Monthly Archives: June 2012

Parkinson's disease gene identified with help of Mennonite family: UBC-VCH research

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Public release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Brian Lin brian.lin@ubc.ca 604-822-2234 University of British Columbia

An international team led by human genetic researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health has identified the latest gene associated with typical late-onset Lewy body Parkinson's disease (PD), with the help of a Canadian Mennonite family of Dutch-German-Russian ancestry.

Twelve of the 57 members of the Saskatchewan family who participated in the study had previously been diagnosed with PD.

UBC Medical Genetics Prof. Matthew Farrer, who led the research, notes that unequivocal confirmation of the gene's linkage with PD required DNA samples from thousands of patients with PD and healthy individuals. He refers to the new discovery as the "missing link," as it helps to unify past genetic discoveries in PD.

"A breakthrough like this would not be possible without the involvement and support of the Saskatchewan Mennonite family who gave up considerable time, contributed clinical information, donated blood samples, participated in PET imaging studies and, on more than one occasion following the death of an individual, donated brain samples," says Farrer, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Neurogenetics and Translational Neuroscience and the Dr. Donald Rix BC Leadership Chair in Genetic Medicine.

"We are forever indebted to their generosity and contribution to better understanding and ultimately finding a cure for this debilitating disease."

The mutation, in a gene called DNAJC13, was discovered using massively parallel DNA sequencing. Conclusive evidence came from the identification of the gene mutation in several other families across many Canadian provinces, including British Columbia.

"This discovery is not only significant for researchers, but also for those families carrying this genetic mutation and afflicted with this disease in that it offers hope that something good might yet result from their suffering," says Bruce Guenther, President of the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary Canada, a community leader and spokesperson for the family that participated in the study.

"The family involved is very grateful for the research team's respectful, collaborative and sensitive approach, and we hope that this enables the discovery of more effective treatments, and hopefully eventually a cure."

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Parkinson's disease gene identified with help of Mennonite family: UBC-VCH research

Forced sterilization compensation denied

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Victims of a eugenics program in NorthCarolina from 1929 to 1974 were potentially going to receive compensation, up to$50,000 each, but state senators recently rejected the plan. Some claim the budgetsimply can't afford the estimated cost of $10million in a challenging economy.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen looked into what is included in the $20 billion budget bill. She foundthere's more than $1 million going to organizations like a private culinary school, anOyster Sanctuary, the Grape Growers Council and the Transportation museum. There was more than $400,000 set aside to fund anupcoming gubernatorial inauguration and $5 million wasbudgeted for undisclosed purposes that can only be described as "economicdevelopment" projects.

Cohen says some lawmakers in N.C. are wary of offeringcompensation to sterilization survivors because it could set an expensive precedent for others who feel they've been treated unjustly by the state.Opponentsdraw parallels between the compensation of sterilization victims andthat of the descendents of slaves.

Legislators who supportpayment to eugenics victimspledged to continue to work toward justice for them.

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Forced sterilization compensation denied

India's bet on eco-friendly tech

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27 June 2012 Last updated at 00:58 By Rajini Vaidyanathan BBC News, Mumbai

At his factory in the outskirts of Mumbai, Nitin Bondal is staring proudly at a large machine. The 4m (13ft) orange structure has a futuristic air, as it stands, pride of place, in the corner of a dusty, decades-old workshop, filled with the stench of factory fumes.

Two men climb up to the top, and start pouring bags of broken plastic down a chute.

When Mr Bondal presses a button, the machine whirrs to life, and in about an hour, a form of petrol starts to drip into a bottle at the other end.

"This is our prototype machine, it turns all types of waste into crude oil," he says proudly.

"We put all kinds of things in here, everything from plastic to electronic waste to old tyres."

Mr Bondal says this technology has the capability to convert 150 tonnes of waste into 150,000 litres of crude oil, every day, once fully operational.

"It works on what we call the polycrack system," says Mr Bondal. "We are cooking the material and converting it into gas. When you heat any matter there is hydrogen and carbon available," he adds.

As Mr Bondal explains, this gas is then passed through a "special catalyst", which breaks the molecules down to form hydrocarbon gas and petroleum gas, which when cooled becomes liquid petroleum fuel.

Mr Bondal and his business partner, Raghuvendra Rao - who both have a background in the oil industry and spent five years developing their company, Sustainable Technologies & Environmental Projects (Steps) - hope to start selling the oil later this year.

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Debby's damaged beaches may hurt tourism industry

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On Tuesday morning, people in Pass-a-Grille woke up to a nauseating realization: The beach was gone, washed away by two days of pounding by Tropical Storm Debby.

"This was the fastest erosion we've ever seen," said Bert Savage, walking along the shoreline with his wife and kids. "There's usually about 60 or 70 feet of sand."

The surging waves destroyed some beach stairs and crept 10 feet beyond the base of the ones that remained. They even took a bite out of the big sand dunes. As the dunes collapsed, the force ripped sea oats from their roots.

"This storm is really something," said Ping Wang, a University of South Florida geology professor whose Coastal Research Laboratory has been documenting Debby's impact on the sandy shores. The storm "induced severe and widespread beach and dune erosion along the Pinellas County beaches."

Wang noted that while Debby lacked the punch of a full-fledged hurricane, it produced a storm surge of 2 to 3 feet and sustained winds of 23 mph for nearly 48 hours, thus creating the ideal conditions for major erosion.

At Sunset Beach on Treasure Island, for instance, Wang found that the edge of the dune retreated landward for about 10 to 15 feet. And at the northern end of Indian Shores, he noticed an 8-foot-high dune that had been sliced in half by Debby. Parts of Upham Beach had eroded 20 to 30 feet, and on its northern section there was no beach beyond the seawall.

The loss of Pinellas' most famous attraction has plenty of beach businesses fretting. The beaches were part of Tampa's pitch to woo the Republican National Convention to town in August, as well as the longtime basis for the region's tourism industry.

"That's one of the main reasons why people come down here, to use the beach," said Eddie Rodrigo, general manager of the Sabal Palms and Coconut Inns in Pass-a-Grille. "If they can't use the beach because it's so bad, that's going to hurt us. Word will get out eventually."

Rodrigo got called in at 3:30 a.m. Monday when a downstairs guest at the Sabal Palms woke up and found ankle-deep water in the room. Six rooms were flooded, and the guests in two rooms had to be moved out as the water rose.

Now, he said, "I've got a lot of people coming in this weekend and they're calling to find out if they should cancel. Based on the news I've seen the weather is supposed to improve. But how much of the beach is left? I'm not sure what it's actually going to be like."

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Debby's damaged beaches may hurt tourism industry

Big-City Fireworks and Beaches Dominate Priceline.com's List of the Most Popular Destinations for July 4th 2012

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NORWALK, Conn., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Big cities, with their spectacular fireworks displays, and beaches from Key West to Maui, dominate priceline.com's (PCLN) 2012 list of the top 50 destinations for the upcoming July 4th holiday.

New York City's Midtown West neighborhood was the most popular destination this year, edging out the Chicago neighborhoods that had occupied the top spot in 2010 and 2011. Priceline.com's annual Top 50 Destinations list is based on hotel room booking requests made by customers using priceline.com's Name Your Own Price hotel reservation service. Because the survey is based on thousands of credit card-backed booking requests, and not on consumer preference polls or votes, priceline.com believes the annual survey is one of the more accurate predictors of July 4th travel trends.

"This year, there were really two themes," said priceline.com's Travel Ekspert Brian Ek. "Many travelers decided to visit cities like New York, Chicago, Boston and Washington, DC, where there are big July 4th celebrations planned. Others decided to escape the recent heat wave by heading for the beaches."

There were a few surprises on the list this year. "Because the 4th falls on a Wednesday, many travelers are making a week's vacation out of it," said Ek. "And some are splurging a bit on their trips. Hawaii destinations are #6, #9 and #39. This is the first time I've seen Hawaii ranked so high, or so many times. Despite record high international summer airfares, London and Paris made the list, perhaps because of the recent strength of the dollar."

Priceline.com says it still has airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and air & hotel packages available for July 4th travel.Visit http://www.priceline.com for full details.

Priceline.com's Top 50 Destinations for July 4th 2012

#1 New York City, Midtown West #2 Chicago, North Michigan Ave./River North Area #3 San Diego, Downtown & Harbor Island #4 San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf #5 Las Vegas, Strip North #6 Oahu, Waikiki Beach Area #7 New York City, Times Square/Theater District #8 New York City, Upper East Side #9 Maui, Ka'anapali/Lahaina #10 Boston, Waterfront/Convention Center #11 Los Angeles, Santa Monica/Marina Del Rey #12 Chicago, Millennium Park/Loop & Grant Park #13 Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place #14 Orange County, Disneyland/Anaheim North #15 Niagara Falls, St. Catharines #16 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South #17 New York City, Midtown East #18 Paris, Champs Elysees/Arc de Triomphe #19 Seattle, City Center/Space Needle #20 Montreal, Downtown/City Center #21 Portland, Downtown #22 San Francisco, Union Square East #23 Milwaukee, Downtown #24 Orange County, Newport/Huntington Beach #25 Orange County, Disneyland/Anaheim South/Orange/Garden Grove #26 Washington, DC, Convention Center/Capitol Hill Area #27 St. Louis, Downtown #28 Washington, DC, Crystal City #29 Newark, Jersey City/Hoboken/Weehawken #30 New Orleans, French Quarter #31 Toronto, Downtown/Toronto North #32 Boston, Harbor Front/Aquarium #33 London, Westminster #34 San Antonio, Riverwalk Area #35 Orlando, Downtown Disney/Lake Buena Vista #36 San Diego, Coronado #37 Boston, Copley Square/Back Bay #38 St. Petersburg, Clearwater Beach #39 Oahu, Executive Center Area #40 San Francisco, Financial District/Embarcadero #41 Chicago, Greater Chicago #42 Los Angeles, Downtown #43 Washington, DC, White House/Downtown #44 Niagara Falls, Buffalo Side #45 San Diego, Coastal Area #46 Key West #47 New York City, Central Park South #48 Los Angeles, Airport Area #49 San Francisco, SOMA/Moscone Center #50 Washington, DC, Dupont Circle/Woodley Park

About The Priceline Group The Priceline Group (PCLN) is a leader in global online hotel reservations, with over 235,000 participating hotels worldwide. The Group is composed of four primary brands Booking.com, priceline.com, Agoda.com and Rentalcars.com and several ancillary brands. The Priceline Group provides online travel services in over 175 countries in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.

Booking.com is the number one online hotel reservation service in the world, offering over 205,000 hotels (as of May 9, 2012), and is available in 41 languages. More recent hotel counts are available on the Booking.com website.

Priceline.com gives leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price service, which can deliver the lowest prices available. Agoda.com is an Asia-based online hotel reservation service that is available in 37 languages. Rentalcars.com is a multinational car hire service, offering its reservation services in over 4,000 locations. Customer support is provided in 38 languages.

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Big-City Fireworks and Beaches Dominate Priceline.com's List of the Most Popular Destinations for July 4th 2012

Beaches re-open after E. coli scare

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Readmore: Local, Water Issue, News, Health, Water Issue, E Coli, Chippewa County, E Coli Outbreak, Beaches Closed

CHIPPEWA COUNTY -- Several Chippewa County beaches are re-opened after an E. coli scare forced many to close late last week.

The beaches were closed due to elevated levels of E. coli in the water.

Three beaches remain closed, under a beach water advisory; Brimley State Park in Superior Township, Big Pines Picnic Area in Bay Mills Township and Bay View Campground in Bay Mills Township.

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Beaches re-open after E. coli scare

E. coli alerts posted at beaches

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By Alissa Widman

The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday June 26, 2012 11:57 PM

State health authorities have posted warnings at two beaches at Buckeye Lake, where E. coli levels have exceeded safety standards.

Ohio Department of Health officials say Crystal and Fairfield beaches were added to the contamination advisory list for most of June.

As of today, the states BeachGuard website listed 32 advisories for high bacteria levels. Most of the beaches are on Lake Erie.

Bacteria naturally occur in water, but high levels can make people sick, said Scott Fletcher, deputy chief for Ohios state parks.

Swimmers should use caution, but they arent prohibited from getting in the water while advisories are in effect. Children, older people and those with weak immune systems are most at risk.

We encourage people not to swim during this time, Fletcher said. If E. coli is high, we can reasonably assume other bacteria levels are high as well.

Fletcher said high temperatures and stagnant water can cause problems.

Buckeye Lake is a shallow, people-made lake, so this time of year this is very common, he said. You can draw a parallel between the lake and a Petri dish.

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E. coli alerts posted at beaches

AI On The Rise Weekly: Big Data, Surveillance, and Chinese-Speaking Siri

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If still alive, Alan Turing turns a century old on June 23rd the computer scientist that breathed life to algorithm and computation or computing. Some five decades ago, he perpetrated the infamous Turing Test which until now is the standard that defines artificial intelligence. But while no one has yet to be successful in passing this trial, there have been countless of innovations around AI that are deemed monumental; Siri being one of the hottest items of today. Other industries have also jumped into the bandwagon, hoping they could pioneer AI technologies.

Siri, Search and Smartphone Market

The undisputed queen of virtual assistance that runs on a sophisticated path of artificial intelligence, Siri has finally arrived in China and speaks Chinese. The Cantonese and Mandarin-speaking Siri was first unveiled during the recent Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Perhaps this move is to appeal to the worlds most populated nation, that somewhat felt neglected for awhile. Aside from adapting to the local language, Apple has also integrated the following Chinese-tailored features into the operating system: microblogging site Sina Weibo, search engine Baidu, video sites Youku and Tudou, easier input for emoticons and Chinese pinyin and spelling Chinese words in Roman letters. However, the freedom of speech lover Siri loathes talking about a rather sensitive topic to the country, the Tinanmen Square. It cant even provide simple directions on how to go to this historic landmark. Twitter screenshots showed the following responses from the virtual assistant:

Do you know about the Tiananmen incident? with the answer: I couldnt find any appointments related to Do you know about Tiananmen. A second try with the question rephrased What happened on June 4, 1989?produced an even stranger response: Im sorry, the person you are looking for is not in your address book.

The growing smartphone and tablet market in the Asian region is staggering. Tim Cook realizes this and the vitality of penetrating the largest of them allthe Chinese Market. Earlier this month, Apple just received a green light in opening two more flagship stores in Shenzhen and Chengdu.

In the United States where the battle for smartphone supremacy heightens, artificial intelligence is expected to drive the market by leaps and bounds. Key observations were noted in this article.

United States Smartphone market is expected to grow at the compounded annual growth rate of 18% in terms of volume for the next five year. It is forecasted that 90% mobile phones sales will be of smartphones by the year 2017 in United States. The factors such as decreasing prices, expanding 4G network, product innovation and increasing competition among carriers will drive growth for this industry, said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research.

It is also believed that Googles acquisition of Motorola will forever change the game. The cornerstone of Apple, Siris popularity has attracted competition from mobile developers and now has several clones. Dulles Airport recently added a virtual assistant named Paige to greet international travellers. Search and mobile biggie Google appears to be challenging the voice assistance capability of Apples iPhone 4s gem. Code-named Majel, is this the long-awaited opponent that can give Siri a run for its money? Well see.

But while Google is busy thinking on how to overtake Siri, the latter shows no sign of retaliation. In fact, Apple together with its new alliances, are marching forward towards challenging Googles kingship on the search business.

Oren Etzioni, a search and artificial intelligence expert at the University of Washingtons computer science department noted a potent observation:Google is very difficult to dislodge on the desktop, he said, but mobile search is a very different beast, and the jury is still out on the question of who the ultimate winner in mobile (search) is.

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AI On The Rise Weekly: Big Data, Surveillance, and Chinese-Speaking Siri

The Triumph of Artificial Intelligence! 16,000 Processors Can Identify a Cat in a YouTube Video Sometimes

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In the quest for ever-smarter artificial intelligence, it's easy to let hype get ahead of performance.

What Google's neural network looks for in a cat or body. #newaesthetic

What they found was that even without humans training the computers to know certain objects ("This is a cat"), the machines were able to teach themselves the features of a cat face, as you can dimly see above, among many other objects. As one of the researchers told The Times, "[The system] basically invented the concept of a cat" by looking at all those photos and looking for patterns.

It's an impressive feat, but this is a field that moves slower than its hype (even though its achievements are very real and significant). If we look at the Google researchers' paper, we find that if you show their system a random picture from a database of images, its accuracy is about 16 percent. That's a 70 percent improvement over the state of the art, but it's worth considering what that says about the state of the art.

Basically, there are two important curves at play in artificial intelligence today. One is the falling cost of computing, which the Times and most people note. But the other is the falling value of each additional piece of data you feed into the system. Sure, throwing more data at an algorithm makes it better, just like people know more words as they read more books. But as you go, the amount of data you need to make the algorithm better gets larger. To extend the metaphor: you have to read many more words to learn a new one.

Just look at this study: They increased the amount of data fed into the system by 900 percent and got a 70 percent increase in accuracy. (We need a name for this other curve.)

I've learned through the years that it's a terrible idea to bet against Moore's Law, but people expecting massive change due to artificial intelligence need to be aware that there is a major diminishing returns problem inherent in our current techniques.

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The Triumph of Artificial Intelligence! 16,000 Processors Can Identify a Cat in a YouTube Video Sometimes

Aerospace contractors ready to make cuts if funding fails

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Aerospace contractors ready to make cuts if funding fails

Experts debate the challenges and opportunities of the Welsh aerospace sector

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The aerospace sector is key to improving the competitiveness of the Welsh economy. Here a panel of experts explore the challenges and opportunities it faces.

David Pickernell of the University of Glamorgan assesses the importance of the aerospace sector to the Welsh economy:

AEROSPACE is a key sector in Wales, comprising around 150 firms, 20,000 people employed and contributing around 2bn to the economy.

Further, it is engaged in complex overlapping activities from aircraft manufacture (AM), through maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), to Research Development and Training (RDT).

Accurate secondary data analysis is often problematic, however, given that many firms with aerospace activities are often officially classified into other sectors, such as automotive or electronics.

The differences between pure manufacturing and MRO are also often blurred, with aerospace RDT difficult to disentangle from other supporting activities.

Nevertheless, broadly, given the capital-intensive nature of aerospace manufacturing, it has a relatively high average unit (i.e. firm) size. Aerospace also has relatively high levels of employee compensation, being significantly above the Welsh average for the economy as a whole.

The important high value-adding nature of the sector is also highlighted by GVA per head figures which are well above the Welsh and UK averages for all industries. Input-output tables also reveal that the sector is very open in terms of (geographically) external trade linkages, which is to be expected given the nature of the products produced and the global nature of the market.

Simultaneously, however, all three sectors in Wales face particular challenges. This is because of greater external competition, particularly from developing countries, but also because of the changing nature of the aerospace product itself.

Recent trends, for example, include the increased use of composites in aircraft manufacture, which reduces that value of the strong metal-specific expertise inherent in Welsh aerospace manufacturing. Countries such as Spain and Japan have over recent years acquired such composite expertise, and the Welsh industry will need to continue to develop its expertise in this area over the coming years.

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Experts debate the challenges and opportunities of the Welsh aerospace sector

Aerospace contractors ready to make cuts, if funding falls

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LOS ANGELES -- The nation's military contractors say they are preparing to shut facilities, tear up supplier contracts and issue pink slips to thousands of aerospace employees to deal with proposed federal budget cuts threatening to hit Pentagon spending.

After a decade of heady growth amid the military buildup following Sept. 11, 2001, contractors had already braced themselves for $487 billion in cuts over the next decade. But an additional $500 billion in cuts are now being discussed in Washington.

The new cuts are part of an automatic round set to take effect in January if Congress fails to reach an agreement on reducing the mounting federal deficit.

Although there is much speculation about whether Congress would let those automatic cuts actually occur in January, military contractors are ringing alarms now. Pentagon boosters in Congress, including Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, are also issuing stark warnings.

"Congress is playing political chicken with people's jobs," McKeon said in an interview. "The clock is ticking."

The automatic cuts would come if a budget deal fails to emerge in Washington. Under a law approved last year, federal funds of all kinds would be held back -- "sequestered" -- until there is agreement, at which time the funds may or may not be reinstated. Congress passed an amendment last week, calling on the Obama administration to specify

The buzzword used by contractors is "sequestration," and aerospace workers and subcontractors will be hearing that word a lot in the months ahead.

The Aerospace Industries Association, a trade and lobbying organization in Arlington, Va., has estimated that 1 million jobs of all kinds nationwide would be lost if sequestration occurs.

Still, there is skepticism about whether sequestration will take place. If it happens, it would affect both military, which is a core issue for Republicans, and social spending, which is important to Democrats, said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a website for military policy research.

"Because of the convergence of these two things, I have a hard time believing that sequestration will go forward," he said. "I have tended to think the whole thing is smoke and mirrors."

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Align Aerospace Steps Up Presence at Farnborough International Airshow 2012

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CHATSWORTH, Calif., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Align Aerospace LLC, a global provider of aerospace fasteners, assembly component and supply chain solutions, announced today that it is an official sponsor of the world-renowned Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) held in the UK July 9-15, 2012 and will exhibit in Hall 2, Booth A-17C. Key representatives from the Southern California-based company will attend this year's trade exhibition including Align's recently appointed executives CEO Richard C. Organ and General Manager-Europe Jerome de Truchis.

"Align Aerospace, which was the Aerospace Hardware division of Anixter International before becoming an independent company, has exhibited at FIA for many years," said CEO Richard C. Organ. "We are excited to launch a new creative campaign that reminds our customers that we are here to provide smart supply-chain solutions that ultimately elevate their business. We look forward to this opportunity to interface with our customers and prospects."

Align Aerospace's performance and execution has recently been recognized through the receipt of multiple awards including the top FACC Excellent Supplier Award 2011 in Gold, and a Boeing Silver Performance Excellence Award 2011 for superior supplier performance. The company was also appointed an Authorized Distributor for Click Bond Aerospace Products, further demonstrating Align's commitment to elevating supply chain performance through superior execution.

About Align:Align Aerospace is a leading supplier of hardware and related components to a broad range of aerospace and defense OEMs and their subcontractors throughout the world. Experts in bid-to-buy, JIT, VMI, lean manufacturing and supply chain management, Align has more than 90,000 unique parts in stock from over 2,000 suppliers ready to ship from its warehouses throughout the U.S. and Europe. Between 1998 and 2011, the Company operated as Pentacon, Eurofast SAS, and Anixter Aerospace Hardware. Align began independent operations in August 2011 as a result of the divestiture of the business by Anixter International to Greenbrier Equity Group.

About FIAFarnborough International Airshow (FIA) takes place in the UK every other year, and draws some 1,400 exhibitors from the aerospace, defense, space and security sectors to showcase and demonstrate aircraft, equipment and technologies.

http://www.alignaero.com

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Align Aerospace Steps Up Presence at Farnborough International Airshow 2012

Healthscope to commercially launch Circadian’s Cancers of Unknown Primary Diagnostic Test

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MELBOURNE, Australia, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Circadian Technologies Limited (ASX: CIR, OTCQX: CKDXY) announces that it has been advised by its development partner, Healthscope Advanced Pathology, that it will commercially launch Circadian's novel technology for aid in the diagnosis of "Cancers of Unknown Primary" (CUP), on Monday July 16 2012 in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia under the brand CUPGUIDE.

The diagnostic test method has been developed in collaboration between Circadian, Healthscope, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, a leading specialty cancer centre, and scientists at NICTA, Australia's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence.

A publication in March 2012 from Healthscope reported that the CUP test was able to detect actual primary source of tumour type with 93% accuracy within the first three predictions and had 98.5% specificity across 15 different tumour types.

Healthscope, through its subsidiary Clinical Laboratories Pty Ltd, has rights to develop, clinically validate and market the test throughout Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. Circadian retains rights to market the test in the remainder of the world. Healthscope has paid Circadian an upfront fee, and will pay a royalty on sales of the test. Circadian, through its wholly owned subsidiary Cancer Therapeutics Limited, owns exclusive worldwide rights to the test through a licensing arrangement with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and NICTA.

The CUP diagnostic methodology identifies a patient's tumour type by comparing its pattern of gene expression to a database of known tumours. It is hoped that by correctly identifying a patient's tumour type, clinicians can choose the most effective treatment strategy for the cancer. CUP is generally less well known and publicised than other cancer types. However, it is actually more common than leukaemia and is the fifth most common cause of death due to cancer in Australia. In 2007, Cancer Council Australia estimated the incidence of CUP to be around 2900 case per annum; American Cancer Society estimated USA incidence at around 32,000 per annum and Cancer Research UK estimated UK incidence at 14,000 per annum.

Robert Klupacs, Circadian Managing Director and CEO stated, "We are absolutely delighted that after all of the efforts of the collaborative partners that CUPGUIDE will now be available to oncologists and pathologists. We are extremely hopeful that CUPGUIDE will have a major impact in significantly improving the clinical diagnosis of CUP."

Dr Keith Byron, Scientific Director of Healthscope's Advanced Pathology Division said, "Healthscope is proud and excited that after the extensive development program we have undertaken with our partners that we will now be able to provide this ground breaking diagnostic technology on a commercial basis. The test is an important addition to our existing business of providing diagnostic tools for doctors throughout our 43 hospitals and the health care industry in general."

Prof David Bowtell, Head of the Cancer Genomics Program at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and a co-inventor of the diagnostic methodology added, "The approach was initially developed in our lab several years ago but the assay needed to be made more generally available. Circadian and Healthscope have been critical to taking the work forward and it is very gratifying that this product of our translational research efforts will be made available to clinicians throughout the region. The concept of personalising treatments for patients based on highly specialised diagnostics is now very well accepted in oncology and has been shown to have significant patient benefit. We believe that the assay will lead to earlier diagnosis, improved treatment outcomes and enhanced quality of life for patients."

Dr Adam Kowalczyk, Leader of Diagnostic Genomics Team in NICTA's Victorian Research Laboratory, and a co-inventor of the diagnostic methodology added, "It is very satisfying that formal techniques for signal detection and pattern recognition can be utilised in practical medical applications. This diagnostic test heralds imminent arrival of many new developments bringing promises of personalised medicine and genomics, in particular, to everyday usage that benefits patients."

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Healthscope to commercially launch Circadian's Cancers of Unknown Primary Diagnostic Test