A research team led by Francesca Luca, Ph.D., and Roger Pique-Regi, Ph.D., both associate professors of the Wayne State University Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has published a study that annotated environmental components that can increase or decrease disease risk through changes in gene expression in 43 genes that could exacerbate or buffer the genetic risk for cardiovascular disease.

The results of the study, whose first authors are Anthony Findley, an M.D./Ph.D. student, and Allison Richards, Ph.D., a research scientist, highlight the importance of evaluating genetic risk in the context of gene-environment interactions to improve precision medicine.

Interpreting Coronary Artery Disease Risk Through GeneEnvironment Interactions in Gene Regulation was published in Genetics, the journal of the Genetics Society of America.

The study, said Dr. Luca, illustrates that combining genome-wide molecular data with large-scale population-based studies is a powerful approach to investigate how genes and the environment interact to influence risk of cardiovascular disease.

By identifying regions of DNA important for endothelial cell response to different common environmental exposures, the researchers discovered that caffeine can influence the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study demonstrates the potentially beneficial and/or detrimental effects of certain environmental exposures on the cardiovascular disease risk differ depending on individual DNA sequence.

The study focused on cardiovascular disease, the research team said, because it is the leading cause of death, both in the United States and worldwide. Also, the disease is highly multifactorial, with large contributions from both environmental and genetic risk factors. By treating endothelial cells under a controlled environment, we can discover how these genetic and environmental risk factors influence each other at the molecular level, she said. Our lab has developed expertise in cardiovascular research, with additional projects using endothelial cells to develop new assays to test the regulatory activity of genetic variants. The approach outlined in this paper can be applied to many different diseases; for example, our lab has also focused on how bacteria in the human gut affect gene expression in the colon, and also on the effect of psychosocial stress on asthma.

While the work identified regions of the genome important for how endothelial cells respond to the environment and can influence the risk of cardiovascular disease, the researchers do not yet know exactly which genetic variants are directly responsible. A former graduate student, Cynthia Kalita, developed an assay to test thousands of genetic variants for gene regulatory activity. The researchers can test the variants discovered in their study using that assay to validate and explore the mechanisms by which they exert their effects, Dr. Luca said. They also are developing computational/statistical methods that can yield better personalized risk scores.

We have extended our approach to study cardiomyocytes, which are the muscle cells of the heart. Healthy heart tissue is difficult to obtain, so we have collaborated with researchers at the University of Chicago to derive cardiomyocytes from stem cells, Dr. Luca said. This will allow us to shift our focus from the vasculature to the heart itself, where we can study diseases like cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias.

As the cost of DNA sequencing continues to decrease, the research teamexpects that genetic testing will play a greater role in preventive health care. To fully realize the potential of precision medicine, we need to consider both genetic and environmental risk factors of disease, and how they interact. While there are already direct-to-consumer tests that prescribe an individualized diet based on DNA, these products currently offer no demonstrated clinical value. However, with very large numbers of individuals for whom we have both DNA sequencing and information on diet and lifestyle, we may one day be able to offer better recommendations.

Other members of the research team include Cristiano Petrini, of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Adnan Alazizi, lab manager; Elizabeth Doman, of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Alexander Shanku, Ph.D., research scientist; Gordon Davis, of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Nancy Hauff, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Yoram Sorokin, M.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Xiaoquan Wen, of the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan.

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Researchers identify environmental components that affect gene expression in cardiovascular disease - The South End

22 June 2020

Chinese authorities are collecting blood samples from across the country to build a genetic map of its roughly 700 million males.

A new Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) reportdescribes how Chinese law enforcement has been collecting samples to build a DNA databaseto track a man's male relatives using only his blood, saliva or other genetic material.

Thereport states: 'A police-run Y-STR database containing biometric samples and detailed multigenerational genealogies from all of China's patrilineal families is likely to increase state repression against the family members of dissidents and further undermine the civil and human rights of dissidents and minority communities.'

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security allowed the expansion of genetic collection in 2017 from all males in the population, irrespective of criminal records, in at least 22 of the 31 administrative regions of China.

The police argue that the database is key for controllingcriminal activity, and that all genetic donors fully consent to the data collection. However, Chinese nationals have suggested that the collection is being done involuntarily as they do not have the right to refuse under an authoritarian state.

According to the New York Times, Jiang Haolin, a computer engineer from a rural county in northern China, donated a blood sample after being told by authorities that if he did not comply his household would be blacklisted and could losethe right to travel and accessto hospital treatments.

Theproject is a continuation of China's efforts to use genetics to control its people, which had been focused on tracking ethnic minorities and other, more targeted groups. It adds to the surveillance methods police are deploying across the country including advanced cameras, facial recognition systems and artificial intelligence.

Human rights groups have actively condemned these developments. Concerned that individuals have no control over how their genetic information is used and where it is stored, they argue that the database violates China's own laws and human rights codes.

'The ability of the authorities to discover who is most intimately related to whom, given the context of the punishment of entire families as a result of one person's activism, is going to have a chilling effect on society as a whole,'Maya Wang, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch told the New York Times.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts-basedfirm Thermo Fisher, has come under fire from US lawmakers for selling Chinathe custom-tailored DNA kits for its data collection scheme, in a deal estimated to be worth over 23 billion dollars.

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China collects DNA from millions of men and boys - BioNews

This study examines whether self-reported exposure to cigarette, e-cigarette, cigar, and hookah advertising, and engagement with pro-tobacco and anti-tobacco social media, are associated with past 30-day tobacco use one-year later, among young adults.Data were from two waves of the Marketing and Promotions Across Colleges in Texas study, a multi-wave study of two- and four-year Texas college students (N = 3947; M age = 23.3, SD = 2.3; 64% female; 35% white, 31% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 8% African-American/black, 7% multi-racial/other) from 24 urban-area schools. Multiple logistic regression examined longitudinal associations between recall of exposure and engagement at baseline (wave 6, spring 2017) and tobacco use at one-year follow-up (wave 7, spring 2018), accounting for baseline demographic characteristics and tobacco use.Self-reported exposure to and engagement with tobacco-related social media were significantly associated with past 30-day use of e-cigarettes, cigars, and hookah at one-year follow up; engagement was also associated with cigarette use. Controlling for other social media, exposure to any product advertising via Reddit increased risk for e-cigarette use (AOR = 1.92 [95% CI: 1.17-3.14]). Pinterest exposure increased risk for cigar use (2.92 [1.24-6.85]). Snapchat exposure increased risk for hookah use (2.94 [1.70-5.11]). Pro-tobacco engagement increased risk for future use of all products (1.77 [1.29-2.42]). Anti-tobacco engagement increased risk for use of cigars (1.59 [1.12-2.27]) and hookah (1.69 [1.27-2.25]).Findings demonstrate that encountering tobacco-related social media is an important risk factor for future tobacco use among young people. Social media should be a focus of federal regulation, counter-marketing and health communication campaigns, and intervention.Published by Elsevier B.V.

PubMed

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Exposure and engagement with tobacco-related social media and associations with subsequent tobacco use among young adults: A longitudinal analysis. -...

How does coronavirus enter the body, and why does it become fatal for some compared to just a cough or fever for others? USA TODAY

As several states start to see a surge in COVID-19 cases since reopening, Ohio has not.

Ohio has gradually lifted its stay-at-home order over the past six weeks. The result: a plateau in newly reported cases and a decline in hospitalizations, both reported and estimates of people currently hospitalized. The trend in New York is alsolookinggood right now.

Florida, meanwhile, has had a noteworthy increase. Critics are saying Gov. Ron DeSantis is letting the outbreak get out of control but he is attributing the rise to more testing among low-risk individuals. He says he wont roll back reopening efforts.

CNN takes it a step further. They talked to an expert who said the state has the makings of becoming the "next large epicenter."

By the numbers:The coronavirus isn't going away anytime soon. Confirmed cases in the United States are more than 2.1 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard. America's death toll is nearing118,000. Globally, there are more than 8.4 million confirmed cases and almost450,000 people have died.

We want to hear your stories. Tell us how the pandemic has affected your life by recording a short audio clip for the Corona Diaries project.

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FYI:Employers cannot require COVID-19 antibody testing for employees returning to work, the EEOC says, but they can require other things of you. Read more from USA TODAY's Jessica Guynn.

'Smoke and mirrors':Coronavirus infections at meatpacking plants have risen from under 5,000 cases at the end of April to more than 24,000. President Donald Trump's meatpacking order has failed to keep workers safe, a USA TODAY investigation finds.

Can HIV research help find an answer? Researchers are diving deep into human genetics, hoping to find clues that might explain why many people brush off COVID-19 without even knowing they have it, while others are hospitalized or even die from the disease. Read more.

Can dogs sniff out coronavirus? Unclear, but USA TODAY's fact check team finds a claim that researchers are looking at dogs as a possible candidate to detect the disease is indeed true.

Please call for help if you need it.Thousands of anxious, stressed, isolated and uncertain callers are flooding helplines nationwide. They are teenagers and senior citizens. They have lost jobs, homes and relatives. Some express suicidal thoughts or fears that their positive COVID-19 test is a death sentence. Others reach out in the throes of a panic attack.Read more.

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Contributing: Jackie Borchardt, Cincinnati Enquirer; John Kennedy and Zac Anderson, Palm Beach Post

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/06/18/coronavirus-news-updates-florida-up-ohio-plateaus-masks-on-planes/3212370001/

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Coronavirus news and updates: Does Florida's spike in cases make it a new 'epicenter'?; mask rules on airplanes from the FAA - USA TODAY

A medical team collects swabs from police personnel and their family members for COVID-19 tests in Borivali, Mumbai, April 7, 2020. Photo: PTI.

One patient fainted after seeing the nasopharyngeal swab before sample collection. Another was turned back because of staff shortage. Backlog,procuring quality collection kits, and prohibitive costs are some common problems associated with collection of nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) samples to test for the novel coronavirus.

Currently, India has almost 4 lakh COVID-19 cases, and increasing by 10,000 per day or so these days even with limited testing (since you cant discover without tests). As of today, there are 960 testing labs around India. If the government intends to keep pace with the speed with which the virus is spreading, it should consider efficient diagnostic options in addition to increasing lab capacity and other control measures.

If its feasible, state health officials should test asymptomatic and mildcases as well to help plan effective isolation measures, including reverse quarantine. A diagnostic method should be scalable locally, nationally and globally. Monitoring progress diagnostically will also aid disease research.

However, the currently used NP and OP methods dont cater to these needs.

Swabbing the nasopharynx is an invasive and almost blind procedure.An NP swab is passed along the floor of the nasal cavity up to the back wall, swirled for a few seconds then drawn out. This procedure is not always pleasant, for the patient or the health worker. If not done correctly, it can injure the person and cause bleeding. It can also elicit sneezing or coughing, generating aerosols with infectious virus particles from a positive patient, exposing the worker to a potential infection.

Likewise, the OP sample, which is collected from the back of the throat, can also induce gagging and coughing. A deviated nasal septum, tumours or nasal polyps can hamper collection.

Then there are the inconsistencies in sample collection. Some centres perform only NP, some only OP (though its less sensitive compared to NP) and some both. Changes in the time of collection also affect test performance. The procedure requires a skilled and dedicated health worker, and a guarantee that their availability wont be affected by staff shortages typical during pandemics. Otherwise, collection centres may simply cut corners or defer testing.

Many healthcare personnel change their entire PPE gear, priced at nearly Rs 1,000 apiece, between swab collections. Irrational use of PPE adds to the tons of biomedical waste being generated. On the other hand, some centres dont have sufficient funds to afford good quality and adequate PPE for frontline staff.

If swabs are not of the right type, they can increase discomfort to patients and also affect test results. For example, a cotton or calcium alginate tip interferes with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and a flexible shaft is required to get to the nasopharynx. Although sterile saline is cheaper and accepted by WHO, viral transport medium (VTM) continues to be used widely to transport swabs. (VTM is a specific substance prepared to contain and transport samples containing viruses without damaging the viruses.) Saline and VTM have comparable efficacy in preserving viral RNA, in both refrigerated and frozen specimens, over seven days.

In India, NP and OP swabs are not sold separately without VTM. Moreover, VTM must have adequate and defined quantities of anti-fungal and antibacterial agents to prevent growth of fungi and bacteria that can interfere with a specimens integrity.

There is a global shortage of the right type of good-quality swabs and of VTM. Earlier, swabs used to be imported from the US and China. Last month, India launched Made in India brands by manufacturers in Delhi company and Mumbai. Their swabs reportedly cost less than Rs 5 apiece compared to Rs 20-30 for imported brands. In the private sector, the price of the collection kit with VTM continues to be Rs 180-200, and Rs 4,500-6,000 for one RT-PCR test (all inclusive).

Against this background, we recommend saliva or saline deep-throat lavage or gargled specimens. They have several advantages over swabbing and swab-testing.

The novel coronavirus uses ACE2 receptors, found on some cells in the body, to gain entry into the cells and hijack their resources to replicate. These receptors are found in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, kidneys, the gastrointestinal tract, testes and in salivary glands.

When we sleep, the secretions in the upper respiratory tract flow backwards while specimens in the lower respiratory tract are drawn upwards. These two substances meet in the deep part of the throat. When you gargle, the gargling liquid can pick up viruses from this part of the throat.

A study from Guangzhou, China, published in April 2020 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that self-collected throat wash specimens could be more sensitive than NP specimens.

Viral loads from saliva specimens have also been shown to be consistent with clinical progression. A study by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, of COVID-19 patients and health workers in COVID-19 wards, showed higher sensitivity and less result variation of saliva samples compared to NP swabs.

Obtaining saliva or gargled samples is quick, easy and safe. Some 1-2 ml of deep-throat saliva or a gargled sample with 10 ml of sterile isotonic saline needs to be spit into a sterile collection container. The collection container can be a sterile urine or sputum cup, which are already widely available, in common use and cost Rs 12-15 apiece, much lower than that of a swab kit.

Since it can be self-collected, saliva or gargled samples circumvent the need for skilled health workers at collection centres, minimising their exposure risk, and reduce PPE use.

Some patients need to undergo repeated tests, such as those whose immune systems are suppressed and those with false negative or indeterminate results. Saliva or lavage is a viable alternative in such cases, since repeated swabbing adds to the cost, workload and demand for PPE.

Tuberculosis centres already have good outreach and efficient specimen transport systems to and from Indias hinterlands. COVID-19 sample collection and transport can be modelled on the same lines.

Deep-throat saliva collection is the major sampling method used in outpatient settings and home collections in Hong Kong. Japan has also adopted saliva samples as alternatives to NP swabs. The US Food and Drug Authority has also issued an emergency use authorisation for a saliva-based test for COVID-19 developed at the Human Genetics Institute, Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Like India, many countries of the Global South are in the upward phase of this pandemic, and in desperate need of a cost-effective way to test more of their citizens. But not all of them have the capacity to manufacture swabs and/or other kit components, forcing them to depend on expensive imported kits. They also suffer from PPE and staff shortages. Overall cost reduction is one of the many advantages of saliva or wash testing. Swabs can be reserved for out-patients or for those who cant self collect or produce saliva.

Researchers should consider performing validation studies of self-collected deep throat gargle and saliva samples. These are sensitive, easy and cost-effective methods whose use can be scaled up manyfold in no time.

Dr Vasundhara Rangaswamy is a clinical microbiologist with international experience and a public health activist in Baroda.

Dr K.R. Antony is a consultant of public health, child survival and development in Kochi. He has served with UNICEF and as the director of Chhattisgarhs State Health Resource Centre, and is now an independent monitor for the National Health Mission.

The views expressed here are the authors own.

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COVID-19 Test Samples: Why Do We Swab Instead of Spit? - The Wire

Cutters make the best models.

This is what Christine Chamberland, a model since 2011, was told by a photographer. Cutters and anorexics make the best models, he said in seriousness, because they always aim to please. Little did the photographer know Chamberland suffered from an eating disorder herself.

The world of beauty and fashion is a hard one to break into, with only well-known supermodels making enough finances to live off it. Most of the time, the pay is clothes or products.

It is a world of constant criticism that often idolizes very specific body types and races. Tall, white and skinny has been the golden ratio of beauty for ages or has it?

According to some scientists, a golden ratio of beauty actually exists.

European scientists, artists and architects used what they called the golden ratio as a map for their creations during the renaissance. This ratio only takes into account facial beauty and ignores the body. Today, scientists are still trying to nail the golden ratio and figure out why some people are beautiful while others are not. According to an article on Oprah.com, the golden ratio consists of several aspects. After calculating measurements, it is possible to then determine a persons beauty on a scale of one to 10.

First, a beautiful persons face is about 1 times longer than it is wide. Second, three segments are measured for uniformity from the forehead hairline to a spot between the eyes, from between the eyes to the bottom of the nose, and from the bottom of the nose to the bottom of the chin. If the numbers are equal, a person is considered more beautiful.

Finally, the measurements of all other features determine symmetry and proportion. Perfection, in part, consists of the length of an ear being equal to the length of the nose. According to science, most people are between a four and a six. No one has ever been a perfect 10.

In a 2019 academic journal article by Daniel Yarosh titled Perception and Deception: Human Beauty and the Brain, he describes beauty from a biological standpoint, pointing out, evolutionary pressures to maximize reproductive fitness. Certain aspects of beauty, such as pronounced jawlines for men and hourglass figures for women, are clues in a mates potential to produce offspring.

A study of over 15,000 observers determined that both men and women across many cultures have very similar ideas for what is and is not attractive, this suggesting that physical attraction is, hard-wired in human genetics, likely fixed at an early stage in our evolution.

And indeed, ranking people by how beautiful they are is common. Through possible genetics and celebrity images, Americas youth are groomed as to what beauty should be. Abraham Larsen is only 11 years old. In his eyes, Scarlett Johansson, who has twice been named Esquire Magazines Sexiest Woman Alive, is the prettiest person hes ever seen. Abraham lists such specific features as eye color and mouth divot as some of Johanssons most prominent claims to beauty. He knows exactly what the one to 10 attractiveness scale is. In his opinion, most people are somewhere around a seven except for his sister, who is a one, he jokes.

Abraham thinks natural beauty is the best and thinks its best to skip the full face of makeup and just be yourself, a sentiment his older sister Mackenzie, a sophomore studying molecular biology, also recognizes.

Beauty products are not a way in which to feel beautiful because they have no real or lasting value. As soon as someone fixes their acne, theyre going to want to whiten their teeth, or color their hair, or fix something, anything.

Whats going to make you feel your best is being healthy, said Mackenzie.

I feel most beautiful when I am clean just when I get out of the shower, she laughs. No makeup, no fancy clothes. Most people feel the need to cover up imperfections because they assume they have imperfections I just dont care.

Mackenzie rarely wears makeup. She doesnt feel the need. Her usual outfit consists of a t-shirt, button-down flannel and well worn blue jeans. Im comfortable, somewhat beautiful. I dont see anything wrong with myself.

Sure, she occasionally has days where she feels more or less pretty based upon her emotions, but none of it is contingent upon wearing the perfect makeup or perfect clothes.

Concentration on flaws may not be a focus for Mackenzie, but this is perhaps the result of an extraordinarily confident young woman. For some women, flaws are all they see.

In a recent Dove Real Beauty Sketch, women described themselves to a police sketch artist. They could not see what he was drawing. The women list imperfections. They say they look tired, or that their eyes are sallow. They would talk to another woman for a period, and after went home. The other woman would describe their partner to the sketch artist, and the drawings were put up side-by-side. In the descriptions given by the women themselves, they were flat and wrinkled, with squashed noses and limp, stringy hair. But in the drawings described by strangers, the same women were beautiful. They were grinning ear to ear, with bright eyes and smooth skin.

It is nearly impossible not to be affected by the almost 5,000 daily advertisements, according to Huffington Post. Models of perfect angular proportions are supposedly normal, but many fail to realize that almost all of these images have heavy Photoshop. Even A-list celebrities fall victim to magazine and tabloid Photoshop.

It has led to a beauty industry worth $532 billion, and expected to rise more in the coming years. However, only cosmetics and personal care items, such as shampoo and deodorant, count as beauty items. Other looks-based industries, such as fashion, plastic and cosmetic surgery and even health and fitness, are all separate million to billion-dollar industries.

In an effort to make women love themselves as is, the body positive movement was born, which centers around loving all shapes and sizes. Psychologist Lisa Kaplin weighs in. Both obesity and anorexia are becoming increasingly common. And although loving yourself and feeling beautiful is important no matter the size, some have ignored certain health concerns that arise with this movement.

The message is clear: you can be fat or thin but the focus is still on how you look. The outrageous spotlight on our appearance is keeping us from living full, complex, productive and healthy lives why are we not focused on how amazing it feels to be flexible and strong, powerful and athletic versus how sexy we look at any weight? If we are highlighting appearance and not the physical and emotional strength that comes with good health, we are failing.

Chamberland has a friend who modeled for large department store catalogs who was stick thin. She was very healthy, and her skinniness was entirely genetic. People would ask why she was so skinny and if she was sick, says Chamberland. No matter what you look like, people are always going to judge.

Criticism is constant, whether verbalized by family, strangers or photographers. It is a constant for young girls who look in the mirror at 8 years old and decide to stuff their tank tops with tissues and put on lipstick in hopes of looking like an image that has been so drastically altered from the original that any replication is impossible and disappointing. It is constant for men who believe the only way they can be attractive is by spending hours a day in the gym to have a six-pack and defined shoulders.

Beauty might be measured on a scale, but confidence and self-worth are not contingent upon the same number, regardless of filters, makeup or clothes.

Beauty is someone that is living their healthiest lifestyle and is confident and comfortable in themselves, says Mackenzie.

Related

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The beauty of flaws - NCC Linked

Another day, and another new study shining more light on the complexities of the coronavirus.

A group of European researchers, led by the University of Kiel's professor of molecular medicine Andre Franke, publishedtheir findings regarding a link between our genes and severe respiratory failure among Covid-19 patients inThe New England Journal of Medicine.

The massive genome-wide study was conducted on 1 980 patients from hospitals in Italy and Spain the European epicentres of the disease early in the year controlled against participants without coronavirus, or those who had no or mild Covid-19 symptoms.

It also included some participants from Norway and Germany, where the coronavirus had a much less devastating effect on the population.

READ:Leave your sunglasses at home if you're venturing out during the pandemic

Two genetic factors were found to influence the severity of Covid-19-induced respiratory failure and the need to be placed on ventilators namely clusters found in the 3p21.31 and 9q34.2 chromosomes.

One of the risk alleles is also associated with the ABO-blood groups. Those with blood type A were 45% more likely to develop the disease, while O has some protective effect that makes O types only 65% as likely to the get it compared to other blood groups.

A similar finding was shared by US private genetic testing company 23andMe. Their initial findings in an ongoing study showed that type O blood tends to be 9 to 18% less likely to test positive for Covid-19. However, they did not find one blood type to be more susceptible than any other. Another study from China also found that blood type A seemed more susceptible to the coronavirus.

But when it comes to the HLA genes that monitor our immune system, the researchers found no discernible link with Covid-19.

ALSO READ:One blood type seems to be more resistant against Covid-19

This European study also confirmed that their findings are backed up by the Covid-19 Host Genetics Initiative a consortium of the world's leading genetics scientists who share information that could help better understand the coronavirus threat.

However, former president of the American Society of Haematology Dr Roy Silverstein, told CNNthese results don't mean much to the general public, where this kind of genetic variance in a population isn't that significant.

For researchers though, this could be valuable information for developing treatment and vaccines against the coronavirus.

Recently, researchers found a breakthrough Covid-19 treatment using the steroid dexamethasone that reduces mortality. And regarding the rush for a vaccine, there are currently 100 vaccines in development, with eight having reached human trials.

ALSO READ:Are people with blood type A more vulnerable to contracting the new coronavirus

Image credit: Pixabay

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Study finds genetic factors that make some more susceptible to Covid-19 - Health24

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavio has been monitoring the precision medicine software market and it is poised to grow by USD 882.65 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of about 11% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. Technavios in-depth research has all your needs covered as our research reports include all foreseeable market scenarios, including pre- & post-COVID-19 analysis. Download a Free Sample Report

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Fabric Genomics Inc., Gene42 Inc., Human Longevity Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, NantHealth Inc., Roper Technologies Inc., SOPHiA GENETICS SA, and Syapse Inc. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free.

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The benefits of precision medicine has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations. https://www.technavio.com/report/report/precision-medicine-software-market-industry-analysis

Precision Medicine Software Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Precision Medicine Software Market is segmented as below:

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40844

Precision Medicine Software Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The precision medicine software market report covers the following areas:

This study identifies the digitization of healthcare as one of the prime reasons driving the precision medicine software market growth during the next few years.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavios in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

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Precision Medicine Software Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

Table of Contents:

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY DELIVERY MODE

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

PART 14: APPENDIX

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Assessment of COVID-19's Effect on Precision Medicine Software Market 2020-2024 | Benefits of Precision Medicine to Augment Growth | Technavio -...

There is incredible power in our daily habits. This can be a positive thingincorporating healthy habits can have a tremendous impact on our wellbeing and help us feel more focused and productive as we go about our workdayor a negativein the case of unhealthy habits that undermine our health and make it harder to function optimally.

Sometimes the bad habits or the parts of our routine that arent helping us are obvious, but other times, we need to dig deeper to understandbut how? There is a lot of information out there, but it can be hard to know what to apply to your own situation. I cant tell you how many times I have seen someone try a diet or workout routine or product that just wasnt a good fit for them, only to wind up feeling more confused about their own healthand not any better.

The foods that some people thrive on may not be a good fit for othersand health experts say that's ... [+] okay.

I interviewed several leading health and wellness experts about the importance of taking an individualized approach to wellness, practicing bio-individuality by honoring their unique needs.

Dr. Will Cole, IFMCP, DC, leading functional medicine expert and author of The Inflammation Spectrum and Ketotarian, explains, We each have our own biochemistry - a unique combination of genetics that is different than anyone else. Because of this, what affects us health wise (diet, environmental triggers) and how that plays out in your health case (symptoms, diagnoses) is going to be different from person to person. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to health.

He adds, While there are certain foods that can trigger inflammation in most people such as conventional sugar and processed foods, there are also so-called healthy foods that can trigger inflammation in one person but not another. For example, I've seen spinach be an inflammatory trigger for some peopleand most people would agree that spinach is a 'healthy' food. But for some individuals those healthy foods aren't so healthy. Dr. Cole, who guides patients through specialized elimination diets explains that going through an individualized elimination diet will help you discover your individual food triggers so you can build the healthiest diet for you.

Dietitian Maya Feller counsels patients with a wide variety of needs and tailors her recommendations to what that individual person may need. When we look at population-wide data, we know many Americans are not meeting the recommended intake for fiber, choline, magnesium, iron, calcium, vitamins A, D, E and potassium. However, each person may have specific concerns depending on their health history, diet pattern, medications, lifestyle and work schedule, just to name a few factors.

Feller, who is a partner of Life Extension, is a firm believer in working with a credentialed healthcare provider and using lab tests to assess what your individual needs are in regard to which gaps in the diet you need to fill. When someone is unable to meet their needs through food, she says, I think safe supplementation is key.

Practicing bio-individuality involves tuning in to the foods and lifestyle habits that support your ... [+] health and wellbeing.

Another area where paying attention to your unique needs is your skincare. Whether we are interacting with people in person or virtually, feeling confident in our skins health and appearance can play a role in how we present ourselves in our work life.

Dr. Kiran Mian is an aesthetic and medical dermatologist in New York City. She says, There are many factors that play into what our skin looks and feels like, including our diet, our sleeping habits, our mood and stress level, as well as our genetics. Our genetics even determine how our bodies handle these different factors. Speaking to a board certified dermatologist can help tease out the different factors affecting your skin. For example, I had a patient continuously breaking out on the left side of his face, and it turns out thats where his headset sat while he was at work. I also suggest my patients keep a food and skincare journal. Writing down what you ate, how much youve slept, and how your skin has been going during that time helps us find patterns. Its not always a direct causation, but an overall pattern were looking for.

Because social media is where so many people go for health information and inspiration, its important to consider how what we see may impact how empowered we feel to practice bio-individuality as opposed to trying to conform to standards and ideals that may not apply to us at all.

When we think about the wellness space historically, says Feller, it's been exclusive and has used white people as the barometer, asking people, regardless of where they are to blind themselves up with a white ideal. If were able to expand that space, that will make it possible for people with more diverse backgrounds from more places to be a part of that conversation...all of those people can be in the space in a way where they are seen and heard without asking them to shift to a white ideal.

Dr. Cole echoes, Health and wellness can do a better job at representing other people and giving them a chance to share their stories and showcase their wellness journey. Whether that is someone wanting to be healthy or get into the wellness field as a practitioner, the more the wellness community can practice diversity, the more we can empower everyone to take back control of their health.

Racial diversity is important so that people feel represented, seen, heard, and part of the conversation, says Dr. Mian. We are all human, and human skin under the microscope looks the same. However, all the factors that influence skin are different, based on our cultures. This is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated.

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Wellness Experts Discuss The Importance Of Individualizing Your Approach To Health - Forbes

Dr. Freathys team will study measures including the weight of a baby and placenta, and how early or late the baby is born

A new 1.4 million award from the Wellcome Trust will help researchers at the University of Exeter understand the processes that link a pregnant mothers obesity with health problems for her and her baby.

Obesity is known to be one of the most common risk factors for complications of pregnancy and birth. Now, Dr Rachel Freathy, at the University of Exeter Medical School, has been awarded a Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship to study human genetics data in babies, mothers and fathers to understand the mechanisms involved in causing these health problems, with a view to improving care.

Over five years, Dr. Freathys team will study measures including the weight of a baby and placenta, and how early or late the baby is born. They will investigate how these measures link with known risk factors connected to obesity in mothers, such as pregnancy-related diabetes and high blood pressure.

Dr Freathy said: Weve long known that obesity in pregnancy increases the risk of a range of complications for mother and baby yet little is known about the mechanisms that underpin these problems. Its essential that we understand processes such as how a fetus regulates its own growth, how the mothers glucose and blood pressure affect the fetus, and how the fetus itself might influence changes in the mothers body in pregnancy. The award from Wellcome gives us an amazing opportunity to really understand these processes and how they act together to influence risk in an individual pregnancy, which could help us to personalise antenatal care in the future.

Previous work led by Dr. Freathys team has identified 190 links between our genetic code and birth weight, and has shown that many of these genetic links to birth weight also influence risk of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes in later life.

Professor Clive Ballard, Executive Dean and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: Huge congratulations to Rachel, who has built up internationally-renowned expertise in the field of the genetics of mothers and babies. Already her work has shaped understanding in this field, and has the potential to make a significant impact on care.

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1.4 million for genetics research on how obesity in pregnancy affects mother and baby - Mirage News

CINCINNATI, June 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Aerpio) (Nasdaq: ARPO), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing compounds that activate Tie2 to treat ocular diseases and diabetic complications, today announced that it is hosting a key opinion leader (KOL) call on a novel mechanism for the treatment of glaucoma on Friday, June 12, 2020 at 11:30am Eastern Time.

The call will feature presentations by Dr. Paul Kaufman M.D. (University of Wisconsin) and Dr. Janey Wiggs, M.D., Ph.D. (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School), who will discuss the current glaucoma treatment landscape and unmet medical needs, as well as the role of the Tie2 receptor in maintaining intraocular pressure. Drs. Kaufman and Wiggs will be available to answer questions at the conclusion of the event.

Aerpio's management team will also discuss its pipeline candidate, razuprotafib (formerly AKB-9778), for treating patients with glaucoma. Razuprotafib is a small molecule inhibitor that restores Tie2 activation in Schlemms canal and lowers intraocular eye pressure (IOP) via decreasing resistance to outflow from the eye. Razuprotafib has been formulated as a once or twice-daily topical eye drop and is entering a Phase 2 clinical trial in Q3:20, with top line data expected in Q1:21.

Aerpio recently announced positive and statistically significant intraocular eye pressure (IOP) reduction in a Phase 1b trial of 43 glaucoma patients, when razuprotafib was added to prostaglandin treatment. This data set is summarized here.

Paul Kaufman, M.D. is the Ernst H. Brny Emeritus Professor of Ocular Pharmacology and past Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a physician-scientist, specializing in glaucoma and studying the mechanisms of aqueous humor formation and drainage, and the age-related loss of near vision. Dr Kaufman is a past President and past Executive Vice President of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), past President of the International Society for Eye Research (ISER), and has served on the US National Advisory Eye Council and numerous foundation and corporate scientific advisory boards. He has had continuous research funding from the US National Eye Institute for 40 years and from numerous private foundations, has authored over 375 original scientific articles and 75 book chapters, co-edited several textbooks including the most recent editions of Adlers Physiology of the Eye, and received numerous honors and awards including the Friedenwald Award from ARVO and the Balazs Prize from ISER. He was Editor-in-Chief of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science from 2008 through 2012. Dr. Kaufman also holds an honorary Doctor of Medicine degree from Uppsala University in Sweden, where he was a post-doctoral research fellow.

Janey L. Wiggs, M.D., Ph.D. is a physician-scientist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School. She is currently the Paul Austin Chandler Professor of Ophthalmology and is the Vice Chair for Clinical Research in Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. She also directs the CLIA-certified genetic testing laboratory at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and is a co-director of the Ocular Genomics Institute and co-director of the Glaucoma Center of Excellence. Dr. Wiggs received her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley and her M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School. She did post-doctoral training in molecular genetics under the direction of Dr. Ted Dryja. Dr. Wiggs completed the ophthalmology residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and received fellowship training in glaucoma and also in medical genetics and is certified by the both the American Board of Ophthalmology and the American Board of Medical Genetics. Dr. Wiggs research program is focused on the discovery and characterization of genetic factors that contribute to the blinding eye disease glaucoma and is funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) as well as other nonprofit foundations. She is investigating the genetic etiologies of both early-onset and adult forms of glaucoma and is the PI of the NEIGHBORHOOD consortium for gene discovery in primary open angle glaucoma and is a founding member of the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium (IGGC). She has also participated in research programs funded by the US-INDO joint working group (NEI) and the NEI eyeGENE consortium. Dr. Wiggs was the inaugural chair of the Genetics Group for ARVO and is an ARVO gold fellow. She currently serves on the editorial boards of IOVS, JAMA Ophthalmology, Molecular Vision, Journal of Glaucoma, and Annual Reviews in Vision Science. She is a member of the scientific advisory boards for the Glaucoma Research Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness and the Glaucoma Foundation, and is a past member of the Advisory Council of the National Eye Institute. She has received the Heed Award, the Heed/Knapp Award, the Research to Prevent Blindness Scholar Award, the AAO Honor Award, the Lew Wasserman Merit Award, the Alcon Research Award, the David L. Epstein award from the ARVO Foundation and was a winner of the NEI Audacious Goal competition. She is an elected member of the Glaucoma Research Society, the American Ophthalmological Society, the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis and the National Academy of Medicine.

About RazuprotafibRazuprotafib binds to and inhibits vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), an important negative regulator of Tie2. Decreased Tie2 activity contributes to vascular instability in many diseases including diabetes and more recently has been shown to contribute to the development of increased IOP and glaucoma. Razuprotafib activates the Tie2 receptor irrespective of extracellular levels of its binding ligands, angiopoietin-1 (agonist) or angiopoietin-2 (antagonist) and may be the most efficient pharmacologic approach to maintain normal Tie2 activation. Aerpio is studying a topical ocular formulation of razuprotafib in open angle glaucoma and exploring the utility of subcutaneous razuprotafib for diabetic complications, including diabetic nephropathy.

About Aerpio PharmaceuticalsAerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing compounds that activate Tie2 to treat ocular diseases and diabetic complications. Recently published mouse and human genetic data implicate the Angpt/Tie2 pathway in maintenance of Schlemms canal, a critical component of the conventional outflow tract. The Companys lead compound, razuprotafib (formerly AKB-9778), a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), is being developed as a potential treatment for open angle glaucoma, and the Company intends to investigate the therapeutic potential of razuprotafib in other indications. The Company is also evaluating development options for ARP-1536, a humanized monoclonal antibody, for its therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic vascular complications including nephropathy and diabetic macular edema (DME). The Companys third asset is a bispecific antibody that binds both VEGF and VE-PTP which is designed to inhibit VEGF activation and activate Tie2. This bispecific antibody has the potential to be an improved treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration and DME via intravitreal injection. Finally, the Company has exclusively out-licensed AKB-4924 (now called GB004), a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF). GB004 is being developed by AKB-4924s exclusive licensor, Gossamer Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOSS). For more information, please visit http://www.aerpio.com.

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the Companys product candidates, including razuprotafib, ARP-1536 and the bispecific antibody asset, the clinical development plan therefor and the therapeutic potential thereof, the Companys plans and expectations with respect to razuprotafib and the development therefor and therapeutic potential thereof in addressing COVID-19 and the intended benefits from the Companys collaboration with Gossamer Bio for GB004, including the continued development of GB004 and the milestone and royalty payments related to the collaboration. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to several risk factors. Such factors include, among others, the continued development of GB004 and maintaining and deriving the intended benefits of the Companys collaboration with Gossamer Bio; ability to continue to develop razuprotafib or other product candidates, including in indications related to COVID-19; the inherent uncertainties associated with the drug development process, including uncertainties in regulatory interactions, the design of planned or future clinical trials, commencing clinical trials and enrollment of patients in clinical trials; obtaining any necessary regulatory clearances in order to commence and conduct planned or future clinical trials; the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys business operations, including research and development efforts and the ability of the Company to commence, conduct and complete its planned clinical activities; and competition in the industry in which the Company operates and overall market conditions; and the additional factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our other subsequent filings with the SEC.

These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Investors should consult all the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factor disclosure set forth in the reports and other documents the Company files with the SEC available at http://www.sec.gov.

Investors & Media:Gina MarekVP Financegmarek@aerpio.comOrInvestors:Irina KofflerLifeSci Advisorsikoffler@lifesciadvisors.com

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Aerpio Hosting Key Opinion Leader Call on a Novel Mechanism for the Treatment of Glaucoma - GlobeNewswire

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., June 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) will present at the Goldman Sachs 41st Annual Virtual Global Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:20 p.m. ET. Peter H. Griffith, executive vice president and chief financial officer,and David M. Reese, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen will present at the conference. Live audio of the presentation can be accessed from the Events Calendar on Amgen's website, http://www.amgen.com, under Investors. A replay of the webcast will also be available on Amgen's website for at least 90 days following the event.

About AmgenAmgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to beone ofthe world'sleadingindependent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

For more information, visitwww.amgen.comand follow us onwww.twitter.com/amgen.

CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand OaksMegan Fox, 805-447-1423 (media)Trish Rowland, 805-447-5631(media)Arvind Sood, 805-447-1060 (investors)

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Amgen To Present At The Goldman Sachs 41st Annual Global Healthcare Conference - Monterey County Weekly

The new cosmic fear produced by COVID-19 has become a great challenge for mankind. The process of overcoming it is connected to a large extent with the establishment of effective cosmopolitan solidarity and humanely-oriented global medical surveillance with the aim of working out effective means to prevent fake news that traumatise the social consciousness, writes Sergey Kravchenko, Head of the Department of Sociology at MGIMO University.

According to Ulrich Beck, the global risks of the World Risk Society have the following three characteristic features: 1) delocalisation (their causes are not limited to one geographic location); 2) incalculability (their consequences are in principle incalculable); 3) non-compensability (human genetics makes possible irreversible interventions in human existence). All these features are seen in the risks of COVID-19 and they have even increased and become more complex. Thus, the delocalisation concerns not only the geographic location but also bio space: some scientists point to the proliferation of viruses that can move from animal to humans and back, making illnesses more difficult to cure. The incalculability has redoubled due to the fact that there are no commonly recognised methods to estimate them. Besides, we have to make do not only with the damage produced by real viruses but with the one made by their mystifications. I mean that many risks of COVID-19 are socially and culturally constructed; a lot of myths and fake news have appeared about their influence. The whole of humanity is observing the deaths of many people in real time. Some viewers may not even realise that their consciousness is being traumatised very often they accept exaggerated news as real that increases the effects of liquid fear (Bauman), which is now becoming global in nature. This blurs the distinction between the risks of COVID-19 and the cultural perception of them. The non-compensability depends not only on irreversible interventions in human body but on the incurable traumas of humanness and substantial rationality; the life-worlds of people.

At first sight, it seems the recognition of the complex risks posed by COVID-19 might lead to a kind of post-national sense of responsibility, give a start for elaborating a humanely oriented global system of medical surveillance, which is aimed at preventing different epidemics. Some political leaders argue that the consequences of the pandemic might unite the human inhabitants of the Earth after their years of confrontations.

However, the real picture is the reverse. In Europe and throughout the world, one can see disintegration, isolation, and even the rise of nationalism and xenophobia. The declared European values do not function. Reaction to risks presupposes decisions and actions. For Italians, the risks posed by COVID-19 are more important than other threats. Consequently, they expect the help from the European Union, but the organisation is paralysed and does not make decisions rendering the necessary medical, financial and monetary support. The difference in interests of practically all the countries of the European Union is evident. They do not only close their borders on quasi-laws but apply to a national mobilisation, stop the social and medical cooperation which is very acute for the management of the new global risks. Nothing is done to overcome the myths of the pandemic. Moreover, new enclaves with sick people have appeared.

At the same time, I believe that this tragic situation will not last forever, and we should think about the post-COVID-19 world. Here are some glimpses at the possible hopes and the visions of the future world. The consequences of the pandemic have not produced simply the growth of world disorder. The common challenges to humanity may foster the establishment of a completely new world order based on cosmopolitan ethics and solidarity. Certainly, the realisation of this depends on peoples agency, and the concrete humanely oriented deeds of the political leaders. A good example of it is Vladimir Putins idea to make humanitarian corridors. In order to realise this, Russia has already rendered medical help to China, Italy, the USA, and Serbia.

The countries and their elites have reacted differently to the risks of COVID-19, with positive and negative results. This will influence the characteristic features of the futures of these nations. Undoubtedly, in the nearest future, there will appear new political movements with demands for global medical surveillance and health security. Consequently, new leaders will come to power. Whether Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are among them depends on the results of the struggle against COVID-19 and the effect of the pandemic on their countries. The challenges of the pandemic will change the essence of Europe as a turbulent and mighty continent. In order to limit the existing turbulence and achieve sustainable development, the new political leaders will pass over from confrontations to different forms of cooperation with a diverse array of actors on the world stage. It is highly likely that in the renewed European Union, China, which displayed achievements in overcoming the pandemics and rendered concrete support to different countries, will acquire a special friendly status. Consequently, there are basic grounds for re-establishing good political and economic relations between the West and Russia.

Certainly, the birth of the post-COVID-19 world will be difficult, perhaps, accompanied by a recession which, however, may become a significant factor of the new world order based on sharing economy, social solidarity and integral forms of freedom and disciplinary. I believe the fetishism of modesty in the consumption is being born. There have already appeared collective forms of consumption not only the sharing of cars, places of living but food and medicine sharing.

There are some trends toward the achievement of social justice and equality in the organisation of medical help. During the pandemic, the Norwegian authorities have done a lot in constructing the possibilities for all the people to have proper access to medical care. These practices might be developed in other countries. The significance of social insurance would be revised. Its high organisation in Germany helped to save the lives of many more patients if we compare it with other countries. The distant care systems based on digitalisation have proved their efficiency these activities should be extended.

It is necessary to re-discover the place and role of nations in world politics. In addition to the existing criteria (economic development, the possession of weaponry, etc.), new ones should be taken into consideration the power to effectively struggle with epidemics, to produce ecological and pharmacological safety for citizens, the possibility to re-orient the digital, from pragmatic consumerism to health care. Human rights should be extended, including the right to health care, safety, and a friendly environment.

The new cosmic fear produced by COVID-19 has become a great challenge to mankind. The process of overcoming it is connected to a large extent with the establishment of effective cosmopolitan solidarity and global humanely-oriented medical surveillance, with the aim to work out effective means to prevent fakes that traumatise the social consciousness. All these prepositions might make the emerging post-COVID-19 world more rational and humane.

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COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Risks of More Complex Character and the Visions of the Future World - Valdai Discussion Club

A group of researchers based at Rothamsted Research, one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, has responded to a request from the White House, Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg and others to find a way to rapidly sift through the mountain of COVID-19 scientific data.

Taking time off fromtheir own research, the Rothamsted teamrepurposeda tool they had originally developed to help crop scientists, to provide medical researchers with quick and intuitive access to all documented linkages between genes, medicines, and the virus.

By bringing together COVID-19 related data in one place, the hope is that this will speed up the international search for useful drugs, stop researchers repeating work done elsewhere, avoid harmful interventions, and ultimately, help pave the way to a vaccine.

A US Government-backed call had urged the worlds artificial intelligence experts to develop new text and data mining techniques that could help the science community answer urgent questions related to the deadly outbreak.

Project leader, Dr Keywan Hassani-Pak, originally developed the KnetMiner software to support scientists studying complex plant traits and diseases but together with his team, quickly realized the potential of it to help aid coronavirus research.

Using KnetMiner, medical researchers can now search for genes and keywords, visualize connections between biological concepts and explore knowledge relating to the new coronavirus and COVID-19 disease.

Users can search for drugs related to coronavirus and explore the surrounding connected data. Alternatively, they can investigate what pathways the drugs affect and visualize if any negative downstream effects may be present with using the drug in certain diseased populations.

The genetic component of how SARS-CoV-2 and the human body interact can also be explored.

The software links together almost 170,000 scientific articles, the majority with detailed information about human genes, plus SARS and COVID-19 related proteins, drugs and other medical conditions.

This works out at more than 1.6 million relationships between biological entities something that would take years of searching for, using conventional means.

We have connected the dots in the COVID-19 biomedical data and put the information in a machine-readable format and in context with human genetics, pathogen-host, and drug-target interaction data said Dr Hassani-Pak.

It was mid-March when The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy launched the COVID-19 call to action.

Over 500 scientists, software developers and clinicians joined forces in the COVID-19 virtual Biohackathon at the beginning of April to develop new tools for working with COVID-19 data.

Working from their homes, the team of Joseph Hearnshaw, Dr Marco Brandizi, Ajit Singh and Dr Keywan Hassani-Pak managed to develop the COVID-19 knowledge graph for KnetMiner in less than a month.

Dr Hassani-Pak said: I knew our technology was versatile, but to deliver this within such a short time scale was beyond my expectation and only possible due to a fantastic team and a global effort to make COVID-19 data openly available.

The newly developed biomedical resource offers developers and analysts the opportunity to use our data for new analyses and applications. A full download of our COVID-19 knowledge graph is available on request.

The COVID-19 KnetMiner is available atwww.knetminer.org/COVID-19.

The knowledge graph can be freely accessed through public RDF and Neo4j endpointshttps://github.com/Rothamsted/covid19-kg/blob/master/RawDataEndPoints.md

An example COVID-19 network can be explored and shared athttps://knetminer.com/beta/knetspace/network/424a2a44-24c2-4c2c-80bb-e3493b0de003

The datasets used to build the COVID-19 KG are athttps://knetminer.org/COVID-19/html/release.html

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Rothamsted turn to harvesting coronavirus data - Lab News

The complement system is part of the bodys immune system to fight pathogens and remove cell debris. Its role in two autoimmune diseases and a mental disorder is a surprise.

The complement system is part of the bodys immune system to fight pathogens and remove cell debris. Its role in two autoimmune diseases and a mental disorder is a surprise.Variants in a gene of the human immune system cause men and women to have different vulnerabilities to the autoimmune diseases lupus and Sjgrens syndrome, according to findings published today in the journal Nature. This extends recent work that showed the gene variants could increase risk for schizophrenia.

The gene variants are a member of the complement system, a cascade of proteins that help antibodies and phagocytic cells remove damaged cells of a persons own body, as well as an infection defense that promotes inflammation and attacks pathogens. Normally the complement system keeps a person healthy in the face of pathogens; it also helps cart away the debris of damaged human cells before the body can mount an autoimmune attack. Now complement gene variants apparently play a contributing role in the diseases systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjgrens syndrome and schizophrenia.

It had been known that all three illnesses had common genetic associations with a section of the human chromosome called the major histocompatibility complex, or MHC. This region on chromosome 6 includes many genes that regulate the immune system. However, making an association with a specific gene or with the mutational variants of a specific gene that are called alleles has been difficult, partly because the MHC on human chromosome 6 spans three million base-pairs of DNA.

The Nature paper is a collaboration of 22 authors at 10 institutions in the United States and one in England, along with many members of a schizophrenia working group. Robert Kimberly, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and director of the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science, is a co-author of the research, which was led by corresponding author Steven McCarroll, Ph.D., assistant professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.

The identified alleles are complement component 4A and 4B, known as C4A and C4B.

The research showed that different combinations of C4A and C4B copy numbers generate a sevenfold variation in risk for lupus and 16-fold variation in risk for Sjgrens syndrome among people with common C4 genotypes. Paradoxically, the same C4 alleles that previously were shown to increase risk for schizophrenia had a different impact for lupus and Sjgrens syndrome they greatly reduced risk in those diseases. In all three illnesses, the C4 alleles acted more strongly in men than in women.

For the complement proteins that are encoded by the genes for C4 and for complement component 3, or C3, both C4 protein and its effector C3 protein were present at greater levels in men than in women in cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma among adults ages 20-50. Intriguingly, that is the age range when the three diseases differentially affect men and women for unknown reasons. Lupus and Sjgrens syndrome affect women of childbearing age nine times more than they do men of similar age. In contrast, in schizophrenia, women exhibit less severe symptoms, more frequent remission of symptoms, lower relapse rates and lower overall incidence than men, who are affected more frequently and more severely.

Both men and women have an age-dependent elevation of C4 and C3 protein levels in blood plasma. In men, this occurs early in adulthood, ages 20-30. In women, the elevation is closer to menopause, ages 40-50. Thus, differences in complement protein levels in men and women occur mostly during the reproductive years, ages 20-50.

The researchers say sex differences in complement protein levels may help explain the larger effects of C4 alleles in men, the greater risk of women for lupus and Sjgrens, and the greater vulnerability of men for schizophrenia.

Robert Kimberly, M.D.The ages of pronounced sex differences in complement levels correspond to the ages when men and women differ in disease incidence. In schizophrenia cases, men outnumber women in early adulthood; but that disparity of onset lessens after age 40. In lupus, female cases greatly outnumber male cases during childbearing years; but that difference is much less for disease onset after age 50 or during childhood. In Sjgrens syndrome, women are more vulnerable than are men before age 50.

The researchers say the differing effect of C4 alleles in schizophrenia versus lupus and Sjgrens syndrome will be important to consider in any therapeutic effort to engage the complement system. They also said, Why and how biology has come to create this sexual dimorphism in the complement system in humans presents interesting questions for immune and evolutionary biology.

Co-authors with McCarroll and Kimberly for the paper, Complement genes contribute sex-biased vulnerability in diverse illnesses, are Nolan Kamitaki, Aswin Sekar, Heather de Rivera, Katherine Tooley and Christine Seidman, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts; Robert Handsaker and Christopher Whelan, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology; David Morris, Philip Tombleson and Timothy Vyse, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom; Kimberly Taylor and Lindsey Criswell, University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine; Loes Olde Loohuis and Roel Ophoff, University of California-Los Angeles; Michael Boehnke, University of Michigan; Kenneth Kaufman and John Harley, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Ohio; Carl Langefeld, Wake Forest School of Medicine, North Carolina; Michele Pato and Carlos Pato, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center; and Robert Graham, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California.

Support came from National Institutes of Health grants HG006855, MH112491, MH105641 and MH105653; and from the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research.

At UAB, Kimberly holds the Howard L. Holley Research Chair in Rheumatology.

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Complement genes add to sex-based vulnerability in lupus and schizophrenia - UAB News

Bangalore: The State Government will set up a committee to ensure co-ordination between the government and private firms that are engaged in research work to come up with solutions to control the spread of Covid-19 as well as a cure for it.

Deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan on Thursday asked the IT/BT department to set up a committee at the earliest. The deputy chief minister took a decision to this effect after he visited Bengaluru Bio Innovation Centre.

About 45 startups are working at the innovation centre on projects to find a vaccine, medicine and quick testing technology for Covid 19, he said.

Narayan, who holds the IT/BT portfolio as well, interacted with the young entrepreneurs. "I am glad that all startups here are working to find a solution to the pandemic. Some are at clinical trial stage while a few have already applied for with the competent authorities for conducting tests, he remarked.

ROBOT AT WORK: He unveiled the Programmable Robot that would separate the Saliva from the swab in no time. The robot developed by SN Life Sciences has an ability to test eight different samples at a time, he said.

On the overall research work taking place at the innovation centre, he said: "This is a great sign for Bengaluru, Karnataka and India, he said adding that a quick solution will help to ensure a balance between life and livelihood.

He also commended the efforts Neuome Technologies which has a technology that enables on-the-spot testing within 5 minutes for asymptomatic as well as symptomatic cases.

Ashwath Narayan visited the Centre for Human Genetics and Bio Informatics and inspected the lab there.

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Covid-19 research: 45 Bengaluru startups working on medicine, testing methods and vaccine - Economic Times

By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: May 18, 2020 9:42:38 am An 11-member advisory council, chaired by Professor K Shrinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India, has also been constituted to design and manage programmes of the institute. (File)

Delhi University has announced the establishment of a new public health school, citing the need for manpower and research in the field.

The university administration has said the new institute Delhi School of Public Health would be set up using funds from the Institute of Eminence scheme. Delhi University had received the tag in September 2019. It said the move is in response to the need for public health research in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor R N K Bamezai, a specialist in the field of human genetics, has been appointed the honorary director of the institute. Professor Bamezai is a former dean of the School of Life Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University and former vice-chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University.

An 11-member advisory council, chaired by Professor K Shrinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India, has also been constituted to design and manage programmes of the institute.

The overarching aim of the school is to encourage students and researchers to experience a plethora of programmes of interdisciplinary nature and relevance which are not available at present in this or any other institution. This novel institution offers new avenues to pool academic and infrastructure resources to look at the Public Health theme in an integrated fashion and contribute to national development. The University of Delhi understands its responsibility to train and utilise human knowledge and infrastructure resources for understanding and innovating novel ways of diagnosis, prevention and cure of various communicable and non-communicable diseases, read a statement by registrar of the university.

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DU to set up School of Public Health - The Indian Express

Research Laboratories

The report is a compilation of different studies, including regional analysis where leading regional Immortalized Cell Line markets are comprehensive studied by market experts. Both developed and developing regions and countries are covered in the report for a 360-degree geographic analysis of the Immortalized Cell Line market. The regional analysis section helps readers to become familiar with the growth patterns of important regional Immortalized Cell Line markets. It also provides information on lucrative opportunities available in key regional Immortalized Cell Line markets.

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Table of Content

1 Introduction of Immortalized Cell Line Market

1.1 Overview of the Market1.2 Scope of Report1.3 Assumptions

2 Executive Summary

3 Research Methodology

3.1 Data Mining3.2 Validation3.3 Primary Interviews3.4 List of Data Sources

4 Immortalized Cell Line Market Outlook

4.1 Overview4.2 Market Dynamics4.2.1 Drivers4.2.2 Restraints4.2.3 Opportunities4.3 Porters Five Force Model4.4 Value Chain Analysis

5 Immortalized Cell Line Market, By Deployment Model

5.1 Overview

6 Immortalized Cell Line Market, By Solution

6.1 Overview

7 Immortalized Cell Line Market, By Vertical

7.1 Overview

8 Immortalized Cell Line Market, By Geography

8.1 Overview8.2 North America8.2.1 U.S.8.2.2 Canada8.2.3 Mexico8.3 Europe8.3.1 Germany8.3.2 U.K.8.3.3 France8.3.4 Rest of Europe8.4 Asia Pacific8.4.1 China8.4.2 Japan8.4.3 India8.4.4 Rest of Asia Pacific8.5 Rest of the World8.5.1 Latin America8.5.2 Middle East

9 Immortalized Cell Line Market Competitive Landscape

9.1 Overview9.2 Company Market Ranking9.3 Key Development Strategies

10 Company Profiles

10.1.1 Overview10.1.2 Financial Performance10.1.3 Product Outlook10.1.4 Key Developments

11 Appendix

11.1 Related Research

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Immortalized Cell Line Market Development, Trends, Key Driven Factors, Segmentation And Forecast to 2020-2026 - Cole of Duty

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A team of researchers from Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Socios En Salud, and the Broad Institute at Harvard and MIT report they have identified the single largest genetic contributor to height known to date.The findings, published in Nature,are based on an analysis of samples from ethnically diverse Peruvians, a population known to have the shortest stature in the world.

The team identified a previously unknown, population-specific variant of the FBN1 gene (E1297G). The variant, found exclusively in individuals of Native American ancestry, showed a striking association with lower height.

Each copy of the gene was associated with an average of 2.2 centimeters (around 0.8 of an inch) reduction in height. People who have two copies, or two alleles, of the gene variant were, on average 4.4 centimeters (1.7 inches) shorter in stature. The effect is an order of magnitude greater than the effects that previously identified gene variants have on human heightin the range of 1 millimeter (0.04 inches).

This study dramatically highlights the advantage of studying different populations and having a diverse, worldwide strategy to understanding the human genome, said study senior author Soumya Raychaudhuri, professor of medicine and of biomedical informatics at HMS, director for the Center for Data Sciences at Brigham and Womens Hospital, and an Institute member at the Broad Institute. We learned new things about how complex genetic traits work. Our findings have implications for important diseases linked to FBN1 that we could not have learned without looking at this population.

The multi-institutional international research project brought together computational biologists, epidemiologists, community health workers, dermatologists and experts on a variety of genetic and infectious diseases, using a variety of genomic, computational and imaging techniques. The results of their collaboration shed new light on the genetics of height, a key model system for studying complex, multigene systems that are crucial for understanding wellness and disease.

A wide range of mutations in the FBN1 gene have long been known to cause Marfan syndrome, an inherited connective tissue disorder marked by hypermobility of the joints, greater height compared to ones family members and, in some instances, by cardiovascular problems.

The newly identified variant, however, is not associated with disease.

One critical insight from this study is how genetic variants in the same gene can have very different effects, said lead author Samira Asgari, HMS research fellow in medicine at Brigham and Womens. Before now, if you asked a geneticist what a variant in this gene would do, they would probably say that they cause a disease. But that's not what we found.

On the contrary, based on the researchers analysis of the distribution of E1297G variant in the Peruvian population and throughout the wider Native American population, this variant may actually confer an evolutionary advantage, the researchers said, because it appears to have been selected for by evolution.

The study found that the new variant is notably more frequent in coastal Peruvian populations than in populations from the Andes or the Amazon, which suggests that short stature might be the result of adaptation to factors that are associated with the coastal environment in Peru, the researchers said.

These findings, based on one of the few studies of the genetics of Native American populations, highlight the importance of including diverse populations in biomedical research.

It's really important to include underrepresented populations, particularly in these kinds of studies that are models for the way other multigene, complex traits function, said Megan Murray, the Ronda Stryker and William Johnston Professor of Global Health at HMS and a senior author of the study. Leaving some people out means we might miss an important part of the picture were trying to see. And any people who are left out arent likely to reap the benefits of this kind of research.

Height is a complex genetic trait, and one that is easy to measure and provides an important model system for understanding how complex genetic systems work.

Meta analyses of genetic studies of height conducted on predominately European populations include more than 700,000 individuals, the researchers noted. This research has identified about 4,000 different genetic variations known to have an impact on an individuals height. Most such variants might make a persons stature less than one millimeter taller or shorter for each copy of the variant a person has.

In comparison, this variant that we found has a 2.2 cm effect per allele, Asgari said. Thats huge for a height variant.

The new variant was not present in any of the large genetic studies conducted with European majority populations.

The genomes the team analyzed in Peru are quite distinct from those analyzed in Europe or North America. About 80 percent of the genes of an average Peruvian come from their Native American ancestry, according to previous research.

Until now, Peruvians have not been included in any genomic studies of height. by studying a small, previously overlooked population, the researchers pinpointed an allele that showed a bigger effect on height than all the other variants.

Just amassing and amassing data isnt the answer, Raychaudhuri said. If youre not looking at different populations, you're going to miss really important stuff.

The E1297G variant appears in the genomes of 5 percent in the Peruvian population, but it occurs in the genomes of less than 1 percent of people of Native American descent from Mexico. The variant is completely absent from the genome of people of European descent.

We're doing studies in populations that are not normally on the map, Raychaudhuri said. This relatively small project is the largest genetic study thats been done in Peru at this point.

The new study grew out of a series of projects led by HMS researchers in Peru, including a long-term collaboration between Murray and colleagues with the health care delivery nongovernmental organization Socios En Salud, the Peruvian affiliate of Partners In Health.

Murrays work in Peru has centered around the epidemiology and genetics of tuberculosis. Her collaboration with Raychaudhuris team includes a previous study reported in Nature Communications last year that analyzed how a given individuals genetics impact their chances of becoming infected or ill with tuberculosis and identified a gene associated with TB progression.

After completing that project, Raychaudhuri and Asgari saw an opportunity to explore what the Peruvian genome might reveal about height. When their initial work revealed that there was a relationship to Marfan, other colleagues suggested they look for skin anomalies that are characteristic of variants in FBN1. The team grew, as they brought in Esther Freeman, HMS assistant professor of dermatology, a dermatologist and an epidemiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Working in Lima, the team tracked down homozygous individuals to analyze their skin, and found that it tracked with what would be expected with this genetic abnormality.

These diverse skills were all crucial to the process of discovery that allowed the researchers to produce this paper, the researchers said.

If you want to do really cool science you have to get out of your corner and collaborate, Asgari said.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Worlds Shortest Population Reveal the Largest Genetic Contributor to Height - Technology Networks

Autism has long been associated only with behavioral and environmental factors, but the role of genetics in its development is now increasingly evident. Some 100 genes have been found to play a role in autism spectrum disorder, and another thousand are being studied to the same end.The diagnosis and treatment of the disorder on a genomic basis are hindered by this variability. However, a new study conducted at the University of So Paulo's Institute of Biosciences (IB-USP) in Brazil points to a common gene expression profile regardless of the DNA mutations in any autistic individual.

"We found a group of genes that's dysregulated in neural progenitor cells, which give rise to neurons, and in neurons themselves," said Maria Rita dos Santos e Passos-Bueno, a professor at IB-USP. In other words, while the DNA of different individuals with autism displays different alterations, the behavior of these genes is similar in all such people and differ from that observed in the brains of people without the disorder.

Passos-Bueno is affiliated with the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL), a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) supported by So Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP and hosted by the University of So Paulo (USP).

The study was supported by FAPESP via two research grants awarded under the programs So Paulo Researchers in International Collaboration (SPRINT) and Multiuser Equipment (EMU). The results are reported in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, a Nature publication.ExperimentsSamples of brain tissue cannot be taken from living people, so the researchers conducted in vitro experiments using a technique called cell reprogramming.

"We took dental pulp cells from people with and without autism, and from these, we created pluripotent stem cells, which can be transformed into any type of cell. In this way, we were able to create in the laboratory neural cells with the same genomes as those of the patients," said Karina Griesi Oliveira, the first author of the article. Oliveira has a PhD in genetics from IB-USP and is a researcher in the Albert Einstein Israeli Education and Research Institute (IIEP).

Five individuals with high-functioning autism and one with low-functioning autism were selected for the study; all six had heterogeneous genetic profiles. A control group comprised six healthy subjects.

"The study bore out the hypothesis that, while the origin of autism is multifactorial and different in each person, these different alterations can lead to the same problems in the functioning of their neurons," Oliveira said.

The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were reprogrammed to simulate two stages in the development of the human brain: neural progenitor cells, which give rise to neurons, and neurons at a stage equivalent to those of a fetus between the 16th and 20th weeks of gestation.

The researchers then analyzed these cell transcriptomes, consisting of all their RNA molecules. RNA acts as an intermediary that converts the information in a gene into proteins, which in turn govern cell behavior.

"By counting the RNA molecules, we were able to determine gene expression with a considerable degree of precision," Oliveira said.

The researchers next used mathematical models to determine which genes were differentially expressed in both groups (with and without autism), arriving at those responsible for synapses and neurotransmitter release, i.e., genes that modulate communication among neurons. This process influences the functioning of the entire organism, but above all, the brain.

This set of genes, some of which have been associated with autism in previous research, displayed increased activity in neurons. "Some of them were dysregulated in iPSC-derived neural cells from autists studied in other research, and in neurons from postmortem brain tissue belonging to individuals with autism, validating the method," Passos-Bueno said.

On the other hand, this second analysis using postmortem tissue data showed decreased gene expression at the time of death. "We don't know the reason for the difference, but it's consistent evidence that expression of this group of genes is involved in autism spectrum disorder," Oliveira said.Clinical relevanceThe study also provides more evidence that autism begins to develop during gestation. "The study points to a disturbance in fetal neurodevelopment that alters neuronal functioning, so that the child is born with altered gene expression," Passos-Bueno said.

This knowledge may contribute to the diagnosis of autism, currently based on the clinical analysis of symptoms.

Imaging, blood tests and genetic sequencing cannot help diagnose the disorder in the vast majority of suspected cases. "A major genetic error causes autism in some 30% of patients, but the origin of the disorder is multifactorial in 70%, with several alterations to DNA causing clinical symptoms, so that interpretation of the genetic data is still complex," Passos-Bueno explained.

The research line may also favor the development of more effective treatment strategies. "To treat a genetic disease, you have to understand what the genes are doing wrong. The alterations to neurotransmitter control have never been demonstrated so clearly," said Mayana Zatz, a professor at IB-USP and HUG-CELL's principal investigator.ReferenceGriesi-Oliveira et al. (2020). Transcriptome of iPSC-derived neuronal cells reveals a module of co-expressed genes consistently associated with autism spectrum disorder. Molecular Psychiatry. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0669-9

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Group of Genes Have Altered Expression in Autism - Technology Networks