If we cut off the tail of a lizard, it grows back. If we cut off the hand of a human being, it does not grow back. Why not? This question has perplexed scientists for a long time. Recently scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Arizona State University (ASU) in the US identified three tiny RNA switches (known as microRNAs) which turn genes on and off and are responsible for the regeneration of tails in the green lizard. Now researchers are hoping that using the next generation genomic DNA and computer analysis will lead to discoveries of new therapeutic approaches to switch on similar regenerative genes in human beings.

Micro RNAs are able to control many genes at the same time. They have been compared to an orchestra conductor controlling and directing many musicians. Hundreds of genes (musicians playing the orchestra of life), controlled by a few micro RNA switches, have been identified that are responsible in the regenerative process. This may well mark the beginning of a new era in which it may be possible to regenerate cartilage in knees, repair spinal cords and amputated limbs.

Tissue regeneration has become an attractive field of science, triggered by exciting advances in stem cell technologies. Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that are then converted into various types of cells such as heart, kidney or skin through a process known as differentiation. They can divide into more stem cells and provide a very effective mechanism for repair of damaged tissues in the body. The developing embryo contains stem cells which are then transformed into specialised cells as the embryo develops. They can be obtained by extraction from the bone marrow, adipose tissue or blood, particularly the blood from the umblical cord after birth.

Stem cells are now finding use in a growing number of therapies. For instance leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. To treat leukaemia, one approach is to get rid of the diseased white blood cells and replace them with healthy cells. This may be done by a bone marrow transplant through which the patients bone marrow stem cells are replaced with those from a healthy, matching donor. If the transplant is successful, the stem cells migrate into the patients bone marrow resulting in the production of new, healthy white blood cells that replace the abnormal cells. Stem cells can now be artificially grown and then transformed (differentiated) into the heart, kidney, nerve or other typed of cells.

The field of regenerative medicine is developing at a fast pace. It involves the replacement, engineering or regeneration of human tissues and organs so that their normal function can be restored. Tissues and organs can also be grown in the laboratory if the body cannot heal itself. If the cells of the organ being grown are derived from the patients own cells, the possibility of rejection of the transplanted organ is minimised. Stem cells may also be used to regenerate organs.

Each year about 130,000 organs, mostly kidneys, are transplanted from one human being to another. The process of growing organs artificially has been greatly accelerated by the advent of 3D bioprinting. This involves the use of 3D printing technologies through which a human organ, liver or kidney, is produced by printing it with cells, layer-by-layer. This became possible when it was discovered that human cells can be sprayed through the nozzles of an inkjet printer without destroying or damaging them. Tissues and organs can thus be produced and transplanted into humans. Joints, jaw bones and ligaments can also be produced in this manner.

Initially, the work was confined to animals when ears, bones and muscle tissues were produced by bioprinting and then successfully transplanted into animals. Even prosthetic ovaries of mice were produced and transplanted so that the recipient mice could conceive and give birth later. While gonads have not been produced by bioprinting in humans, blood vessels have already been produced by the printing process and successfully transplanted into monkeys. Considerable work is also going on in the production of human knee cartilage pads through the bioprinting process. Wear and tear of the cartilage results in difficulties in walking, particular in older age groups, and often requires knee replacement through surgeries. The development of technologies to replace the damaged cartilages with new cartilages made by bioprinting could prove to be invaluable.

Another area of active research in this field is the production of human skin by bioprinting which may be used for treating burns and ulcers. Technologies have been developed to spray stem cells derived from the patient directly on the areas of the body where the skin is needed. In this way, stem cells help skin cells regrow under suitable conditions. Similar progress is being made in generating liver, kidney and heart tissues so that the long waiting time for donors can be circumvented.

When will we be able to print entire human organs? It has been estimated that complete human kidneys and livers should become commercially available through the bioprinting process within five to seven years. Hearts will probably take longer because of their more complex internal structure. However, one thing is clear: a huge revolution is now taking place in the field of regenerative medicine, triggered by spectacular advances in stem cell research. This presents a wonderful opportunity for learning and developing expertise in this field for us in our country.

In Pakistan a number of important steps have been taken in this fast evolving field. One of them is the establishment of a first rate facility for stem cell research in the Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD) in the University of Karachi. This institution has already earned an international reputation because of its outstanding publications in this field.

A second important development is that plans to set up an Institute for Translational Regenerative Medicine at PCMD so that Pakistan remains at the cutting edge in this fast emerging field are now under way.

Such initiatives can however only contribute to the process of socio-economic development if they operate under an ecosystem that is designed to promote the establishment of a strong knowledge economy.

Pakistan spends only about 0.3 percent of its GDP on science and about two percent of its GDP on education, bringing the nations ranking to the lowest 10 countries in the world. This is largely due to the stranglehold of the feudal system over our democracy. It is only by tapping into our real wealth our children that Pakistan can emerge from the quagmire of illiteracy and poverty and stand with dignity in the comity of nations.

The writer is chairman of UN ESCAP Committee on Science Technology & Innovation and former chairman of the HEC. Email: [emailprotected]

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Amazing medicine - The News International

Before birth, lungs are filled with a germ-free liquid, and it is only with the first breath that they abruptly expand in order to take over the oxygenation of blood. This sudden exposure to the outside environment includes incoming airborne microbes and pollutants, which requires the lungs to develop appropriate defense mechanisms, while maintaining the gas exchange.

The postnatal immunological development of the lungs remained largely unknown until a group of scientists at CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Medical University of Vienna shed light at a complex immune program that starts right after birth: the study published in Cell Reports reveals how first breath-induced interleukin-33 signaling shapes the performance of pulmonary immune cells and influences anti-bacterial defenses.

Vienna, February 21, 2017 : The lung is an important interface between the body and the outside environment: with each breath, a surface of roughly 100 square meters exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide. More than 10,000 liters of air pass adult lungs every day and with this come numerous viruses, bacteria and pollutants, which need to be prevented from entering the body.

To defend the organism from these intruders, the lungs harbor their own arsenal of highly specialized immune cells that are equipped to maintain the balance between host defense and tissue quiescence. However, how this balanced immune homeostasis in lungs emerged after birth, was largely unexplored. Now, for the first time, the group of Sylvia Knapp, Director of Medical Affairs at CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Professor of Infection Biology at the Medical University of Vienna showed with the help of mouse models that the very first breath of a newborn releases crucial signals that shape the lifelong immunological milieu of lungs.

The study, published in Cell Reports (DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2017.01.071), reveals that the mechanical forces of spontaneous ventilation at birth lead to the release of interleukin (IL)-33, a cytokine with a wide-range of effects: So-called type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) follow the IL-33 signal and migrate into the lung tissue, where they release IL-13, another cytokine. This second signal determines the faith of alveolar macrophages by inducing the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype.

ILC2-cells are crucial in defending the lungs against parasites or influenza viruses, but little was known about their role in lung homeostasis, first author Simona Saluzzo, PhD Student funded by the CCHD Program at CeMM and the Medical University of Vienna, explains. Now we understand that right after birth, ILC2 are responsible for the differentiation of alveolar macrophages into specialized cells that keep the immune system in check and ensure that the lungs stay calm and healthy to ensure proper gas exchange.

These ILC2-induced effects protect the lungs from excessive inflammation to daily encountered environmental triggers but there is a catch, senior author Sylvia Knapp emphasizes: We could show in our study that the described mechanisms are crucial in achieving lung quiescence after the first contact with the outside world. However, these processes at the same time increase the susceptibility to bacterial infections, such as caused by pneumococci. In other words: The mechanism that maintains the lung function of gas exchange at the same time explains why bacterial pneumonia is the primary cause of death by an infectious disease in Western countries.

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First breath shapes the lungs's immune system, Health News, ET ... - ETHealthworld.com

MUSCATArab scientists should start solving Arab health problems, say a number of experts in the region. Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat is taking this idea to heart by actively pursuing a medical research agenda that uses information collected from Omani patients in Omani hospitals, instead of relying on European and American datasets(a common practice in the Arab world).

While there are enthusiastic researchers in other parts of the region who are keen to follow suit, they say its hard to convince funders of the merits.

There is a widespread lack of data in the Middle East, which forces academics in all fields of research to use Western data. But when it comes to medical research, this means the region is missing out on the personalized medicine movement, through which treatments and screenings are tailored to specific populations based on their genetics.

Arab populations are more likely to suffer from genetic diseases and illnesses influenced by their genessuch as diabetesthan their European counterparts. Thats what makes it important to treat according to the genetic setup of the patientand to do that you need to understand your population, so you can personalize treatment, says Moiz Bakhiet, director of the Princess al-Jawhara Center for Molecular Medicine, Genetics and Inherited Disorders in Bahrain.

But if scientists are largely failing to use data taken from Arab patients then that understanding is unlikely to ever materialize, and the important role of the Arab genome is neglected in the development of treatments.

Meanwhile, researchers in the West continue to hunt for cancer cures, HIV therapies and fertility treatments based mainly on data collected from European patients, which means any drugs that may result from their work will essentially be designed to work best with European DNA.

The Arab world should do the same, says Fahad Al-Zadjali, assistant dean of academic affairs at Sultan Qaboos University College of Medicine. We cannot trust that what works best for other populations will also automatically work best for us.

But for the moment, many of the most noteworthy and cutting-edge research projects in the region are simply adding to the efforts of Western scientists by using data collected from beyond the Arab world. For example, a recent study from Qatar University showed that thyroid cancer is over-treated to the point that it very often doesnt extend the lives of patients yet still inflicts a number of unpleasant side effectsbut the researchers had to use data from Australian autopsies because the relevant database doesnt exist in the Arab world.

Thats not to say medical research in the region that relies on foreign data does not help Arab patients. Undoubtedly it doeshuman genomes are not so different that drugs and treatments will only work for certain ethnicities. But it does mean that the research doesnt help as much as it could if data from Arab patients was readily available.

Bakhiet says this has to change. The Arab world has to get better at collecting data from Arab patients and making that data more accessible to researchers.

Others agree. Mohammed al-Buloshi, an associate researcher at Sultan Qaboos Universitys Department of Immunology and Microbiology, says his university is making an effort to promote personalized medicine in Oman through research.

There isnt much investigation going on in the Arab world, especially in Oman, and the reason is known to be a lack of funds. But now Arab governments are starting to focus on this research, he says.

Sultan Qaboos University, based on the outskirts of Muscat, is now more likely to allocate funding to medical research that collects and analyzes data locally, says Al-Zadjali.

The government gives priority to research that has relevance to Oman, he explains. The ministry of health is pushing this focus. The university has followed the ministrys lead and now pursues a research agenda to satisfy the ministrys aims.

The aim of our research at SQU is to find solutions for problems in our community, al-Buloshi says. So many diseases affect Omanis differently, and so the standard procedures may need to differ from other countries. Thats why SQU focuses on personalized medicine.

Al-Buloshi is currently investigating what may cause fertility problems and miscarriages, also known as spontaneous abortions, in Omani women.

Hes been taking blood samples to screen for immune responses to certain strains of bacteria in women whohave miscarried compared to women who experience a healthy pregnancy. He has found that a number of bacteria are significantly associated with miscarriages. He hopes to eventually screen pregnant women in Oman to see if they have a large number of these bacteria and if so to offer antibiotics or dietary advice.

Al-Buloshi says others in the region could look to Sultan Qaboos University as an example of how to encourage personalized medicine. To further the progress of this field, he says its important to stress the tangible results that can come from the research. Its something thatcan directly benefit the Arab world. We want to apply what we find for the benefit of our population.

That is useful information to people like Bakhiet who are trying to push personalized medicine in their own countries. Im trying to convince the authorities that we should establish a Bahrain Genome Project, he says. The idea would be to eventually decode the sequence to every Bahrainis DNA, but starting with just 1,000 people. He estimates it will cost about $5 million to get the ball rolling.

It sounds expensive, but it could really change lives, he says.

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Oman's Move Toward Personalized Medicine - Al-Fanar Media

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

In the future, chemicals from plants found in and around the Mediterranean may be used to help treat people with brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

These two diseases are age-related and neurodegenerative. Neurodegenerative relates to the degeneration of nervous tissue, especially the brain.

People suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have deposits of sticky plaque in their brains. Over time, this plaque reduces brain function. Eventually, it causes death.

Scientists say plaque can be reduced

But scientists say the plaque deposits can be reduced with chemicals from plants, including prickly pear and brown seaweed. Scientists say the chemicals or, extracts appear to replace the harmful, sticky plaque with deposits that are less harmful.

These scientists are researchers at the University of Malta and the National Center of Scientific Research at the University of Bordeaux.

They tested the chemical extracts of the plants on a substance called Brewer's yeast. This yeast had plaque deposits similar to those seen in Alzheimer's disease. Scientists say the health of the yeast improved greatly after exposure to the chemical extracts.

Researchers then tested the extracts in fruit flies that were genetically changed to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's.

They found that when the flies were given brown seaweed extract, their lifespans increased by two days. Prickly pear helped the insects live four days longer.

That may not sound like a long time. However, the researchers remind us that one day in the life of a fruit fly is equal to one human year.

Researchers also noted that movement in some diseased insects improved.

They reported their findings in the journal Neuroscience Letters.

The best way to fight neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers say that the sticky plaques in both Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases appear to form through the same biological pathways. Targeting these pathways, they say, is the best way to fight the diseases.

The lead author of the study is Ruben Cauchi of the University of Malta's Center for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking. He says the Mediterranean plant extracts are already used in health foods and some cosmetics. So, they are very safe.

The research team is working with a company that extracts the chemicals for commercial use as so-called "fountain of youth" products.

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report.

Im Anna Matteo.

Jessica Berman wrote this report for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

Check your understanding of the story by taking this reading quiz.

________________________________________________________________

neurodegenerative adj. relating to or marked by degeneration of nervous tissue

degeneration n. deterioration of a tissue or an organ in which its function is diminished or its structure is impaired

extract n. a substance that you get from something by using a machine or chemicals

deposit n. an amount of something (such as sand, snow, or mud) that has formed or been left on a surface or area over a period of time

Brewers yeast n. a yeast used or suitable for use in brewing; also : the dried ground-up cells of such a yeast used as a source of the vitamin B complex

plaque n. medical : a change in brain tissue that occurs in Alzheimer's disease : medical : a harmful material that can form in arteries and be a cause of heart disease

exposure n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something : the condition of being exposed to something

extract v. to get (a substance) from something by the use of a machine or chemicals

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Mediterranean Plants May Help Brain Diseases - Voice of America

Understanding how the brain remembers can one day shed light on what went wrong when memory fails, such as it occurs in Alzheimers disease. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University reveal for the first time the specific patterns of electrical activity in rat brains that are associated with specific memories, in this case a fearful experience. They discovered that before rats avoid a place in which they had a fearful experience, the brain recalled memories of the physical location where the experience occurred. The results appear in Nature Neuroscience.

We recall memories all the time, said senior author Dr. Daoyun Ji, associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor. For example, I can recall the route I take from home to work every morning, but what are the brain signals at this moment when I hold this memory in my mind?

Studying the workings of the brain in people is difficult, so scientists have turned to the laboratory rat. They have learned that when the animal is in a particular place, neurons in the hippocampus, appropriately called place cells, generate pulses of activity.

A number of place cells generates electrical activity called a spiking pattern, Ji said. When the rat is in a certain place, a group of neurons generates a specific pattern of spikes and when it moves to a different place, a different group of neurons generates another pattern of spikes. The patterns are very distinct. We can predict where the animal is by looking at its pattern of brain activity.

But, are these spiking patterns involved in memory?

How to know what a rat is thinking

Our laboratory rats cannot tell us what memory they are recalling at any particular time, Ji said. To overcome that, we designed an experiment that would allow us to know what was going on in the animals brain right before a certain event.

In the experiment, conducted by first author Chun-Ting Wu, graduate researcher at the Ji lab, a rat walked along a track, back and forth. After a period of rest, the rat walked the same track again, but when the animal approached the end of the track, it received a mild shock. After it rested again, the rat was placed back on the track. This time, however, when it approached the end of the track where it had received the mild shock before, the rat stopped and turned around, avoiding crossing the fearful path.

Before a rat walked the tracks the first time, we inserted tiny probes into its hippocampus to record the electrical signals generated by groups of active neurons, Ji said. By recording these brain signals while the animal walked the track for the first time we could examine the patterns that emerged in its brain we could see what patterns were associated with each location on the track, including the location where the animal later got shocked.

Because the rat turns around and avoids stepping on the end of the track after the shocks, we can reasonably assume that the animal is thinking about the place where it got shocked at the precise moment that it stops walking and turns away, Ji said. Our observations confirmed this idea.

When the researchers, in collaboration with co-author Dr. Caleb Kemere at Rice University, looked at the brain activity in place neurons at this moment, they found that the spiking patterns corresponding to the location in which the rat had received the shock re-emerged, even though this time the animal was only stopping and thinking about the location.

Interestingly, from the brain activity we can tell that the animal was mentally traveling from its current location to the shock place. These patterns corresponding to the shock place re-emerged right at the moment when a specific memory is remembered, Ji said.

Future directions

The next goal of the researchers is to investigate whether the spiking pattern they identified is absolutely required for the animals to behave the way they did.

If we disrupt the pattern, will the animal still avoid stepping into the zone it had learned to avoid? Ji said. We are also interested in determining how the spiking patterns of place neurons in the hippocampus can be used by other parts of the brain, such as those involved in making decisions.

Ji and his colleagues also plan to explore what role spiking patterns in the hippocampus might play in diseases that involve memory loss, such as Alzheimers disease.

We want to determine whether this kind of mechanism is altered in animal models of Alzheimers disease. Some evidence shows that it is not that the animals dont have a memory, but that somehow they cannot recall it. Using our system to read spiking patterns in the brains of animal models of the disease, we hope to determine whether a specific spiking pattern exists during memory recall. If not, we will explore the possibility that damaged brain circuits are preventing the animal from recalling the memory and look at ways to allow the animal to recall the specific activity patterns, the memory, again.

Dr. Daniel Haggerty, a post-doctoral associate in the Ji lab, also contributed to this work.

This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01MH106552) and the Simons Foundation (#273886).

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Research reveals how brain remembers fearful experiences | Baylor ... - Baylor College of Medicine News (press release)

The R3,500 test called the mygeneRx created by Johannesburg company DNAlysis can analyse your DNA and look at the genetic variation in genes that control drug-using enzymes.

These enzymes can allow a drug to be metabolized (used) by the body so fast that it gets rid of the medicine before it has time to work or very slowly so the body can have difficulty eliminating the drug. The slow metabolism rate could lead to an overdose and unintended side effects.

The test which uses a swab from your cheek only looks at a personal response to 150 medications used for pain heart disease high cholesterol and depression.

But experts warn that genetic testing to determine how a person will respond to medication is not yet advanced enough to help the average patient.

University of Kwazulu-Natal Pharmacology lecturer Andy Gray said: "I certainly would not recommend blanked testing it's an exploitation of the worried well with questionable clinical benefits."

Dr Mamoonah Chaudhry Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pretoria's Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, explained the field of individual testing is known as pharmacogenomics and can help warn of a person's likelihood to have bad reactions to a drug.

She said the personalized medicine approach will help reduce mortality and morbidity due to adverse (bad) drug reactions.

Chaudhry however warned that current genetic tests were not advanced enough to be used widely to guide doctors on what medication to prescribe.

"Most of the (laboratories) only test for a few genetic markers as also indicated in this test which are not enough for personalized treatment."

But Chaudhry said it did show a change in thinking about medication.

The idea of one size fits all has changed over the time and a personalized medicine approach has emerged.

Pharmacist Shafrudeen Amod said the 150 drugs the test looks at were too few and cause for concern.

If the aim of pharmacogenomics is to optimise drug therapy then this test represents a science at its infancy and the test is being prematurely released" Amod said.

Amod also said the medication's effect was never just related to a patient's genes.

"There are various reasons patients may not respond to a medication ranging from something as simple as not taking the medicine to complex drug interactions. Similarly side effects to medications range from minor to major Amod said.

Gray said there were genetic variabilities that affected how people reacted to some drugs such as warfarin which is used to stop blood-clotting and the common pain killer codeine where some people get high from it.

Some people on certain drugs such as warfarin may benefit from this testing Gray suggested. - TMG Digital/The Times

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SUNDAY TIMES - New genetic test could predict if you'll react badly ... - Times LIVE

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--XIFIN Inc., the healthcare information technology company revolutionizing the business of healthcare diagnostics, will co-present a session with the University of Chicago on collaborative diagnostic workflows at the Cambridge Healthtech Institutes Fifth Annual Digital Pathology conference, a track at the 24th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference being held February 20-22 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

David McClintock, M.D., Medical Director, Pathology Informatics, University of Chicago, and Chrystal Adams, associate vice president, XIFIN, Inc., will present Improving Patient Care Through a Diagnostic Collaboration Workflow. The session, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 20th at 4:10 PM PST, will highlight the need for collaborative and coordinated patient care and discuss how to leverage technology to facilitate an aggregated workflow and communication among diagnostic specialists to inform clinical decision making and support value-based care.

Kyle Fetter, MBA, vice president & general manager of diagnostic services operations, XIFIN, Inc. will also present a session on Thursday, February 23 at 10:00 AM titled, Novel Diagnostic Technologies: Coverage Today and Coverage in the Future. The session will highlight how early stage and wearable diagnostic device companies can overcome hurtles to commercialization and reimbursement and position themselves for success.

The Fifth Annual Digital Pathology conference will offer a range of topics that demonstrate the current activities and effectiveness of digital alternatives for pathology practices, and share insights from distinguished faculty. Technology developments and implementation strategies will be presented in a forum that encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing.

With its Health Economics Optimization platform as a foundation, XIFIN ProNet MDT facilitates the cloud-based exchange of diagnostic images, clinical data and other patient encounter information to support real-time multi-disciplinary collaboration through a shared clinical workflow. This live shared environment helps clinicians collaborate on complex cases, expedite treatment decisions and increase efficiency.

XIFIN ProNet also provides an Internet exchange and turnkey online tool that provides pathologists key capabilities and a powerful consultation platform. Digital slide scanner- and viewer-independent, pathologists can upload whole slide, DICOM, and other medical images to the cloud where they are available on-demand from a single access point, saving both time and money.

Representatives from XIFIN will be available at booth #500 throughout the conference to meet with attendees and discuss how the company is helping healthcare organizations leverage diagnostic information for connected health.

About XIFIN, Inc.

XIFIN is a healthcare information technology company that leverages diagnostic information to improve the quality and economics of healthcare. The companys health economics optimization platform is a connected health solution that facilitates connectivity and workflow automation for accessing and sharing clinical and financial diagnostic data, linking healthcare stakeholders in the delivery and reimbursement of care. To learn more, visit http://www.XIFIN.com or follow XIFIN onTwitterandLinkedIn.

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XIFIN Executives to Present Sessions on Collaborative Diagnostic Workflows and Novel Diagnostic Technologies at ... - Business Wire (press release)

Micro-RNA may amplify effectiveness of sorafenib in difficult liver cancer cases Science Daily Antonio Giordano, Director of the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia. "Sorafenib is still the only drug indicated in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, which highlights the ...

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Micro-RNA may amplify effectiveness of sorafenib in difficult liver cancer cases - Science Daily

Science Daily

Rresearchers make breakthrough in fight against superbug Science Daily The research carried out by Professor Jose Bengoechea, Director at the Centre for Experimental Medicine at Queen's University, and his team unveiled the molecular mechanisms preventing the treatment of klebsiella pneumonia. The multi-drug resistant ... and more »

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Rresearchers make breakthrough in fight against superbug - Science Daily

The Feinsteins' experience with their son sparked the beginning of their significant history of philanthropy dedicated to impacting the health care delivery system. The Feinsteins realized that research was the only real answer to yield treatments and cures that could alter the way medicine is practiced and delivered. Their early support in 2000 helped establish the Susan and Leonard Feinstein Center for Neurosciences. "We wanted to give where we thought we could make a difference for a resource that wouldn't exist unless we stepped in to help," said Mr. Feinstein. "Dedicated neuroscience research had never been done at Northwell Health (then North Shore-LIJ Health System) on the scale we imagined, so we stepped in to make that happen eleven years ago."

The Feinstein Institute is the worldwide leader in scientific knowledge of bioelectronic medicine a new field of medicine that uses devices to treat disease and injury. Bioelectronic medicine represents the convergence of three well-established scientific fields: neuroscience, molecular and cell biology, and bioengineering. The Feinstein Institute team, led by Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute, a neurosurgeon who pioneered the field, has been working in this area since 1998. The new gift from the Feinsteinsbrings to $275 million the overall commitment for bioelectronic medicine research thus far. This includes company investments and state grantsin support of the underlying research for a wide range of acute and chronic diseases and injuries, including neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, bleeding, diabetes and hypertension.

"The research taking place across all of Northwell Health particularly bioelectronic medicine can revolutionize the way medicine is practiced," said Mr. Feinstein, who also is a member of the Feinstein Institute's Board of Directors. "In this promising area of research, we are realizing useful applications and results now and within five to ten years, we will see cures for some of the most confounding human diseases in our lifetime. Not many research initiatives show that kind of promise."

"Susan and Leonard Feinstein's ongoing generosity is a testament to the advancements we have made in science, medicine and curing disease," said Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. "Northwell established the research institute in 1999, and Leonard and Susan have been with us for each critical step as we've grown."

"Leonard and Susan Feinstein's unwavering support of our research programs over many, many years has been absolutely key to the founding of the Institute, the building of the Institute and now the launch of the Center of Bioelectronic Medicine," said Dr. Tracey. "None of this would have happened without them."

The Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, directed by Chad Bouton, is organized into three divisions Molecular Targets, Neurophysiology and Neuroscience, and Neurotechnology and Analytics each of which has several labs. The Center recently opened five new labs, one of which includes the only Class 100 clean room in Nassau County, LI.

About Northwell HealthNorthwell Health is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals and over 550 outpatient practices. We care for more than two million people annually in the metro New York area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 61,000 employees 15,000+ nurses and nearly 3,400 physicians, including nearly 2,700 members of Northwell Health Physician Partners -- are working to change health care for the better.We're making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute. We're training the next generation of medical professionalsat the visionary Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and theSchool of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.And we offer healthinsurance through CareConnect. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visitNorthwell.edu.

About The Feinstein InstituteThe Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York. Home to 50 research laboratories and to clinical research throughout dozens of hospitals and outpatient facilities, the 3,500 researchers and staff of the Feinstein Institute are making breakthroughs in molecular medicine, genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity and bioelectronic medicine a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we empower imagination and pioneer discovery, visit FeinsteinInstitute.org.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bed-bath--beyond-founder-leonard-feinstein-donates-25m-to-support-northwell-health-research-300409669.html

SOURCE Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

https://www.northwell.edu

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Bed Bath & Beyond Founder Leonard Feinstein Donates $25M to ... - PR Newswire (press release)

Inspirata to Present at Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference in San Francisco Feb 20-22

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) February 17, 2017

Cancer diagnostics workflow solution provider Inspirata, Inc., is a premier sponsor and exhibitor at Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference February 20 22 in San Francisco. As part of the Tri-Conference expo, which is open Monday through Wednesday, Inspirata will showcase its anatomic and molecular pathology workflow solution, as well as its new precision medicine platform, Crosswalk Insight: Oncology.

Inspirata also is headlining part of the Tri-Conference Diagnostics Channel agenda with presentations in the Digital Pathology and Precision Medicine tracks. Within the Precision Medicine track, Inspirata Senior Vice President of Precision Medicine, Mark Boguski, MD, PhD will present Unlocking Precision Medicine: Convergence is the Key. This luncheon session will be delivered on Monday, February 20 at 1:10 pm. Then on Tuesday February 21 at 11:45 am, Inspirata Executive Vice President and Co-founder Mark Lloyd, PhD, MBA will present a session within the Digital Pathology track titled Unlocking Digital Pathology: Actionable Medical Assays are the Key.

Pathology plays a pivotal role in precision medicine because without a precise diagnosis its impossible for the patient to receive targeted therapies and optimized care, says Inspirata CEO Satish Sanan. This is why Inspirata is so focused on developing and deploying transformative tools and technologies at cancer centers. Our comprehensive solution uses digital pathology to streamline the pathology workflow, bridging the gap between anatomic and molecular pathology. This confluence enables any pathologist to inform personalized treatment options that ultimately will improve patient outcomes.

Inspiratas solution automates anatomic and molecular pathology workflows, providing whole slide imaging, image viewing and management; computational image analysis; consultation and tumor board modules; and a cancer information data repository.

About Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference Attracting over 3,500 drug discovery and development professionals from over 40 countries in 2016, the Tri-Conference has grown into a diverse event, focusing on Molecular Medicine, specifically on Discovery, Genomics, Diagnostics and Information Technology. This year marks the 24th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference. The event is put on by Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI), a division of Cambridge Innovation Institute, which is the preeminent life science network for leading researchers and business experts from top pharmaceutical, biotech, CROs, academia, and niche service providers. CHI is renowned for its vast conference portfolio held worldwide.

About Inspirata, Inc. Inspirata, Inc. offers the most comprehensive cancer diagnostics workflow solution available for precision diagnosis today. The solution, which employs a unique solution-as-a-service business and delivery model, accelerates anatomic and molecular pathology workflows and facilitates whole slide imaging and image analytics, prognostic and predictive assays, remote consultations and tumor boards. This comprehensive solution includes an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) to help to solve interoperability issues and a Natural Language Processing Engine (NLP) for structuring data. Inspirata amalgamates this structured data into a central multi-institutional and multi-modal big data cancer repository for clinical, research and educational purposes. Its use will extend to physicians, patients, researchers and pharma among others. This comprehensive solution facilitates a modern precision diagnosis to build a strong foundation for precision medicine. For more information, please visit http://www.inspirata.com or contact info(at)inspirata(dot)com.

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Inspirata, a Premier Sponsor and Exhibitor at Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, to Host Presentations on Unlocking ... - PR Web (press release)

As part of the keynote session, Dr. Ianelli will discuss an online marketplace model for human biospecimen procurement, which will be essential tor driving precision research, a necessary precursor to precision medicine. Due to the hot pursuit of precision medicine for all, scientists more than ever need a high-quality, diverse, and annotated supply of specimens that are selected just as precisely as the medicine we pursue. In his talk, Dr. Ianelli will describe how advances in technology and standardization of medical record data can now enable an online marketplace where researchers can easily search for precise specimens and patients they need for their studies, bringing efficiencies to biospecimen procurement.

Dr. Ianelli is one of eight speakers on the panel who will describe a clinical problem and a tech-driven innovation. The session moderator and other panelists include: Keith F. Batchelder, M.D., CEO and Founder, Genomic Healthcare Strategies; Christopher Mueller, Ph.D., President & CTO, Lab7 Systems; Dick Rubin, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Accel Biotech LLC; Joe Ferrara, President, Boston Healthcare; Rudi Pauwels, Ph.D., Founder & CEO, Biocartis; Russell Garlick, Ph.D., CSO, SeraCare Life Sciences; Sean Ferree, Ph.D., Vice President, Diagnostic Development, NanoString Technologies; and Farideh Bischoff, Ph.D., Chief Clinical Development Officer, North America Menarini Silicon Biosystems.

In addition to iSpecimen's presence on the keynote panel, the company can also be found during the conference at booth number 217.

About iSpecimeniSpecimen is the marketplace for human biospecimen collections, providing researchers with the specimens they need from the patients they want. Headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, the privately held company uses proprietary cloud-based technology to match qualifying samples and associated data from its diverse network of hospitals, labs, biobanks, blood centers, and other clinical organizations to biomedical researchers' specimen requests. iSpecimen sources biofluids, solid tissue, and primary cells, offering clinical remnants, banked samples, and samples collected prospectively for research. Scientists gain easy access to the high-quality samples they need for their research. Partner sites gain an opportunity to further contribute to biomedical discovery as well as their bottom line. And ultimately, healthcare advances for all. For more information about iSpecimen, please visit http://www.ispecimen.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ispecimen-founder--ceo-to-present-on-emerging-technology-keynote-panel-at-molecular-med-tri-con-300409268.html

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Dr. Haiyong Han, Special for The Republic | azcentral.com 5:03 a.m. MT Feb. 17, 2017

Dr. Haiyong Han(Photo: Translational Genomics Research Institute,)

Question:

What can be done about my loved wasting away while battling cancer?

Answer: Cachexia, or wasting syndrome, is a condition characterized by a loss of weight, weakening of muscles, fatigue, weakness and significant loss of appetite.

Cachexia (pronounced: kuh-kek-see-uh) comes from the Greek kakos (bad) and hexis (condition)and is evident in a variety of medical afflictions, including pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, congestive heart failure and even hormonal deficiencies.

It really is a bad condition, especially among cancer patients, where it is responsible for more than 20 percent of cancer-related deaths. And cachexia is found in higher numbers in certain types of cancer. For example, more than 80 percent of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer now the No. 3 killer among all cancer types have cachexia.

Thanks to a $175,000 grant from the Hearst Foundations, the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute is trying to find ways to prevent, even reverse, cachexia and help cancer patients survive.

TGen researchers have proposed that cachexia is associated with a cancer-caused conversion of white fat (stored fat) into brown fat (energy-burning fat). This brown fat is associated among mammals in circumstances requiring high energy, such as babies maintaining body temperature immediately after birth, for flight in bats, or among bears to initiate the search for food after long periods of hibernation.

If that conversion of white fat into brown fat can be stopped, cachexia could be reversed, eliminating the weight loss, muscle weakness, anemia, loss of appetite and especially among cancer patients help people feel more like living.

If TGen can find a basic way to control cachexia, that concept will be tested in a clinical trial, where it could immediately begin to help patients.

This TGen study proposes to first test potential methods of reversing cachexia in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer. If initial laboratory tests are positive, then a clinical team will move swiftly to try to help patients with pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Haiyong Han is a professor in TGens Molecular Medicine Division. He can be reached at hhan@tgen.org.

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Marshall Behrens even describes himself as "flamboyant." But it's with the insistence that he's never going for that.

For this referee for all seasons, flamboyance is instead simply a byproduct of passion.

"What might be perceived as flamboyance is just that I care that much," Behrens said. "Not an ounce of that is intentional. It's because I care that much about the kids and the game, and it's just who I am. I guess I wear my emotions on my sleeve."

Spend much time in southeast Minnesota gymnasiums the last 15 years, or baseball and softball diamonds, or football fields, and you know Behrens.

You can't miss the 40-year-old St. Charles native. He's the shortish guy with the close-cropped haircut, the military-styled strut to his walk (especially in tense situations) that he couples with a right arm that he stiffens to a 45-degree angle and rhythmically wags with each quick step. He's also that guy who occasionally stops the action to verbally chastise an abusive fan or coach and who can get from one end of the floor to the other like nobody's business.

Tough to take your eyes off him.

"If there's a play where Marshall maybe got tied up at one end of the court and has to get to the other end, he's like a bottle rocket," said close friend and fellow longtime referee Jeff Wills, who officiates many games with Behrens and raves about him. "He's one of the fastest officials around."

He's also the official who's simply around, and like none other.

Behrens' guess is that out of a year's 365 days, he's officiating 300 of them. There's high school and college football in the fall, high school and college basketball in the winter, high school and college baseball and softball in the spring, then amateur and American Legion baseball in the summer.

Behrens takes Sundays off, when he and his wife of five years Ellie turn to their mutual passion, food.

"We're foodies," Behrens said. "Our dream is to buy a restaurant on a lake, open a bar and grill and retire there. We both like to cook. My best entree is either steamed mussels or prime rib."

Sounds like a wonderful retirement dream. But its definitely for well down the road, when Behrens can no longer put on his striped officials shirts or his baseball/softball chest protector.

Take the whistle out of Behrens' mouth right now and there'd be problems. He is a Molecular Medicine Research supervisor by day at Mayo Clinic. By night, Behrens chooses to be an official. Except on Sundays.

"Officiating has turned into a full-blown addiction for me," Behrens said. "I do it because I care about the (players and coaches) and I enjoy it so much. Even when I have a rare night off, it almost bothers me. I feel like I should be out there."

Behrens was just an OK athlete (his description) growing up in St. Charles, where he played varsity football, basketball and baseball. But he was passionate about all three sports.

That's what's made transitioning to officiating something he got started on with intramural basketball while enrolled at Wisconsin-Stevens Point such a natural.

Not afraid of the limelight and with a keen eye toward the nuances of sports, Behrens took to officiating in a hurry.

Looking back, though, he says he had a long way to go.

"I think I was too naive then to know that I wasn't that great at it," Behrens said. "When you first get started, you think you're a lot better than you are."

But the 57-year-old Wills, himself one of the most respected referees around, sure gives Behrens high marks now.

It's Behrens' zeal for the work that Wills says makes him so special. Behrens never comes close to taking a night off when he's wearing those stripes.

"Marshall treats every game the same," Wills said. "We can be working a ninth-grade game on a Saturday morning, and he gives as much attention, passion and focus to that game as he does to the varsity game we do later that night.

"He is fully loaded every day. He gives it everything he's got."

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Treatment at high-volume facilities linked to longer OS in multiple myeloma Healio The study of the volumeoutcome relationship in hematologic malignancies may be especially relevant, because these cancers are relatively rare and, with the advent of molecular medicine, are becoming much more complex to classify, risk stratify and ...

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Treatment at high-volume facilities linked to longer OS in multiple myeloma - Healio

February 15, 2017 10:26 ET | Source: Biothera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

EAGAN, Minn., Feb. 15, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biothera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it will deliver two presentations on its Phase 2 candidate Imprime PGG at the 24th annual Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, taking place at the Moscone North Convention Center, San Francisco, February 19-24, 2017.

Jeremy R. Graff, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President, Research at Biothera Pharmaceuticals, will present data showing that Imprime PGG acts therapeutically as an immunological ignition switch to coordinate robust innate and adaptive immune responses that enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. The Company has announced plans for Phase 2 clinical studies to evaluate Imprime PGG in combination with Mercks KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in advanced melanoma, triple negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer.

Biothera Pharmaceuticals Tri-Con presentation details are as follows:

About Biothera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Biothera Pharmaceuticals is a privately held biotechnology company developing Imprime PGG, a mid-clinical stage cancer immunotherapy that enhances the efficacy of anti-cancer immune response in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor, tumor-targeting and anti-angiogenesis antibodies. Biothera Pharmaceuticals has clinical research agreements with Merck to evaluate Imprime PGG and KEYTRUDAin Phase 2 studies in advanced melanoma, metastatic triple negative breast cancer, and head and neck squamous cell cancer. This therapeutic combination also is the focus of a Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Phase 1b/2 trial in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Imprime PGG has been well-tolerated and has established proof of concept in trials with more than 400 subjects.

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.

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3D Signatures Inc. Adds Medical Diagnostic Expert to Business Advisory Board P&T Community He has addressed the National Institutes of Health, Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, World Theranostics Congress and other audiences, worldwide. He has authored numerous articles for industry publications, appeared on CBS Evening News and been ... and more »

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Ebolaviruses need very few mutations to cause disease in new host species Science Daily The research was performed by Dr Mark Wass (Senior Lecturer in Computational Biology), Professor Martin Michaelis (Professor of Molecular Medicine), and Dr Jeremy Rossman (Senior Lecturer in Virology) and members of their research groups.

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Ebolaviruses need very few mutations to cause disease in new host species - Science Daily

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. A $6.1 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health may help researchers leverage massive amounts of genomic data to develop medical treatments and pharmaceuticals, according to an international team of researchers.

The project called VISION or Validated Systematic Integration of Hematopoietic Epigenomes -- will integrate and functionally validate large amounts of emerging genomic and epigenetic data, according to Ross Hardison, T. Ming Chu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State and a member of the Genome Sciences Institute of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

Hardison, who will lead the international multidisciplinary team, added that the group will try to develop new tools for using data to facilitate advances both in basic research as well as medical applications, such as precision medicine.

The project will focus on blood cell development as a model system for gene regulation in mammals. Blood cell development is vitally important to health because humans must continually replace old and damagedcells, and because many diseases, like leukemias and anemias, result from mis-regulation of gene expression during blood formation.

"We are excited about this project because the methods we are developing can be applied not only to diseases that affect blood, but others as well," Hardison said. "A person's genetic profile can have a significant impact on disease susceptibility and response to specific treatments. However, the critical genetic variants that make up that genetic profile most often do not code for protein, but rather they are located in the much larger noncoding genome. We are studying these noncoding regions and finding new ways to extract valuable information about functional elements within them, which in turn informs us about how genetic variants play a role in disease."

The results of the VISION project are being provided to the research community in readily accessible, web-based platforms and online tools that will allow researchers to extract meaningful, experimentally validated interpretations from the data andproduce a guide for investigators to translate insights from mouse models to human clinical studies.

Hardison is working with Cheryl Keller, project manager, Yu Zhang, associate professor of statistics, andFeng Yue, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, College of Medicine, all at Penn State; Mitchell Weiss, chair of the department of hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Gerd Blobel, Professor of Pediactrics, University of Pennsylvania abd Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; James Taylor, associate professor of biology and associate professor of computer science, Johns Hopkins University; David Bodine, chief and senior investigator, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH; Berthold Gttgens, principal investigator and professor of haematology, Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge; Douglas Higgs, group head and principal investigator, and Jim Hughes, associate professor of genome biology, both of the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University.

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Grant to help pave a big data highway to explore genome, enhance health - Penn State News

Data mining tools for personalized cancer treatment Science Daily In the laboratories of Institute of Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), drug testing is done ex vivo. That is, various leukemia drugs are tested with patient samples instead of the patients themselves. This enables the researchers to test different drug ...

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