Monthly Archives: October 2012

World Renowned Scientists and Advocates to Celebrate and Shine Light on Stem Cell Breakthroughs

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IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 1, 2012) - Oct. 3 marks International Stem Cell Awareness Day, a global celebration where leading scientists, researchers and supporters will acknowledge the scientific advances of stem cell research and its ability to potentially treat a variety of diseases and injuries in the 21st century. This dedicated community is committed to unlocking the potential of stem cells and has made significant strides since the discovery of a method to grow human stem cells less than 15 years ago.

"This is a critical and historic time for stem cell research," said Peter Donovan, Ph.D., director, Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine. "We're literally on the brink of developing new treatments for some of the world's most devastating diseases and injuries. The act of simply raising awareness about this research is one of the best things people can do to help accelerate the process. This event is a great opportunity for everyone to help spread the word and build momentum through a timely mass effort."

Scientists at UC Irvine and other research facilities around the globe continue to work diligently to develop therapies to treat life threatening and debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, cancer, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, brain disorders and paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries. These efforts continue to give hope to millions who suffer from these devastating conditions by offering revolutionary treatments and potential cures.

There are several research programs taking place at the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine that continue to break down barriers and open doors to new treatments for major diseases and injuries:

Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injuries: Neurobiologist Hans Keirstead, Ph.D., as well as husband and wife scientists Aileen Anderson, Ph.D., and Brian Cummings, Ph.D., are conducting stem cell studies to develop treatments for the more than 1.3 million Americans who suffer from spinal cord injuries. Their advancements have led to the world's first clinical trial of human neural stem cell-based therapy for chronic spinal cord injuries (Anderson/Cummings) and the first FDA approved clinical trials using embryonic stem cells (Keirstead). Their research is significant because no drug or other forms of treatment have been able to restore function for those suffering from paralysis. In addition, Cummings and Anderson are applying their stem research to traumatic brain injury, a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, especially in children and young adults.

Alzheimer's Disease: An estimated 35 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, five million of whom live in the U.S. Frank LaFerla, Ph.D., director of UC Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, and Matthew Blurton-Jones, Ph.D., of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine, have shown for the first time that neural stem cells can rescue memory in mice with advanced Alzheimer's disease, raising hope for a potential treatment in humans. Their work is expected to move to clinical trials in less than five years.

Huntington's Disease: Huntington's disease is a degenerative and ultimately fatal brain disorder that takes away a person's ability to walk, talk and reason. It affects about 30,000 people in the U.S. with another 200,000 or more likely to inherit the disorder. Leslie Thompson, Ph.D., and her team of researchers are currently investigating new stem cell lines and techniques to support the area of the brain that is susceptible to the disease with the hope of developing a cure for future generations.

Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa and Inherited Blindness: Henry Klassen, M.D., Ph.D. has focused his stem cell research on regenerating damaged retinal tissue to restore sight to people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (an inherited form of degenerative eye disease) and macular degeneration which usually affects older people and leads to loss of vision. Macular degeneration affects millions of Americans. His work hopes to find cures and treatments for corneal and retinal eye disease.

New Website Helps Spread the Word Online To commemorate International Stem Cell Awareness Day and encourage support of stem cell research, an interactive website has been created. Advocates are asked to visit http://www.StemCellsOfferHope.com and share online a wide range of key facts, downloadable images and links to other valuable resources within their social networks.

International Stem Cell Awareness Day Events at UC Irvine The Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine will celebrate International Stem Cell Awareness Day by hosting three special events. An open house will take place on Oct. 1 for high school students. A UC Irvine student, faculty and staff open house will take place on Oct. 2. Finally, an all-day science symposium on Oct. 3 will feature a "Meet the Scientist" interactive forum. The forum and symposium are open to all UC Irvine scientists, clinicians, graduate students, post-docs and members of the community. To RSVP for any these events or for more information, include the name of the event in the subject line and email stemcell@research.uci.edu.

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World Renowned Scientists and Advocates to Celebrate and Shine Light on Stem Cell Breakthroughs

Researchers create patient-powered devices

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Researchers at N.C. State are leading a nanotechnology project on Centennial Campus to create self-powered medical devices.

The Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies developed the vision and assembled the team of researchers for the project, which includes many different schools doing specific jobs, according to the Veena Misra, director of ASSIST and a professor of computer and electrical engineering at the University.

The project is working to create efficient tools like heart rate and respiratory monitors that are powered by the patients themselves. This would eliminate the need for rechargeable batteries and wires. The devices will also be able to monitor environmental pollutants, like carbon monoxide and ozone, to pinpoint patients' health problems. The project is being funded by an $18.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

The University of Virginia will try to make the devices as energy efficient as possible; Pennsylvania State University will create the transistors and other electric material; and Florida International University will create the sensors used to gather data. UNC-Chapel Hill will provide medical guidance, and the University of Michigan will create radios used to send data from the devices to computers or other digital tools for analysis.

"NCSU has the biggest number of people involved, but it is important that everyone in the team from other universities are critical partners," Misra said.

The project can be broken down into two categories of devices: those efficiently harnessing patient energy, like body heat and body motion, and those using this harnessed energy to perform the necessary tasks researchers desire, like health and environmental monitoring.

The first category will be handled mostly by PSU researchers and the second category contains a few entities that will be focused on by several partners. The devices performing the medical tasks range from transistors and human physiological and environmental sensors that work at very low power levels to circuits and systems utilizing that power and managing it very efficiently.

In addition, the research team will work on packaging these components into wearable, comfortable and hassle-free monitoring systems. In the ASSIST center, the devices harnessing power and the devices using that power are co-designed and co-optimized to produce a very low energy, self-powered system, according to Misra.

The reason ASSIST is considered a nanotechnology project instead of strictly a medical one is because of the material that will be used to create the devices. Nanomaterials are used for the tools because they are small enough to access the body's energy through thermoelectric material and they will operate the devices with the smallest amount of energy possible.

These new devices have the ability to revolutionize the medial field by providing wireless and energy efficient devices that can allow doctors to relate patients environments with their health.

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Researchers create patient-powered devices

Abakan Files for NASDAQ(TM) Capital Market Listing

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MIAMI, Fla., Oct. 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abakan Inc. (ABKI) ("Abakan") a nanotechnology materials company that designs, produces and has recently commenced sales of protective coatings for metal, metal formulations and advance energy management solutions, announced today that it has filed an application to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market. The NASDAQ listing application is subject to review and approval by NASDAQ's Listing Qualifications Department for compliance with all NASDAQ Capital Market Standards.

Robert Miller, Abakan's CEO, commented: "Abakan is ready to list on a larger, higher profile exchange and believes that NASDAQ is the right marketplace for our shares to trade given the focus on technology based companies. Listing on NASDAQ should enable us to broaden our investor reach, increase visibility in the investment community and add liquidity to our shares."

About Abakan Inc.

Abakan, Inc. is a publicly listed acquisition company that provides critical financial, management and intellectual support to innovative companies and technologies for realizing their true market potential. Abakan invests in companies that have developed transformational technologies on the cusp of commercialization. Abakan is the largest shareholder in MesoCoat and Powdermet, each of which is a nanotechnology material science company involved in technology development and commercialization. MesoCoat is focused on metal asset protection and life extension by providing advanced wear and corrosion solutions, while Powdermet is focused on metal formulations as well as advanced energy management solutions. MesoCoat was recently recognized by Forbes as one of 'The Most Promising American Companies' and was the highest ranked material science and nanotechnology company. MesoCoat is also the recipient of four prestigious R&D 100 awards, a Technology Innovation Program Award (TIP) for 100 year life coatings by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), two NorTech Innovation Awards for breakthrough materials and surface engineering solutions, and several other federal and state grants and awards. Powdermet is a nationally recognized nanotechnology and advanced materials research and development organization that has won approximately 100 federal and state awards, along with being a recipient of several technology innovation awards like R&D 100 and NorTech Innovation Award.

The Abakan, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=14954

Forward Looking Statements

A number of statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties including technological obsolescence, market acceptance of future products, competitive market conditions, NASDAQ approval for listing of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market, and the sufficiency of capital resources. The actual results Abakan may achieve could differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. Abakan encourages the public to read the information provided here in conjunction with its most recent filings on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Abakan's public filings may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov.

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Abakan Files for NASDAQ(TM) Capital Market Listing

Feeding, Fleeing, Fighting, Reproduction: Pamela Rosenkranz' solo show opens at Kunsthalle Basel

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BASEL.- With the exhibition Feeding, Fleeing, Fighting, Reproduction Kunsthalle Basel presents the latest project by Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz (*1979). This exhibition is her first institutional solo show in German-speaking Switzerland.

Rosenkranz is interested in evolutionary mechanisms and processes, that seem to be the basis of how people are organized in a society. The artist is interested in the differences between body and mind, in human interactions, and in mens relationship to nature. Rosenkranz explores these interests, utilizing scientific explanations that contradict our current notions of what it means to be human.

Rosenkranz uses a variety of materials. The emphasis is on the naturalness of these materials, and to that end even PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) can be seen as a natural product. Even though they claim to be the most evolved of all organisms, human beings are just one of many elements on our planet. Everything created by humans is natural; in this way, the concept of artificiality is called into question. Rosenkranz thinking is influenced by a materialistic perspective that calls the subject into question. The artist annuls identity and gender differences; her position as a woman is likewise rendered meaningless.

Rosenkranz works explore the various ways in which we define ourselves as human. They address fundamental human qualities, highlighting these and placing them in a partly new, partly familiar context. Even though the exhibition consists of individual works, it can be understood as one overall examination by Rosenkranz in which, themes and elements recur throughout the rooms of the Kunsthalle. In the first space of the Kunsthalle, the artist has installed a sink, which is the same as those found in the restrooms of the Campari Bar located in the adjacent rooms. The faucet is open and blue colored water flows permanently; its splashing against the ceramic sink makes a sound which superimposes itself upon the silence in the rooms. Strolling through the rooms, visitors will realize that the color blue is a recurring element. The evolutionary perception of blue within our visible spectrum was created at a pre-evolutionary stage when creatures only existed under the sea. Our sensitivity to this color has barely changed throughout the course of the history of humankind and we are still highly sensible for the wavelengths of blue than of all the other colors of the visible spectrum.

On large-format prints behind plexiglass, Rosenkranz presents monotone blue surfaces based on the IKB works (International Klein Blue) by Yves Klein that were created at the end of the 1950s and downloaded by her as JPEGs from the internet; for these monochrome paintings produced by the French artist, he invented and patented a specific blue tone, which increases the brilliance of ultramarine blue. The color of Rosenkranz pigment inkjet prints is based on the data information which contains colors that are subject to prevailing light conditions, scan settings, or photochemical conditions, etc. The prints are hand-mounted and due to the manual operation bubbles arise undermining Yves Klein's idea of an intangible heaven, and the immateriality of the sky: as the bubbles become objects they challenge the concept of air being immaterial.

In contrast with the color blue as Wild Blue Yonder (the fascination with the vastness of the sky) the color red represents physicality and the body. The color of blood next to genetic skin pigmentation is primarily responsible for skin tone. The red also shines through the white walls of the Kunsthalle, which have been painted with standard dispersion mixed with fake or real blood. A bottle of SmartWater filled with a liquid is set close to the pink wall. Is the content water or sillicon? Is it skin color? The work does not spell it out, and yet it refers to our desire to look fresh and eternally young. It is about the preservation of beauty, of purity as physical criteria of perfection. Health and fitness are two issues often recurring in Rosenkranz exhibitions, and here they come to the fore once again.

Another new work in the exhibition focuses on the influence of color in decision-making. A seemingly random sequence of gigantic expanses of color is projected in the two last exhibition spaces of the Kunsthalle. The projection is accompanied by a computer-generated voice called Heather. This voice repeats the words Yes and No agreement and rejection in every conceivable intonation available for the range of meanings offered by the voice program. At this point this work refers to a specific way in which colors have been used in the domain of science, especially in the so-called Brainbow project. This specific color spectrum is used by scientists and was developed while conducting experiments on mice to make their brain activity visible. The RGB color spectrum was used to color-code their neurons. Rosenkranz project in turn, is interested in knowing how existential human emotions can also be color-coded and how they can then be contemplated and categorized in a manner that is strictly analogous to colors.

Pamela Rosenkranz approach is not based on a scientific interest as such. She works with findings and speculations culled not only from the natural sciences, but also from politics, history, philosophy, and popular culture. The exhibition Feeding, Fleeing, Fighting, Reproduction therefore can be thought of as a self-contained project that revolves around the conflict between scientific description and subjective experience. Furthermore, she also criticizes a conception of art, which puts the focus on the artists subjectivity, and she does this by confronting statements and explanations from contemporary science with prevailing notions of art, thereby radically negating the use of terms like experience, identity, and gender.

Pamela Rosenkranz (*1979, Altdorf, CH) lives and works in Zrich, CH and Amsterdam. Rosenkranz graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Bern with the Master of Fine Arts in 2004 and studied Comparative Literature at the University of Zurich in 2005. In 2010 she participated at the Independent Residency Program at the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam.

Solo exhibitions (selection): To you I would like to be Who, Tongewlbe T25, Ingolstadt (2011); This Is Not My Color / The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, mit Nikolas Gambaroff, Swiss Institute, New York (2011); Untouched by Man, Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig (2010); No Core, Centre dArt Contemporain Genve, Geneva (2010); Our Sun, Swiss Institute, Venice (2009); High Purity, Amden, Switzerland (2009); Unfade, Nuit Blanche, Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris (2008); Enter (Projectspace), Kunstmuseum Thun, Thun. Group exhibitions (selec-tion): Man in the Holecene, MIT, List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge (2012); Insight - Outsight II, Stdtische Galerie im Park, Viersen, Germany (2012); The Greater Cloud, Netherlands Media Art Institute, Amsterdam (2011); He disappeared into complete silence, De Hallen Haarlem, Haarlem, The Netherlands (2011); Unbounding and Crossing Over as Art, Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein (2011); Open Studio, Rijksakademie, Amsterdam (2011); How to Work (More for) Less, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel (2011); How to Work, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel (2011); Poste Restante, Artspeak, Vancouver (2011); Une Ide, une Forme, un tre - Posie/Politique du cor-porel, Migrosmuseum fr Gegenwartskunst, Zurich (2010); The Real Thing, Tate Britain, London (2010); Big Minis, Fetishes of Crisis, Muse d'Art Contemporain, Bordeaux (2010); Declaracin Anual de Personas Morales 2010, House of Gaga, Mexiko City (2010); Exhibition, Exhibition, Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2010); Fax, Art Museum Torrance, Torrance, California (2010); Of Ob-jects Fields and Mirrors, Kunsthaus Glarus, Glarus (2010); Fax, Drawing Center, New York (2009); Reduction and Suspense, Kunstverein Bregenz, Bregenz, Austria (2009); Dragged Down into Lowercase, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern (2008); Principle Hope, Manifesta7, Rovereto, Italy (2008); NoLeftovers, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern (2008); Vertrautes Terrain, ZKM Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe (2008); Shifting Identities, Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich (2008); When Things cast no Shadow, 5th Berlin Biennale, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (2008).

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Feeding, Fleeing, Fighting, Reproduction: Pamela Rosenkranz' solo show opens at Kunsthalle Basel

Hand-made humans may hold the key to saving the world

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Building earth-friendly people ... altering humans may be a safer option than trying to alter the planet.

Human-induced climate change is one of the biggest problems that we face today. Millions could suffer hunger, water shortages, diseases and coastal flooding because of climate change. The latest science suggests that we may be near or even beyond the point of no return.

Some scientists and policy makers are therefore proposing that we take seriously the idea of geoengineering - that is, large-scale manipulations of the earth, such as spraying sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere to alter the reflectivity of the planet or fertilising the ocean with iron to spur blooms of carbon-sucking plankton. However, geoengineering seems too risky. Many of the technologies involved have never been employed on such a large scale, which means that we could be endangering ourselves or future generations. Indeed, spraying sulfate aerosols could destroy the ozone layer and iron fertilisation could promote toxic planktons and destroy all forms of marine life.

One might be able to use preimplantation genetic diagnosis to select shorter children.

I propose that we consider another solution to the problem of climate change that has not been considered before and that is potentially less risky than geoengineering. Elsewhere my colleagues and I have called this solution ''human engineering''. It involves the biomedical modification of humans to make us better at mitigating, and adapting to the effects of, climate change.

Illustration: iStock

Before I explain the proposal, let me make clear that human engineering is intended to be a voluntary activity - possibly supported by incentives such as tax breaks or sponsored healthcare - rather than a coerced, mandatory activity. My colleagues and I are positively against any form of coercion of the sort that the Nazis perpetrated in the past (segregation, sterilisation and genocide).

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Also, this proposal is intended for those who believe that climate change is a real problem, and who, as a result, are willing to take seriously geoengineering. Someone who doesn't believe that climate change is a real problem is likely to think that encouraging people to recycle more is an overreaction to climate change.

Finally, the main claim here is a modest one, namely, human engineering should be considered alongside other solutions such as geoengineering. The claim is not that human engineering ought to be adopted as a matter of public policy. This is an attempt to encourage ''outside the box'' thinking vis-a-vis a seemingly intractable problem.

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Hand-made humans may hold the key to saving the world

New Gene Associated With Hearing Loss Discovered

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October 1, 2012

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

A team of researchers, led by members of the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, have reportedly discovered a new genetic mutation that leads to deafness and hearing loss associated with a relatively rare condition.

In a September 30 press release, lead investigator and UC assistant professor of ophthalmology Zubair Ahmed explain that he and his colleagues were able to pinpoint the gene which caused deafness in Usher syndrome type 1 as well as deafness that is not associated with the syndrome through the genetic analysis of 57 humans from Pakistan and Turkey.

The culprit, according to Ahmed, is a protein known as CIB2. Mutations in the protein, which binds to calcium inside cells, has been discovered to be linked to deafness both in Usher syndrome and cases of non-syndromic hearing loss.

He noted that these mutations were found to be the primary genetic cause of non-syndromic hearing loss in Pakistan, and that during their research, he and his colleagues discovered a second CIB2 mutation that has been linked to deafness among people of Turkish heritage.

In animal models, CIB2 is found in the mechanosensory stereocilia of the inner ear hair cells, which respond to fluid motion and allow hearing and balance, and in retinal photoreceptor cells, which convert light into electrical signals in the eye, making it possible to see, Saima Riazuddin, assistant professor in UCs department of otolaryngology and co-lead investigator on the study, added in a statement.

Ahmed, Riazuddin, and company found that CIB2 tended to be stained brighter at the tips of shorter rows of the cellular apical modifications known as stereocilia than nearby longer rows, where it could be involved in the calcium signaling process which regulates how the ear converts mechanical energy into the type of energy recognizable by a persons brain as sound.

With this knowledge, we are one step closer to understanding the mechanism of mechano-electrical transduction and possibly finding a genetic target to prevent non-syndromic deafness as well as that associated with Usher syndrome type 1, Ahmed explained.

Their work appears in the Sept. 30 advance online edition of the journal Nature Genetics. Researchers from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Kentucky were also involved in the study, which was funded by the NIDCD, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation.

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New Gene Associated With Hearing Loss Discovered

Personalized Medicine's Transformation of Healthcare Accelerates

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 1, 2012) - The life sciences sector continued to outperform the broader markets in September, but developments during the month were notable for highlighting the acceleration of the transformation of healthcare through personalized medicine, Burrill & Company says.

"Our healthcare system is dysfunctional and has largely been unchanged through human history in its episodic approach that focuses on treating the symptoms of illness," says G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company, a diversified global financial services firm. "Although personalized medicine's transformation of healthcare is an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process, the events of the past month point to a rapid acceleration of efforts to make medicine personalized, predictive, and pre-emptive and promises to bend the cost-curve of healthcare in a meaningful way."

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's announced an ambitious $3 billion Cancer Moon Shots Program, which seeks to develop new diagnostics, devices, drugs, and policies to detect, prevent, and treat cancer by capitalizing on the convergence of low-cost sequencing, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies.

September also saw a number of developments on the sequencing front. Chinese sequencing giant BGI-Shenzhen announced a $117.6 million acquisition of the struggling next-generation sequencing company Complete Genomics. Mountain View, California-based Complete Genomics, which has been working to provide whole genome sequencing through a service-based business model, announced a restructuring in June that included a shift in focus to the development of clinical applications for its whole genome sequencing service. BGI-Shenzhen provides deep pockets that should accelerate the clinical applications of Complete Genomic's technology.

Complete Genomics' larger competitors also announced developments that should accelerate the clinical utility of genomic sequencing. Life Technologies began shipping its low-cost Ion Proton sequencing system. The company said the chip-based system cost about a third of genome scale sequencing systems that rely on light to read a genome. The device sits on a desktop and can sequence exomes and transcriptomes in two to four hours at a cost of $1,000 per run. Life Technologies next expects to release a second-generation chip for the system around the end of the first quarter of 2013 that will be able to sequence the human genome in a few hours for $1,000.

At the same time, the genetic sequencing tools company Illumina and the non-profit healthcare system Partners Healthcare announced an agreement to provide geneticists and pathologists networking tools and infrastructure to report and interpret data from genetic sequencing. By pairing Illumina's expertise in sequencing with Partners Healthcare's understanding of what's needed for clinical utility, the two hope to leverage each other's strengths to deliver a comprehensive sequencing and clinical reporting solution.

Others are also taking steps to apply new personalized medicine approaches to clinical care. The Big Data analytics company GNS Healthcare in September announced a new program with the healthcare insurance company Aetna to use GNS' supercomputing capabilities to help identify Aetna members at risk for heart and metabolic disorders that can result in stroke, heart attack or diabetes, earlier than it does today. GNS will develop data-driven models that will define a person's risk for developing metabolic syndrome using Aetna claims data as well as health records. A separate agreement between GNS and the contract research organization Covance seeks to improve drug development by using GNS' modeling to predict the safety and efficacy of a drug candidate against different patient characteristics.

On the research side, September also saw major advances in understanding the genetics underlying disease. The Encode Project, an ambitious international effort to characterize and publish all of the functional elements in the human genome, found that the 80 percent of DNA once thought of as "junk" actually plays a critical role in regulating genes and can also play a part in the onset of disease. Researchers identified more than 4,000 switches involved in gene regulation. The findings not only create a new understanding of the role of some 80 percent of DNA once thought to serve no functional role, but also provide a new source of potential targets for drugs, and new insight into how genes are regulated and how people become ill.

Separately, a collaborative effort funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute, using data generated as part of The Cancer Genome Atlas, has provided a new understanding of the four major subtypes of breast cancer and finds shared genetic features between the form of breast cancer known as "Basal-like" or "Triple Negative" breast cancer and serious ovarian cancer. The findings will lead to researchers comparing treatments and outcomes for patients with the two forms of cancer and could lead to new therapeutic approaches.

"With new research findings we are reminded about how much we still don't know, but also of the rapid progress we are making," says Burrill. "We are seeing real examples of personalized medicine moving from idea to practice in meaningful ways."

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Personalized Medicine's Transformation of Healthcare Accelerates

Gene that causes deafness pinpointed

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Washington, October 1 (ANI): Researchers have discovered a new genetic mutation responsible for deafness and hearing loss associated with Usher syndrome type 1.

These findings could help researchers develop new therapeutic targets for those at risk for this syndrome.

For the study, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center work together with the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Kentucky.

Usher syndrome is a genetic defect that causes deafness, night-blindness and a loss of peripheral vision through the progressive degeneration of the retina.

"In this study, researchers were able to pinpoint the gene which caused deafness in Usher syndrome type 1 as well as deafness that is not associated with the syndrome through the genetic analysis of 57 humans from Pakistan and Turkey," said Zubair Ahmed, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology who conducts research at Cincinnati Children's and is the lead investigator on this study.

Ahmed stated that a protein, called CIB2, which binds to calcium within a cell, is associated with deafness in Usher syndrome type 1 and non-syndromic hearing loss.

"To date, mutations affecting CIB2 are the most common and prevalent genetic cause of non-syndromic hearing loss in Pakistan. However, we have also found another mutation of the protein that contributes to deafness in Turkish populations," he said.

"In animal models, CIB2 is found in the mechanosensory stereocilia of the inner ear-hair cells, which respond to fluid motion and allow hearing and balance, and in retinal photoreceptor cells, which convert light into electrical signals in the eye, making it possible to see," explained Saima Riazuddin, PhD, assistant professor in UC's department of otolaryngology who conducts research at Cincinnati Children's and is co-lead investigator on the study.

Researchers found that CIB2 staining is often brighter at shorter row stereocilia tips than the neighboring stereocilia of a longer row, where it may be involved in calcium signaling that regulates mechano-electrical transduction, a process by which the ear converts mechanical energy-or energy of motion-into a form of energy that the brain can recognize as sound.

"With this knowledge, we are one step closer to understanding the mechanism of mechano-electrical transduction and possibly finding a genetic target to prevent non-syndromic deafness as well as that associated with Usher syndrome type 1," Ahmed said.

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Gene that causes deafness pinpointed

Rangers have resources, chemistry to win it all

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Ron Washington tells a story that sheds light on why the Rangers, two-time reigning American League champions, are so much more than the popular image of a marauding band of bash brothers, pounding the opposition into submission.

A players' manager of the highest order, respected for the freedoms and trust he grants his athletes, Washington has his rules and regulations.

Above all, this man, who was content teaching infielders and flashing signs from the third-base coach's station, is fastidious about fundamentals, about playing the game the right way and making no excuses. He will not compromise there.

When one of his players gets mentally lazy -- no matter the rank -- the nice-guy manager will vent. On this particular occasion, he was on his way to the offending athlete's locker after the game to hammer home a point.

"Before I got there," Washington said, "I saw Adrian [Beltre] in his face, letting him have it. I turned and went back to my office. That's what you want on your team, and that's what we have. These guys run their clubhouse. We have strong leaders on this team."

The Rangers are rawhide-tough. Balancing the voices of authority, such as Beltre and Michael Young, is the light, fun-loving touch of Elvis Andrus, who can create a party atmosphere in a heartbeat.

To sustain winning chemistry over a long season, you need that positive energy along with the physical and emotional commitment. In spite of the rueful way the 2011 season ended, the Rangers still have it. It's impossible to miss.

Supremely confident, they are destined to reach their promised land, at last, in 2012. They have the resources -- pitching, power, defense, speed -- and the mental toughness. Having achieved so much these past three seasons, the final hurdle awaits.

It's time to win the World Series.

Everyone knows how close they came last season when the Cardinals staged their comeback of the ages. Game 6 of the 2011 Fall Classic is the stuff of legend -- at the Rangers' expense. Game 7 became an extension of the implausible way Game 6 played out.

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Rangers have resources, chemistry to win it all

PDUFA V Sets New Course for Regulatory Science – Joint BIO/PhRMA Statement

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEO John J. Castellani and Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood today released the following joint statement on the implementation of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA V):

Today, as implementation of PDUFA V officially commences, PhRMA and BIO stand together to usher in an exciting new era in regulatory science a period that holds great promise for bringing new, innovative medicines to patients in a timely manner.

A reliable, science-driven regulatory environment fosters innovation, promotes economic competitiveness and helps maintain high patient confidence in the integrity of our medicines. PDUFA V, reauthorized in July 2012 as part of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), is a significant step in this direction.

If implemented successfully, PDUFA V will refocus the program on its original intent timely patient access to new medicines while strengthening FDAs high safety standards and helping to establish a new system-wide approach to regulatory science that embraces the scientific tools used in 21st century drug development.

Among its many forward-looking provisions, PDUFA V will enable more timely patient access to safe and effective new medicines through enhanced scientific communications with sponsors during drug development and throughout the drug review process. It also will support the development of a framework to facilitate benefit/risk evaluations of new medicines and integrate patient perspectives in the review process, with a particular focus on diseases with considerable unmet needs.

Under PDUFA V, FDA will have increased resources and staffing to validate the use of new scientific tools, such as pharmacogenomics and biomarkers, that can help demonstrate therapeutic benefits more rapidly. The Agency also will have dedicated resources to evaluate the use of meta-analyses and provide guidance on standardized methodologies for their use in drug review and safety monitoring.

In addition, FDA will have the resources to further strengthen its already robust focus on patient safety by standardizing risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) and helping to make them less burdensome to implement for the healthcare community.

PDUFA V reflects unprecedented collaboration and transparency among healthcare stakeholders, including PhRMA, BIO, FDA and, importantly, the patients we serve. It also reflects strong bipartisan efforts within Congress to reauthorize the program in a timely manner.

Unlike prior PDUFA agreements, the architecture of PDUFA V provides opportunities for continuous engagement and assessment for all stakeholders that will allow us to build toward the next reauthorization in 2017. It is incumbent upon us to help ensure that PDUFA V lives up to its vast potential.

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PDUFA V Sets New Course for Regulatory Science – Joint BIO/PhRMA Statement

SDIX Sells Food Safety and GMO Businesses to Romer Labs for $13.5 Million

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NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SDIX (SDIX), a leading provider of biotechnology-based products and services, today announced it has entered into an agreement to sell the assets of its Food Safety and GMO businesses to Romer Labs for $13.5 million. Following this transaction, the Company will concentrate on its Life Science business. Romer Labs is acquiring the intellectual property, current inventory and commercial contracts, as well as the equipment for the two businesses and will employ the current staff.

Francis DiNuzzo, SDIXs President and CEO, commented, The sale of our Food Safety and GMO businesses to Romer Labs, represents a continued commitment to focus on our core Life Science business, and our Advanced GAT technologies. We continue to make important progress as we work to develop our Advanced GAT technology which is targeted at the discovery of monoclonal antibodies to be used in high value applications such as biotherapeutics and biomarker discovery. The net cash from this sale will strengthen our balance sheet and provide additional investment flexibility for our Life Science businesses.

The acquisition is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2012.

Mr. DiNuzzo went on to say We are pleased to not only achieve great value for SDIX shareholders, but also to place our Food Safety and GMO assets in good hands with Romer Labs. I would like to thank all our employees and customers as we wish Romer Labs continued success with the RapidChek product line and GMO business.

About SDIX (www.sdix.com)

SDIX is a biotechnology company with a core expertise in creating better antigens, better antibodies and better assays for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets. For over 20 years, SDIX has been a leading immuno-solutions company, developing results-oriented and innovative antibody-based solutions that enable customers to meet high performance research, diagnostic and commercialization objectives. In the life science market, SDIXs technology and capabilities are being used to help discover disease mechanisms, facilitate development of new drugs and provide antibodies and assays for the diagnosis of disease.

About Romer Labs

Romer Labs, founded in Washington, MO, in 1982, is a leader in diagnostic solutions for food and feed safety. It develops, manufactures and markets test kits for food allergens, mycotoxins, veterinary drug residues and other food contaminants. The company also operates four accredited full-service laboratories on three continents. Romer Labs has facilities in Austria, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Singapore, UK and the USA. For more than 30 years, Romer Labs has been a trusted partner for the food and feed industry worldwide.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements reflecting SDIX's current expectations. When used in this press release, words like anticipate, could, enable, estimate, intend, expect, believe, can, potential, will, should, project, plan and similar expressions as they relate to SDIX are intended to identify said forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ from those anticipated by SDIX at this time. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, changes in demand for products, the application of our technologies to various uses, delays in product development, delays in market acceptance of new products, retention of customers and employees, adequate supply of raw materials, inability to obtain or delays in obtaining fourth party, or required government approvals, the ability to meet increased market demand, competition, protection of intellectual property, non-infringement of intellectual property, seasonality, and other factors more fully described in SDIX's public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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SDIX Sells Food Safety and GMO Businesses to Romer Labs for $13.5 Million

Biotech Industry Looks to Benefit From New Act Designed to Promote R&D Joint Ventures

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NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 1, 2012) - The Biotechnology Industry has seen increased investor interest in 2012 as it continues to impress with strong gains. The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index ETF (IBB) has gained over 35 percent this year, more than double the S&P 500 Index's gain of 15 percent. New legislation, increased mergers & acquisition activity as a result of major patent expirations have all been contributing factors to industry's rapid rise in 2012. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotech Industry and provides equity research on Biosante Pharmaceuticals Inc. ( NASDAQ : BPAX ) and Neostem Inc. ( NYSE : NBS ).

Access to the full company reports can be found at: http://www.FiveStarEquities.com/BPAX http://www.FiveStarEquities.com/NBS

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has recently praised the introduction of the High Technology Small Business Research Incentives Act. The new legislation would allow investors of joint venture R&D projects to utilize the losses and tax credits.

"Through the tax code, Congress historically has provided opportunities that encourage private investment in pre-revenue, R&D-intensive companies. The early growth of the biotech industry in the 1980s was due in part to the ability of investors to support projects aimed at finding new cures and treatments through similar joint ventures. This legislation will help spur greater private investment in biotech and other R&D intensive industries." BIO's President and CEO Jim Greenwood said in a statement.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the Biotech Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at http://www.FiveStarEquities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

BioSante is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing products for female sexual health and oncology. The company has announced that the independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) has completed the ninth unblinded review of the LibiGel Phase III cardiovascular events and breast cancer safety study.

NeoStem recently announced a significant expansion in its claims granted to protect the use of CD34+ cells. "We received notification that claims granted in the United States have now been granted by the Japanese Patent Office. Additionally, we received recently a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent Office that further expands the scope and protection of our existing CD34+ product patents here in the U.S.," said Andrew Pecora, M.D. FACP CPE, Chief Medical Officer of NeoStem.

Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities hat offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return. We strive to provide the most up-to-date market activities. We constantly create research reports and newsletters for our members. Five Star Equities has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned companies. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at: http://www.FiveStarEquities.com/disclaimer

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Prana Announces A$6.0 Million Capital Raising

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwire - Oct 1, 2012) - Prana Biotechnology Limited ( NASDAQ : PRAN ) ( ASX : PBT ) today announced that it has raised A$6.0 million (approx.) through a placement of 32,500,000 ordinary fully paid shares (equivalent to 3.25 millionNASDAQ listed ADRs) at a price of A$0.185 per share. The placement attracted strong demand even though the amount raised was restricted by the number of shares which could be issued by the Company under ASX listing rule 7.1, thereby not requiring a separate meeting of shareholders.

The placement was subscribed by a range of leading Australian institutional investors within the healthcare sector in Australia, as well as several High Net Worth Investors. The placement was managed by JM Financial Group Limited, based in Melbourne.

The capital was raised in order to support Prana's two ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials, the IMAGINE trial and Reach2HD trial, testing the effects of its lead drug candidate, PBT2, in Alzheimer's and Huntington disease patients, respectively. Results are anticipated to be reported in 2H13.

"The funds raised by Prana via this placement, reflect strong commitment to Prana's clinical development programmes and the commercial opportunity this provides. The endorsement of and participation by some of Australia's leading healthcare investors is very welcome," said Geoffrey Kempler, Prana's Executive Chairman.

Prana management and scientific advisors are on a roadshow this week in Melbourne, New York, Boston and London, updating the investment community on Prana's progress.

About Prana Biotechnology Limited Prana Biotechnology was established to commercialize research into age-related neurodegenerative disorders. The Company was incorporated in 1997 and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in March 2000 and listed on NASDAQ in September 2002.Researchers at prominent international institutions including The University of Melbourne, The Mental Health Research Institute (Melbourne) and Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, contributed to the discovery of Prana's technology.

For further information please visit the Company's web site at http://www.pranabio.com.

Forward Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.The Company has tried to identify such forward-looking statements by use of such words as "expects," "intends," "hopes," "anticipates," "believes," "could," "may," "evidences" and "estimates," and other similar expressions, but these words are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.Such statements include, but are not limited to any statements relating to the Company's drug development program, including, but not limited to the initiation, progress and outcomes of clinical trials of the Company's drug development program, including, but not limited to, PBT2, and any other statements that are not historical facts.Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties relating to the difficulties or delays in financing, development, testing, regulatory approval, production and marketing of the Company's drug components, including, but not limited to, PBT2, the ability of the Company to procure additional future sources of financing, unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the Company's drug compounds, including, but not limited to, PBT2, that could slow or prevent products coming to market, the uncertainty of patent protection for the Company's intellectual property or trade secrets, including, but not limited to, the intellectual property relating to PBT2, and otherrisks detailed from time to time in the filings the Company makes with Securities and Exchange Commission including its annual reports on Form 20-F and its reports on Form 6-K.Such statements are based on management's current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factions including those risks and uncertainties mentioned or referred to in this press release.Accordingly, you should not rely on those forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual future results.

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Medistem and Superview Biotechnology Co. Ltd. Initiate Collaboration on Therapeutics Development Using Antibody and …

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SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Medistem Inc (Pink Sheets:MEDS) announced today the initiation of a collaboration with Superview Biotechnology Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Yinhuan Holding Co from Yixing, China. The joint work will be aimed at using proprietary stem cell lines developed by Medistem for screening of monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic activity in the area of regenerative medicine. As part of the collaboration, the two companies will evaluate various candidates jointly, as well as apply for grants and share research data.

To date, the majority of stem cell companies are focusing on the stem cell itself being a product. By collaborating with Superview Biotechnology, we aim to assess the feasibility of developing antibodies that can modulate the activity of stem cells that already exist in the body, said Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem. This approach not only provides methods of activating stem cells but also allows for the development of stem cell adjuvant therapies that could be used to resurrect stem cell candidates that failed in clinical trials.

Superview Biotechnology has developed proprietary methods of rapidly generating monoclonal antibodies to esoteric protein targets. Medistem has a history of success in the area of stem cells, being the only company to take a stem cell product from discovery to FDA clearance in the short span of 4 years.

One of the significant driving forces behind our company is to develop innovative targets for our monoclonal antibodies. Although monoclonal antibodies have generated sales of billions of dollars in areas ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, to cancer, to preventing blindness, we feel that the potential of this therapeutic tool is only beginning to be recognized, said Jiong Wu, CEO of Superview Biotechnology. Our opinion is that the barriers to entry for monoclonal antibody-based therapies modulating endogenous stem cells is lower than stem cell based therapies. We are eager to work with the Medistem team at exploring this hypothesis.

A joint grant is expected to be filed with the National Natural Science Foundation of China to support part of the proposed collaboration by end of October, 2012.

Cautionary Statement

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of our securities. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. Factors which may cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Medistem and Superview Biotechnology Co. Ltd. Initiate Collaboration on Therapeutics Development Using Antibody and ...

Stanford Scientists Create ''Biological Internet''

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Bioengineers at Stanford University have created a communication network to send commands to and from cells within a biological body.

Monica Ortiz, a doctoral candidate in bioengineering, and Drew Endy, an assistant professor of bioengineering said they succeeded in using the M13 bacteriophage as a carrier of genetic messages to build what they call a "biological Internet".

M13, a non-lethal virus which as the ability to "broadcast" DNA, can be used to pick up arbitrary DNA strands and transport them to certaincells over a distance of up to 7 cm, which is about 79,500 times its own length (880 nm). The researchers said that M13 transports messages in the form of commands, but does not care what the content of the message is. At its destination, M13 releases the command.

"Effectively, we've separated the message from the channel. We can now send any DNA message we want to specific cells within a complex microbial community," said Ortiz, the first author of the study.

According to the research, M13 can be used to create much more complex communication between cells and "include any sort of genetic instruction: start growing, stop growing, come closer, swim away, produce insulin and so forth." The vision is the creation of "biosynthetic factories in which huge masses of microbes collaborate to make more complicated fuels, pharmaceuticals and other useful chemicals." Even the regeneration of tissue and organs may be possible.

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The great stem cell dilemma

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By Jeffrey M. O'Brien, contributor

Stem cells stored in liquid nitrogen at Advanced Cell Technology in Marlborough, Mass.

FORTUNE -- Imagine yourself the proud but rueful owner of an ancient Jaguar. Every day you dread the uncertainty that comes with trying to get from here to there -- there, more often than not, being the shop. No sooner does one ailment find repair than another appears. At best, it's a slow, uncomfortable ride. Lonely too. There's really no one around who fully understands your plight.

That is how Patricia Riley describes life in a 95-year-old body. Riley, who reached that milestone birthday last St. Patrick's Day, lives alone in the same 1,100-square-foot house in Plainfield, Conn., that she's called home for 64 years, having survived her husband (heart disease), a daughter (breast cancer), and every friend she ever had. "All the people I knew have all gone, Jeffrey," she says in a quivering voice laced with melancholy. "They've all died. I go to church and I never see people my age." Her remaining family includes two daughters, five grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, including my two young sons. In a nod to her French-Canadian heritage, we call her Mme.

Mme attributes her longevity to good genes, but she clearly owes a debt to modern medicine. Over the years she's had a cholecystectomy, a hysterectomy, esophageal surgery, a stroke, and ulcerative colitis. Lately she relies on a cane and a walker, and her daily regimen includes pain pills for arthritis, two inhalers for asthma, high-blood-pressure meds, a statin, vitamins, digestion aids, and an anti-anxiety drug that she calls "my nerve pill." Her vision also comes courtesy of medical science. Three years ago Mme was diagnosed with a form of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, a disease of the back of the retina that is the leading cause of vision loss in the developed world. The ophthalmologist gave her a choice: a needle into her eyeballs every six weeks, or blindness. Mme opted for the injections and now receives shots of an off-label cancer drug called Avastin, which has demonstrated efficacy in halting the progress of her type of AMD. Holding the ailment at bay is all she can hope for. "I'll have to go for as long as I live," she says. "It's just a treatment -- it's not a cure."

Treatments, not cures. This, in a nutshell, is the MO of our health care system, and it's precisely the reason that regenerative medicine -- and stem cell therapy in particular -- has been the subject of so much hope and hype over the past decade or so. Stem cell therapies promise to empower a body to fight ailments by enabling it to build new parts. Think about growing new neurons or heart tissue. Think about the difference between perpetually slathering that old Jag with Bondo and having it heal itself overnight in the garage.

MORE:Stem cell dollars: California leads the way

While stem cells have ignited plenty of religious outrage and political grandstanding, behind the headlines the underlying science has been advancing the way science often does -- by turns slowly and dramatically. To be clear, the earliest stem cell therapies are almost certainly years from distribution. But so much progress has been made at venerable research institutions that it now seems possible to honestly discuss the possibility of a new medical paradigm emerging within a generation. Working primarily with rodents in preclinical trials, MDs and Ph.D.s are making the paralyzed walk and the impotent virile. A stem cell therapy for two types of macular degeneration recently restored the vision of two women. Once they were blind. Now they see! Some experts assert that AMD could be eradicated within a decade. Other scientists are heralding a drug-free fix for HIV/AIDS. Various forms of cancer, Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and ALS have already been eradicated in mice. If such work translates to humans, it will represent the type of platform advancement that comes along in medicine only once in a lifetime or two. The effect on the economy would be substantial. Champions of stem cell research say it would be on the order of the Internet or even the transistor.

The obstacles along the road from lab rat to human patients are many, of course, but the biggest by far is money. With the dramatic events in the lab, you might think that a gold rush would be under way. That's far from true. Long time horizons, regulatory hurdles, huge R&D costs, public sentiment, and political headwinds have all scared financiers. Wall Street isn't interested in financing this particular dream. Most stem cell companies that have dared go public are trading down 90% or more from their IPOs. Sand Hill Road is AWOL. The National Venture Capital Association doesn't even have a category to track stem cell investments.

Big Pharma would seem to be the most obvious benefactor. The drug companies understand the complexities (and billion-dollar outlays) involved in bringing therapies to market. A few drug companies have kicked the tires on stem cells over the years, but waiting for them to undo the current model is akin to banking on Big Oil to rethink energy. They may do it, but it's unlikely to be by choice. Which leaves stem cell researchers begging for state and federal grants at a time scientific funding is under siege.

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ECU notes: Protein may save tissue

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Research by an East Carolina University scientist could lead to a product that helps preserve heart tissue during a heart attack.

Dr. Jitka Virag, an assistant professor of physiology at the Brody School of Medicine, and collaborators are working with a protein called ephrinA1. They have found that an injection of the protein into a rodent heart at the onset of a myocardial infarction, commonly referred to as a heart attack, reduces the death of heart tissue by as much as 50 percent. Their work was published last year in the Journal of Physiology.

If it works in the acute and chronic models and ultimately reduces the progression of heart failure and mortality, I think the potential for therapeutic use is great, Virag said.

She recently received a $75,000 grant from the N.C. Biotechnology Center to further her research. She hopes that will clarify how the protein works to protect heart tissue and whether it can be developed into a viable therapy for people who have had heart attacks.

Technically, a myocardial infarction is caused when the blood supply to the heart is blocked, usually by a break-up of plaque inside the artery. At worst, death occurs, but in almost all cases, tissue dies, and the heart loses part of its capacity to pump blood. If caught early, damage can be minimized. However, therapies available to limit the progression to heart failure are geared toward relieving the symptoms, not repairing the injury.

Ephrins are a type of protein known as receptor tyrosine kinase ligands that regulate certain cellular processes. In particular, the ephrinA1 ligand is angiogenic, meaning it can create blood vessels. Due to that property and others, Virag hypothesized that ephrinA1 would help reduce tissue damage. It did, but not because of its angiogenic properties.

Thus, Virag and her team are now working to determine why ephrinA1 works.

ECU is pursuing a patent on the discovery and eventually could work with a biotechnology firm or pharmaceutical company to commercialize it.

Although preliminary data from ongoing experiments is quite promising, there are many questions that remain unanswered, and so this is an exciting time for this work, Virag said.

ECU students recently took their underwater archaeology training above ground as they examined maritime artifacts on the site of the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site & Museum.

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Warming sparks smaller-fish fears

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New Delhi, Sept. 30: Fish in Indias coastal waters and elsewhere in the worlds oceans might become smaller and lighter in the coming decades, a study of the effects of climate change on fish physiology has suggested.

The computer simulation study of the impact of warmer and less-oxygenated oceans on some 600 species of marine fish has predicted that their average body weight in 2050 would be 14 to 24 per cent less compared with 2001.

The Canadian and US scientists involved in the research have found that most of the species they studied could experience a five to 39 per cent drop in their maximum body weight. The findings were published today in the journal Nature Climate Change.

These results may have implications for the marine ecosystem and for food security, William Cheung, marine ecologist at the University of British Columbia in Canada and lead author of the study, told The Telegraph.

But a senior Indian scientist said the fishing zones for at least two fish species in Indian coastal waters had expanded over the past two decades and there was no evidence of size depletion driven by climate change.

The simulations by Cheung and his colleagues predict the largest decrease in the average maximum body weight of fish in the Indian Ocean (24 per cent), followed by the Atlantic Ocean (20 per cent) and the Pacific Ocean (14 per cent).

According to the projections, the maximum body weights of some fish species found along Indias west and east coasts could fall by more than 20 per cent.

The projected reductions in fish size and weight are accentuated closer to the coasts rather than in deep-sea zones.

This is because changes in the oceans properties that influence fish physiology will be greater in shallow areas than in the deep sea, Cheung said.

The study is part of efforts to predict how warmer temperatures brought about by greenhouse gas emissions would effect the marine ecosystem. Last year, scientists at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland had independently shown that warmer temperatures are likely to reduce the maximum size of the haddock off the Scottish North Sea coast.

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NovoPath Hires Veteran Account Manager – Tami Abell Brings Decades of Experience to Anatomic Pathology Leader

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NovoPath, Inc. announces the addition of Tami Abell to their team, who will concentrate on enriching client satisfaction in her role as Account Manager.

Princeton, NJ (PRWEB) September 29, 2012

Tami, a seasoned professional, will hit the ground running as she brings over two decades of hands-on senior level management expertise, backed by a technical background. Her qualifications include a successful track record in healthcare marketing and sales, and her extensive experience in the Healthcare Information Technology sector translates to a comprehensive understanding of this sophisticated arena. For the last 10 years, Tami has drilled down, focusing on the anatomic pathology market specifically laboratory information systems and software.

As Account Manager, Tami will be contributing to the growth of the organization by concentrating on enrichment of NovoPath client satisfaction. In her new role, Tami will act as a conduit to customers when she designs and implements NovoPaths new User Group Program, and as liaison to the New Product Development team translating client needs into viable product enhancements and solutions.

When asked about her new assignment, Tami replied, I joined NovoPath because I wanted to be part of a team actively involved in driving the Anatomic Pathology market. While my primary aim is to listen to clients, thereby increasing their level of satisfaction, I look forward to contributing to a company that is furthering the significant diagnostic advances leading to a more personalized treatment for cancer patients.

About NovoPath, Inc.:

NovoPath, Inc. develops and markets software solutions for the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory market segment that includes local, regional, national, in-house laboratories as well as community and university teaching hospitals and medical centers. Since the release of its flagship product in 1999, NovoPath, Inc. has focused exclusively on Anatomic Pathology. NovoPath's mission is to provide unique and unparalleled solutions and services to all aspects of the Anatomic Pathology sector in a way that improves workflow, reduces the probability of human error, ensures results accuracy for greater patient safety, protects patient confidentiality, and above all, produces more precise and informative diagnostic outcomes. More information is available at http://www.NovoPath.com.

Susan Holland/Public Relations Specialist NovoPath INC 336.693.9101 201 Email Information

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NovoPath Hires Veteran Account Manager - Tami Abell Brings Decades of Experience to Anatomic Pathology Leader

Danone seeks to double nutrition business in 3-4 years

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Mumbai, Sept 30:

The French dairy giant Danone, which had earlier this year acquired the nutrition business of the city-based drug firm Wockhardt, plans to double the business in three to four years, a top company official has said.

The French firm had acquired the nutrition business of Wockhardt for a consideration of Rs 1,280 crore, paving the way for its entry into the domestic baby and medical nutrition market and the new entity was named Nutricia International.

The domestic baby nutrition and medical nutrition is a Rs 300-crore business and is growing at 15-20 per cent. We should grow faster than the market rate. We should be able to double our business in three to four years, Danone Group firm Nutricia International managing director Laurent Marcel told PTI on the sidelines of an industry event here.

Danone acquired Wockhardts various brands under its nutrition business, including Farex, Protinex, Dexolac and Nusobee, apart from related industrial operations from Carol Info Services based in Punjab.

Asked if the company would launch its global brands in the baby nutrition business here, Marcel said, We will leverage on the existing brands in the first phase, as we want to leverage the strengths of Wockhardts brands and understand the market better.

We will see when it is a good time to bring in new brands. This is a strategic roadmap that takes some time for implementation. Danone sells its baby nutrition products in 137 countries with a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for around 40 per cent of its volumes.

Its baby nutrition brands include Milupa, Bledina, Gallia, Aptamil, SGM and Dumex among others.

Keywords: French dairy company Danone,acquired,nutrition business,Wockhardt,double business,French firm,entry,domestic baby,medical nutrition,market,new entity,Nutricia International,Danone Group firm Nutricia International managing director Laurent Marcel,

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Danone seeks to double nutrition business in 3-4 years