Monthly Archives: June 2012

Frost & Sullivan: Expanding Sample Prep Market Supports Growth Trends in Molecular Diagnostics Markets

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Biomarker validation analyses create surge in demand for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sample prep solutions

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Hundreds of millions of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) archive specimens available globally have piqued tremendous interest for biomarker validation studies, generating a surge in demand for FFPE sample prep solutions. FFPE archive specimens from patients with known clinical outcomes provide an economic and readily available source for the biomarker validation needed to develop clinical molecular cancer tests.

Analysis from Frost & Sullivan's (http://www.clinicaldiagnostics.frost.com( http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/svcg.pag/HCCD )) Demand Analysis of U.S. Cancer Sample Prep Market research finds that automated sample prep systems developed specifically for FFPE provide greater sample throughput and satisfy the requirements of various end users.

If you are interested in more information on this research, please send an email to Britni Myers, Corporate Communications, at britni.myers@frost.com( mailto:britni.myers@frost.com ), with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

Archived tissues are Institutional Review Board (IRB) exempt and are a feasible alternative to validating biomarkers when compared to costly prospective clinical trials. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies and research institutes are employing FFPE services for their pharmacogenomics programs.

"Translational research using FFPE archive specimens is helping to produce an expanding menu of future molecular-based cancer testing," said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Winny Tan. "A Frost & Sullivan survey of molecular pathology labs in the United States reveals that nucleic acid extraction from FFPE specimens is poised for more than 20 percent volume growth in the next three years."

Molecular sample prep vendors have offered kits for FFPE specimens for the last three to five years. Process automation signals the brink of a market expansion fueled by the increased throughput. Additionally, clinical molecular tests for serine/threonine-protein kinase B-Raf (BRAF) and GTPase Kras (KRAS) gene biomarkers, as well as for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), are driving the demand for the FFPE sample preps.

Sample prep for FFPE specimens that produce nucleic acid extractions of high purity and yield will become even more critical for downstream molecular testing. The clinical labs surveyed by Frost & Sullivan anticipate an inevitable integration of molecular extraction techniques with the long FFPE legacy that exists in solid tumor diagnostics.

However, growth of this market is hindered by the limited number of sites where molecular pathology is performed as well as the slow adoption of FFPE sample prep automation by hospital laboratories. Further, hospital budgets are restricted, and investments for FFPE sample prep automation compete with other top priorities, such as the implementation of electronic medical records. Despite these factors, the hospital segment is far from saturation, as it has long-term potential.

The FFPE sample prep automation market targets a variety of end user segments with different needs, applications, and perceptions; therefore, a strong understanding of relevant product specifications is critical for capitalizing on the market opportunity. Vendors must remain attentive to genomic analysis trends and emerging applications to keep pace with changing customer needs in specimen types, protocol customization and throughput.

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Gentris Corporation Partners with the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine

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MORRISVILLE, N.C., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gentris Corporation (www.gentris.com), a global leader in the application of genomic biomarkers to clinical studies, announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine to advance global personalized medicine. The goal of this USA-China collaboration is to create translational research and epidemiological projects, as well as training and education programs, focused on pharmacogenomics and clinical sample banking, which will drive innovation in drug development and improvements in patient care.

Through this collaboration, Gentris and the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine will work together to launch cutting-edge research projects to discover, develop, and validate new genomic biomarkers. Gentris will take the lead to identify sponsors in the United States, e.g., pharmaceutical companies, for these personalized medicine projects while the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine will seek support from Chinese organizations.

The tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury pilot (TB DILI Study), conducted between Gentris, the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine, and a non-profit research institute in Research Triangle Park (RTP) serves as a model for USA-China collaborations. In this study, investigators designed a common protocol and pooled their resources to investigate DILI among tuberculosis patients in three Shanghai hospitals. By utilizing metabolomics and pharmacogenomics, they are evaluating biomarkers for early detection. Dr. Tong Zhou, Senior Director of China Initiatives for Gentris, is Co-Principal Investigator for the TB DILI Study and has significant experience in developing and managing collaborations between the United States and China. Dr. Zhou has also drawn upon his extensive network in China to begin establishing a satellite laboratory for Gentris in Shanghai that complies with U.S. regulatory standards.

Dr. Wu Fan, Director General of the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine and the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai CDC), and Dr. Howard McLeod from the University of North Carolina will provide strategic scientific oversight for personalized medicine collaborations. Director Wu is recognized internationally as a leader in public health initiatives. Dr. McLeod, Chief Scientific Advisor for Gentris, has been involved in numerous global initiatives including the Pharmacogenetics for Every Nation Initiative (PGENI), which he founded. It is anticipated that combining the resources and expertise of a research institute, academic institution, and industryin both the United States and Chinawill lead to more rapid improvements in drug development and public health.

For this personalized medicine program, research studies and epidemiological projects will be designed for implementation in Shanghai based on sponsor needs. Key targeted therapeutic areas include oncology, infectious disease, and chronic disease. Training and education initiatives will also be created to bring U.S. quality standards to China including GLP, GCP, CLIA, and CAP. Gentris, the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine, and their collaborators will work with leading experts to develop workshops, courses, and a fellowship program to educate academic and industry scientists in China regarding best practices in the application of pharmacogenomics for drug development.

The Memorandum of Understanding leverages the relationships that Gentris CEO Rick Williams and Dr. Zhou have built during the past few years between North Carolina and China. While assisting a non-profit research institute in RTP, they helped to create the North Carolina-China Global Bioscience Gateway, a public-private partnership that addresses how to enhance global research innovation. Mr. Williams and Dr. Zhou are also members of the N.C. China Advisory Council, which works with the N.C. Office of the Governor and N.C. Department of Commerce to facilitate economic development between the state and China.

One of the major goals for this new agreement between Gentris and the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine is to create an expanded network of collaborators among leading universities, pharmaceutical companies, and public health organizations that leads to new pharmacogenomics discoveries, which accelerate drug development and improve patient care globally.

Related Links: http://www.gentris.com, http://www.scdc.sh.cn

Quotes:

"I have worked with the Shanghai CDC and Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine for nearly four years to develop a translational research bridge between our two countries. I'm honored that Gentris now has an opportunity to work even more closely with the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine," said Rick Williams, Gentris CEO. "Gentris will take the lead to identify U.S. sponsors in the pharmaceutical industry that would like to jointly develop new research, epidemiological, and training programs in Shanghai."

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Gentris Corporation Partners with the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine

Research and Markets: Belgium Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 – Interventional Neurology, Neurological …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vs9lrf/belgium_neurology) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Belgium Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Others" to their offering.

GlobalData's new report, Belgium Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Others provides key market data on the Belgium Neurology Devices market. The report provides value (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment within six market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices, Neurosurgical Products and Radiosurgery. The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of the aforementioned market categories. The report is supplemented with global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants with information on company financials and pipeline products, wherever available.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalData's team of industry experts.

Scope:

- Market size and company share data for Neurology Devices market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices, Neurosurgical Products and Radiosurgery.

- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within six market categories. Data from 2004 to 2011, forecast forward for 7 years to 2018.

- 2011 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the six market categories.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Belgium Neurology Devices market.

Companies Mentioned:

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Research and Markets: Denmark Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 – Interventional Neurology, Neurological …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jsk2sx/denmark_neurology) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Denmark Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Others" to their offering.

GlobalData's new report, Denmark Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Others provides key market data on the Denmark Neurology Devices market. The report provides value (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment within five market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Neurosurgical Products. The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of the aforementioned market categories. The report is supplemented with global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants with information on company financials and pipeline products, wherever available.

Scope

- Market size and company share data for Neurology Devices market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Neurosurgical Products .

- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within five market categories. Data from 2004 to 2011, forecast forward for 7 years to 2018.

- 2011 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the six market categories.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Denmark Neurology Devicesmarket.

Reasons to buy

- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market categories and segments poised for strong growth.

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Research and Markets: Denmark Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological ...

UK nanotechnology firm wins 'significant' investment 21st June 2012

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Read moreabout the platinum group metals marketsin Johnson Matthey's bi-annual reviews click here.

UK nanotechnology firm wins 'significant' investment.

Platinum nano-electrodes could be manufactured on a commercial scale using a new development method which has secured a significant investment from The North West Fund for Venture Capital.

Nanoflex, which was set up by Dr Neville Freeman and Dr Amy Farrington, won a portion of funding from the 185 million fund, which is managed by EV and financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

It is thought their breakthrough could have a major impact in fields ranging from medical diagnostics and environmental testing to energy storage.

Nanoflex makes the Caviar 303DPt 50nm Platinum Electrode, which delivers current densities that are typically three orders of magnitude greater than those observed for conventional electrodes.

The pair, both experts in electrochemistry, set up their company at Daresbury Science and Innovation Park in 2008. They have since been working with Edinburgh University to develop their ideas using their own funds.

The new investment will help them to explore different uses and acceleratethe global sales process.

"Nano-electrodes have been manufactured within laboratories for some time and people are excited about the benefits they can offer. However until now no one has found a way to reproduce them on a commercial scale," said Dr Freeman.

"Electrodes are the basis for many of the technologies we use in everyday life. For example, in the medical field, they are used in sensors for diabetic tests and other diagnostics which millions of patients use to monitor their own conditions. Nano-electrodes offer greater sensitivity and could therefore result in better tests and the creation of new ones that have not been possible so far."

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Cooper Medical School of Rowan University set to open

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CAMDEN Cooper Medical School of Rowan University will hold a grand opening July 24 and welcome its charter class on Aug. 13.

We move into the building in July, and we have our class of 50 set, said Dr. Paul Katz, founding dean of CMSRU on Wednesday. We have a really great group that matches our mission. We had 2,900 applicants and interviewed a little more than 300. We wanted to make sure we got the right 50 students, students who understand our school and what were about.

Katz said 72 percent of the students are residents of New Jersey, 28 are women, 22 are men and 24 percent are underrepresented in medicine, which is twice the national average.

Our mission has been diversity and inclusivity, said Katz. We also have a significant percentage of students who are disadvantaged. The typical metrics are comparable to all students admitted at MD-granting schools, so its a very competitive group. We also have a lot of students with interesting life experiences which will contribute to learning. A fair number of our students are not coming directly from college. Some are coming from other careers, others from graduate schools and others from a unique array of experiences.

Katz said CMSRU did not have any applicants from the city of Camden, though he believes that will change for next year.

The grand opening, he said, will mostly serve to thank everyone who has participated in the medical schools progress. The orientation for students will begin on their first day.

College to medical school is a big jump, said Katz. Youre taught differently, and there are different expectations. When they walk into the medical school, they will be considered professionals and will be judged on what they do and how they act 24/7.

During the orientation, Katz said CMSRU staff will talk to students about what it means to be a physician and the responsibility that comes with the position.

Physicians have the ability to enter peoples lives in ways most occupations do not, he said. We expect them to understand their patients needs, that they come from many different places and that they must be understood beyond the nature of their illness.

Katz said he and the staff have emphasized, and will continue to emphasize, to the students that there will only be one charter class.

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Oxley Foundation makes $30 million commitment to Tulsa medical school

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The foundation will give $7.5 million for start-up costs and a $7.5 million dollar-for-dollar endowment challenge grant to each of the medical school's two partners - the University of Tulsa and the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.

This gift is not only the largest in the history of the foundation but also equal to about half of the total donations in the foundation's history, said Trustee R.H. Harbaugh.

Mary K. and John T. Oxley, who established the foundation in 1985, were Tulsans "through and through" and would be "very proud today to hear of this new commitment," Harbaugh said. "We look forward to working with you to make Tulsa a more healthy, happy and productive community."

TU President Steadman Upham, OU President David Boren and OU-Tulsa President Gerard Clancy presented Harbaugh and Oxley Foundation Program Officer Konnie Boulter with white lab coats as symbolic gifts to mark the commitment.

The announcement at the Wayman Tisdale Specialty Health Clinic attracted a large crowd of local leaders, including Mayor Dewey Bartlett, Tulsa Metro Chamber President Mike Neal, state Rep. Jabar Shumate, regents and trustees from OU and TU, and several Tulsa physicians.

Boren said the gift marks a "transformational moment" for the area.

The new school will train primary-care physicians to treat underserved areas, especially poor parts of Tulsa.

Forty percent of the city's population live in an area with only 4 percent of the city's physicians, and north Tulsans on average have a life expectancy seven years shorter than their south Tulsa neighbors, Boren said.

"We really felt a moral imperative ... to do something about it, and that's what we celebrate today because we're going to create a future far different from our present course," he said.

For decades, OU has been graduating physicians at its Tulsa school. The students spent their first two years of medical school studying pure science at Oklahoma City's OU Health Sciences Center and the second two years in clinical instructions in Tulsa.

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Oxley Foundation makes $30 million commitment to Tulsa medical school

Downtown medical school tied to subway

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In only a few years, thousands of commuters headed to jobs and classes will arrive daily at a redesigned Metro Rail station serving as a hub for the new University at Buffalo medical school and a teeming Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Thats the vision that officials from UB and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority presented Thursday as they pledged cooperation toward integrating the current Allen/Medical Campus Metro Station into the new medical school complex.

This is a statement that we are committed to working together to come up with the best plan that meets the interests of transportation in Western New York and serves the interests of the medical school so we can make a determination of where we go, said Dennis R. Black, UBs vice president for university life and services.

The idea, the officials said, is to implement plans long on the drawing board to move the current medical school from the South Campus into a new building of at least seven stories over the Allen/Medical Campus Station.

The move aims to provide a viable transportation alternative that will mitigate the need to park even more cars on a burgeoning medical campus, while adding a touch of the urban vitality common to subway corridors in bigger cities like New York or Toronto.

The $350 million project is vital to moving workers, students, patients and visitors in and out of a neighborhood expected to become one of the citys major employment centers, UB officials said.

Its an urban setting, and it has to allow for patient and visitor access, Black said. If everybody who came there brought their own car, wed have to have a structure almost as tall as the HSBC building.

Thats not real, its not environmentally friendly, and it would be incredibly costly, he added. And we have alternatives.

Black and a contingent of UB officials, including Robert G. Shibley, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning, presented their ideas to NFTA commissioners Thursday. They noted the Allen/Medical Campus Station will remain essentially unchanged below the surface and along the rail line when the project is completed in 2016.

But the surface portion will serve as the cornerstone of the new medical school building, leading to a glass atrium covering an extended Allen Street for pedestrian traffic into the rest of the medical campus. Black said planners also will study the potential for shops and restaurants as part of the atrium.

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What Soviet Medicine Teaches Us

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[Day 5 of Robert Wenzel's 30-day reading list that will lead you to become a knowledgeable libertarian, this Mises Daily was originally published August 21, 2009.]

In 1918, the Soviet Union became the first country to promise universal "cradle-to-grave" healthcare coverage, to be accomplished through the complete socialization of medicine. The "right to health" became a "constitutional right" of Soviet citizens.

The proclaimed advantages of this system were that it would "reduce costs" and eliminate the "waste" that stemmed from "unnecessary duplication and parallelism" i.e., competition.

These goals were similar to the ones declared by Mr. Obama and Ms. Pelosi attractive and humane goals of universal coverage and low costs. What's not to like?

The system had many decades to work, but widespread apathy and low quality of work paralyzed the healthcare system. In the depths of the socialist experiment, healthcare institutions in Russia were at least a hundred years behind the average US level. Moreover, the filth, odors, cats roaming the halls, drunken medical personnel, and absence of soap and cleaning supplies added to an overall impression of hopelessness and frustration that paralyzed the system. According to official Russian estimates, 78 percent of all AIDS victims in Russia contracted the virus through dirty needles or HIV-tainted blood in the state-run hospitals.

Irresponsibility, expressed by the popular Russian saying "They pretend they are paying us and we pretend we are working," resulted in appalling quality of service, widespread corruption, and extensive loss of life. My friend, a famous neurosurgeon in today's Russia, received a monthly salary of 150 rubles one-third of the average bus driver's salary.

In order to receive minimal attention by doctors and nursing personnel, patients had to pay bribes. I even witnessed a case of a "nonpaying" patient who died trying to reach a lavatory at the end of the long corridor after brain surgery. Anesthesia was usually "not available" for abortions or minor ear, nose, throat, and skin surgeries. This was used as a means of extortion by unscrupulous medical bureaucrats.

"Slavery certainly 'reduced costs' of labor, 'eliminated the waste' of bargaining for wages, and avoided 'unnecessary duplication and parallelism'."

To improve the statistics concerning the numbers of people dying within the system, patients were routinely shoved out the door before taking their last breath.

Being a People's Deputy in the Moscow region from 1987 to 1989, I received many complaints about criminal negligence, bribes taken by medical apparatchiks, drunken ambulance crews, and food poisoning in hospitals and child-care facilities. I recall the case of a 14-year-old girl from my district who died of acute nephritis in a Moscow hospital. She died because a doctor decided that it was better to save "precious" X-ray film (imported by the Soviets for hard currency) instead of double-checking his diagnosis. These X-rays would have disproven his diagnosis of neuropathic pain.

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Patient Educational Program on Diagnosis, Treatment, Integrative Medicine for Brain Tumors

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Newswise LOS ANGELES (June 21, 2012) Brain tumor patients, families and caregivers are invited to an educational conference that will focus on patient empowerment June 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The free, Saturday program, Outsmarting Brain Tumors, will feature presentations by Keith L. Black, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and other treatment and research experts.

Our emphasis for this years conference is on helping patients and their families understand all aspects of the disease so they can make the best, most informed health care decisions, said Black, director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, director of the Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Brain Tumor Center, and the Ruth and Lawrence Harvey Chair in Neuroscience.

The morning session will include:

Terms and definitions How to select a health care team Chemotherapy Radiation therapy Surgical decision-making: re-operation Clinical trials New and promising treatments Long-term survivors with brain cancer How you can get involved News delivery survey

Breakout Session A will cover:

Patient presentations on surviving brain tumors Navigating social services Alternative therapies Nutrition and exercise Rehabilitation Support groups End of life care and considerations Basics of statistics How the Tumor Board works The Internet and valid information Q-and-A sessions

Participants may instead choose to attend Breakout Session B, where doctors will meet individually with patients. First come, first served reservations will be available at check-in; anyone interested should bring scans and medical documentation for review.

Speakers will include:

Arash Asher, MD, director of Cancer Survivorship & Rehabilitation at Cedars-Sinais Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute Keith L. Black, MD, chair and professor in Cedars-Sinais Department of Neurosurgery, director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, director of the Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Brain Tumor Center, and the Ruth and Lawrence Harvey Chair in Neuroscience Parag Bharadwaj, MD, medical director of Palliative Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Ray M. Chu, MD, neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Doniel Drazin, MD, neurosurgical resident at Cedars-Sinai David Esquith, licensed clinical social worker at Cedars-Sinai Jethro L. Hu, MD, neuro-oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Amin J. Mirhadi, MD, radiation oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Miriam Nuno, PhD, senior biostatistician and assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Chirag G. Patil, MD, director of the Center for Neurosurgical Outcomes Research at Cedars-Sinai Surasak Phuphanich, MD, director of the Neuro-Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai Veronica Porsche, PsyD, clinical psychologist at Cedars-Sinai Lucy Postolov, licensed acupuncturist at Cedars-Sinai Alyssa Tennenbaum, registered dietitian at Cedars-Sinai John S. Yu, MD, director of Surgical Neuro-oncology at Cedars-Sinai, medical director of the Brain Tumor Center, neurosurgical director of the Gamma Knife Program, and professor and vice chair in the Department of Neurosurgery

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The wasteful quest for immortality

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Mary Midgley, the nonagenarian philosopher, believes that living forever is overrated: quality of life not quantity is more important

You've been speaking a lot lately about immortalism. What exactly is this? Immortalism is the idea that not only should life go on getting longer, but that it should go on forever - that medical technology will see to it that we simply don't die. It is a kind of ideology, almost a religion, and is much more prevalent in the US than in the UK. It is in part an overconfidence in technology from the 20th century, and has got mixed up with science fiction.

Why is the desire to live forever a problem? My charge against immortalism is that it is wasteful - the idealism that gets hooked onto it is going in a useless direction and needs to be deflected. There are too many people already, and you can't put up with an infinite number. Another difficulty is inequality. As things stand, the most privileged would live forever while everybody else would be dying at the normal rate.

What else are you unhappy about? Even at the pace our lifespan has been increasing, we are beginning to run into trouble. The indignation that people express at not getting their pensions until they're 67 shows that the idea of a life cycle is firmly rooted and may be fairly essential to human life. I'm talking about the degree of activity at different times of life, and that is not something which changes frequently, or that changes much from culture to culture.

What we respect has also changed: we have a high regard and respect for youth, which makes the situation harder for the old.

So even without immortalism, is the current lengthening of life problematic? Doctors have a habit of trying to make each individual live a bit longer. I think it runs very deep. They should be given a better idea of health that doesn't necessarily mean living longer.

How can we reinvent older age? We need to improve quality of life, not quantity. For example, the distribution of work is ridiculous. People in their middle years work far too long and are suddenly expected to stop. Part-time work is a good idea, but it hasn't been fitted into our society half enough. It is very important for women with children but also very important for the old.

When he found he was dying of cancer, Steve Jobs made this interesting remark, that it was the best thing that ever happened to him because it made his priorities clear. He said nobody wants to die but it is life's best invention, it is the mechanism of change. He had a point.

What about your life now you are in your 90s? We haven't recovered from the idea that growing old is an awful disaster, which must somehow be put off. I never bought that one. If nothing awful happens to you, you go on doing what you're doing and looking for more. I'm lucky to be in the sort of job I am in, where you can simply go on doing what you like and not be forcibly retired. I've got somewhat feeble and ailing but I haven't got seriously ill. It's the thought of a futile life that is the problem.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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Innovation in America: A Tale of the Decade to Come

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This article is part of our Innovation in America series, in which Foolish writers highlight examples of innovation going on today and what they see coming in the future.

Author's note: This is a fictional story exploring how several major technological trends shape one man's life 10 years from now. It is the final part of a three-part series that examines the possible progress of technology over the coming decade.

Family ties Johnny is now 33 years old and has become a senior roboticist at Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) X. He and his wife are trying to conceive their first child. They want their offspring to have the best possible opportunities available in a rapidly changing world. Today, Johnny and his wife are going to visit the Silicon Valley Genomic Institute for a full genomic analysis. The institute is not known only for its analytical capabilities. It has evolved from that original focus to become one of the most advanced human genetic engineering facilities in the United States.

Automated world Johnny and his wife travel to the institute in an autonomously driven car controlled by Google technology. It's been more than a decade since Google first developed successful self-driving cars, but legislation and costs posed major obstacles to widespread consumer adoption until the start of the 2020s. Now, thanks to automation, a great deal of Northern California's transportation infrastructure has been taken over by automation.

The roads would seem eerily sparse to a driver in 2012. Most knowledge workers now find telecommuting more rewarding and efficient than going to an office, and cost-conscious corporations encourage the behavior shift. Many travel-dependent jobs have either moved online or have been superseded by autonomous vehicles and unmanned aerial transports, which number in the tens of thousands over American skies.

Most vehicles Johnny's car passes on the way to the institute are automated transport vehicles delivering packages for FedEx, with a few others bearing families to vacation spots or medical appointments. They communicate with each other using a connected vehicle web, each vehicle transmitting vital information to nearby vehicles and to central communication servers installed in the spaces formerly occupied by traffic control devices.

Did you know? California, Hawaii, Arizona, and Oklahoma have all crafted legislation for regulating autonomous cars on public roads, and Nevada already allows it.

The institute is a gleaming monument to medical science, towering four stories over a quiet tree-lined neighborhood. It's one of the few locations in the area with significant traffic. As Johnny and his wife leave their car, an unmanned Boeing (NYSE: BA) transport helicopter whirs into view, descending to the institute's roof to deliver sensitive supplies. Cameras in the entry alcove scan the pair's eyes as they approach, granting access to the institute.

Did you know? The Federal Aviation Administration will develop regulations to allow unmanned commercial aircraft over American airspace by 2015.

A sparse reception area greets Johnny and his wife just beyond the doors. There is no one waiting to greet them, but the word "information" is printed on the far wall above a semicircular desk, on which sits a luminescent cube. Johnny waves his arm over it. Sensors in his wristband computer communicate with the cube, seamlessly transferring more specific appointment information to the wristband while also uploading Johnny's encrypted personal details to the institute's record servers.

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Innovation in America: A Tale of the Decade to Come

H5N1 human pandemic 'possible'

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21 June 2012 Last updated at 14:00 ET By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent, BBC News

The H5N1 bird flu virus could change into a form able to spread rapidly between humans, scientists have warned.

Researchers have identified five genetic changes that could allow the virus to start a deadly pandemic.

Writing in the journal Science, they say it would be theoretically possible for these changes to occur in nature.

A US agency has tried unsuccessfully to ban publication of parts of the research fearing it could be used by terrorists to create a bioweapon.

According to Prof Ron Fouchier from the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, who led the research, publication of the work in full will give the wider scientific community the best possible chance to combat future flu pandemics.

"We hope to learn which viruses can cause pandemics and by knowing that we might be able to prevent them by enforcing strict eradication programmes," he told BBC News.

He added that his work might also speed the development of vaccines and anti-viral drugs against a lethal form of bird flu that could spread rapidly among people.

The H5N1 virus has been responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of birds and has led to hundreds of millions more being slaughtered to stop its spread.

We hope to learn which viruses can cause pandemics and by knowing that we might be able to prevent them

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UCLA study uncovers new tools for targeting genes linked to autism

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Public release date: 21-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Elaine Schmidt eschmidt@mednet.ucla.edu 310-794-2272 University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

UCLA researchers have combined two tools gene expression and the use of peripheral blood -- to expand scientists' arsenal of methods for pinpointing genes that play a role in autism. Published in the June 21 online edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the findings could help scientists zero in on genes that offer future therapeutic targets for the disorder.

"Technological advances now allow us to rapidly sequence the genome and uncover dozens of rare mutations," explained principal investigator Dr. Daniel Geschwind, the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "But just because a particular genetic mutation is rare doesn't mean it's actually causing disease. We used a new approach to tease out potential precursors of autism from the occasional genetic glitch."

Geschwind and his colleagues studied DNA contained in blood samples from 244 families with one healthy child and one child on the autism spectrum. The team used a hybrid method that blended tests that read the order of DNA bases with those that analyze gene expression, the process by which genes make cellular proteins.

"Monitoring gene expression provides us with another line of data to inform our understanding of how autism develops," said Geschwind, who is also director of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior at UCLA. "Integrating this method with the sequencing of DNA bases expands our ability to find mutations leading to the disease."

Gene expression offers a molecular signpost pointing scientists in the right direction by narrowing the field and highlighting specific areas of the genome. For example, if a gene is expressed at substantially higher or lower levels in a patient, researchers will review the patient's DNA to check if that gene has changed.

"We found that we can use gene expression to help understand whether a rare mutation is causing disease or playing a role in disease development," said Geschwind. "A true mutation will alter a gene's sequence, modifying the protein or RNA it produces -- or preventing the gene from producing them entirely.

"A gene mutation accompanied by a change in expression clues us to a hot spot on the genome and directs us where to look next," he added. "Not all mutations will influence gene expression, but this approach improves our ability to pinpoint those that do."

The researchers used the combined method to prioritize gene targets that merit closer investigation, potentially explaining why one person develops autism and their sibling does not.

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UCLA study uncovers new tools for targeting genes linked to autism

Enzyme offers new therapeutic target for cancer drugs

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Public release date: 21-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Scott LaFee slafee@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California - San Diego

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a new signal transduction pathway specifically devoted to the regulation of alternative RNA splicing, a process that allows a single gene to produce or code multiple types of protein variants. The discovery, published in the June 27, 2012 issue of Molecular Cell, suggests the new pathway might be a fruitful target for new cancer drugs.

Signal transduction in the cell involves kinases and phosphatases, enzymes that transfer or remove phosphates in protein molecules in a cascade or pathway. SRPK kinases, first described by Xiang-Dong Fu, PhD, professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego in 1994, are involved in controlling the activities of splicing regulators in mammalian cells.

Prior studies have implicated SRPK1 in cancer and other human diseases. For example, it has been shown that SRPK1 plays a critical role in regulating the function of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor or VEGF, which stimulates blood vessel growth in cancer. SRPK1 has been found to be dysregulated in a number of cancers, from kidney and breast to lung and pancreatic.

Conversely, studies suggest the absence of SRPK1 may be problematic as well, at least in terms of controlling some specific cancer phenotypes. Reduced SRPK1, for example, has been linked to drug resistance, a major problem in chemotherapy of cancer.

In their new paper, Fu and colleagues place SRPK1 in a major signal transduction pathway in the cell. "The kinase sits right in the middle of the PI3K-Akt pathway to specifically relay the growth signal to regulate alternative splicing in the nucleus," said Fu. "It's a new signaling branch that has previously escaped detection."

As such, the SRPK offers a new target for disease intervention and treatment, researchers say. "It's a good target because of its central role and because it can be manipulated with compounds that suppress its activity, which appears quite effective in suppressing blood vessel formation in cancer," Fu said.

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Co-authors of the paper are Zhihong Zhou, Jinsong Qiu, Yu Zhou and Hairi Li, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UC San Diego; Liu Wen, Qidong Hu and Michael G. Rosenfeld, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Medicine; Ryan M. Plocinik and Joseph A. Adams, Department of Pharmacology, UC San Diego; and Gourisanker Ghosh, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UC San Diego.

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Enzyme offers new therapeutic target for cancer drugs

Study Shows Most Commonly Mutated Gene in Cancer may have a Role in Stroke

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Reported in CELL, Stony Brook pathologist uncovers new p53 mechanism triggering necrosis

Newswise STONY BROOK, N.Y., June 22, 2012 The gene p53 is the most commonly mutated gene in cancer. p53 is dubbed the guardian of the genome because it blocks cells with damaged DNA from propagating and eventually becoming cancerous. However, new research led by Ute M. Moll, M.D., Professor of Pathology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and colleagues, uncovers a novel role for p53 beyond cancer in the development of ischemic stroke. The research team identified an unexpected critical function of p53 in activating necrosis, an irreversible form of tissue death, triggered during oxidative stress and ischemia. The findings are detailed online in Cell.

Ischemia-associated oxidative damage leads to irreversible necrosis which is a major cause of catastrophic tissue loss. Elucidating its signaling mechanism is of paramount importance. p53 is a central cellular stress sensor that responds to multiple insults including oxidative stress and is known to orchestrate apoptotic and autophagic types of cell death. However, it was previously unknown whether p53 can also activate oxidative stress-induced necrosis, a regulated form of cell death that depends on the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) pore.

We identified an unexpected and critical function of p53 in activating necrosis: In response to oxidative stress in normal healthy cells, p53 accumulates in the mitochondrial matrix and triggers the opening of the PTP pore at the inner mitochondrial membrane, leading to collapse of the electrochemical gradient and cell necrosis, explains Dr. Moll.

"p53 acts via physical interaction with the critical PTP regulator Cyclophylin D (CypD). This p53 action occurs in cultured cells and in ischemic stroke in mice."

Of note, they found in their model that when the destructive p53-CypD complex is blocked from forming by using Cyclosporine-A type inhibitors, the brain tissue is strongly protected from necrosis and stroke is prevented.

The findings fundamentally expand our understanding of p53-mediated cell death networks, says Dr. Moll. The data also suggest that acute temporary blockade of the destructive p53-CypD complex with clinically well-tolerated Cyclosporine A-type inhibitors may lead to a therapeutic strategy to limit the extent of an ischemic stroke in patients.

p53 is one of the most important genes in cancer and by far the most studied, says Yusuf A. Hannun, M.D., Director of the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Vice Dean for Cancer Medicine, and the Joel Kenny Professor of Medicine at Stony Brook. Therefore, this discovery by Dr. Moll and her colleagues in defining the mechanism of a new p53 function and its importance in necrotic injury and stoke is truly spectacular.

Dr. Moll has studied p53 for 20 years in her Stony Brook laboratory. Her research has led to numerous discoveries about the function of p53 and two related genes. For example, previous to this latest finding regarding p53 and stroke, Dr. Moll identified that p73, a cousin to p53, steps in as a tumor suppressor gene when p53 is lost and can stabilize the genome. She found that p73 plays a major developmental role in maintaining the neural stem cell pool during brain formation and adult learning. Her work also helped to identify that another p53 cousin, called p63, has a critical surveillance function in the male germ line and likely contributed to the evolution of humans and great apes, enabling their long reproductive periods.

Dr. Molls Cell study coauthors include: Angelina V. Vaseva and Natalie D. Marchenko, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine; Kyungmin Ji and Stella E. Tsirka, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine; and Sonja Holzmann, Department of Molecular Oncology, University of Gottingen in Germany.

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Study Shows Most Commonly Mutated Gene in Cancer may have a Role in Stroke

Chemistry an issue in SEABA tilt

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source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

Joseph Uichico said yesterday chemistry is an issue the Philippine team must address quickly in preparing for the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championships set in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on July 3-7.

Uichico, 49, will call the shots for the national squad in his first stint as head coach since piloting the Philippines to fourth place at the Asian Games in Busan in 2002. He has captured six titles for San Miguel Beer and two for Barangay Ginebra in the PBA so winning isnt new to the former La Salle cager, now Meralco assistant coach.

But the problem he faces is getting the team together for practice with the departure looming on July 1. Center Marcus Douthit is still in the US and wont be back until early next week. There are players in the 24-man lineup submitted to the SEABA for notification not sure of their availability.

Under SEABA rules, each participating country must initially turn in a 24-man lineup which is then trimmed to 12. The final roster will be confirmed at the team managers meeting on July 2 and may not necessarily be the reduced 12-man cast. The only requirement is the players in the final roster must be picked from the original 24-man pool.

The 24-man pool includes players from the PBA. However, if the teams of the listed PBA players remain in contention in the Governors Cup, they will be excluded from the final 12. The Governors Cup elimination schedule ends July 1. Only players from eliminated PBA teams will be considered for the final roster. Smart Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said the PBAs participation in the SEABA tournament will be clarified in a Board of Governors meeting on June 28. He declined to name the PBA players in the 24-man pool pending notification of the Board and team owners.

Uichico said the reduced 12-man lineup submitted to the SEABA included NLex mainstays Borgie Hermida, Dave Marcelo, Garvo Lanete, Eman Monfort and Woody Co, Cebuana Lhuillier center Vic Manuel, Philippine Patriots forward and Smart Gilas veteran Aldrech Ramos, Smart Gilas captain Chris Tiu and Douthit. Included in the 24-man pool were two other NLex stalwarts Cliff Hodge and Chris Ellis.

We got together just last Monday and we werent even complete, said Uichico. Were hoping to get in some practice time Friday (today) and Saturday. Then, well try to arrange practice games. Were playing La Salle on Thursday at PhilSports Arena and were also playing Ateneo. This is a brand-new team were forming. Its not Gilas, its not Sinag. The talent level isnt as high as either Gilas or Sinag but I think if we get the chemistry we want, well be okay. This tournament is like a bridge to get us to the Stankovic Cup in Tokyo where the best Asian national teams will be playing. Only the SEABA champion will go to Tokyo. Well be playing only four games in Chiang Mai so its a short tournament.

The Philippines has won five of the last six SEABA championships since 2001 and the only miss was in 2005 when Malaysia won with the Philippines disqualified from participation because of its FIBA suspension. Aside from the Philippines and Malaysia, the other SEABA contenders are Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

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Chemistry an issue in SEABA tilt

Biotechnology Summer Institute helps students practice new skills

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Area Students Learn To Analyze DNA at Bowie State University

Bowie, Md. Area college and high school students are using their knowledge of science and technology in hands-on research experiments at the Biotechnology Summer Institute at Bowie State University (BSU).

It brings everything together that weve done over these last three years and puts it into practice, said Tamara Quill, of College Park, Maryland, a rising senior at Bowie State University, as she worked with a fellow student to analyze a DNA sample in a state-of-the-art laboratory. Being a biology major, a lot of times you just take in so much information, but you really dont know the practical side of it. This actually gives you an insight into the practical side.

The Biotechnology Summer Institute is designed to provide interactive research experiences to undergraduate and high school students interested in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students from Bowie State University, as well as other area colleges and high schools including: Morgan State University, University of Maryland College Park, Anne Arundel Community College and Largo High School have participated in the program since June 4, 2012. The students have spent hours in lectures and lab classes, learning such skills as forensic fingerprinting and DNA extraction. Later this month, area high school teachers will have the opportunity to learn how to educate youth in the biotechnology industry, as part of the institute.

The goals of the Biotechnology Summer Institute are to promote the interest of students in biotechnology as an alternative career path, provide research experience for students to succeed in postgraduate education, and train personnel to serve in the burgeoning biotechnology industry in Maryland and the nation, said Dr. George Ude, associate professor in the Department of Natural Sciences at Bowie State University, who is coordinating the institute. The institute also impacts high school students by providing teachers additional skills in biotechnology to increase their capacity to prepare students to succeed in college, Dr. Ude said.

Quill has enjoyed her experience so far and said it has given her a wider understanding of what careers are available within the biology field. You could just read about it, but to get that hands-on experience, you cant beat that, she said.

For Kany Dieye, a 2012 Bowie State University graduate from Bowie, Md., the institute has also broadened her perspective of what careers are possible for her. While she has always had an interest in how biology and technology work together, the institute has allowed her to experience how these disciplines can be applied in real-world contexts.

Last week, for example, one laboratory exercise focused on DNA profiling and its application in investigating criminal evidence and in solving medical dilemmas, such as in paternity testing.

I love doing research, and thats what were doing with the experiments in knowing how to do all the processes and procedures when it comes to biology and the health field. We get to run experiments from the beginning to the result youre pretty much doing all the steps as a student, said Dieye, who plans to pursue a masters degree in bioinformatics. It will help me with what I want to do in the future in the health field.

The institute ran until June 15 for undergraduate and high school students and from June 18-29 for high school teachers. Along with Dr. Ude, Dr. Gary Coleman, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture; Dr. Ganesh Sriram, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; and Dr. Jianhua Zhu, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture all from the University of Maryland are also instructors for the institute

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Biotechnology Summer Institute helps students practice new skills

New Report Finds Biotechnology Companies are Participating in 39% of All Projects in …

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June 21, 2012 - According to "Biotechnology: Bringing Innovation to Neglected Disease Research and Development," small- to medium-sized biotech companies bring innovation to global health. Findings show that 134 biotechnology companies are participating in neglected disease research and development, which represents participation in 39% of 191 new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics in development. Report also finds that 64% of all products in development by biotech companies involve partnering. Biotechnology Industry Organization 1201 Maryland Ave., SW, Ste. 900 Washington, DC, 20024 USA Press release date: June 18, 2012

The new report will be released today at the 2012 BIO International Convention in Boston, Mass.

2012 BIO International Convention 2012 BIO International Convention:Biotechnology Industry Organization WASHINGTON--Small- to medium-sized biotechnology companies are bringing innovation to global health, according to a report published today by BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). The report shows that 134 biotechnology companies are participating in neglected disease research and development, which represents participation in 39% of the 191 new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics in development for neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, dengue fever, and others.

"It is encouraging that small- to medium-sized biotechnology companies that lead the charge in developing life-saving medicines and technologies in the developed world are so engaged in creating new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for the neglected diseases primarily affecting the poor in the developing world"

Partnering is an important driver for today's biotechnology companies. The new report, Biotechnology: Bringing Innovation to Neglected Disease Research and Development, finds that 64% of all products in development by biotechnology companies across the pipeline of drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for neglected diseases involve partnering.

According to the report, product development partnerships (PDPs) - a unique public-private partnering mechanism created to increase biopharmaceutical participation in neglected disease R&D, government agencies, and academic institutions - are driving this biotechnology company partnering for neglected diseases. Although PDPs are the focal point of industry engagement in global health, they are the second most frequent partner to biotechnology companies after academia with involvement in 52% of partnered projects. When a PDP is not involved in a project, biotechnology partnerships with government agencies increase, especially for vaccines and diagnostics.

Across all neglected diseases, biotechnology companies work alone 36% of the time, according to the report. For tuberculosis and dengue fever, companies more frequently overcome barriers and leverage some market potential to work alone. This may be because small to medium-sized companies perceive a potential market opportunity.

"We were very pleased to see the level of the biotechnology sector's engagement in global health research and development, as a critical source of innovation. To continue progress in addressing the unmet medical needs of the developing world, both biotechnology companies and global health groups should ramp up commitment and involvement," says Don Joseph, CEO of BVGH. "Our new report provides specific recommendations both to biotechnology companies and neglected disease stakeholders from academia, governments, nonprofits, and foundations to increase and improve their collaborative work in neglected disease research. Accelerating solutions for these devastating diseases presents major challenges but can happen if these groups continue and increase their work together."

While the report finds that small to medium-sized biotechnology companies are involved in 39% of all projects for neglected disease, BIO estimates there are nearly 3,000 public and private biotechnology companies worldwide. At least 90% of these companies focus on health research and development, suggesting that the 134 biotechnology companies participating in neglected disease research and development identified in the report represent about 5% of global biotechnology companies.

"It is encouraging that small- to medium-sized biotechnology companies that lead the charge in developing life-saving medicines and technologies in the developed world are so engaged in creating new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for the neglected diseases primarily affecting the poor in the developing world," says Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of BIO. "The true value of this week's BIO International Convention is to bring together industry leaders who can share insights and engage in discussions focused on potential collaborations that could lead to scientific breakthroughs that will address these and other global challenges."

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Research and Markets: Biotechnology in Biopolymers

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c3966c/biotechnology_in_b) has announced the addition of Smithers Information Ltd's new book "Biotechnology in Biopolymers" to their offering.

This comprehensive book provides up-to-date information on the developments in the field of biopolymers. Close attention has been paid to include all the important aspects that are necessary to understand the field. The book introduces the reader with the progress in the field, followed by outlining its applications in different areas. Different methods and techniques of synthesis and characterization are detailed as individual chapters. Various mode and mechanism of degradation of materials will be discussed. There is a dedicated chapter on industrially available biopolymers and their applications and well as a chapter detailing the ongoing research, current trends and future challenges.

Unlike other books, this book consists of information that is useful for students who are interested in biotech and polymer research. Each chapter will explain the science and technology from the inception to advance state of the art available to date. This book will also be useful for the researcher involved in the high-tech research as it will provide them the up-to-date information available in this field.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Biopolymers: An Indispensable Tool for Biotechnology

2 Spectroscopic Analysis of Biopolymers

3 Thermal Analysis of Biopolymer Materials for High-performance Applications

4 Mechanical Properties of Biopolymers

5 Natural Fibres and Their Use in the Production of Biocomposites

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Research and Markets: Biotechnology in Biopolymers