Author Archives: Fredricko

Crystallography articles written by chemistry students get published in IUCrData – Evening Observer

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Nine students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the State University of New York at Fredonia representing sophomore, junior and senior classes are making an impact in the scientific community one crystal structure at a time.

Their separate lab experiments produced two articles that were published in IUCrData, a peer-reviewed open-access data publication of the International Union of Crystallography. Both dealt with the molecular structure and crystal packing of a compound the students synthesized in their respective undergraduate laboratories.

Four seniors Joshua Deschner, Calvin Y. Wong, Ralph R. Crisci and Joseph Dragonette and three juniors Jack M. Choczynski, Kathleen L. Hayes and Emily Lasher had their paper published in the Feb. 21 issue. They are enrolled in CHEM 481 Advanced Experimental Laboratory. Their article can be read online.

The article by sophomores Trent R. Howard and Kaleh A. Mendez-deMello appeared in the Nov. 29, 2016 issue. They are enrolled in CHEM 225 Organic Chemistry Laboratory 1. Their article can also be read online.

Single crystal X-ray crystallography is a powerful technique used to determine the structure of a molecule, as well as how the molecules/ions are arranged in solid state.

When you go for an X-ray examination in a hospital, the film will give you a visual representation of your skeleton. That is somewhat what we do with our samples; we use X-ray to get a visualization of the molecular backbone or carbon skeleton of our molecules. We bombard our samples (crystals) with X-rays, which creates a diffraction pattern depending on how the crystal deflects the X-ray beam, explained Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Allan Cardenas.

From the diffraction pattern, the electron density map can be plotted, a process that leads to determining how atoms are connected and how molecules are packed. In addition to applications in molecular chemistry, crystallography has a significant impact in material science and medicine, Cardenas noted.

The students demonstrated their synthetic and purification skills in preparing the samples. Each sample must be of high purity so it will produce crystals instead of powder. After their samples are prepared, they can be analyzed with a wide array of top-of-the-line instruments available in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department in the Science Center.

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Crystallography articles written by chemistry students get published in IUCrData - Evening Observer

Why Should Investors Consider An Allocation In Speculative Biotechnology: A Sector Analysis – Seeking Alpha

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Many intriguing articles have been written about investing in biotechnology. Biotechnology investment has been referenced by many knowledgeable and respectable authors as controversial, out of favor, and even sexy (this article by Stephen Simpson, CFA, is must read). Surviving current trends in biotechnology stock price manipulation can be both stressful and disappointing. This leaves us all to wonder is it even worth it to try speculative biotechnology as an investment option?

StrongBio believes it is worth it, even if it results in losses that are hard to endure. In the end, contributions to healthcare from growing sources of capital are extremely important for improved patient care (termed supply-side capital). As these contributions have grown, however, so too has waste. With proper selection, timing, and diversification (three pillars of biotechnology investment), the common retail investor can eventually be financially rewarded as philanthropic goals of the population are met.

Simply put, biotechnology companies focus on drug development aiming to treat an unmet or under-met disease or medical condition. Companies that have succeeded have net sales in the tens of billions and total market values in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Speculative biotechnology companies, in contrast, differ from proven top biotechnology companies in that they often have no approved products or revenues.

Gary Pisano of Harvard Business School has done extensive modeling of biotechnology (and other technology) returns. Reports between 2006 and 2012 indicate that average biotechnology returns have been historically unimpressive; with 25-year returns of "market baskets" of biotech stocks yielding only about 10% per year. This means that much of the legendary "opportunity" in biotechnology stocks revolves around successful portfolio management of technological trend shifts and timing positions accordingly.

Much of the challenges lie in the fact that science experts tend to focus into niches instead of pursue interdisciplinary science. Scientists tend to lack fundamental economics or business expertise and vice-versa, with business leaders lacking science background.

So what if a speculative biotechnology company has shown positive data in a curative treatment for cancer? Many things can still go wrong for an investor. One should always have a plan for setbacks and delays. Sometimes clinical setbacks can occur requiring a company to delay a trial until regulatory requirements are met. Other delays are more business-oriented, with slated clinical trials held up due to lack of funding such as in poor economic times.

Even legal setbacks occur and can cost both time and money. And then we have the gatekeeper: FDA, and regulatory setbacks that can occur. The fact is most biotechnology projects fail. According to Pisano, the average biotechnology company is likely to fail 90% of the time, with companies that make it all the way to Phase 3 experiencing approximately 50% chance of success.

Multidisciplinary investment management increases the likelihood of a success, meaning, that many common retail investors are going to have to try to wear multiple hats when performing qualitative analyses. That's what StrongBio calls work. It's a lot of work. But knowing what to look for in each discipline can be of great service to the retail investor.

And if all of those pitfalls are not enough, going back to our legitimate cancer data success scenario, market manipulation and fake news from negative press can still make investors feel like their winners are losing investments for quite some time. Take for instance the 2016 situation with Celator Pharmaceuticals, which was driven down to $0.79 cents per share and rose 1600% when whatever market forces that were holding it down, along with negative press, finally gave up the fight to an obvious winner (having been bought out by Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:JAZZ).

The oppressive forces on the stock persisted right up until FDA review. Other company shareholders, like those of Northwest Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:NWBO), allege that negative press and stock manipulation are linked. Immunomedics's (NASDAQ:IMMU) stock see-sawed back and forth several times between $2 and $5 (and even drew a halt from the SEC), market cap between 180 million and 500 million respectfully, in 2016 with alternating negative legal press by no less than 20 law firms and positive research press and stock price volatility. Extreme patience is required while waiting for "fair value."

The University of Chicago oncologist Mark Ratain postulated that a company with a market cap of less than $300 million is unlikely to succeed. Commonly known in biotechnology investment circles, the Feuerstein-Ratain rule, was a solid predictor in the past. This year companies are defying the 300 million rule. StrongBio believes the rule used to hold water because there was a predictable method to the involvement of big pharma in purchasing speculative biotechnology cancer stocks.

So either big pharma is no longer able to identify useful technologies and many are slipping through the cracks, which is unlikely, or something in the markets is changing. It is also possible that it was getting predictable to pick biotechnology successes based upon the highly successful metric by the well-respected Feuerstein and Ratain, so market makers have changed it up a little. Past open market buyout periods of obtaining shares of speculative stocks drove prices up as a whole (or held them flat for long periods of time) to approximately 300 million market caps. Accumulation such as this no longer seems to be in effect.

Whatever the mechanism of value assignment by the market, it is clear there is a new market pattern emerging in biotechnology, with lower than normal market caps. StrongBio believes there may be several contributing reasons for this. One, investment levels are predicted to be the lowest that they have been since 1947. This is also true in the investment banking sector, a big source of biotechnology funding.

Simply put we have not had a great investment economy, and risky biotechnology may be regarded as an irresponsible investment during tough financial times. Because new patterns on speculative biotechnology company stocks show suppression over periods of months and years, it is possible there just is not as much retail and/or institutional support as in years past.

Two, is the SEC unconscious at the wheel or did someone outsource that job to Asia? This query addresses concern over foreign-based or hostile entities' ability to starve funding for cash hungry technology companies when they need to sell stock. In recent years, an increase in foreign companies cheaply acquiring U.S. biotechnologies developed at tax-payer-supported universities and other technologies funded by state and local governments has plagued markets.

New stock exchanges like IEX have even been set up in an attempt to thwart different kinds of financial manipulation utilizing delays in trade execution (read this book or a synopsis about it in Flash Boys; it's fascinating). However, the market is currently responding to new executive political leadership in a corrective way. One can always hope that a nation of laws will have proper enforcement.

Three, short sellers have influenced stock prices (being respectful of regulations) for a long time, but not to the extent that manipulation is occurring now. Foreign countries like those in Western Europe, Australia and Canada have entirely outlawed the practice of shorting on their own stock exchanges. This indicates these countries have identified that stocks were oversold and manipulated and regulations and laws limiting short sales were not able to control it.

It would appear pretty obvious to those following speculative biotechnology that the same is occurring in the U.S. For instance, one exploring and mining company presented evidence to the SEC of a naked short position in the hundreds of billions of shares. Regardless of mechanism there may be a way to estimate increases in short-selling using well established metrics in biotechnology.

StrongBio cites the 2016 failures (and likely more in 2017) of the long-established Feuerstein-Ratain rule as evidence NOT that the metric is somehow flawed, but rather that market conditions have changed. The 300 million "rule" is now as dated as 4-inch tile countertops for kitchens and bathrooms, and has likely been rendered obsolete by rampant stock price manipulation. But that does not mean that one should abandon biotechnology investments.

Eventually, a fair value is decided between a suitor and company management if something in the pipeline passes FDA and can be sold. Since Celator (NASDAQ:CPXX) rendered the Feuerstein-Ratain rule obsolete at a market cap of less than $100 million, and Immunomedics obtained FDA breakthrough therapy status in triple negative breast cancer at about $160 million, we know the static threshold value of 300 million is no longer even close to critical mass for the metric.

Out of fairness, the metric can be influenced by other factors such as a changing FDA landscape as well, but that wouldn't explain the difference in market cap as the FDA does not participate in stock pricing or market making per se. It follows that if market regulation returns to prior levels, the metric threshold would increase back to 300 million.

How much lower can the Feuerstein-Ratain critical threshold go? That may depend in part how many shares can be shorted in a given company. StrongBio cites here mention of a gnarly cancer drug company from a recent article by an author of the metric that has approvable Phase 3 data. According to a report by H.C. Wainright, this 40 million market cap company, CytRx (NASDAQ:CYTR), is likely to get some kind of approval pathway for aldoxorubicin on its statistically significant Phase 3 sarcoma data, where it outperformed all 5 other drugs in the study.

One might approximate that if short selling is the cause for lower market cap FDA approvals in cancer, estimates based upon how much additional share supply exists now versus when the rule was working can be made. 300 million, the past metric threshold, divided by 40 million, the current potential low, gives a WHOPPING 7.5-fold more potential share supply (provided to the market by short selling). This assumes that the relationship between stock price and shorting of shares has some kind of linear and direct relationship, such as common economic supply and demand curves.

This implies the Feuerstein-Ratain metric tool is a dynamic sliding-threshold subject to changing market factors. One might argue that a linear relationship would be less representative for a "real world" sigmoidal supply and demand model, such as that proposed by Alfred Marshall. These curves break from a linear path to form a smooth parabolic curve with sigmoid limits because of factors such as wear and tear of production equipment, transportation limits, and other practical factors in supply-side analysis. In an electronic market system of a thinly traded biotechnology stock, it is unlikely these factors are relevant.

This emerging scenario creates an even greater margin for profit if one can properly select stocks that are at a record low market cap threshold for FDA approval in cancer, sometimes called short squeeze. At some point, speculative biotechnology companies get a fair value assigned if management is honest enough to serve their fiduciary duty to shareholders. It is at the point of buyout that fair value was reached for CPXX. Fair value soon will be reached for IMMU based upon significant partnership (Seattle Genetics, SGEN) and possibly even CYTR.

StrongBio cautions the reader that CytRx has been accused of hiring stock promotion media in the past, and its pillar of honor might have been "pierced." Nonetheless it appears that after a substantial period of risk everything that was promoted is likely to be true. In addition, remember that biotechnology investment in a "market basket" of companies typically returns about 10%. StrongBio does not recommend deviating from this basket approach, but rather by changing weighting late into development and after dilutions, obtain higher than 10% returns when possible.

The primary pillar of biotechnology stock investing, selection, is obviously a critical factor, standing tall in front of the pillar of timing. How can we avoid picking a loser? The second pillar of timing comes down to choosing a company with favorable Phase 3 data as they meet with FDA in a type B meeting (where FDA reviews the data outcomes of a clinical study) and an abnormally low stock price compared to the annual market its product will serve.

These two pillars stand in synergism, as one doesn't have a favorable investment with only one solid pillar supporting a portfolio candidate under current market conditions. It is important to invest lightly at first so that lower prices do not cause harm to a portfolio. If the stock runs up just be happy you had a little.

The pitfall of regulatory hurdles is always a major concern, but there is circumstantial evidence that the FDA will be easing some burdens. Cancer drug shortages (such as existed for doxorubicin in December 2016) can be thwarted by increasing the number of suppliers and approving safer more effective derivatives. The FDA may favor competition to lower prices of potentially egregious monopolies. Cancer treatment in the hospital environment is currently trending towards increasing physician options and information as well as for patient-physician interaction as well.

For instance, some drugs may be hard on the liver and not be good for alcoholics, whereas other drugs may be rough on the heart, and be contra-indicated for heart attack sufferers. So demonstration of comparable efficacy may be acceptable if safety is improved for subsets of patients. Whether the desire for increased options will spread from cancer to other indications remains to be seen.

However it is no secret that Trump intends to "slash restraints" artificially put on drug makers by the FDA. If these trends come to fruition, StrongBio expects the chance of success of biotechnology companies to increase, but the markets for some drugs may sink into smaller niches of sales with greater total options available.

So there are certainly the same past investment risks that the FDA will not view data as favorable or that companies will have a hard time proving they can meet production standards for NDA approval, including lot to lot consistency. Oftentimes a speculative biotechnology company can partner this production with a number of firms.

But the reward to risk ratio can at least be dynamically tuned for investment success. With proper selection, timing, and diversification, StrongBio estimates that new regulatory policies and market conditions will make biotechnology investment potentially more common and successful as the outdated thresholds of the past are readjusted to guide investors.

Disclosure: I am/we are long IMMU CYTR.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Editor's Note: This article covers one or more stocks trading at less than $1 per share and/or with less than a $100 million market cap. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

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Why Should Investors Consider An Allocation In Speculative Biotechnology: A Sector Analysis - Seeking Alpha

Sri Lanka wants Rs100mn Biotechnology Park in Homagama … – Lanka Business Online

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Mar 16, 2017 (LBO) Sri Lankas cabinet has agreed to establish the Biotechnology Innovation Park in the Nanotechnology Park in Pitipana, Homagama as a public-private partnership project.

This years budget allocated 100 million rupees for the establishment of this facility which will provide facilities mainly for companies engaged in the pharmaceutical industry and genomics.

Apart from the land, the government will also allocate utilities such as electricity and water for the proposed facility.

Global market for biotechnology is estimated at over 453 billion US dollars in 2016 with an annual growth of over 10 percent.

In 2013, Sri Lankas first ever Nanotechnology and Science Park was commissioned in Homagama with the government investing over 2 billion rupees and six private companies cumulatively investing 310 million rupees.

Potential Sectors for Sri Lankan Biotechnology Industry Development

Enzyme: food, detergent, garment etc. Synthetic biology Pharmaceutical: Vaccines( including recombinant), anti-venom, antibiotics, herbal product drug delivery mechanisms etc. Medical diagnostics : Genomics, regenerative medicine etc. Tissue engineering : production of cell lines Bioinformatics Clinical trails Bioenergy Neutraceuticals and therapeutics Bio-products : bio-fertilizer, bio-pesticides etc Marine biotechnology : medicinal, food, chemical Environmental biotechnology : waste management Agriculture Biotechnology : crop improvement molecular breeding, biotech crops etc.

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Sri Lanka wants Rs100mn Biotechnology Park in Homagama ... - Lanka Business Online

Nasdaq Composite Index Approaches Record High as … – Economic Calendar

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The Nasdaq Composite Index rose Wednesday, buoyed by broad advances at biotechnology and IT companies, after the Federal Reserve decided to raise interest rates for the second time in three meetings.

The technology-heavy index rose 0.7% to 5,900.05, its fifth advance in the last six sessions. The benchmark index settled just below all-time highs.

With the gain, the Nasdaq has returned nearly 10% for the year, outpacing the S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average.

A total of 2,009 companies listed on the Nasdaq reported gains, versus 888 that finished lower and 229 that went unchanged. A total of 166 companies reported new highs, versus 47 that set new lows.

Health stocks listed on the S&P 500 rose more than 1%, with pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and life sciences leading the rally. Information technology also advanced 0.6% as a sector.

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The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index rose 1.5% to 3,162.82.

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 1% in a move that was widely anticipated by the markets. Policymakers continue to expect three rate increases this year, putting the central bank on course for two additional adjustments in 2017.

In terms of upcoming releases, the U.S. Labor Department will report on initial jobless claims on Thursday. Separately, the Commerce Department will report on housing starts and building permits. The Philadelphia Fed will also report on regional manufacturing conditions in the early morning.

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Nasdaq Composite Index Approaches Record High as ... - Economic Calendar

Sam Konduros named president and CEO of S.C. Biotechnology … – Greenville News

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Sam Konduros(Photo: Provided)

Sam Konduros, a former executive director of Greenville Health Systems Research Development Corporation, was named on Monday as the new president and CEO of the S.C. Biotechnology Industry Organization.

SCBIO is a statewide, non-for-profit that represents and organizes innovators in medicine, medical devices and biomaterials.

Konduros is a currently a member of the SCBIO Board of Directors.

I greatlyappreciate the SCBIO boardspassion forservingand advancing South Carolinas rapidly growing life sciences community and industry sector, and for their vote of confidence in my leadership capabilities for the organization going forward, Konduros said in a statement.

Architecture and design firm adds new hire to Greenville office

Verizon looks to fill 100 positions at new telesales center in Greenville

Konduros, a business leader and biomedical and economic development consultant, is the founder of SK Strategies LLC, launched in 2004, and has led a number of state economic development efforts.

He was the founding president and CEO of theUpstate S.C. Alliance, and is a former chairman for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and a former committee member of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.

Konduros has a law degree from the University of South Carolina and an undergraduate degree from Clemson University. He is alsoa graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.

Sams strengths in knowing the biotech sector and his deep experience in business and economic development were compelling, Erin Ford, chair of SCBIO, said in a statement. The board was won over by his vision for the growth of SCBIO.

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Sam Konduros named president and CEO of S.C. Biotechnology ... - Greenville News

Here’s Why Editas Medicine Gained as Much as 17.2% Today – Motley Fool

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What happened

Shares of gene-editing pioneer Editas Medicine (NASDAQ:EDIT) rose over 17% today before settling near gains of 5% in the last hour of trading, after the company announced a strategic research-and-development collaboration with Allergan (NYSE:AGN). The pair will team up to advance and develop Editas' lead drug candidate, taking aim at a rare group of eye diseases collectively called Leber Congenital Amaurosis, or LCA. The rare inherited disease is detected at (or within months after) birth and can cause severe loss of vision or blindness.

Allergan, already a leader in treating and developing novel treatments for eye diseases, will also have exclusive access to license up to five of the gene-editing platform's ocular programs. Editas Medicine will receive $90 million up front, plus potential milestones and royalty payments. Of course, it's worth pointing out that even the lead program has yet to enter clinical trials.

Image source: Getty Images.

The partnership announcement specifically mentioned LCA10, which is one of 18 recognized types of LCA. Each type of the disease affects a different single gene, an important consideration for early gene-editing therapeutic candidates. That's because it will be easier to treat diseases with simpler genetic mutations affecting one gene (such as Friedreich's ataxia, sickle-cell anemia, and LCA) than it will be to treat diseases with more complex genetic influences (such as heart disease).

More specifically, there are good reasons for the company to initially focus on diseases affecting vision. CRISPR, the gene-editing technology used by Editas Medicine, has been shown in the past 18 months to restore sight in blind lab animals. Those external studies did not achieve very high efficiency rates and focused on diseases other than LCA, but there are encouraging similarities.

In the short term, given the early-stage nature of the technology and the company's pipeline, investors should focus more on the financial aspects of the deal. The $90 million up-front payment will provide a nice boost to the balance sheet, which showed $185 million in cash at the end of 2016. Plus, investors could expect additional up-front payments should Allergan license programs aside from LCA10.

It's also important to note that Allergan will be responsible for all expenses related to the development and commercialization of each program licensed, unless Editas Medicine exercises its option to co-develop and co-market up to two of the programs licensed by its new partner. That will allow the gene-editing pioneer to avoid significant clinical, regulatory, and marketing expenses while developing and commercializing its platform.

This may not be a blockbuster deal for investors, but there could be more deals on the way, now that the company's technology platform is no longer operating under the fog of uncertainty caused by a recently settled legal dispute. Either way, Allergan is a deep-pocketed and experienced partner that can shield Editas Medicine from development risks as the latter prepares to bring a CRISPR therapeutic into the clinic for the first time.

Maxx Chatsko has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Here's Why Editas Medicine Gained as Much as 17.2% Today - Motley Fool

Gene mutation found to drive prostate cancer subtype – Medical Xpress

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March 14, 2017 by Heather Lindsey Prostate organoids from genetically engineered mouse models. Credit: Mirjam Blattner and Dennis Huang

A newly discovered genetic mutation that is found in a subtype of prostate cancer is integral to the disease's development and growth, according to research from Weill Cornell Medicine scientists. Their findings could pave the way for new targeted treatment approaches.

A mutation of the gene Speckle Type BTB/POZ Protein, or SPOP, occurs in about 10 percent of men with prostate cancer. Roughly 20,000 men per year in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancers harboring SPOP mutations. But until now, SPOP's role in driving cancer was largely unknown. In a study published March 13 in Cancer Cell, researchers found in mice that the SPOP mutation leads to prostate cancer that grows in a distinctively different way from other common subtypes.

"This is important because now we have to think about SPOP cancers differently," said co-senior author Dr. Mark Rubin, director of the Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine and the Homer T. Hirst III Professor of Oncology in Pathology at Weill Cornell Medicine. "This may have implications for how people respond to treatment and how amendable they are to certain drugs."

Prostate cancer containing the SPOP mutation was first discovered in 2011 by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers, who found that the malignancy has unique molecular features that characterize it as a distinct subtype.

"The key is we discovered these mutations several years ago, but because there are many mutations in cancer, knowing which ones are causing the disease and changing the biology of cells requires scientists to do some additional experiments," said co-senior author Dr. Christopher Barbieri, an assistant professor of urology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

In the new study, the research team, which included doctoral student and first author Mirjam Blattner, showed that the SPOP mutation drives prostate cancer formation in genetically engineered mice. This is a critical step in understanding the importance of mutations found in human cancers, Barbieri said. Additionally, they demonstrated that the SPOP mutation activates two major pathways in prostate cancer androgen receptor signaling and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling which are both important to cell survival and growth, and are processes that contribute to malignancy.

The androgen receptor is one of the main signaling pathways that underlies the growth of the prostate and prostate cancer, said Barbieri, who is a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and a urologic surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Consequently, it is a main therapeutic target for men who have the disease. In recent years, researchers have shown that the androgen receptor works with the enzyme PI3K to promote prostate cancer cell survival.

Typically, these two pathways balance each other out, meaning the activation of one keeps the other in check and prevents cells from growing too out of control. "So, the fact that SPOP activates both pathways breaks the normal balance between the two, allowing cells to grow in an uncontrolled fashion," Barbieri said.

Now that scientists have a better understanding of the signaling pathways that are activated in this prostate cancer subtype, "we could potentially design therapies for it or use combinations of therapies that already exist to successfully target the cancer," Barbieri said.

The researchers are evaluating clinical trial data of patients being treated with androgen receptor antagonists and PI3K inhibitors to see whether they have SPOP mutations and how well they are responding to treatment. They're also investigating new agents to directly target SPOP cancers, pursuing a precision medical approach to treatment.

"This is a significant advancement for precision oncology," said Dr. Howard R. Soule, executive vice president and chief science officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which helped fund the study through three research awards to Rubin and Barbieri. "Dr. Barbieri, Dr. Rubin, Blattner and team have identified the molecular mechanisms by which SPOP gene mutations, which define one of the most frequently occurring prostate cancer subtypes, drive prostate cancer. This provides a roadmap for developing precision treatment strategies for patients with this tumor type, which may shift towards improved outcomes."

Explore further: Gene mutation can allow proteins to gather, spark tumor growth

More information: http://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/fulltext/S1535-6108(17)30047-8

Journal reference: Cancer Cell

Provided by: Cornell University

Prostate cancer is generally treated as if it's a single disease. But researchers have discovered a new type of the cancer that appears to affect 15 percent of patients, a finding that paves the way for better diagnosis and ...

Mayo Clinic researchers have shed light on a new mechanism by which prostate cancer develops in men. Central to development of nearly all prostate cancer cases are malfunctions in the androgen receptorthe cellular component ...

Mutations in a protein called SPOP (speckle-type POZ protein) disarm it, allowing another protein called steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) to encourage the proliferation and spread of prostate cancer cells, said researchers ...

The gene SPOP is mutated in up to 15 percent of all cases of prostate cancer, making it one of the most mutated genes in the disease. However, when the gene is functioning properly, it acts as a tumor suppressor. Despite ...

A collaborative expedition into the deep genetics of prostate cancer has uncovered a distinct subtype of the disease, one that appears to account for up to 15 percent of all cases, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical ...

The steroid dexamethasone could potentially deter the growth of a prostate cancer subtype that was previously thought to be difficult to treat with medications, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers report. Their findings were ...

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A clinical trial of an antibody-drug conjugate that combines the active portion of a chemotherapy drug with an antibody targeting a molecule expressed on tumor cells appears promising for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative ...

A newly discovered genetic mutation that is found in a subtype of prostate cancer is integral to the disease's development and growth, according to research from Weill Cornell Medicine scientists. Their findings could pave ...

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Kittitas baseball promotes more team chemistry, senior leadership for 2017 season – Daily Record-News

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KITTITAS Kittitas baseball coach Eric Sorensen had to think a bit when asked to describe the type of season he hopes to have in 2017.

Its not a rebuilding year, he said, after contemplating the question. I think its going to be a year that we can feed off of from last year.

The Coyotes came ever so close to a fifth-straight state tournament appearance. Instead, a loss to Liberty Bell in a loser-out 2B district tournament game ended their season.

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I felt like we didnt achieve what we wanted to, Sorensen said. Districts left a bad taste in everybodys mouth and I remind them from the first day of practice that we have a whole lot more to accomplish.

Creating chemistry

This season, the Kittitas coaching staff has made it a point to create more team chemistry early on, starting with more senior leadership.

The Coyotes feature seven seniors in Travis Ledgard, Tommy Ott, Ben Weber, Jerome Lael, Jace Moen, Dylan Byers and Hunter Wallace.

Sorensen said it is going to be important for them to set an example for the kind of baseball club they want to become.

We have a bunch of old guys and then we have a bunch of young guys that will be our future, Sorensen said. We need to have good leadership to teach these new guys what it is about.

After weeks of being forced inside and watching their baseball diamond slowly thaw out, the Coyotes have been working on team building exercises to create one cohesive unit.

It can always be better, Sorensen said. If we arent a cohesive brotherhood it doesnt matter how good you are. We are nine guys working as one.

Finding replacements

This past Monday, Kittitas finally got its first taste of a damp field when it was able to practice on the elementary school grounds, but there were a few familiar faces missing.

Over at least the last few seasons, pitcher Jaden Meador, catcher Druw Ledgard and outfielder Eli Eilers have been cornerstones in the program, but they graduated last spring.

Sorensen found suitable replacements including a three-man pitching rotation made up of seniors Webber, Ott and Travis Ledgard.

We are going to miss Jaden, Sorenson said. He was a guy you could trust for a Game 1, but the nice part with these three is take your pick. Over the course of a weekend we can have two good starters and a third that can come in and shut the game down.

Although each could pitch on any given day, each has his own identity.

I have big shoes to fill, but I think the three of us are going to make a big difference, Travis Ledgard said.

Balanced lineup

Kittitas also will feature a balanced lineup that will have Weber at the top to Tyson Dekoning in the middle to junior Nick Meador.

Another bench player looking to contribute is freshman Justin Hudson.

We just have guys who can get on base and we will have an overall better lineup, Weber said.

The Coyotes start their season this afternoon against Selahs junior varsity squad, but throughout the upcoming weeks their opponents will not be as familiar.

Kittitas entered the brand new Eastern Washington Athletic Conference league this year, and although DeSales has been a perennial powerhouse by winning 11 state championships since 2000, Sorensen said there is going be some great competition.

We want to have the first league title for this new league, and I think if we dont make it out of districts, we wont be satisfied, Sorensen said.

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Former Videoton men Nikolic and Alvarez re-establishing chemistry in Chicago – Chicago Fire

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Its been just over 650 days since Hungarys Videoton FC were crowned 2014-15 champions of the Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnoksg (National Championship) 1, the countrys highest division of professional soccer.

The title -- the second in the clubs history -- came in part due to 21 goals from then-27-year-old forward Nemanja Nikolic(a personal high at the time) as well as the steady link play of midfielder Arturo Alvarez, who also chipped in a pair goals that season.

Fast-forward to last Saturday, almost 22 months later, and the pair found themselves yet again playing difference-maker together on a cold March afternoon in a stadium 4,800 miles to the west.

It was a feeling of old times before, Nikolic said. Arturo played fantastically also at Videoton in Hungary, and he also scored goals there. We celebrated a lot of victories together and it was great to see that again we scored and we won.

Nikolic -- a five-year veteran of Videoton and its second all-time leading scorer -- scored the opening goalin his newest clubs 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday just prior to current-and-former teammate Alvarez providing the insurance goal shortly thereafter. The past-to-present goal-scoring connection was not lost on the pair.

I said to (Arturo) before the game that Toyota Park looks like our stadium in Szkesfehrvr and that I had some good feelings before the game, Nikolic said. It was a great to feel these things after the game.

He did say that, Alvarez said with a smile. Its funny because when I was in Vidi and I first got to the stadium to look at the club, I was like, This reminds me of an MLS team. The Videoton stadium is very similar.

(Photo and video courtesy of Videoton FC)

Alvarez himself spent three seasons with Videoton before arriving back stateside for a trial with Chicago in the run-up to the 2016 season. Long story short, Alvarez quickly became a regular for Veljko Paunovics side on the way to putting up career highs in goals (5) assists (9) and appearances (30). Hes hoping the chemistry he and Nikolic established in Hungary continues to build in Chicago.

For me its about trying to make something happen, create some goals, score some goals, he said. Niko being a forward, hes always back then and now someone thats always going to get you some goals. Obviously we know each other from when we played together, and now weve just got to hopefully do the same things.

He has good eyes, good vision on the pitch, Nikolic said of Alvarez. He sees very good. I like to be close to him because I played with him one-and-a-half years, so when somebody knows and understands football with him, its easy to play.

With a Hungarian league championship on their respective resumes as well as victories in the countrys League Cup and Super Cup tournaments, the focus for the past and presentteammates arenow fully focused on bringing that same level of success to the city they both now call home.

We ended up winning the championship and thats the most important one, Alvarez said. With Vidi we had a good team. I just want to keep playing well and do the same things we did over there here.

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Former Videoton men Nikolic and Alvarez re-establishing chemistry in Chicago - Chicago Fire

Experience, chemistry has led Marshall to another run – Battle Creek Enquirer

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Marshall seniors (clockwise from bottom) Nikki Tucker, Taryn Long, Jill Konkle, Georgianna Pratley, Carlee Long.(Photo: Al Lassen/Enquirer file)

MARSHALL - There are two types of chemistry - the kind that comes naturally and the kind that is developed over time.

The Marshall girls basketball team has both types of chemistry in spades.

The defending Class B state champion Redhawks (22-2)will play Grand Rapids Catholic Central (24-1) on Tuesday in a state quarterfinal at Otsego High School.

It's a big game with a trip to East Lansing's Breslin Center on the line.But Marshall's core group of five seniors - Nikki Tucker, Jill Konkle, Carlee Long, Taryn Long and Georgianna Pratley - have played in their share of big games. They've also played in a few little ones, as the quintet began embarking on this journey when they attended Marshall's youth basketball camp as second graders.

"We kind of looked at those kids and said, 'You know what, we can do something here,'" said Marshall head coach Sal Konkle."Some of them went on and played AAU, but we always tried to keep the core group together. Some of them dropped out or got hurt... There's a bunch of kids that used to play, but the five of them stuck with it and I'm glad they did."

In this undated photo are five members of the Marshall varsity girls basketball team. Seniors Carlee and Taryn Long, Jill Konkle, Nikki Tucker and Georgianna Pratley have been playing together since third grade.(Photo: Courtesy of Sal Konkle)

Part of the secret of Marshall's success is the five Redhawk seniors knowing their roles and not caring who leads the team in the stat column each night.

Senior forwardNikki Tucker is the closest thing Marshall has to a star. An All-State pick as a junior, she is committed to play at Division II Embry-Riddle University and leads the team in scoring at close to 14 points per game.

"Nikki is by far the most consistent for us," Sal Konkle said."When she was little, she wasn't one of the starters. When it was seventh or eighth grade she became a starter because she got serious about it."

Senior guard Jill Konkle is the coach by proxy on the floor. Also an All-State pick as a junior, she tends to draw a lot of attention from opponents. That was the case in the regional final, when she scored two points in a 22-point victory over Otsego.

Marshall beats Otsego, repeats as Regional champions

"As long as she does all the other things we need, becausewe need other people to step up and score," Sal Konklesaid of her daughter. "Jill understands that she doesn't need to score for me to tell her she had a good game."

It goes without saying that identical twin sisters Carlee and Taryn Long have a specialintuition when playing together. The two senior guards take pride in pestering opposing backcourts while also chipping inon the offensive end.

"I feel like we just know where each other is. We don't even have to talk about things," Carlee Long said."If we have to switch on a screen, we just automatically do it. It's easier for us."

Added Taryn Long, "We've honestly wanted to win state since third grade... It's always been our goal...We just like winning together."

Redhawks get past Otsego, 47-25, to win Class B regional crown. Wochit

Senior center Georgianna Pratley has been a big weaponfor Marshall. The 6-footer brings a constant energy off the bench and has helped the Redhawks not skip a beat when one of their starters is in foul trouble or needs a spell.

"Georgie is another kid that plays hard all the time," Sal Konkle said."She understands her role and she comes in and does her job."

Some teams have relied on star power to carry them in the state tournament, but Marshall knows it's success has been driven by the fact the team has been greater than the sum of its parts.

"It's not because they are so talented basketball-wise. It's just that they understand the game so much and share the ball so well," Sal Konkle said. "It's by committee.That's the way they've played since they were little and that's the way we like it."

Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley

MHSAA GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

CLASS B QUARTERFINALS

At Otsego High School

TUESDAY: Marshall (22-2) vs. Grand Rapids Catholic (24-1), 7 p.m.

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Experience, chemistry has led Marshall to another run - Battle Creek Enquirer

National Academies Report Finds Future Biotechnology Products May Overwhelm Agencies – The National Law Review

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On March 9, 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) published a report entitled Preparing for Future Products of Biotechnology, prepared by the Committee on Future Biotechnology Products and Opportunities to Enhance Capabilities of the Biotechnology Regulatory System (Committee). The Committee was asked to describe the possible future products of biotechnology that will arise over the next five to ten years, as well as provide some insights that can help shape the capabilities within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as they move forward. According to the Committee, agencies may be overwhelmed by the number and diversity of new biotechnology products. The Committee states that the agencies should increase their scientific capabilities, tools, and expertise in key areas of expected growth. The report reflects the Committees deliberations regarding the future products of biotechnology that are likely to appear on the horizon, the challenges that the regulatory agencies might face, and the opportunities for enhancing the regulatory system to prepare for what might be coming. The Committee reached consensus on conclusions and recommendations that are based on extensive information gathering, Committee discussions, and input from a wide variety of communities interested in biotechnology. A copy of the slides used during a National Academies webinar on the report can be found on the National Academies website.

On July 2, 2015, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Council on Environmental Quality issued a memorandum, Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products, directing EPA, FDA, and USDA to update the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (Coordinated Framework). The Obama Administration asked the agencies to accomplish three tasks:

Clarify the current roles and responsibilities of the EPA, FDA, and USDA in the regulatory process;

Develop a long-term strategy to ensure that the federal regulatory system is equipped to assess efficiently the risks, if any, of the future products of biotechnology; and

Commission an expert analysis of the future landscape of biotechnology products.

As reported previously, on January 4, 2017, the White House announced the release of the 2017 Update to the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology. The 2017 Update provides a comprehensive summary of the roles and responsibilities of EPA, FDA, and USDA with respect to regulating biotechnology products. Together with the National Strategy for Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products, published in September 2016, the 2017 Update offers a complete picture of a robust and flexible regulatory structure that provides appropriate oversight for all products of modern biotechnology. Within that regulatory structure, the federal agencies maintain high standards that, based on the best available science, protect health and the environment, while also establishing transparent, coordinated, predictable and efficient regulatory practices. More information is available in the White House blog item, Increasing the Transparency, Coordination, and Predictability of the Biotechnology Regulatory System.

The July 2, 2015, memorandum called for the commission of an external, independent analysis of the future landscape of biotechnology products. EPA, FDA, and USDA commissioned the National Academies to prepare an analysis to identify potential new risks and frameworks for risk assessment and areas in which the risks or lack of risks relating to the products of biotechnology are well understood. This analysis is presented in the report prepared by the Committee that was released on March 9, 2017.

The Committee was tasked to:

Describe the major advances and the potential new types of biotechnology products likely to emerge over the next five to ten years;

Describe the existing risk-analysis system for biotechnology products including, but perhaps not limited to, risk analyses developed and used by EPA, USDA, and FDA, and describe each agencys authorities as they pertain to the products of biotechnology;

Determine whether potential future products could pose different types of risks relative to existing products and organisms. Where appropriate, identify areas in which the risks or lack of risks relating to the products of biotechnology are well understood; and

Indicate what scientific capabilities, tools, and expertise may be useful to the regulatory agencies to support oversight of potential future products of biotechnology.

Human drugs and medical devices were not included in the purview of the study.

To address its statement of task, the Committee gathered information from a number of sources, and heard from over 70 speakers over the course of three in-person meetings and eight webinars. The Committee received responses to a request for information from a dozen federal agencies, and solicited statements and written comments from members for the public. According to the report, the Committee defined biotechnology products as products developed through genetic engineering or genome engineering (including products where the engineered DNA molecule is itself the product, as in an engineered molecule used as a DNA information-storage medium) or the targeted or in vitro manipulation of genetic information of organisms, including plants, animals, and microbes. The term also covers some products produced by such plants, animals, microbes, and cell-free systems or products derived from all of the above.

The Committee grouped future products into three major classes:

Open-release products: The open-release products that the Committee saw on the horizon include plants, animals, microbes, and synthetic organisms that have been engineered for deliberate release in an open environment. According to the report, the ability to sustain existence in the environment with little or no human intervention is a key change between existing products of biotechnology and some of the future ones anticipated in this class. The report states that the Committee thought that future open-release products would be developed for familiar uses, such as agricultural crops, but would also likely be developed for uses such as cleaning up contaminated sites with engineered microbes, replacing animal-derived meat with meat cultured from animal cells, and controlling invasive species through gene drives;

Contained products: The Committee concluded that future biotechnology products that are produced in contained environments are more likely to be microbial based or synthetically based rather than based on an animal or plant host. According to the report, organisms of many genera are used in fermenters to produce commodity chemicals, fuels, specialty chemicals or intermediates, enzymes, polymers, food additives, and flavors. When considering the laboratory as a contained environment, the report states that many examples of transgenic animals from vendors are widely used today for research and development. Because performing biotechnology in contained environments allows higher control over the choice of host organism, systems with advanced molecular toolboxes are already in high use; and

Platforms: Biotechnology platforms are tools that are used in the creation of other biotechnology products, according to the report, including products that are traditionally characterized as wet lab, such as DNA/RNA, enzymes, vectors, cloning kits, cells, library prep kits, and sequencing prep kits, and products that are dry lab, such as vector drawing software, computer-aided design software, primer calculation software, and informatics tools. The report states that these two categories continue to meld as newer approaches are published or commercialized.

The report notes that there are a variety of technical, economic, and social trends that drive and will continue to drive the types of biotechnology products developed in the next decade. Technical and economic trends in the biological sciences and biological engineering are accelerating the rate at which new product ideas are formulated and the number of actors who are involved in product development. The report states that with regard to social trends, it was evident to the Committee that there are many competing interests, risks, and benefits regarding future biotechnology products. According to the report, it was clear that the U.S. and international regulatory systems will need to achieve a balance among these competing aspects when considering how to manage the development and use of new biotechnology products.

The Committee found that the Coordinated Framework appears to have considerable flexibility in statutory authority to cover a wide range of biotechnology products. The jurisdictions of EPA, FDA, and USDA are defined in ways that may leave gaps or redundancies in regulatory oversight, however. According to the report, even when jurisdiction exists, the available legal authorities may not be ideally tailored to new and emerging biotechnology products. Other agencies will likely have responsibilities to regulate some future biotechnology products, and their roles are not well specified in the Coordinated Framework.

The report states that the Committee found that the complexity of the existing biotechnology regulatory system, which could appear fragmented, results in a system that is difficult for product developers -- including individuals, nontraditional organizations, and small enterprises, as well as consumers, product users, and interested members of the public to navigate. The complexity can cause uncertainty and a lack of predictability for developers of future biotechnology products and creates the potential for loss of public confidence in oversight of future biotechnology products.

According to the report, the increased rate of new product ideas means that the types and number of biotechnology products in the next five to ten years may be significantly larger than the current rate of product introduction. The report cautions EPA, FDA, USDA, and other relevant agencies to prepare for this potential increase, including finding effective means of evaluation that maintains public safety, protects the environment, and satisfies the statutory requirements appropriate for each agency. The increased number of actors involved in product development means that the regulatory agencies will need to be prepared to provide information regarding the regulatory process to groups that may have little familiarity with the Coordinated Framework.

According to the report, advances in biotechnology are leading to products that involve the transformation of less familiar host organisms, have multiple engineered pathways, are comprised of DNA from multiple organisms, or are made from entirely synthetic DNA. Such products may have few or no comparators to existing nonbiotechnology products, which function as the baseline of comparison in current regulatory risk assessments of biotechnology products.

For future biotechnology products in all degrees of complexity and novelty, the Committee considered the risk assessment endpoints related to human health or environmental outcomes, such as illness, injury, death, or loss of ecosystems function. The Committee concluded that these endpoints are not new, but the intermediate steps along the path to those endpoints may be more complex, more ambiguous, and less well characterized than those for existing biotechnology products. According to the report, the scope, scale, complexity, and tempo of biotechnology products likely to enter the regulatory system in the next five to ten years have the potential to critically stress EPA, FDA, and USDA, both in terms of capacity and expertise.

At a high level, the Committee found that there are existing frameworks, tools, and processes for risk analyses and public engagement that can be used to address the issues likely to arise in future biotechnology products in a way that balances competing issues and concerns. Given the profusion of biotechnology products that are on the horizon, however, there is a risk that the capacity of the regulatory agencies may not be able to provide efficiently the quantity and quality of risk assessments that will be needed. The report states that an important approach for dealing with the increase in the products will be the increased use of stratified approaches to regulation, where new and potentially more complex risk analysis methods will need to be developed for some products, while established risk analysis methods can be applied or modified to address products that are familiar or that require less complex risk analysis. To help articulate what capabilities, tools, and expertise might be useful to meet these objectives, the Committee created a conceptual map for decision-making aimed to assess and manage product risk, streamline regulation requirements, and increase transparency.

The Committee identified the following broad themes regarding future opportunities for enhancement of the U.S. biotechnology regulatory system:

The bioeconomy is growing rapidly and the U.S. regulatory system needs to provide a balanced approach for consideration of the many competing interests in the face of this expansion;

The profusion of biotechnology products over the next five to ten years has the potential to overwhelm the U.S. regulatory system, which may be exacerbated by a disconnect between research in regulatory science and expected uses of future biotechnology products;

Regulators will face difficult challenges as they grapple with a broad array of new types of biotechnology products -- for example, cosmetics, toys, pets, and office supplies -- that go beyond contained industrial uses and traditional environmental release (for example, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or herbicide-resistant crops);

The safe use of new biotechnology products requires rigorous, predictable, and transparent risk-analysis processes whose comprehensiveness, depth, and throughput mirror the scope, scale, complexity, and tempo of future biotechnology applications; and

In addition to the conclusions and recommendations from this report, EPA, FDA, USDA, and other agencies involved in regulation of future biotechnology products would benefit from adopting recommendations made by previous National Academies committees related to future products of biotechnology that are consistent with the findings and recommendations in this report.

On the basis of its conclusions, the Committee developed a number of detailed recommendations regarding actions that can be taken to enhance the capabilities of the biotechnology regulatory system to be prepared for anticipated future products of biotechnology.

EPA, FDA, USDA, and other agencies involved in regulation of future biotechnology products should increase scientific capabilities, tools, expertise, and horizon scanning in key areas of expected growth of biotechnology, including natural, regulatory, and social sciences;

EPA, FDA, and USDA should increase their use of pilot projects to advance understanding and use of ecological risk assessments and benefit analyses for future biotechnology products that are unfamiliar and complex and to prototype new approaches for iterative risk analyses that incorporate external peer review and public participation; and

The National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other agencies that fund biotechnology research with the potential to lead to new biotechnology products should increase their investments in regulatory science and link research and education activities to regulatory-science activities.

The report is well written and contains a significant amount of new and valuable information on the types of new biotechnology products being innovated and coming into commerce, trends of note regarding future products, and regulatory gaps and redundancies that need to be addressed. This background information is clearly presented and supports well the conclusions that are essential to understand, and the recommendations that are in urgent need of response.

That the federal agencies tasked with regulating biotechnology products need increased funding and organizational retooling to address the challenges eloquently and convincingly described in the report are truths beyond dispute. In this political climate, and under this Administration, meeting these needs will be challenging. Shareholders of all sorts in the biotechnology area -- businesses, innovators, environmental and public health activists -- are urged to weigh in and express support for the allocation of resources needed to fulfill the reports recommendations. Future generations of biotechnology products are on the line and at risk if these recommendations fall on deaf ears.

2017 Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

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National Academies Report Finds Future Biotechnology Products May Overwhelm Agencies - The National Law Review

NAS Issues Report on Preparing for Future Products of … – The National Law Review

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On March 9, 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) announced the release (pre-publication version) of a new report:Preparing for Future Products of Biotechnology.Pursuant to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP) July 2, 2015, memorandum, Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products, NAS was tasked with looking into the future and describing the possible future products of biotechnology that will arise over the next five to ten years, as well as providing some insights that can help shape the capabilities within the agencies as they move forward.

Via an ad hoc committee, the Committee on Future Biotechnology Products and Opportunities to Enhance Capabilities of the Biotechnology Regulatory System, NAS developed this report through several months of gathering and synthesizing information from several sources, including: 74 speakers over the course of three in-person meetings and eight webinars, including one presented by Lynn L. Bergeson; responses to its request for information from a dozen federal agencies; statements solicited from members of the public at its in-person meetings; written comments through the duration of the study; and recent NAS studies related to future products of biotechnology.

The report presents conclusions concerning the future biotechnology products themselves, as well the challenges that federal agencies will face in regulating them, which include:

The bioeconomy is growing rapidly and the U.S. regulatory system needs to provide a balanced approach for consideration of the many competing interests in the face of this expansion;

The profusion of biotechnology products over the next five to ten years has the potential to overwhelm the U.S. regulatory system, which may be exacerbated by a disconnect between research in regulatory science and expected uses of future biotechnology products;

Regulators will face difficult challenges as they grapple with a broad array of new types of bio-technology products -- for example, cosmetics, toys, pets, and office supplies -- that go beyond contained industrial uses and traditional environmental release;

The safe use of new biotechnology products requires rigorous, predictable, and transparent risk-analysis processes whose comprehensiveness, depth, and throughput mirror the scope, scale, complexity, and tempo of future biotechnology applications.

The report provides three recommendations for federal agencies in responding to these challenges, which it states should be taken to enhance the ability of the biotechnology regulatory system to oversee the consumer safety and environmental protection required for future biotechnology products:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other agencies involved in regulation of future bio-technology products should increase scientific capabilities, tools, expertise, and horizon scanning in key areas of expected growth of biotechnology, including natural, regulatory, and social sciences.

EPA, FDA, and USDA should increase their use of pilot projects to advance understanding and use of ecological risk assessments and benefit analyses for future biotechnology products that are unfamiliar and complex and to prototype new approaches for iterative risk analyses that incorporate external peer review and public participation.

The National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other agencies that fund bio-technology research with the potential to lead to new biotechnology products should increase their investments in regulatory science and link research and education activities to regulatory-science activities.

The report is well-written and contains an impressive amount of new, relevant, and important information. The Committee participants are to be commended for an important new piece of scholarship in this area.

The reports conclusions are also significant, but not entirely unexpected.For those of us working in this space, we have recognized for years the lack of clarity regarding jurisdictional boundaries, the paucity of government resources, and the urgent need for regulatory clarity and significantly enhanced funding. Unfortunately, given current Trump Administration efforts to diminish government funding for EPA, FDA, and elsewhere, the well-crafted and spot-on recommendations may tragically fall on deaf ears.Shareholders should carefully review the report and work hard to ensure the recommendations are implemented. The consequences of failing to increase scientific capabilities, tools, expertise, and horizon scanning in key areas of expected growth of biotechnology, including natural regulatory, and social sciences -- the number one recommendation in the report -- are too great to ignore.

2017 Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

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NAS Issues Report on Preparing for Future Products of ... - The National Law Review

YSI’s 2900D Biochemistry Analyser as a reference standard for blood glucose monitoring systems – Laboratory Talk

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A new report shows the equivalence of YSIs 2300 STAT Plus Glucose and Lactate Analyser and their new 2900D Biochemistry Analyser for reference measurements and system calibration of blood glucose monitoring systems.

YSI, a Xylem brand, have an established reputation in laboratory and field analytical instrumentation. Their YSI 2300 STAT Plus Glucose and Lactate Analyser (YSI 2300) was a Class II in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) medical device that became widely accepted by manufacturers as a method for reference measurements and system calibration of blood glucose monitoring systems.

YSIs next-generation 2900D biochemistry analyser is a laboratory instrument that employs the same biosensor technology as the YSI 2300, but is a non-IVD analyser. The YSI 2900 is intended for use in research, biotechnology and food-processing applications, but it is not specifically designed for clinical diagnostics and sports physiology applications, although it has been increasingly adopted as a reference standard by blood glucose monitoring system manufacturers.

A paper now available reports on a study that compares the YSI 2900 and YSI 2300 in order to evaluate their precision and accuracy for human whole blood and plasma analysis. Non-pooled samples from six lots of human blood from a local blood bank were used for the study to assess instrument validity and reliability. Two analysers of each YSI model were employed with 288 human whole blood and 288 plasma samples, across a range of values, were analysed.

Data collected on the YSI 2900 analysers indicate that the 2900 provided precise and accurate whole blood and plasma glucose readings across a wide range of blood glucose concentrations. Based on the results of this study, it was concluded that the YSI 2900 demonstrated analytical comparability to that of the YSI 2300.

The full report can be read as a PDF, available for download on this website. Please click on the link below for more details.

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YSI's 2900D Biochemistry Analyser as a reference standard for blood glucose monitoring systems - Laboratory Talk

Why some Penn students decide to graduate in three years – The Daily Pennsylvanian

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Students find that graduating in three years can lead to more opportunities for graduate school and career exploration | Courtesy of Alexia Tragakes (left), Gabrielle Jackson (middle) and Cheewin Kittikunapong (right)

College is often referred to as the best four years of your life. But some students choose to graduate after just three.

College junior Gabrielle Jackson will be graduating this spring, even though she entered Penn as a member of the Class of 2018.

Jackson decided to graduate early after the completion of her sophomore year.

I originally went into the advising office by the end of my sophomore year to look into graduating in three and a half years or maybe submatriculating into Penn Law School, she said. But when I went, I was told that I was too far along to submatriculate into Penn Law and also that instead of graduating in three and a half years, I could just graduate in three.

Instead of completing her senior year of college, Jackson plans on working full-time.

Right now my main focus is finding a job, she said. Im planning on working for a few years and then going to grad school.

The cost of going to Penn for another year as opposed to making money was a major factor, she added.

While Penn does not encourage students to graduate early, Jackson says the University was generally accommodating.

One of the things that I wanted to deal with graduating early was that I wanted to walk with my class with the Class of 2018 as opposed to the Class of 2017, she said. And they were really helpful in making that possible.

Im definitely going to miss out on some of the senior traditions and on another year with my friends who are mostly juniors, she acknowledged. But at the same time, I think Im ready to leave and move on and go to the next step.

Wharton junior Alexia Tragakes also plans to graduate early in order to attend law school. But unlike Jackson, she hopes to enroll in the fall instead of taking time off to work.

Before Penn, I knew that I might want to go to law school, and I came into Penn with a lot of credits, she said.

Most of these credits came from her International Baccalaureate program in high school, with others transferring from summer courses she took.

I think it was towards the end of my freshman year that I realized that with all the credits that I managed to get approved, it was attainable to graduate in three years, and I knew that I wanted to go to law school and that would be the next step, she said.

College junior Cheewin Kittikunapong is graduating early for a different reason: He wants to study internationally next year.

Kittikunapong wants to travel outside of the United States and determined that doing so would be difficult as an undergraduate.

Say I went abroad during my junior year. Id probably have to squeeze in a lot of course units by my fourth year, or else I would need to take an extra semester here, he said.

After squeezing all of his credits into three years, Kittikunapong will pursue his masters degree in Europe, ideally in the United Kingdom, he said.

Another motivating factor for Kittikunapong was his disappointment in Penns biotechnology resources.

Im studying biology right now, but then I hoped to go into biotechnology, and I felt that the biotechnology scene here isnt as great as I hoped it would be, he said.

He hopes to pursue his masters somewhere that offers more opportunities in the field.

Kittikunapong felt that graduating in three years was a smooth process, but it depends on the organization of the individual.

I planned it out really carefully, he said, noting that he made the decision in the middle of his sophomore year.

I was doing a second major biology and biochemistry but then my current major advisor in biochemistry was not having it. He wanted me to stay for the fourth year and do a senior thesis or something, so I just figured that if I dropped biochemistry and just did biology, Id be able to do just three years, so I did that instead.

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Why some Penn students decide to graduate in three years - The Daily Pennsylvanian

Anatomy of a Sarah Galvin Poem – TheStranger.com

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Listen, everyone loves Sarah Galvin, and for obvious reasons. But despite being an increasingly visible writer/performer, and a frequent Stranger contributor, Galvin is the kind of writer whose technical skills tend to go unappreciatedeven unnoticedbecause her presentation is so pleasing.

Fans love Galvin's poems for their wild imagery and surprising turns, but all the fireworks can obscure the philosophical questions she explores. At the risk of giving away too many secrets, I asked her to illustrate the process that led to "My Internet Dating Profile," a poem in her new collection, Ugly Time.

1. The title is ironic. The reader is prepared for a casual (and maybe frazzled) poem about dating, but by the third stanza, Galvin starts digging deep into our assumptions about the idea of "innocence."

2. This video is real. Galvin says she was "impressed and also horrified" by the animals' behavior: "Whenever I have that response to anything, I have to study it."

3. She watched the video approximately 15 times. "It wasn't about pornography, it was about figuring out what a human being is. It seemed like all of humanity's problems and also everything that's great about humanity."

4. This "moment" refers to the moment of the reader reading the poem but also to the moment the speaker meets her date. "That was a really romantic night for me, and it was enhanced by my having done something so human just beforehand, something that I was ashamed of," Galvin says. "I wanted to make the poem beautiful to other people in the same way that evening was beautiful to me."

5. Galvin introduces lyrical language to counter the plain language used in the first two stanzas in order to "keep the engine running," she says. The poem swings back and forth between those two registers.

6. "There are multiple videos," Galvin says. "And it's always frogs and toads. And always in the mouth."

7. The break here transforms the line into an index entry, reinforcing the idea that the poem's main subject is the innocence of the chimp's seemingly cruel and bizarre act.

8. Galvin claims she wasn't thinking of William Butler Yeats's poem "Leda and the Swan" when writing this poem. In Yeats's poem, Zeus takes the form of a swan and rapes Leda, eventual mother to Helen of Troy. Yeats wonders if Leda absorbed the god's knowledge and strength during the assault. "I love Yeats, but I wasn't thinking of that poem," Galvin says. "I just always imagined that meeting god was like being fucked to death."

9. The lyrical language returns, like the ocean waves the line invokes.

10. "What I was trying to do in this last stanza was reverse and mix up everything," Galvin says. "I invert the weak and the powerful forces. The frog swallows the chimp, the earth crushes god, we kiss, everything explodes. And that's why the date was worth anything."

11. Image from the 1951 film Royal Wedding. "I just imagine everybody in the heat of passion is drunk, and they all got the moves like Fred Astaire, and they're dancing around like they don't know what they're doing. Like this chimp.

12. "It ends with two people penetrating each other, because that's what love is. You explode and destroy each other in this crazy moment" Galvin says.

13. Nobody controls who is the frog or the chimp or the sun or the ocean or what role they play on the date. Part of the thrill of love is that you don't know. And in a good relationship, you're both at the same time. Ideally nobody is hurting anybody.

14. In life, this date occurred at Lullaby Moon, an event at Gas Works Park that happens every September. According to Galvin, the evening was magical. Performers dressed up like Shetland ponies and fairies and danced around the park. Candles attached to balloons floated all around. Organizers dressed up boats to look like floating beds, and the beds floated past the gasworks as the sun gave way to the new moon. "We were drinking wine from mugs when my date said, 'You look just like Peter Pan.' And I was like, 'A hobo said that to me one time.' And she was like, 'Fuck you!' And then we made out."

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Anatomy of a Sarah Galvin Poem - TheStranger.com

Biochemistry 2017 | Dubai | UAE | Worldwide Events | Asia …

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Session/Tracks

Conferences Series LLCinvites all the participants from all over the world to attend the 2ndInternational Conference onBiochemistry during September 28-29, 2017 at Dubai, UAE which includes prompt keynote presentations, Oral talks, Poster presentations and Exhibitions.

Biochemistryis a multidisciplinary field with research interests covering all aspects of modern molecular and cellular biochemistry. Biochemistry is often considered as a tool to investigate and to studymolecular biology. It deals with the structure, function and interactions amongst biological macromolecules.

The theme of the conference "Exploring the facets of Biochemistry", will focus on the study of the molecular mechanisms by which genetic information present on DNA is able to result in the processes of life.Biochemistryhas its applications in various fields. The findings of biochemistry are applied primarily in medicine, nutrition, and agriculture. In medicine, biochemists investigate the cause and cure for the disease.In nutrition, it leads to maintain health and effects of deficiency of nutrients. In agriculture, biochemists investigate soil and fertilizers, and try to discover ways to improve crop cultivation, storage and pest control.

For more conferences kindly go throughconference seriesweb page.

Track 1:Clinical Biochemistry

The fieldClinical biochemistryis the study of biochemical mechanisms in the body in relation to disease condition, through the testing of body fluids such as urine or blood or saliva. Many diseases tend to show significant changes in their chemical composition of body fluids like the increased levels ofblood enzymesdue to their release from heart muscles soon after a heart attack or also elevated blood sugar levels indiabetes mellitusthat occurs due to less or nil of insulin. Biochemical tests are aimed to detect these modifications either qualitatively or quantitatively in comparison to results from nutritious people. Clinical biochemistry uses a wide range of analytical techniques with its applications mostly inclinical chemistry, molecular biology, therapeutic drug monitoring, toxicology,laboratory immunology& medicine used for diagnosis, prognosis, therapy and management of disease.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 2:Structural Biochemistry

Structural Biochemistry is a sub-division ofbiochemistrythat mainly focuses on the structural characteristics of the molecules within cells and other made up of living organisms. The main area is focused on structural basis of fundamental biological processes. It involves the study of the structure of macro molecules. It includes methods for structure determination and huge data of structural information. Few of the tools will be used to study some class of structures such as membrane, regulatory proteins, structural proteins. These structuralmacromoleculeswill provide the framework for discussion on domains, motifs, structural homology, etc., as well as addressing as to how specific biological problems can be solved at the atomic level.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Track 3:Molecular Biochemistry

A major branch of Biochemistry deals with the varied aspects of macromolecules at the structural and functional levels. It also deals with the interactions amongst different cell components including macromolecules likenucleic acids, proteins, lipids, amino acids andcarbohydrates. Molecular Biochemistry has grown widely to capture the array of chemistry, physics, medicine and biology. It is one of the most important aspects of molecular biology to discover the chemical properties of the molecules. The processes that occur within the cell are responsible for their structure, reproduction and response to stimuli.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 4:Cell Signaling

Cell signalingis part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their microenvironment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue homeostasis. Errors in cellular information processing are responsible for diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, and diabetes. By understanding cell signaling, diseases may be treated effectively and, theoretically, artificial tissues may be created. The principle ofcell signalingis hinged on the fact that cellular communication frequently involves converting signals that carry information from one form to another. During cell communication, the signaling cell releases a particular signaling molecule that is then detected by the target cell. Most animal cells send and receive signals and as such act as both signaling and target cells. Animal cells can communicate through direct contact or by secreting local regulators such as growth factors or neurotransmitters.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Track 5:Analytical biochemistry

Analytical biochemistryis the study of biochemical components found in a cell or other biological sample. This scientific discipline uses a broad range of techniques for separation, identification, quantification and functional characterization ofbiological moleculeslike nucleic acids, enzymes, proteins, pigments, carbohydrates and more. The major methods involved in analytical biochemistry to separate the biological components are Spectroscopic techniques, Chromatographic Techniques, Protein Estimation & Purification Techniques and Immunological Techniques.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 6:Nutritional Biochemistry

Nutritional biochemistrymaintains with the perception of mechanism by which diet influences human health & disease condition. It mainly contributes with the properties of nutrients, other dietary substitutes & the study of their physiological, metabolic, biochemical &epigenetic functions. Nutritional biochemistry is a combined form of science as it incorporates physiology,pharmacology, medicine, biology, microbiology & chemistry & implements these sciences specifically to study of disease conditions, health, nutrition, & the connections that exist between them.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Track 7:Bioenergetics

Bioenergeticsis the part of biochemistry concerned with the energy involved in making and breaking of chemical bonds in the molecules found inbiological organisms. It can also be defined as the study of energy relationships and energy transformations in living organisms. It spans applications of structural biology, molecular modeling, spectroscopy and biophysics in these systems, throughbioenergeticaspects of mitochondrial biology including biomedicine aspects of energy metabolism in mitochondrial disorders, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, aging, diabetes and even cancer. Bioenergetics is at higher echelons that enhance the intelligence and information dissemination on topics closely related to study ofbiomembranes, molecular mechanism of photosynthesis, mitochondrial and bacterial respiration, motility and transport, fossil fuels,biothermodynamics, fish bioenergetics, environmental microbiology, bio process engineering, cellular respiration, mitochondrial disease, electronic coupling fluctuations, electron-transfer proteins, molecular recognition and signal transduction.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 8:Medical Biochemistry

Medical Biochemistryis that branch of medicine concerned with the biochemistry and metabolism of human health and disease. The medical biochemist is trained in the operation and management of clinicalbiochemistrylaboratories, and acts as a consultant in all aspects of their use. The medical biochemist directs clinical laboratories, consults, diagnoses and treats patients with a variety of metabolic disorders and biochemical abnormalities. Medical biochemistry addresses the functioning of normal and diseased organisms from a biochemical point of view. Through modules in neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease andimmunology, one will develop a strong understanding of the implications of biochemistry within medicine alongside the research and experimental skills.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Track 9:Bioengineering

Bioengineeringis usually defined as the biological or medical application of engineering principles or engineering equipment to create modified versions of organisms or enhance the populations and products, it is also termed asbiomedical engineering. Bioengineering is implemented in fermentation industry, in production of biomass, biofuel. Through various r-DNA techniques and analytical techniques manybiomoleculesare produced and purified. Protein & Antibody Engineering is one of the recent branches in Bioengineering that has advanced throughBioprocessand Systems Engineering

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 10:Nano Biochemistry

The science of Nano scale structures deals with the investigation as well as utilization of components or systems that are 109times smaller than the standard size of components. Biochemistry deals with various metabolic andbiochemicalprocesses within the living creatures. Amalgamation of these two technologies resulted in beginning of Nano biochemistry. This interdisciplinary combination of nanotechnology & biochemistry can create numerous innovative tools. Application ofnanotechnologyto biological sciences indicates creation of materials and devices designed to interact within the body with high degree specificity. This could be possibly used to target cellular and tissue-specific clinical applications that are directed at maximal therapeutic effects with no adverse-effects. Nanotechnology Application to biomedical sciences will present many revolutionary chances in the fight against most sorts ofcancers,cardiac,neurodegenerative disorders, infection and diseases.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Track 11:Pharmaceutical Biochemistry

PharmaceuticalBiochemistry consist the knowledge of biochemistry & chemistry & applies to the production of many useful drugs.It mainly concerns with the science of drugs, their clinical uses and the study of their adverse effects on living organisms. It provides a complete understanding of all chemical processes occurring and associated with living cells at the molecular level that is related to drug action. It also helps to acquire knowledge on theadverse effects,molecular targets, & characterization of drugs or other chemical substance within the living cells & organisms.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 12:Inflammatory Diseases

Inflammation is the body's attempt at self-protection that aim to remove harmful stimuli, including damaged cells, irritants, pathogens begin the healing process. Researchers distinguish inflammation as a key component of the major diseases disturbing human health. Inflammation contributes todiseaseby damaging the tissues & it has advanced to protect. Apparently unrelated disorders such as asthma,Alzheimer, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel diseases and rheumatoid arthritis all have common inflammatory features that underlie the disease process.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Track 13:Biochemistry of Multimolecular Complexes

Biological systems depend on multimolecular complexes to accomplish the tasks. While these complexes can be large and may comprise several tens of components, the present imaging techniques are limited to imaging only two or three independent components of amolecularcomplexthat can be 8-10 nm in diameter. Isolation of multimolecular complexes while retaining their supramolecular interactions has been critical to the study of mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 14:Systems Biology and Proteomics

The vital goal of a systemsbiologyapproach is to illustrate & predict the vigorous properties of the biological network. Whereas microarray data was most amenable for systems modeling, & ongoing advances in MS-based quantitative proteomics are yielding a developing number of datasets suitable for systems biology applications.Proteomicdatasets are obviously essential for building network models with precise predictive power.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Track 15:Cell Signaling, Kinase and Chemotherapy

Kinase-mediated signaling plays vital roles in cell growth, differentiation & homeostasis. Kinases signal by switching between on & off conformational states, and many inputs regulate the activity of all specific kinase. Abnormal kinase activity, frequently the result ofmutation, is associated with numerous cancers, and kinase inhibitors have become a highly successful and growing course of anti-cancer agents.Biochemistry2017 will focus on emerging insights into the molecular mechanisms by which kinase activity is regulated and how these insights are influencing strategies to target kinase activity in cancer.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

2ndInternationalConference on Biochemistry, Sep 28-29 2017, Dubai, UAE; InternationalConference on Enzymology, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8thInternational Conference andExhibition on Metabolomics, May 11-13, 2017 Singapore; 9thInternational Conference andExpo on Proteomics, October 23-25, 2017 Paris, France; 8thInternationalConference on ProteomicsandBioinformatics, May 22-24, 2017 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandBiotechnology, Dec 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on BiophysicsandBiochemistry, Nov 24-25, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Biochemical Society;Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;American Chemical Society - Division of Biological Chemistry.

Track 16:Medical Genetics

The science ofMedical Geneticsis concerned with the physical and chemical characteristics of genes and their expression that controls the development & maintenance of the organism.The field of medical genetics is quite new & currently used to describe the cause of severalinherited diseases. The disease typically results in generation of unreliable proteins such as in cases of hemophilia A then more than 200 'inborn errors' of metabolism are recognized in animals, disease conditions such as mannosidosis & galactosemia occur due to lack of a specific protein/enzyme that prohibits metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, fats & thus shows clinical signs.

Relevant Biochemistry Conferences | Biochemistry Events | Biochemistry Meetings

3rdGlycobiology World Congress, June 26-28, 2017 London, UK; 2ndInternationalConference on Nucleic Acids, Molecular Biology & Biologics, August 31-September 01, 2017, Philadelphia, USA; 9thInternationalConference on Structural Biology, September 18-19, 2017 Zurich, Switzerland; 3rdInternationalConference on Transcriptomics, October 30 - November 01, 2017 Bangkok, Thailand; 9thInternationalConference on Bioinformatics, October 23-24, 2017 Paris, France; InternationalConference on Biochemistryand Microphotonics, Oct 17-18, 2017, Dubai UAE; InternationalConference on Microbial Biochemistry, Mar 29-30, 2017, Singapore, SG; InternationalConference on ChemistryandBiochemistry, Sep 28-29, 2018, New Delhi, India; InternationalConference on BiochemistryandMicrophotonics, Aug 24-25, 2018, Boston, USA; InternationalConference on Molecular ChemistryandBiochemistry, May 28-29, 2018, Tokyo, Japan;Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory;Federation of European Biochemical Societies;International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

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Biochemistry 2017 | Dubai | UAE | Worldwide Events | Asia ...

Grey’s Anatomy – BuddyTV (blog)

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Nathan Riggs had us all swooning when he finally asked Meredith out on an official date on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Of course in true Mer form, she told him she needed to think about it before she gave him an actual answer. She probably knows that once she goes down that route, that will take whatever it is they're doing to a completely new level. But I'm all for it! I figured she needed my help to figure out if Nathan is really right for her. So I wanted to give her a few reasons to consider why she should give him a real chance.

It's Beyond Time

I think we can all agree that it's time. It's been a couple of seasons since Shonda Rhimes made me and millions of others livid with Derek's tragic and shocking death. Meredith went through her dark phase, as any woman would. And Derek's passing is almost like a faint memory as the show has clearly moved on without him. Now, it's time for Meredith to be in a serious relationship. She definitely deserves to be happy after everything she has gone through.

Grey's Anatomy Prepares to Lose a Doctor>>> He Just Might Be the One Meredith has tried to date other guys after Derek and they obviously didn't work out in the long run. But things are clearly different with Nathan. I mean, look how far he's gotten already. Mer has tried to play hard to get on multiple occasions. Still, there is something about Nathan that puts her in a vulnerable spot. Avid viewers know that no one has the ability to do this, especially not a guy. While she even tries to be strong with Nathan, every girl needs someone they can let their guard down with, and Nathan has shown that he's strong enough to play that role. Besides, I'm just ready to see her let go and be in love already. He fits right in with her friends and most importantly, loves her children. The whole thing of being guarded is getting me to the point where I want to reach through the TV and yell, "Snap out of it!"

Their Chemistry Is Undeniable We wouldn't even be having this conversation if there wasn't an undisputable spark between Meredith and Nathan. After all, they hooked up in the parking lot of the hospital after suppressing their sexual tension with each other for way too long. And yes, there was the monkey wrench when Meredith's sister, Maggie, confessed her like for Nathan (without knowing about him and Mer.) But that seemed to come out of nowhere. Plus Maggie's connection with Nathan (or lack thereof) is nowhere near the one he has with Meredith.

He's Not Alex It looks like the writers are almost trying to add a little mystery of the future between Alex and Meredith and whether they'll ever be more than friends. But let's face it, they are perfect just the way they are. They are the only two left from the group of interns that started back in the first season so from death to birthdays, they have been through everything together. And I think it should stay that way. Alex should be the one that Meredith talks to about Nathan and Alex should be the one to give her guy advice about it. They shouldn't be going anywhere near the exit for the friend zone.

He's Basically Madly in Love with Her Nathan professed his feelings for Meredith on a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy. That took a lot for him to do because considering their back-and-forth, he had no idea how she would respond, not to mention her awkward new level of closeness with Alex. Still, he put himself out there. Plus, we have to agree with Maggie that Meredith is probably the only one who will understand Nathan in the way that he needs, considering they have both experienced tragic losses in their lives. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they just might be meant for one another!

Grey's Anatomy Recap: Will Nathan Win Meredith's Heart?>>> What do you think about Nathan asking Meredith out on an actual date? How do you feel about Meredith and Alex's friendship? Do you think Maggie is better for Nathan than Meredith?

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC at 9/8c. Want more news? Like our Grey's Anatomy Facebook page!

(Image courtesy of ABC)

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Grey's Anatomy - BuddyTV (blog)

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ recap: ‘Civil War’ – EW.com

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Meredith whos baaack opens the episode talking about a father who sent both of his sons to fight on either side of the Civil War, an apt story considering almost everyone in the hospital is in a small, personal war against at least one or two of their colleagues. (Though considering the episode is titled Civil War, Im not sure what else we could expect.)

That said, here is how the battle lines were drawn:

Catherine vs. Richard

The Chief is sleeping in the hospitals on-call rooms, which prompts him to request that Bailey replace all the mattresses with something that provides lumbar support. But the bigger issue, of course, is that he feels that the longer Minnick stays, the more the other members of the hospital staff will grow to love him something Arizona tries to talk him out of.

However, Richard cant keep ignoring Catherine who suggested he can come sleep at home forever, as theyre both operating on the same patient, a man whos been in a deep fryer-related accident courtesy of his friends boyfriend. Of course part of this is Richards annoyance that Catherine would dare to watch Hamilton in Chicago without him.

Later in the night, Richard asks Arizona if he can stay with her, but she mentions her date (not telling him its actually with Minnick), so he decides to pull an all-nighter at the hospital instead. Only the patient gets into trouble and needs to be operated on, but when all the doctors get in, Ben is already operating on him. Catherine tells Richard to step in, but he says that Jacksons got it.

After the surgery, Jackson gets mad at Richard for basically using Minnicks method, but the former Chief points out that he was teaching the way hes always taught; its just that Ben is a very capable second year resident. He also doesnt want to tear mother and son apart, especially seeing the younger Avery rail against Catherine this entire episode. But Jackson just responds that his mother wont stop because she wants things her way.

Later, Richard walks in on Arizona and Minnick as theyre about to kiss, following a long night where they just slept on a hospital couch instead of going back to Arizonas place, where Minnick was going to make her pierogies. As he apologizes and leaves, Richard shoots Arizona a hurt look, and its clear that she too feels awful.

Back in an on-call room, Catherine asks Richard to come home and get a good night of sleep. He tells her he didnt want to come between her and Jackson. He then sleeps in the on-call room. She wishes him a good night and leaves.

Jackson vs. Catherine and April

Jackson blames this whole thing on his mother, and he sees April, who is frustrated by having to give Meredith her job back, as a traitor. First he goes and tells his mom that as the Avery Foundation representative on the hospitals board, hes going over her head, then hes very short with her as they attempt to work on the groups trauma patient.

It doesnt help matters that Catherine, who feels April has earned her position and is proud of her work, is planning to take the trauma surgeon to Chicago with her so the Avery Foundation hospital doctors there can learn from her. (They also plan on seeing Hamiltonand going on a boat tour, which Ben says is lovely. So, you know, theres that.)

NEXT: Jacksons anger continues, And its Alex vs. Riggs

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'Grey's Anatomy' recap: 'Civil War' - EW.com

Doctor in St. Louis County who prescribed illegal HGH can practice medicine again – STLtoday.com

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ST. LOUIS A St. Louis County doctor who pleaded guilty last year to a federal felony, and admitted he illegally sold misbranded human growth hormone to patients, is licensed to practice medicine again.

Dr. Michael Ted Mimlitz, 51, was sentenced in April 2016 to two years of probation and fined $30,000 for selling misbranded human growth hormone to local clinic patients, prosecutors said. He also had to forfeit $59,500, representing some of the proceeds from the sale of the drug.

Mimlitz went just 3 months without a medical license. The Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts revoked his medical license in November. But he had already applied for a new license in October. The board granted a new license on March 2.

The license is on probation for two years. Within the first six months, he must successfully complete board-approved courses in ethics and prescribing. He could not be reached for comment.

Mimlitz admitted in U.S. District Court that he become involved in the Mens Medical Institute after identifying a need for a clinic specializing in testosterone replacement therapy for men.

Patients began asking for human growth hormone, he said, and he found a Mexican supplier online after being unable to find it in the U.S. He sold the misbranded drugs to about 40 patients.

The drugs were misbranded, contained labels in Spanish, not English, and were not manufactured by a facility licensed or registered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to court testimony.

Prosecutors pointed out in a statement announcing the plea that doctors can prescribe HGH for a handful of reasons, including wasting diseases associated with AIDS or Prader-Willi syndrome, but not to help patients with body-building, anti-aging, or weight loss treatments.

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Doctor in St. Louis County who prescribed illegal HGH can practice medicine again - STLtoday.com

Collected Wisdom: Dr. Val Gene Iven combines love of sports with medicine – NewsOK.com

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Dr. Val Gene Iven goes over some medical issues with Marcus Smart, an OSU basketball star from 2012-14. [PHOTO BY BRUCE WATERFIELD, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY]

Val Gene Iven grew up in Pond Creek, north of Enid, then graduated from OSU and the OU Health Sciences. In 1993, he became the team doctor for University of Tennessee athletics. In 2007, Iven returned to OSU in the same role. Iven's brother, Van Shea, was the longtime Channel 4 sports reporter who now is on staff with the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association.

I was born in Enid. I'd have had to be born at the house if I was born in Pond Creek.

Growing up in Pond Creek, small-town values, to me those are the best days of my life. Just because the community, your work ethic, growing up on a farm, school system, everybody in town knew you. Can't beat that.

I thought at a pretty early age I wanted to be a doctor. Probably somewhere in the junior high years. I loved the farm life but had terrible allergies, just couldn't be around wheat dust. I could be on the tractor, but the wheat dust just ate me up. So I kind of thought, I want to be a doctor. Had a great role model in Enid, my pediatrician, Dr. (Robert) Shuttee. Went to college, and that's the route I went and never wavered.

Got my M.D. from OU Health Sciences Center. Stayed there, did my residency there in family medicine. Then stayed there and did a fellowship in primary care sports medicine. I was the first fellow that they had in primary care sports medicine.

I thought I wanted to go into medicine and probably thought early on, I just liked kids, maybe going into pediatrics. But I loved sports. Grew up around sports. Tried to combine the two worlds.

Right out of my fellowship, '93, there were a couple of openings at Division I, Tennessee and Florida. Interviewed with both. Tennessee, got the call back from them first. Didn't know anybody at Knoxville or anybody affiliated with the university. I remember telling mom and dad, I'm going to go do this for two or three years and I'll be back. Dad reminded me of that when I came back 13 years later.

This job is a lot that you don't learn in med school. There's just so much nowadays, from the NCAA, from the Big 12. It's much more than just being a physician. From all the things we do in regards to training, from rehabilitation, from nutrition, the whole world of drug testing. All of the people that you have to communicate with nowadays, in regards to coaches and administrators and families. So it's grown so much over the years, it's just a full-time job.

The opportunity brought me back to Stillwater. I had kept in contact with people. And Dr. (Mark) Pascale, our orthopedist, called and said the team physician, Dr. Ken Smith, who had replaced Dr. (Donald) Cooper, decided he was just going to fulfill a role in the student health center and they were looking for somebody full time. It was just an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Your folks are back in Oklahoma. My grandmother at the time was nearing 100. Kids having the opportunity to be around their grandparents. Being back at your alma mater.

Great opportunity in the SEC, meet those people. Now back at your alma mater for 10 years. I've just been blessed.

I missed most of Coach (Eddie) Sutton. But yeah, we've had unprecedented times now, in regards to the run we've had in football, in particular. When I first got back in '07, we were in the process of building. I remember (growing up) sitting in the end zone, wasn't bowled in. Dad and I would drive over on a Saturday, just for the game, drive back. Just wasn't near the world it is now, game day or facilities. So we've come a million miles.

Van Shea is six years younger. Mom thought she was pretty clever with our names. Dad's name is Gene. So she started with Val Gene. She'd heard there was a Val Gene's restaurant. I think that was part of it. And once she came up with Val Gene, she couldn't go with Frank. So she had to come up with something. And we've both been called each other's names.

I'm completely just Van Shea's brother. Anywhere I go, anybody I'm introduced to, it's all, Oh, your Van Shea's brother. And I'm proud of that.

Pond Creek is our roots. That's your family. That's what you're always going to remember and go back to in life in regards to kind of where you got your values and knowing people. I credit a lot of things I've learned through the years, dating back to my days from grade school and high school in Pond Creek.

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Collected Wisdom: Dr. Val Gene Iven combines love of sports with medicine - NewsOK.com