, even if you dont have any of the tell-tale signs, says Linda Chous, MD,optometrist and chief eye care officer of UnitedHealthcare.

There are muscles inside the eyes that have to work for us to see up close, and Dr. Chous says they have all a few tests to see how those muscles are workingwhich is a good reason to keep optometrists on your medical calendar (along with the gyno, dentist, and dermatologist). Theres no need to see your eye doctor as often as your main MD, but booking some face time every two years is ideal, Dr. Chous says.

Just because you have 20/20 vision doesnt mean you have healthy eyes. It can give you a false sense of security.

Just because you have 20/20 vision doesnt mean you have healthy eyes, she says. It can give you a false sense of security. Dr. Chous explains that the eyes truly are windows to the rest of the body, and often they can providecues for things to look out for, like diabetes or high-blood pressure.

The takeaway: Make a regular date with your optometrist toavoid stressing out about your screen time year-round. Best-case scenario? Youre all good. Or maybe you just need your prescription tweaked. Worst-case? You come up with a plan together.

3/3

Maybe you already know staring at a computer all day at work is messing with your visionyou can feel it. Or your eye doctor literally told you that you needed to chill with the screen time. (There isnt a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to how many hours is bad, so let your doctorand your eyesbe your guide.) So what do you do? James Stringham, PhD, who specializes in neurology and vision, says the first thing to do is fill up on more greens.

Leafy greens are full of luteinand zeaxanthin, two specific types of antioxidantsthat are vital for vision, he says. Dr. Stringham explains that theyre highly concentrated in eye tissue, which the blue light from screens can damage. When that happens, people can start experiencing headaches or migraines, he says.

Leafy greens are full of luteinand zeaxanthin, two specific types of antioxidantsthat are vital for vision.

Ideally, Dr. Stringham says people need 26 milligrams of the two antioxidants each dayabout two cups of spinach. But most people dont get that, and may opt to pop a supplement. (In fact, Dr. Stringham has been helping develop one, Blutein, which will be available next month at Vitamin Shoppe.) He says some professional athletes even take the two so-called eye vitaminsto speed up how quickly their eyes react to a moving target. Some other foods withlutein and zeaxanthin: eggs, zucchini, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

What about those blue light-fighting glasses that are gaining traction?Dr. Stringham says if youre getting enough bluetein and zeaxanthin, they arent necessary. Wearing glasses doesnt give you the other benefits filling up on the healthy foods wouldlutein and zeaxanthin is in your brain too, so getting enough is important for cognitive function as well, he says.

A breakdown in vision, he points out, is yet another sign of inflammation. So when you fill up on foods that fight that, it does your whole body good.

This inflammation-fighting food pyramid can help you build the ultimate healthy meal planand here are a few recipes, if you need guidance.

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Do you really need to be worried about all that screen time? - Well+Good

ReginaldArseneau was 29 years old when he started losing his eyesight.

It didn't stop him from completing four years of university and building a house and a life. But now the 69-year-old has a chance to improve his vision, if he can only find a way to pay for it.

The Argus II, a new type of implant, captures images on a camera that's attached to glasses worn by the patient. The image is then transmitted to the eye's retina with the help of a small computer worn on a belt.

Arseneau, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that changes the way the retina responds to light, causing slow vision loss over time, could regain about two per cent of his eye sight, his opthamologist said.

But while the cost of the surgery will be covered, he needs help paying for the chip.

"It costs $150,000just for theArgusII. It's the chip they put in the eyes with the computers so just for that, it costs $150,000," said Arseneau. "After that it's sure I'll need a surgery but the government should pay the surgery. I will need also a follow-up for the first three months."

The New Brunswick government, however, said it's not paying.

Reginal and Marie-Ange Arseneau built their home in the 1980s, when Reginald was already blind. He has also published two books - one is a memoir, written in French. (Bridget Yard/CBC)

In anemail,Departmentof Health spokespersonGeneviveMallet-Chiassonsaid the department will "not consider coverage for this prosthesis at this time."

"According to the New Brunswick Regulation 84-20 under the Medical Services Payment Act, schedule 2b,prosthetic devices are not insured services," she wrote.

Arseneau said he'll continue to lobby for financial aid.

He said he's lived withretinitispigmentosafor over 40 years, but he is also losing his hearing now, and wears two hearing aids.

At home, he can still "see" with his hands, feeling his way around, even working on carpentry projects with the help of a braille ruler and measuring tape. But when he leaves the house, or goes on vacation, his wife, Marie-Ange, has to guide him, he said.

He hopes the implant will help him regain one of his senses, and his independence.

"I will see black and white and shapes," he said. "I could distinguish maybe a door, or windows, and that will really help me with my mobility."

Arseneau still has the ruler made for him at Universite de Moncton decades ago. He uses it in his woodworking projects. He finds simple ways to hold on to his favourite hobbies and independence. (Bridget Yard/CBC)

DrFalvioRezende, of TheMaisonneuve-RosementHospital in Montreal, said he'simplanted theArgusII in two patients.

"To transform an illness that would seem to have no cure, and re-engage people into society, it's enormous," he told Radio-Canada. "It's possibly the most touching experience I've had in my career."

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Blind man wants provincial government to pay for his chance to regain sight - CBC.ca

Indianapolis, IN - INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) From awareness, to education, Indiana lawmakers will soon study diabetes. And it's a personal fight for the Indiana lawmaker spearheading the committee.

For millions of Americans, a quick prick, and sugar reading, is a daily routine. But it's something State Representative Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) would like to see go away. "It's just an unnecessary disease that has grown rapid and is at epidemic portions in our country, and especially in Indiana, State Rep. Summers said.

A disease the American Diabetes Association said impacts nearly 30 million Americans by attacking cells and how bodies produce insulin. To fix this problem, Representative Summers is behind a state study. "It's time to put a face and a name, and action to a condition that is treatable, State Rep. Summers said.

The Indiana Department of Health said more than half a million Hoosiers suffer from diabetes. Nearly 300,000 may not know they have it, and it's the seventh leading cause of death across the state.

A problem representative Summers knows well, because she's had the disease for a decade. "I started out with an A1C of 13. Your A1C should be under 6, State Rep. Summers said. A disease that's hit her family hard. "I've had one cousin to die, State Rep. Summers said. He had a foot amputated, and then he died from complications of diabetes."

To save her life, she's made major changes, including her diet, and teaching others as well. "They just have got to eat right, State Rep. Summers said. They've got to rainbow their colors. You need red, green, purple, yellow."

She's gone from four shots a day, to one. A success story she hopes will inspire her fellow lawmakers, and other Hoosiers as they tackle this issue because she knows how tempting it can be to veer off course.

Sometimes I take a bite because I'm human, State Rep. Summers said. I want to taste that cake."

The study committee was announced about a week ago, but it may take some time before the group may not meet until later this summer. Lawmakers use these off-season meetings to learn information that can help them draft bills for when the 2018 session starts.

See the rest here:
Diabetes Study in Indiana - MyWabashValley

Photo: Contributed / Contributed

Griffin to hosts talks on diabetes

The Diabetes Education & Support Group at Griffin Hospital will host two free presentations on managing diabetes during the summer holidays on Tuesdau, June 13 at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the hospital, 130 Division St., Derby.

Certified Diabetes Educator Mary Swansiger will lead a discussion on managing diabetes during holidays, vacation and special events during the summer, including meal planning and strategies for making the summer happier and healthier.

Both presentations will be in Childbirth Education Classroom A. There will be free valet parking for the 2:30 p.m. presentation.

The Diabetes Education & Support Group meets September through June on the second Tuesday of each month to discuss the management of diabetes, its challenges, and day-to-day dietary concerns. Individuals with diabetes and their caregivers are welcome to attend.

No registration is required. For more information, call 203-732-1137.

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Griffin to hosts talks on diabetes - CT Post

The daily or once-weekly insulin shotnecessary for the control of type 2 diabetescould be replaced by a twice- or even once-a-month shot. A new, longer-lasting injectable formulation has been developed that combines a familiar diabetes-control molecule, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1), with a heat-sensitive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP). Once a solution containing the GLP1ELP combo passes through a standard needle and penetrates the skin, it reacts to body heat, forming a biodegradable gel-like depot that slowly releases the drug as it dissolves.

The novel drug-delivery mechanism was developed by scientists based at Duke University, who assert that it could be used to enhance therapeutic outcomes by eliminating peak-and-valley pharmacokinetics and improving overall safety and tolerability. The scientists, led by Ashutosh Chilkoti, Ph.D., chair of the department of biomedical engineering at Duke, suggest that their work could be broadly applicable; that is, it could improve the pharmacological performance of peptides and protein therapeutics besides GLP1.

Details of the work appeared June 5 in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, in an article entitled One-Week Glucose Control via Zero-Order Release Kinetics from an Injectable Depot of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Fused to a Thermosensitive Biopolymer. The one week indicated in the title refers to the drug depots performance in mice. Glucose control, the scientists found, was more durable in rhesus monkeys, and even longer glucose control, the scientists suggested, could be achieved in humans, since humans have slower metabolisms than mice or monkeys.

A subcutaneous depot formed after a single injection of GLP1 recombinantly fused to a thermosensitive elastin-like polypeptide results in zero-order release kinetics and circulation times of up to 10 days in mice and 17 days in monkeys, the authors of the article indicated. The optimized pharmacokinetics lead to 10 days of glycaemic control in three different mouse models of diabetes, as well as the reduction of glycosylated haemoglobin levels and weight gain in ob/ob mice treated once weekly for 8 weeks.

Many current treatments for type 2 diabetes use GLP1, a signaling molecule that causes the pancreas to release insulin to control blood sugar. However, this peptide has a short half-life and is cleared from the body quickly.

To make treatments last longer, researchers have previously fused GLP1 with synthetic microspheres and biomolecules like antibodies, making them active for 2 to 3 days in mice and up to a week in humans. Currently, the longest-acting glucose control treatment on the market, dulaglutide, requires a once-weekly injection, while standard insulin therapies often have to be injected twice or more every day. Despite improvements such as these, many treatments don't include a mechanism to control the rate of the peptide's release, and treatment effectiveness can plateau after prolonged use.

The Duke researchers persisted with their ongoing experiments, which focused on thermosensitive delivery biopolymers. By varying the design of their delivery biopolymers at the molecular level, they found a sweet spot that maximized the duration of the drug's delivery from a single injection, noted Dr. Chilkoti. "By doing so, he continued, we managed to triple the duration of this short-acting drug for type 2 diabetes, outperforming other competing designs."

Building upon their previous work with the drug and delivery system, researchers in the Dr. Chilkotis laboratory optimized their solution to regulate glucose levels in mice for 10 days after a single injection, up from the previous standard of 2 to 3 days.

In further tests, the Duke team found that the optimized formulation improved glucose control in rhesus monkeys for more than 14 days after a single injection, while also releasing the drug at a constant rate for the duration of the trial.

"What's exciting about this work was our ability to demonstrate that the drug could last over 2 weeks in nonhuman primates," remarked Kelli Luginbuhl, a Ph.D. student in Dr. Chilkotis laboratory and co-author of the study. "Because our metabolism is slower than monkeys and mice, the treatment should theoretically last even longer in humans, so our hope is that this will be the first biweekly or once-a-month formulation for people with type 2 diabetes."

Despite a variety of treatment options, managing type 2 diabetes still poses a problem. Patients don't always reach their glycemic targets, and adherence to a treatment plan that relies on frequent, meal-specific dosing leaves room for human error. By limiting the number of injections a person will need to control their glucose levels, the researchers hope this new tool will improve treatment options for the disease.

The researchers now plan to study the immune response to repeated injections and test the material with other animal models. They are also considering additional applications for this controlled-release system, such as delivering pain medication.

Dr. Chilkoti also indicated that because the drug is synthesized inside Escherichia coli bacterial cultures instead of mammalian cells, it is cheaper and faster to produce, making it a potential target for use in developing countries once it's commercialized.

According to a report issued last year by Grand View Research, the global insulin market is expected to reach $53.04 billion by 2022. Grand View anticipates that the most lucrative segment will consist of long-acting analogs. The segments high growth rate, estimated at 15.0%/year, is accounted for by fast-selling products such as Lantus by Sanofi Aventis. Moreover, the addition of new products such as Novo Nordisks Tresiba ultra-long-acting analog is expected to further drive segment growth. Tresiba is administered subcutaneously once daily at any time of day. Even longer-lasting formulations, such as those contemplated by Dr. Chilkotis team, may contribute to yet more growth in the segment.

Read more:
Month-Long Diabetes Control Possible with New Injection | GEN - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Officials announce the creation in Merida of a dental cryopreservation laboratory.

MERIDA With the increase in the exchange rate of the dollar, health tourism in Yucatan will generate even more than the three million dollars per year previously received. Mrida receives and treatsbetween three thousand and four thousand patients, said Armando Noguera Aguilar, general director of Dental Perfect, a company that will invest 25 million pesos in the city during 2017.

Armando Noguera Aguilar, general director of Dental Perfect (Photo: La Jornada Maya)

In a press conference at El Gran Caf, held in February, Noguer Aguilar said that dental health tourism treats seven million people each year in Mexico, so as Mrida turns into a cluster for the medical sector, there is an enormous potential to attract new customers.

The reason why there is health tourism in Merida, he explained, is because in the United States a dental implant can cost between five thousand and six thousand dollars, while in Yucatan only one thousand dollars.

To the state also come visitors from Europe, for the same economic benefit, he said. People prefer to go to Mexico, because they find the same quality with better prices, he said.

The investment of 25 million pesos to be held in Merida has as its objective the creation of three clinics and a laboratory for cryopreservation of dental stem cells, spaces that will create 150 direct jobs for skilled workers and 450 indirect ones; Its presence will increase dental health tourism by 25 percent, he predicted.

In about 10 years, dental stem cells will regenerate neuronal, bone, muscle, heart and some organs to treat problems such as Alzheimers or brain tumors.

With this scenario, he said that the quality of life of the human being is expected to increase in 10 years over the next decade, due to research in the branch worldwide, in places such as Germany, Switzerland and even Mexico.

Source: http://www.lajornadamaya.mx

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Health tourism's economic impact grows in Yucatan - The Yucatan Times

June 6, 2017 Drs. Carlos Isales, Meghan McGee-Lawrence, William D. Hill and Mark Hamrick. Credit: Phil Jones

With age, the form and function of our bones and muscles drop off, putting us as increased risk for frailty and falls.

Now researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are dissecting just what happens to the stem cells that make the tissues, which help keep us upright, with an eye on improving our healthspan.

Osteoporosis already is a major public health problem affecting about 44 million Americans and costing billions annually. The world's older population is growing at an unprecedented rate with 8.5 percent of the worldwide population - 617 million people - age 65 and older, a proportion estimated to reach 17 percent by 2050, according to the National Institute on Aging.

"After age 65 you start losing about 1 percent of both muscle and bone per year," said Dr. Carlos Isales, endocrinologist, Regents' professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the MCG Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine.

"Daily exercise decreases the slope of that decline. But what we are focusing on is trying to see if we can flatten the curve even further," said Isales, principal investigator on a new $9.3 million Program Project grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Time seems to alter the dynamic between the mesenchymal stem cells making bone and muscle and the amino acids that fuel them. The MCG scientists also have evidence it changes the signals stem cells send each other.

The bottom line: Our stem cell population gets reduced and the cells we have become less efficient at making bone and muscle, often opting for the easier task of making fat instead, Isales said.

The team, which includes principal investigators bone biologist Dr. Mark Hamrick, stem cell researcher Dr. William D. Hill and biomedical engineer Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence, wants to keep stem cells focused on making bone and muscle.

"We are looking at stem cells as a group and what is happening to them as we age," Hill noted. "This includes a loss of direction so they aren't as functional as they were before. The other thing we are looking at is their survival and their numbers."

"We are trying to figure out why the changes are happening and if we can target those cells to make them want to make bone again," McGee-Lawrence said.

Much as the function of bone and muscle is interwoven, so is their health and the factors that promote their loss or survival also are similar, said Hamrick.

A major culprit in their breakdown appears to be the metabolite kynurenine, a byproduct of the essential amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is among the nine amino acids our body can't make and we must consume in foods like turkey and soybeans so we can perform essentials like making protein. The researchers also think the fuel sends signals to cells, ones that aging stem cells apparently don't get.

The unhealthy metabolite is the result of a natural action called oxidation, which occurs anytime cells use oxygen. Particularly with age, the free radicals produced by oxidation can also damage cells. Kynurenine results when the enzyme, indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase, or IDO, which a variety of tissues make to help moderate an immune response, oxidizes tryptophan. Over time, kynurenine piles up and appears to alter the dynamic of bone and muscle formation.

Again, somewhat ironically, the many functions of essential amino acids include working as antioxidants, so the researchers are putting together nutrient cocktails - minus tryptophan and with reduced protein content - that they hope can reverse age-related damage. Isales notes that they may find that other amino acids produce similar problems as tryptophan in the aged environment.

So they also are taking more direct approaches like whether an IDO inhibitor - which is already in clinical trials as a cancer fighter - can reverse changes and get stem cells to regain more youthful function.

In an effort to begin to see if what they have seen in laboratory mice holds up in humans, they are trying both approaches in human stem cells retrieved during the process of a knee or hip replacement by colleagues in the MCG Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

They have laboratory evidence that in mice at least, high kynurenine levels impact the ability of cells in the bone marrow to make bone-forming cells called osteoblasts. In fact, even relatively young mice fed kynurenine experience bone loss, an increase in bone destruction by cells called osteoclasts and increased fat in their bone marrow. Conversely, mice with IDO knocked out maintain strong bone mass.

"You can make an old mouse young and you can make a young mouse old," Hill noted.

The team also has evidence that part of how age-related increases in kynurenine does damage is by altering microRNAs - small but powerful pieces of RNA that can control expression of hundreds of genes at the same time - as well as vesicles called exosomes that are hauling the microRNAs around. Stem cells secrete exosomes as one way to communicate, and apparently aging stem cells don't communicate well with each other.

"Exosomes are one mechanism of crosstalk between cells and also between different organs," said Hamrick. "Your liver is producing exosomes, fat produces exosomes, they will hit other organs and they carry, in some cases, positive messages and in some cases bad messages," said Hamrick, who is leading this project to restore positive messaging.

They have laboratory evidence that aging alters at least two microRNAs, miR-141 and miR-183, which prompts cells to make bone-eating instead of bone-forming cells. Again, they have shown that even young stem cells exposed to older exosomes will assume this bone-reducing stance. But they also have some evidence that some of the dietary interventions Isales is looking at could reverse the ill effects.

The team recently reported in the journal Tissue Engineering that exosomes from old and younger mice were similar in size and number and both had a lot of miRNAs. But aged exosomes had significantly and specifically more mi183, an miRNA already associated with cancer. In this case, high mi183 appears to decrease cell proliferation and the ability of immature cells to become bone cells and to support the general deterioration that comes with age, called senescence. Age-related increases of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress help increase mi183 levels and these undesirable results. When researchers treat mesenchymal stem cells from young animals with exosomes from old mice, is suppresses formation of muscle-making genes; giving mi183 directly to bone and muscle producing cells makes them start acting old. Now they want to know more about how aging changes the secretion and cargo of exosomes by mesynchymal stem cells and how that in turn contributes to bone and muscle loss.

A third project, led by Hill, will focus on the cargo, the miRNAs, to learn more about exactly how they impact bone formation and turnover. "We think that the amino acids are controlling the expression of specific sets of microRNA," Hill said. That means they may want to target and even eliminate key or critical microRNAs, which could obviously affect expression of numerous genes as a result.

They also are exploring aging's impact on stromal cell derived factor 1, or SDF-1, which is critical to helping keep stem cells in the bone marrow and focused on making bone. Age-related changes appear to make SDF-1 instead encourage stem cells to wander. The researchers note that while these cells do often need to leave the bone marrow, to say help heal an injury, these age-related travels are random and often cells don't find their way back. A consistent goal is identifying intervention targets.

"The idea is if we can change the environment and change how they are signaling to themselves and to other cells, we can modify the stem cell directly that way," Hill said.

They are looking upstream as well for earlier points of intervention, including what is happening to histone deacetylase-3, or HDAC3. They have evidence that HDAC3, another pervasive regulator in the body that can turn gene expression up or down, is important in stem cells' age-related propensity to make fat instead of bone.

At least one reason is that reduced HDAC3 means less bone, which literally makes more room for fat, said McGee-Lawrence, who is leading these studies. Her previous studies have shown that when HDAC3 is deleted from the skeleton, bones are weaker, much like what occurs with aging.

Now they have evidence that mice treated with kynurenine, for example, have suppressed HDAC3 expression in the bone. They want to know more about just how HDAC3 gets suppressed as we age and exactly what that does to bone formation and fat storage besides just making room. The new grant is allowing them to put the pieces together better, looking further at just what suppresses HDAC3 and what suppression does to bone versus fat formation. The bottom line again is identifying early points of intervention and potentially nutrients to intervene.

"Something in the microenvironment of the bone is causing the cells, instead of wanting to make bone, they are storing a lot of fat," McGee-Lawrence said. "Some of these epigenetic factors, like HDAC3, some of the environmental factors like changes in the amino acids are causing the cells to dysfunction. We are hoping to figure out what that signal is and how to reverse it and to make those cells want to start making bone again."

Identical twin studies have shown that environmental factors definitely play a role, since the bone/muscle health of these twins often is not identical even though their genes are, Isales said. Rather than changing the genes themselves, environmental factors appear to have changed their expression: which ones are turned or on off. These epigenetic changes include factors from diet to stress to sleep patterns to age.

There are 20 amino acids, which are essential to protein production and a variety of other functions from giving cells structure to helping organs functions. Kyrurenine also is associated with the degeneration of our brain and immune system as we age. Mesynchymal stem cells also produce blood, cartilage and fat cells.

Isales also is vice chair of clinical and translational research in the MCG Department of Orthopaedics and a faculty member in the MCG Department of Medicine. Hamrick, Hill and McGee-Lawrence are all faculty members in the MCG Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy. Other scientists helping support three core laboratories for the interrelated studies include the Administrative Core with Biostatistics, Maribeth Johnson and Dr. Jie Chen, MCG Department of Biostatics and Epidemiology; the Bone Biology Core, Dr. Mohammed Elsalanty, Department of Oral Biology, Dental College of Georgia at AU; and the Bone Stem Cell Core, Dr. Xingming Shi, MCG Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine.

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Major research initiative explores how our bones and muscles age, new ways to block their decline - Medical Xpress

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster walks to a meeting between President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman at the Royal Court Palace in Riyadh, May 20, 2017. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

How did the worlds only superpower wind up in the middle of this war-crazy mess?The United States seems to be dealing with three or four enemies at once.Or switching sides when a renegade militia changes its name and allegiance.Or refighting old wars Americansthought they had already won.

Its hard to keep track, and lots of citizens have stopped trying. When the Cold War ended a generation ago, the United States took on the singular role of global peacekeeper, protecting or punishing other nations depending on their behavior and values. We spread troops and clandestine warriors in black among scores of nations to keep the peace. It sounded like a noble commitment.

Now our so-called indispensable nation finds itself beset with confusion and contradictions, trying to cope with half a dozen or more irregular insurgencies, some hostile, some friendly. Instead of peace and tranquility, the American Goliath seems to attract a swarm of killer bees.

Washington doesnt know how to win in Afghanistanor how to get out of it.

At the moment, the war in Afghanistan is heating up again. The Taliban are recapturing the countryside and slaughtering scores of young Afghan army recruits assembled for weekly prayers, or blowing up Kabul.American hawks are once again calling for more troops, more arms, and more money. President Trump sent National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster to survey the troubled scene and propose a new strategy.

This is an old story.The United States has been at war in Afghanistan for nearly 16 years. New strategies were also proposed by Trumpspredecessors, but none of them succeeded. Washington doesnt know how to win this war or how to get out of it.

Modern warfare, it seems, does not require victory or defeat, just hanging on.On this perverse battlefield, adversaries fight with different weapons. Our side has the wondrous tools of high-tech weaponry, like precision bombing by pilotless drones or video terrain maps for tank commanders. The other side has, in addition to the usual tactics of guerrilla warfare, terrorism, including the deployment of children wearing suicide bombs as jackets to blow up a crowded marketplace.

Yet, strangely enough, the gravest threat to America is not these foreign terrorists. It is a threat closer to home that political leaders dont wish to talk about: We endanger ourselves.

What pulls us deeper and deeper into violence is American hubristhe false pride of our triumphalist pretensions.

What pulls our reluctant citizenry deeper and deeper into chaos and violence is American hubristhe false pride of our triumphalist pretensions. The assumption is that our authority in the world ultimately relies upon our awesome destructive power.The US monopoly on deadly force is supposedly justified by our nobleintentionsprotecting world peace.During the Cold War rivalry, both sides competed, mainly on matching nuclear arsenals, but they did not make the mistake of launching direct war against each other (prudent strategy for both sides).

Without the Soviet empire, Goliath was stuck without a rivalry or clearpurpose. Instead of promoting a general drawdown in weaponry and strategies,the United States and its NATO partners enlarged their franchisethey were no longer just defending the homeland but now reforming the world.

In particular, America dispersed fighting forces and command centersto nearly every continent. These deployments wereintended as warning flags for bad guysdont mess with the United Statesbut some bad guys didnt get the message. And American right-wingers promoted a far more aggressive agenda of changing dozens of supposedly roguish nations that did not comply with our governing values. Iraq was high on the list. The murderous 9/11 terror attack provided the trigger for a generational restart of war-making.

Goliath was ready. Having made themselves the fearsome giant of good intentions, American military leaders felt they could not back away from shooting wars without experiencing utter shame and cowardice. Yet if the United States were to use its full-strength power to kill and conquer, it would destroy its good standing among nations.So the United States clumsily decided to have it both ways.

The Bush/Cheney war on Iraq was launched with a battle slogan that expressed the arrogance of American power: shock and awe. Bomb the crap out of them, and theyll surrender without a fight.

People like the sound of our claim that we are a mighty nation that is both virtuous and deadly dangerous.

In war and peace, Americans seem blinded by their power. People like the sound of our inflated self-confidenceour claim that we are a mighty nation that is both virtuous and deadly dangerous. We further protectedourselves from harm by acquiring still greater killing power and inventing more ingenious ways of delivering destruction.

Terrorismeffectively undermined that reassuring premise. Terror cant win on a traditional battlefield, but it might succeed in deranging Goliath.The governing elites have no real solution for this dilemma, so they keep faith with the old formula for deterrencethe threat of massive retaliationeven though it no longer deters.

In the history of nations, hubris is dangerous territory.Over-wrought pretensions of superiority have brought down kings and empires.Failure to recognize new power realities has led great nations to tragic endings. Does it sound far-fetched to suggest that the United States is now endangered by hubris?Someold soldiers have observed the symptoms.

As a young military officer, McMaster realized that the easy US victory in Desert Storm was profoundly misleading.

As a young tank commander in 1991, H.R. McMaster performed brilliantly in the short, successful war called Desert Storm.Captain McMasters unit of nine Abrams tanks destroyed some 80 Iraqi tanks and other vehicles, and McMaster was decorated with the Silver Star.Yet he realized afterward that the easy US victory in Desert Storm was profoundly misleading and encouraged American war-fighting in disastrously wrong directions.

Popular images from the Gulf War portrayed impressive technologies and flawless operations that went exactly to plan, McMasterwould later write in a sober critique. The public was left with only videos of precision strikes against fixed targets and hapless Iraqi conscripts surrendering in droves without a fight.

But McMaster recognized that military leaders were themselves misled by their swift and overwhelming victory. American power, the Pentagon strategists assumed,would rule in this new, post-Soviet world.American technological advantageswould invent weapons of the future that could literally reinvent the nature of war. Ebullient optimismfollowed the triumph of capitalism and democracy over communism and totalitarianism, McMaster explained.

The triumphalism bothered him a lot.Studying at the Amy War College in 2003, the same year Bush/Cheney launched their Iraq War, McMaster published a powerful essay of dissentCrack in the Foundationthat invoked the Greek concept of hubris: Extreme pride that leads to overconfidence and often results in misfortune.

Withoutnaming names, McMaster explained: The hero vainly attempts to transcend human limits and often ignores warnings that portend a disastrous fate. McMaster perceived such overconfidence in the so-called shock and awe precision strikes. Hubris permeates the language of defense transformation, he wrote.

Warnings by McMaster and other officers were ignored.Disaster did indeed follow.As a colonel, McMaster was admired as a gutsy iconoclast, but he was twice passed over for promotion to brigadier general. His perspectives have changed a lot in 15 years, but the same challenging questions need to be asked. Is the United States launching bombs and missiles or sending more troops to Afghanistan to accomplish plausible strategic goals that are in Americas interest?Or are the generals just trying to protect Goliaths reputation as the toughest guy on the block?

THE STAKES ARE HIGHER NOW THAN EVER. GET THE NATION IN YOUR INBOX.

American hubris was further encouraged by a convergence with the extraordinary digital technologies emerging at the same time.Some giddy military theorists proclaimed the advent of a revolution in military affairs that would lift the fog of war by bringing precision and certainty to the chaos of battle. Certainly, targeting is greatly improved, andbattle commanders have real-time knowledge that informs their tactics.But the visionaries of high-tech war sometimes sound like theyre hallucinating. McMaster didnt buy it.

Under these constructs, McMaster explained, wars would be efficient and even more humane.Near perfect information would make possible precise application of force from great distances which would, in turn, reduce the risk to US forces, minimize collateral damage and even make the battlefield a safer place for the enemy. Makingwar safer for the enemy? Wow. That is visionary.

In fact, when McMaster studied war-fighting doctrines published by the armed services, he found a shocking omission.Theenemy is generally absent from these descriptions of future war, he wrote. When the enemy does appear, he is quickly overwhelmed by American strength and the interactions betweenforces is limited to the application of US military power followed closely by enemy capitulation. That is hubris as a formal policy.

You might call it dream war.Lots more explosives, but not as many people get hurt. New war-fighting machines that kill from a long distance with incredible accuracy.And theres no pilot error, because there are no pilots. Computers do the targeting, even fly the planes.This very pleasing fantasy evaporated once the other side started turning children into bombs, religious faithful into sacrificial killers.

We assumed that [technological] advanceswere going to make wars risk free. But thats not true, of course. McMaster

McMaster was addressing a business group when he ruefully explained the failed dream: We assumed that advances in information, surveillance technology, technical-intelligence collection, automated decision-making tools, and so on were going to make wars fast, cheap, efficient and relatively risk freethat technology would lift the fog of wars and make warfare essentially a targeting exercise. But thats not true, of course.

The new new US strategy has attempted to put people back into the storyorganizing and encouraging reconnections within local populations instead of simply bombing their communities and attacking local insurgents. McMaster has been a leading forcefor this counterinsurgency doctrine in both Iraq and Afghanistan, calling for improving social conditions like health and education while fighting corruption and warlord politics.Building stronger communities for the Afghan people while bombing the Taliban may seem like a virtuous project, but its not yet clear that it can succeed, not without years and maybe decades of US subsidy and military protection.

American peacekeeping missions fail in Afghanistan and elsewhere because they are trying to straddle two contradictory goalsthe violent conquest of native insurgencies, along with humanist healing for people in severely deprived societies. Its not obvious that either of those goals can be achieved separately.But the straddle sets up continuous collision between warriors and health givers, in which the American interest is impossible to define confidently, much less sustain politically.

One month we may be building schools and hospitals.The next month we might blow them up. This is not a sustainable posture. Americanscan provide assistancein good faith; they do in many places, and that is certain to continue. But the truly rough challenge confronting Americans is to re-examine ourselves and discard a lot of pieties that are not good for us or for the world.That doesnt mean dropping out. But we are not in charge of running the world.Nor are we obligated to fight in every other war that comes along.

This is a hard conversation for Americans tohave, since it will be misunderstood and is sure to provoke patriotic distemper.On the other hand, Americans like to argue, and there is a lot to argue over. Personally, Im tired of arguing over wars and whereor whywe should fight them.

See the article here:
HR McMaster and the Blindness of American Hubris - The Nation.

Daily Trust

16.7% of blindness in Nigeria caused by Glaucoma- CAS Daily Trust Speaking at a Glaucoma awareness lecture and screening exercise organised for personnel and locals of the Nigerian Air Force base in Kaduna on Tuesday, the CAS while quoting the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey in Nigeria which was ...

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16.7% of blindness in Nigeria caused by Glaucoma- CAS - Daily Trust

June 6, 2017

Never in the history of human existence has the opportunity to genetically modify or protect life been as great and accessible to anyone interested in the topic as it is today.

Cures for human hereditary diseases. Designer babies. Glow-in-the-dark fish. Bioterrorism. Mosquitoes programmed to perish. The opportunities and risks are here now, but lagging are policies, ethical considerations and safety precautions needed to proceed prudently on an international scale.

Arizona State University experts will delve into the issues presented by biotechnology during the annual International Biosafety and Biosecurity Symposium (SIBB) held this year in Morelia, Mexico, and organized by the Asociacin Mexicana de Bioseguridad (AMEXBIO), June 710.

Were enhancing biosafety and biosecurity across international borders, said Irene Mendoza, associate biosafety officer with ASUs Office of Environmental Health and Safety, who will be one of the featured speakers at the symposium. Anything that affects Mexico, like the release of a pathogenic agent, can travel north and affect us.

Although infectious diseases willbe addressed at the symposium, the ASU delegation will lead a technical discussion on gene editing and gene drive technologies, said David Gillum, ASU Environmental Health and Safety associate director and institutional biosafety officer. In simplest terms, its about the ability to modify plants or mammals by manipulating their genome i.e., the chromosomes in each cell of an organism.

These technologies can drive a change in an entire species from just one modification, Gillum said. It can be propagated in all future generations.

David Gillum, ASU Environmental Health and Safety associate director and institutional biosafety officer, said there are many citizen-scientist labs where people are experimenting with gene editing thanks to more accessible technology such as CRISPR Cas9.The risk is that although they may just be trying to do something fun, what they create may have unintended consequences, he said. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

The gene drive of mosquitoes, for example, can be modified so the specific types that carry malaria and Zika will not reproduce and eventually die off. But once their genome is changed and released into the environment, there is no easy way to predict any unintended consequences.

Thats what is scary about it, Gillum said. Theres no easy undo button.

The leading gene editing method capable of making such changes is called CRISPR Cas9. This technological process takes advantage of the immune systems of bacteria to delete nucleic acids in living cells and replace them with the desired nucleic acid to change the genome.

When youre doing this genome editing, youre looking for very specific nucleic acids to change, Gillum said. Lets consider that you have sickle cell anemia and you have one gene that is wrong, and you just want to target that one gene. But the genome is huge; there are billions of base pairs. So how do you make sure that you target the one that youre looking for and not similar sequences somewhere else in your body?

Unlike past costly and complex genome editing technologies, CRISPR Cas9 is simpler, relatively inexpensive and thus more accessible to people who may not be working in a modern laboratory with established biosafety policies and procedures.

There are a lot of citizen labs all over the place where science enthusiasts getting together in their garages and experimenting, Mendoza said. The risk is that although they may just be trying to do something fun, what they create may have unintended consequences.

Irene Mendoza, associate biosafety officer with ASUs Office of Environmental Health and Safety, will be one of the featured speakers during the annual International Biosafety and Biosecurity Symposium held this week in Morelia, Mexico, and organized by the Asociacin Mexicana de Bioseguridad.

The use of CRISPR Cas9 has increased in Mexico in the past few years, Gillum said. Experts there recognize the challenge, and that drives such events as the SIBB, which includes participation from other Latin American countries.

What we want to achieve in SIBB is to continue the academic efforts of diffusing specific knowledge on biosafety and biosecurity, as well as raise awareness among those involved in manipulating biological agents, said Luis Alberto Ochoa Carrera, AMEXBIO president and founder. The importance of the work of AMEXBIO is based on the need to create a biosafety culture and appropriate communication within institutions to mitigate risks associated with experimenting with biological agents.

ASU contacts AMEXBIO remotely throughout the year, but opportunities exist to engage in person and at a higher level by way of training sessions, site visits, joint research and other symposia to address the wide array of biosafety and biosecurity aspects.

There is a huge opportunity here for ASU and AMEXBIO in Mexico to partner on these projects, Gillum said. Theyre very interested in biodefense. Were looking into philanthropy to help with funding that will allow us to form a more strategic partnership.

With funding, ASU biosafety experts like Gillum and his team can work with AMEXBIO to visit labs in Mexico to observe operations and offer suggestions on improving safety and security.

The interesting aspect of biosafety is that in general its based on best management practices, Gillum said. Except for very highly pathogenic agents and toxins, everything else is done with a best management practices point of view. Theres not always a black-and-white way to do certain things.

Forming strategic links between biosafety and biosecurity experts across the border enables mutual collaboration and training in the region, Ochoa Carrera said.

AMEXBIO recognizes ASUs efforts and transcendence in Mexico and within the international biosafety community, Ochoa Carrera said. The ASU and AMEXBIO alliance enables the dissemination of knowledge in this field, and its also an area of opportunity between Mexico and the United States.

Top photo: DNA sequence, courtesy freeimages.com.

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ASU, Mexico partnership takes on biotechnology challenges - Arizona State University

There is an increasing focus on science being linked to providing practical solutions to agricultural problems. There is also increasing awareness of technology, although the channels used for information and creating change in the way information is passed and understood by the receiver are poorly developed.

Biotechnology is no longer a new technology in Africa; some countries in Africa have adopted the technology, while some other countries are currently conducting confined field trial for the technology.

In Nigeria, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) which is a component of biotechnology is currently undergoing confined field trial in various locations. It is expected that in the next three years, the commercialisation of the BT cotton will commence in the country.

Africa as a continent in the recent past have suffered a high level of food insecurity following the actions and inaction of various governments to put sustainable policies to fast track agricultural development.

Some countries in Africa have also experienced food shortage due to some natural disaster which includes flood, pest attack, insect infestation and drought.

In some countries, the uses of manual and outdated method of farming have contributed immensely to the countrys dependence for food supply on some developed countries that have used technology to advance their agricultural sector.

Biotechnology have been adopted by various countries to develop their agricultural sector which have made them self sufficient in food production and earned them foreign exchange through exportation of agricultural products.

Many African countries have been skeptical of adopting biotechnology following some baseless and unscientific criticism from some quarters on the new technology.

This singular act of negligence and gullibility exhibited by these African countries have further subjected them to being importers of food products from countries that have developed there agricultural technology.

In Ghana, the commercialization of GMOs may not be possible until the court injunction issued against its further release in Ghana have been concluded.

However, good news emerged as the Plant Breeders Bill was said to be underway and soon to be signed into law in Ghana to protect the developers of the technology and encourage the investment in science and technology beyond the countrys budget.

Instead of the critics of the technology to say science is not good at all, they should discuss on its deployment which can be useful to our economy.

The Open Forum On Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), Ghana have visited all the regions in Ghana and information materials on biotechnology have been translated into local languages.

It is worthy to note that the Ghanaian government does not fund science, to this end, funding is needed to scale up educational activities on modern biosafety issues in Ghana.

In Nigeria, it is sad to note that the country has one of the lowest usage rates of agriculture inputs and ranks the lowest on agriculture indices of mechanization and irrigation.

Insect and pest problems, climate change issues and increasing population were also attributed as the reasons for poor productivity.

Meanwhile, there are some Genetically Modified crops that can withstand insects and pests attack, while some are drought resistant. These crops if adopted could be used by farmers to upscale the countrys food production without the crops been damaged by pests and insects.

However, Maize, cotton, rice, cassava, Sorghum (ABS) have been said to be the first GM crops to be introduced in Nigeria for commercialisation soon.

It is also worthy of note that the Biosafety law was signed in Nigeria in 2015 which gave rise to the establishment of regulatory agency, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) same year.

Since its establishment, NBMA has carried out 3 approvals and accredited research institutes and universities for GM research.

OFAB Nigeria in its advocacy drive has carried out advocacy visits, capacity building, Seeing is Believing Tours, workshops and seminars, radio and tv programs, social media campaigns to enlighten the public and policy holders with the right information on the safety of biotechnology and its practices.

In Burkina Faso, Cotton is one of the major driver of the countrys economy, 85 per cent of population of Burkina Faso is active in agriculture and cotton is its number one cash crop contributing 25 per cent of agricultural income.

There is evidence that cotton is locomotive for cereal crops such as maize and sorghum in Burkina Faso.

In Burkina Faso, necessary steps have been taken towards the release of GM cotton- Pre-release trials, BT cotton seed multiplication, Commercial production of GM Bollgard II Cotton and cultivation field, commercial production since 2009.

BT cotton (GM Cotton) have pushed Burkina Faso in the cotton production ranking from 11th in 1990s to 1st position in Africa since 2010.

Genetically Modified Organisms is a technology which African countries cannot afford to neglect, this new technology will help African countries to upscale its food production, guarantee food security and earn foreign exchange for the countries.

The era of dependence on food importation should be over in Africa. The governments in Africa should look for possible ways of adopting biotechnology in food production, this will go along way to addressing food insecurity and guarantee self-sufficiency in food production.

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Solving Africa's food insecurity through biotechnology - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog)

Analyst Ratings

The Case for and Against Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI) StockNewsJournal Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI) is an interesting player in the Healthcare space, with a focus on Biotechnology. The stock has been active on the tape, currently trading at $83.65, up from yesterday's close by 2.07%. Given the stock's recent action, it ... What Should Investors Make Of The Trading Chart Of Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI)?NY Stock News Puma Biotechnology Gets a Buy Rating from Cowen & Co.Analyst Ratings Puma Biotechnology Inc (PBYI) Upgraded to "Buy" by Zacks Investment ResearchThe Cerbat Gem Sports Perspectives -Post Registrar -StockNewsMagazine -Zacks all 32 news articles »

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The Case for and Against Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI) - StockNewsJournal

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The degenerative condition - where the joints become inflamed - can cause stiffness and pain.

However, recent research has found that what you eat can make symptoms better or worse.

Eating oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, has been found by recent research to help.

This is because omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect.

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Some foods can exacerbate symptoms, which, in addition to joint pain, include tiredness, weight loss, night sweats and skin rashes.

However, other foods can exacerbate symptoms, which, in addition to joint pain, include tiredness, weight loss, night sweats and skin rashes.

Cassandra Barns, a nutritionist, reveals which foods to cut or reduce in your diet to prevent aggravating the condition.

Red meat

Red meats contain relatively high levels of an omega-6 fatty acid called arachidonic acid, which can convert to pro-inflammatory substances in the body and may exacerbate pain and inflammation, she said.

A small quantity of good quality red meat can be beneficial, supplying good levels of nutrients such as iron; however, those with arthritis may benefit from sticking to one or two servings per week.

Replace red meat with oily fish for the omega-3 fatty acids, and good quality organic white meats such as chicken. A good quality fish oil is essential - try Super Omega 3-6-9 by Quest Vitamins.

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Foods to avoid if you are suffering with Gout

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Fried foods

Avoid any fried foods, particularly those fried in vegetable oils. Vegetable oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which in high levels can convert to pro-inflammatory substances in the body, and also become rancid when heated to high temperatures, she explained.

Olive oil is a slightly better alternative to normal vegetable oils but its fatty acids can still spoil at high temperatures, so avoid heating it to smoking point.

Coconut oil can be a much better alternative: as it is mainly composed of saturated fats, it does not spoil at high temperatures, while still providing a healthier alternative to butter and other animal fats.

If you need favour, use curcumin, which is well known for its anti-inflammatory effects in your diet. Alternatively, try Natures Plus Source Of Life Garden Curcumin.

Coffee

Coffee can contribute to increased acidity of the blood, which can exacerbate any inflammation. Decaffeinated coffee is not a good alternative as it still contains substances that can be detrimental to the body, she warned.

Green tea and herbal teas are a much better option.

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Fizzy drinks and sugary foods

Like coffee, they can increase the acidity of the blood, exacerbating inflammation, she said.

The best drinks to include are pure water and herbal teas; fruit juice diluted half and half with water is OK, but avoid orange juice.

Nightshade family vegetables

These vegetables may exacerbate pain and inflammation for some people with arthritis. The nightshade family are tomatoes, white potatoes, aubergine and peppers, she explained.

Note that black pepper as a spice is not included in this group and is fine to use, as are sweet potatoes. Most other vegetables are beneficial and should be the main part of most meals.

If you are struggling with your five a day, try Natures Plus AgeLoss First Day Healthy Inflammation Response.

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High levels of wheat and dairy foods

Intolerances to wheat in particular may be particularly common, and some individuals find that finding alternatives to wheat and wheat-based foods can have a beneficial effect for how they feel, including any inflammation and pain they may be experiencing, she said.

Intolerances to dairy foods especially that from cows milk can also be common.

Dairy products (especially full-fat) also contain arachidonic acid, which as mentioned above, can convert to pro-inflammatory substances. Many alternatives to dairy milk are now available, including oat milk, coconut-based milk and nut milks such as almond and hazelnut.

Read more:
Arthritis symptoms: THESE foods can make the pain worse - Express.co.uk

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that one-third of adults in rural areas have arthritis, and that more than one-half of that population is limited in their daily activities by the condition.

In Kentucky, more than one million adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis and more than half (570,000) of those with arthritis live in rural parts of the state. Furthermore, 45 percent of rural working age adults report that arthritis limits their ability to work.

Many senior centers, local health departments, the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence on Rural Health and YMCAs offer proven exercise and self- management programs that help relieve arthritis pain, said Teri Wood, principal investigator on the CDC Arthritis grant for DPH.

Our program is always seeking local organizations already serving rural populations, including churches, county extension agents, veterans service organizations, health care clinics, and community centers that might be able to collaborate to make the small-group versions of these low-cost programs more available, added Wood.

DPH and the Department for Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), within CHFS, collaborate on arthritis prevention and control to increase access to programs for arthritis management.

Programs such as Walk with Ease, Enhance Fitness and the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program as examples of effective arthritis management tools that are available in many communities across the state.

More information can be found here:http://www.chfs.ky.gov/dph/info/dpqi/cd/arthritis.htm

More information on the impact of arthritis nationwide can be found here:http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr

(story provided by Cabinet for Health and Family Services)

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New Report Shows Impact of Arthritis in Rural Areas - WMKY

A US company has revealed it will start tests in an unidentified country in Latin America later this year

ATTEMPTS to bring people back from the dead could start in a few months, its been reported.

A US company has revealed it will start new stem cell therapy trials in an unidentified country in Latin America later this year.

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In the majority of countries, to be officially declared dead requires an complete and irreversible loss of brain function.

But Bioquark says it has developed a series of injections that can reboot the brain and bring people back to life, according to MailOnline.

CEO Ira Pastor revealed the firm will begin testing itsmethod on humans and have no plans to try it out on animals first.

Pastor and orthopaedic surgeon Himanshu Bansal initially hoped to carry out tests in India last year.

Butthe Indian Council of Medical Research pulled the plug on their plans and asked them to to take the trials elsewhere.

In details published on a clinical trials database, scientists plan to examine individuals aged between 15 and 65 who have been declared brain dead from a traumatic brain injury.

They intend to use MRI scans to look for possible signs of brain death reversal before carrying out the trial, which will happen in three stages.

The first step involves harvesting stem cells from the patients own blood before injecting them back into their body.

Then the patient would be given a dose of peptides injected into their spinal cord.

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Lastly they would undergo a 15-day course of laser and median nerve stimulation while monitoring the patient with MRI scans.

Consent is likely to be an issue for the researchers as technically all of the patients will be brain dead.

However the study detail states that it can accept written informed consent from the legally acceptable representative of the patient.

The Bioquark trials are part of a broader project called ReAnima, of which Pastor is on the advisory board.

The project explores the potential of cutting edge biomedical technology for human neuro-regeneration and neuro-reanimation.

Speaking to MailOnline last year, Pastor said: The mission of the ReAnima Project is to focus on clinical research in the state of brain death, or irreversible coma, in subjects who have recently met the Uniform Determination of Death Act criteria, but who are still on cardio-pulmonary or trophic support a classification in many countries around the world known as a living cadaver.

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Scientists set to trial new stem cell therapy to 'reawaken' the brain ... - The Sun

Commentary by Dmitry M. Arbuck, MD, President and Medical Director, Indiana Polyclinic

We are at a truly revolutionary time in health and medicine. The introduction of stem cell technology represents innovation on the same level as the development of antibiotics or the invention of modern imaging (MRIs, etc.). Stem cells are already changing the way medicine is delivered, increasing lifespans and saving countless lives.

Arbuck

Scientists and researchers have been studying the benefits of stem cells for more than 30 years. They have found that these special cells provide great benefits all over the body, from muscles and joints to chronic diseases, to growing new teeth. You may have read about athletes treated with stem cells to speed healing after an injury or about burn victims who use stem cell therapy to minimize scarring.

Stem cells used to be associated with embryos, but this is no longer the case. Today, live cells for treatment are either adult stem cells or umbilical cord blood stem cells. Adult stem cells are most likely extracted from tissue, like bone marrow or fat, which can be a painful and invasive process. Additionally, as we age, so do our stem cells, which become less potent and productive over time. Like every other tissue in our bodies, they are exposed to the toxins, radiation and other pollutants in the environment. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are collected from the donated cord blood and placenta of healthy newborns. The cells are then screened for disease and genetic problems. These umbilical stem cells are vibrant, vital and healthy.

When umbilical cord stem cells are infused, they carry a whole host of immune stabilizing factors throughout the body and work to repair the immune system. This is likely why stem cells are so helpful in the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohns disease, dermatitis and myasthenia gravis. Other things that may be successfully treated with this therapy include MS, lupus, graft vs. host disease and other immune conditions.

The future is today. For more, visit StemCellsIndy.com.

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Column: Stem Cell Therapy A medical revolution - Current in Carmel