Abakan Files for NASDAQ(TM) Capital Market Listing

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

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

About Abakan Inc.

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

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

Forward Looking Statements

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

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Abakan Files for NASDAQ(TM) Capital Market Listing

Moores Lane road construction project begins

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Construction is now underway on a major road project in Texarkana, Texas.

Transportation officials say the project could take a little over a year to complete.

With more than 11,000 motorists traveling Moores Lane on a daily basis, TXDOT officials say widening the roadway is much needed.

Moores Lane is a busy thorough fair with several churches, businesses, a school, nursing homes, and active subdivisions.

State Farm Insurance Agent, Kelli Ashbrook, says recent stop lights have helped, but it's not solved the traffic issues.

"The stops have helped alleviate alot of those problems, and with the turn lane, I think it will help that much more," said Ashbrook.

Construction crews will be working about a mile and a half of Moores Lane from Richmond Road to Summerhill Road.

Once it's completed, it will be widened with a continuous turning lane.

TXDOT Engineer Kenny Isenhower says the improvements will make Moores Lane safer for motorists.

Meanwhile during construction, Texas law requires crews to provide access to driveways at all times.

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Moores Lane road construction project begins

Orono man totals pickup while reaching for cellphone

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DEDHAM, Maine An Orono man who escaped a rollover accident with only minor injuries Monday morning was reaching for his cellphone when he went off the road, according to state police.

Police issued a summons to Jacob Moores, 21, on a charge of failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle. Moores was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor with minor injuries.

Moores was driving south on Bald Mountain Road in Dedham around 11:30 a.m. when his vehicle left the road and rolled over, said Trooper Mike Southard. Moores blue Ford Ranger was totaled, Southard said.

He said he was reaching for his phone, Southard said. This crash could have been avoided had he not been doing that, and thats why he was summonsed.

Southard said distracted driving is a top cause for single-vehicle accidents. Earlier this year, Maine passed a law to crack down on texting while driving. Moores crashed before he even had the cellphone in his hand, Southard said.

We see it too much, Southard said of distracted driving. Folks are gonna start being summonsed for it if it causes a crash. Were trying to send a message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Its caused a lot of accidents.

Southard said Moores faces a $119 fine for the traffic infraction, but said he could have been facing much more dire consequences.

His seat belt saved his life today, no question about it, the trooper said.

Follow Mario Moretto on Twitter at @riocarmine.

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Orono man totals pickup while reaching for cellphone

An expert talks about stem cells

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(Part III)

Primum Non NocerePrimarily, do no harm. This is the principal dictum of Dr. Samuel D. Bernal, MD, PHP, JD, MBA.

Board-certified and diplomate of the American Board of International Medicine and a fellow of Harvard Medical School, this doctor of chemistry, oncology and human biochemistry, health and regulatory law (specifically medical malpractice) holds offices in Los Angeles, Prague and Manila.

His name is synonymous with personalized molecular medicine, the heart of which evolves around stem cells.

Dr. Bernal pioneered in the analysis of the electrical energy of the cell in the living state. And thus, in his regimen, which includes 300 mixes of vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fats, the electrical production of the mitochondria is ensured.

Here is the result of our two-hour candid discussion about rejuvenation, health and beauty. While the 120-minute immersion cant give a complete understanding of the vast and complex world of the human body, it was nevertheless enough time to begin to grasp the basic truththat all the power of life rests within us all.

Q: What exactly are stem cells?

Stem cells (SC) are merely a small component of what we call regenerative medicine. And they have the ability to heal and repair the body back to a good health.

Q: Isnt it as simple as injecting stem cells into the human body?

Definitely not. There is the matter of molecular biology. No two individuals are alike. And this makes the idea of injecting a commercially-prepared stem cell solution into your body questionable and even dangerous.

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An expert talks about stem cells

Culprits behind ALS and dementia share common pathway

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London, October 1 (ANI): Though the two proteins previously found to contribute to ALS have divergent roles, a common pathway links them.

This is according to a new study, led by researchers at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

The discovery reveals a small set of target genes that could be used to measure the health of motor neurons, and provides a useful tool for development of new pharmaceuticals to treat the devastating disorder, which currently has no treatment or cure.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by premature degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in a progressive, fatal paralysis in patients.

The two proteins that contribute to the disease - FUS/TLS and TDP-43 - bind to ribonucleic acid (RNA), intermediate molecules that translate genetic information from DNA to proteins.

In normal cells, both TDP-43 and FUS/TLS are found in the nucleus where they help maintain proper levels of RNA. In the majority of ALS patients, however, these proteins instead accumulate in the cell's cytoplasm - the liquid that separates the nucleus from the outer membrane, and thus are excluded from the nucleus, which prevents them from performing their normal duties.

Since the proteins are in the wrong location in the cell, they are unable to perform their normal function, according to the study's lead authors, Kasey R. Hutt, Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne and Magdalini Polymenidou.

"In diseased motor neurons where TDP-43 is cleared from the nucleus and forms cytoplasmic aggregates," the researchers wrote, "we saw lower protein levels of three genes regulated by TDP-43 and FUS/TLS. We predicted that this, based on our mouse studies, and found the same results in neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells."

In 2011, this team of UC San Diego scientists discovered that more than one-third of the genes in the brains of mice are direct targets of TDP-43, affecting the functions of these genes. In the new study, they compared the impact of the FUS/TLS protein to that of TDP-43, hoping to find a large target overlap.

"Surprisingly, instead we saw a relatively small overlap, and the common RNA targets genes contained exceptionally long introns, or non-coding segments. The set is comprised of genes that are important for synapse function," said principal investigator Gene Yeo, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Institute for Genomic Medicine at UC San Diego and a visiting professor at the Molecular Engineering Laboratory in Singapore.

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Culprits behind ALS and dementia share common pathway

Common RNA pathway found in ALS and dementia

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Public release date: 30-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Debra Kain ddkain@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California - San Diego

Two proteins previously found to contribute to ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, have divergent roles. But a new study, led by researchers at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, shows that a common pathway links them.

The discovery reveals a small set of target genes that could be used to measure the health of motor neurons, and provides a useful tool for development of new pharmaceuticals to treat the devastating disorder, which currently has no treatment or cure.

Funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the study will be published in the advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience on September 30.

ALS is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by premature degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in a progressive, fatal paralysis in patients.

The two proteins that contribute to the disease FUS/TLS and TDP-43 bind to ribonucleic acid (RNA), intermediate molecules that translate genetic information from DNA to proteins. In normal cells, both TDP-43 and FUS/TLS are found in the nucleus where they help maintain proper levels of RNA. In the majority of ALS patients, however, these proteins instead accumulate in the cell's cytoplasm the liquid that separates the nucleus from the outer membrane, and thus are excluded from the nucleus, which prevents them from performing their normal duties.

Since the proteins are in the wrong location in the cell, they are unable to perform their normal function, according to the study's lead authors, Kasey R. Hutt, Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne and Magdalini Polymenidou. "In diseased motor neurons where TDP-43 is cleared from the nucleus and forms cytoplasmic aggregates," the authors wrote, "we saw lower protein levels of three genes regulated by TDP-43 and FUS/TLS. We predicted that this, based on our mouse studies, and found the same results in neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells."

In 2011, this team of UC San Diego scientists discovered that more than one-third of the genes in the brains of mice are direct targets of TDP-43, affecting the functions of these genes. In the new study, they compared the impact of the FUS/TLS protein to that of TDP-43, hoping to find a large target overlap.

"Surprisingly, instead we saw a relatively small overlap, and the common RNA targets genes contained exceptionally long introns, or non-coding segments. The set is comprised of genes that are important for synapse function," said principal investigator Gene Yeo, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Institute for Genomic Medicine at UC San Diego and a visiting professor at the Molecular Engineering Laboratory in Singapore. "Loss of this common overlapping set of genes is evidence of a common pathway that appears to contribute to motor neuron degeneration."

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Common RNA pathway found in ALS and dementia

Carlisle Goldfields Limited and Carpathian Gold Inc. Under Current Evaluation

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Equedia.com and The Equedia Weekly Letter provides research on Canadian companies with a focus on mining and resource stocks. Equedia is continuing research and evaluation on the prospects of Carlisle Goldfields Limited (TSX:CGJ.TO - News) and Carpathian Gold Inc. (TSX:CPN.TO - News). To be further notified of our updates on these companies and special report editions through the Equedia Weekly letter, please obtain your free subscription here:

http://equedia.com/equediaweekly

Many companies previously featured in our special report editions have hit new 52 week highs since the initiation of our coverage and man) y companies under evaluation have made strong gains since being placed under evaluation. To receive these reports, please make sure to subscribe for your complimentary subscription to Equedia Weekly here:

http://equedia.com/equediaweekly

Here is a brief excerpt from one of our latest weekly letter, "Watch the Throne":

September is over and we're now heading into a month where gold has traditionally not performed as well. We've seen gold and silver prices rise over the last few weeks, so it wouldn't shock me that we see a pullback. October is also generally a more volatile month for both gold and stocks.

Keep in mind that central bank buying, investor demand, and mine strikes in Africa could cause supply constraints and force gold higher, even in a month where gold has often been down.

Should gold prices follow historical trends for October along with stocks, it would represent a great buying opportunity. Over the past 40 years, November has generally been one of the best months for gold, second only to September. However, in the last decade

To continue reading and receive your next free edition of Equedia Weekly, please subscribe by going to http://equedia.com/equediaweekly/ and visit http://equedia.com/blog/view.php/Watch-the-Throne for a copy of this edition.

You should also visit http://www.equedia.com to gain access to insider information, analyst ratings, videos, corporate coverage, financials, and in-depth stock charts for the above mentioned companies. Shareholders are also asked to assist our staff by providing us more details on your knowledge of the above-mentioned companies as we put them under evaluation. By registering through http://www.equedia.com, you can upload your findings and attach them to the respective companies under their corporate landing page.

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Carlisle Goldfields Limited and Carpathian Gold Inc. Under Current Evaluation

Tinka Resources Limited and Riverstone Resources Inc. Under Current Evaluation

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Equedia.com and The Equedia Weekly Letter provides research on Canadian companies with a focus on mining and resource stocks. Equedia is continuing research and evaluation on the prospects of Tinka Resources Limited (TSX VENTURE: TK) and Riverstone Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: RVS). To be further notified of our updates on these companies and special report editions through the Equedia Weekly letter, please obtain your free subscription here:

http://equedia.com/equediaweekly

Many companies previously featured in our special report editions have hit new 52 week highs since the initiation of our coverage and man) y companies under evaluation have made strong gains since being placed under evaluation. To receive these reports, please make sure to subscribe for your complimentary subscription to Equedia Weekly here:

http://equedia.com/equediaweekly

Here is a brief excerpt from one of our latest weekly letter, "Watch the Throne":

September is over and we're now heading into a month where gold has traditionally not performed as well. We've seen gold and silver prices rise over the last few weeks, so it wouldn't shock me that we see a pullback. October is also generally a more volatile month for both gold and stocks.

Keep in mind that central bank buying, investor demand, and mine strikes in Africa could cause supply constraints and force gold higher, even in a month where gold has often been down.

Should gold prices follow historical trends for October along with stocks, it would represent a great buying opportunity. Over the past 40 years, November has generally been one of the best months for gold, second only to September. However, in the last decade

To continue reading and receive your next free edition of Equedia Weekly, please subscribe by going to http://equedia.com/equediaweekly/ and visit http://equedia.com/blog/view.php/Watch-the-Throne for a copy of this edition.

You should also visit http://www.equedia.com to gain access to insider information, analyst ratings, videos, corporate coverage, financials, and in-depth stock charts for the above mentioned companies. Shareholders are also asked to assist our staff by providing us more details on your knowledge of the above-mentioned companies as we put them under evaluation. By registering through http://www.equedia.com, you can upload your findings and attach them to the respective companies under their corporate landing page.

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Tinka Resources Limited and Riverstone Resources Inc. Under Current Evaluation

Oromin Explorations Ltd. and Erdene Resource Development Corp. Under Current Evaluation

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Equedia.com and The Equedia Weekly Letter provides research on Canadian companies with a focus on mining and resource stocks. Equedia is continuing research and evaluation on the prospects of Oromin Explorations Ltd. (TSX:OLE.TO - News) and Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX:ERD.TO - News). To be further notified of our updates on these companies and special report editions through the Equedia Weekly letter, please obtain your free subscription here:

http://equedia.com/equediaweekly

Many companies previously featured in our special report editions have hit new 52 week highs since the initiation of our coverage and man) y companies under evaluation have made strong gains since being placed under evaluation. To receive these reports, please make sure to subscribe for your complimentary subscription to Equedia Weekly here:

http://equedia.com/equediaweekly

Here is a brief excerpt from one of our latest weekly letter, "Watch the Throne":

September is over and we're now heading into a month where gold has traditionally not performed as well. We've seen gold and silver prices rise over the last few weeks, so it wouldn't shock me that we see a pullback. October is also generally a more volatile month for both gold and stocks.

Keep in mind that central bank buying, investor demand, and mine strikes in Africa could cause supply constraints and force gold higher, even in a month where gold has often been down.

Should gold prices follow historical trends for October along with stocks, it would represent a great buying opportunity. Over the past 40 years, November has generally been one of the best months for gold, second only to September. However, in the last decade

To continue reading and receive your next free edition of Equedia Weekly, please subscribe by going to http://equedia.com/equediaweekly/ and visit http://equedia.com/blog/view.php/Watch-the-Throne for a copy of this edition.

You should also visit http://www.equedia.com to gain access to insider information, analyst ratings, videos, corporate coverage, financials, and in-depth stock charts for the above mentioned companies. Shareholders are also asked to assist our staff by providing us more details on your knowledge of the above-mentioned companies as we put them under evaluation. By registering through http://www.equedia.com, you can upload your findings and attach them to the respective companies under their corporate landing page.

Originally posted here:

Oromin Explorations Ltd. and Erdene Resource Development Corp. Under Current Evaluation

Shaq, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Sports Leagues Adapt To Shifts in Social Media To Build Brand Power

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The face of social media is changing. While once largely text-driven, social media sites are becoming more image-based, allowing users to upload pictures and share videos with the click of a button. This image-based shift in social media is largely due to the birth of image-sharing websites like Instagram and [...]

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Shaq, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Sports Leagues Adapt To Shifts in Social Media To Build Brand Power

Puffs® Partners with Dress for Success to Help Women Put Their Best Face Forward

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Puffs brand has partnered with the Dress for Success organization to provide beauty and wardrobe makeovers for deserving women across the country, hosting a finale event here in the Big Apple. Celebrity make-up artist Jake Bailey and stylists from PANYC salon were on hand today to help women look and feel their best as they begin new chapters of their personal and professional lives.

Bailey was on site providing beauty makeovers to the women while sharing make-up tips and tricks that they will be able to use every day. Teaching everything from blending colors, gently removing excess shine, blotting lipstick and even applying mascara, Bailey and Puffs equipped each woman with the tools theyll need to put their best face forward long after the event.

Both Puffs and Dress for Success feel confidence is tied to beauty, said Laura Dressman, Puffs communications manager. Were honored to partner with such a wonderful organization and to have Jake, an expert in beauty, on hand to offer these women the services and information they need to feel confident no matter what they face.

Because Puffs believes every woman deserves to look in the mirror with confidence and feel beautiful, they launched a community on their Facebook page. Fans can encourage each other to look and feel their best, by sharing inspiring words on how they put their best face forward every day. Participation in the conversation offers fans the opportunity to donate to Dress for Success and make them eligible to win prizes.

Through these Puffs sponsored events, our women in San Francisco, Chicago and now New York have received an extra boost of confidence they need to put their best face forward as they re-enter the workforce, said Joi Gordon, CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide. Dress for Success will continue to work with these women to provide them with the tools they need to succeed both personally and professionally.

Puffs tissues have always been what people reach for when suffering from cold and allergy symptoms, but Puffs are designed with your entire face in mind. Whether caring for a cold, applying makeup, or making subtle touch-ups, Puffs tackles all of the things your face has to face throughout the day.

Now through October 12th, Puffs fans can upload their inspirational quotes, tips and stories to http://www.facebook.com/puffs. As fans submit their tip, Puffs will donate $1 per upload and a minimum of $100,000 to Dress for Success Worldwide to help promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women. Also, with every entry, fans are entered into a sweepstakes to win one of 60 Procter & Gamble beauty baskets as well as a grand prize trip to New York City for a beauty makeover.

Each submission is hosted on a gallery within the tab where Puffs fans can gain confidence through the inspiring words of others in their community and fans are encouraged to post their own quotes, tips or stories that show support of the Puffs Facebook community and the women of Dress for Success.

About Puffs

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Puffs® Partners with Dress for Success to Help Women Put Their Best Face Forward

Penn Translational Medicine Researcher Named 2012 Louis and Arthur Lucian Award Recipient

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PHILADELPHIA - Garret FitzGerald, MD, FRS, director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics and chair, Department of Pharmacology, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Louis and Arthur Lucian Award, given by McGill University, Montreal, Canada. He is cited for his ground-breaking work on cardiovascular disease. The award consists of a $CAN60,000 prize and one-to-two week professional visit to McGill to give a formal Lucian Lecture, to have interchanges with members of the McGill community, and possibly to undertake a research collaboration with McGill investigators in the field of circulatory diseases.

FitzGerald, also professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and the McNeil Professor in Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, takes an integrative approach to studying the mechanisms of drug action and is known internationally for his work on eicosanoids and related lipid mediators. His research contributed fundamentally to the development of low-dose aspirin as a preventive approach to heart disease. His group was the first to predict and then explain mechanistically the cardiovascular hazard from NSAIDs. His team has also contributed substantially to the understanding of the importance of peripheral clocks in the regulation of cardiovascular and metabolic function.

I am honored to receive the Lucian Award and humbled to follow so many distinguished scientists who have received this distinction, said FitzGerald. It reflects on the enthusiasm, creativity and hard work of so many colleagues with whom I have been privileged to work over many years.

The Louis and Artur Lucian Award was established through a bequest to McGill University under the will of the late Olga Leibovici to honor the donor's two brothers, and was conferred for the first time in 1978. The Award is designed to honor outstanding research in the field of circulatory diseases by a scientific investigator or group of investigators whose contribution to knowledge in this field is deemed worthy of special recognition. As per the terms of the bequest, the work of the nominee must be current.

###

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Translational Medicine Researcher Named 2012 Louis and Arthur Lucian Award Recipient

Taken a medicine chest inventory?

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Published: Sept. 30, 2012 at 11:18 PM

NEW YORK, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A U.S. public health campaign has been started to challenge people to take part in a five-step effort to reduce the risk of prescription drug abuse.

Angelo M. Valente, chief executive officer of American Medicine Chest Challenge, said the campaign aims to prevent prescription drug abuse and provide safe disposal options for prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

"Recent American Medicine Chest Challenge initiatives, such as the creation of the National Online Directory of Permanent Prescription Drug Collection Boxes and the release of the American Medicine Chest Challenge Rx Drop mobile application, have made taking the challenge and the disposing of unused, unwanted and expired medicine much easier for American families," Valente said in a statement.

The program challenges people to:

-- Take inventory of your prescription and over-the-counter medicine.

-- Secure your medicine chest.

-- Dispose of your unused, unwanted, and expired medicine in your home or at an approved disposal site.

-- Take your medicine(s) exactly as prescribed.

-- Talk to your children about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

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Taken a medicine chest inventory?

Medicine Hat teen killer sentence reviewed

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Canada's youngest multiple killer appeared by closed circuit television in an Alberta courtroom Monday for an update on her progress.

The teen killed her parents and eight-year-old brother in 2006 when she was 12 years old. The now 18-year-old known only as J.R. was convicted in 2007 of three counts of first-degree murder.

J.R. is currently living alone while working and taking classes, Medicine Hat court heard Monday. She is responding positively to treatment, expresses remorse experts consider genuine, and is assessed at a low risk to reoffend, according to a report read out in court.

"You are doing well. Keep up the good work, said Justice Scott Brooker.

J.R.s sentence, known as an intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision (IRCS), had been reviewed by the Court of Queens Bench every six months. However Brooker decided Monday that she can now have her sentence reviewed once a year.

We are seeing she is in the community, she is starting to get her feet on the ground and build a life for herself, said defence lawyer Katherine Beyak outside court.

J.R. started her 10-year-sentence at a psychiatric hospital but was released in the fall of 2011 to begin her integration into society. She moved to a group home and started studying at a post-secondary institution. J.R. has three and a half years left on her conditional sentence.

J.R. and her then-boyfriend Jeremy Steinke, who was 23, killed the three victims at J.R.s family home in the southern Alberta town of Medicine Hat.

Steinke was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the killings, which the pair carried out because the parents didn't approve of their relationship.

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Medicine Hat teen killer sentence reviewed

Third Rock Ventures Appoints Personalized Medicine Expert Felix W. Frueh, Ph.D., as Entrepreneur-in-Residence

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Third Rock Ventures, LLC, a venture capital firm focused on building life sciences companies, today announced that Felix W. Frueh, Ph.D., has joined Third Rock as an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR). As an EIR, Dr. Frueh will provide strategic input on new and existing portfolio companies with a particular focus on personalized medicine.

We are pleased to welcome Felix to our growing team of industry leaders, said Alexis Borisy, partner of Third Rock Ventures. Since the founding of Third Rock, we have been dedicated to launching companies focused on personalized medicine, and Felix is the ideal person to help us continue to grow and develop those companies in our portfolio and discover new opportunities to invest in the space.

Dr. Frueh is a thought leader in personalized medicine with 15 years of R&D, management and policy experience. Most recently, Dr. Frueh served as president of the Medco Research Institute, leading Medcos real-world, outcomes-oriented research initiatives and collaborations after having formed Medcos personalized medicine research and development organization. Prior to joining Medco, Dr. Frueh was associate director for genomics at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he built and led the core genomics review team in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and chaired the first FDA-wide, interdisciplinary pharmacogenomics review group (IPRG). Before joining the FDA, he held senior positions at several biotechnology companies. Dr. Frueh has been a member of various working groups on genetics and genomics at the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). He serves on the board of the Personalized Medicine Coalition and is also a board member at Enterome Biosciences. He is an adjunct faculty member at the Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy (IPIT) at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and held faculty appointments in the Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and the University of Basel, Switzerland, where he also received his Ph.D. in biochemistry.

Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to see new technologies and innovative approaches in personalized medicine make an impact on the lives of patients, said Dr. Frueh. I believe that Third Rocks approach to investing in cutting edge science has the potential to make a tremendous difference, and I look forward to being a part of that effort.

About Third Rock Ventures

Third Rock Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2007 with the mission to launch transformative life sciences companies. With more than $800 million and two funds under management, the firm is focused on working with passionate entrepreneurs to build exceptional companies working in areas of disruptive science that will make a difference in the lives of patients. The firm has assembled a team with deep expertise and a proven track record of building respected and successful life sciences companies. With decades of complementary, cross-functional operational and leadership experience, the Third Rock team actively engages with its portfolio companies to provide hands-on strategy and experience to successfully launch companies with the best vision, science, operations, people and culture. With offices in Boston, MA and San Francisco, CA, Third Rock is well positioned geographically to closely collaborate with its portfolio companies to achieve their goals. To learn more about Third Rock and its portfolio companies, please visit http://www.thirdrockventures.com.

Current Third Rock Portfolio Companies

Ablexis, Afferent Pharmaceuticals, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Alcresta, Allena Pharmaceuticals, Alnara Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Eli Lilly & Co. in 2010), bluebird bio, Blueprint Medicines, Constellation Pharmaceuticals, CytomX Therapeutics, DC Devices, Edimer Pharmaceuticals, Eleven Biotherapeutics, Ember Therapeutics, Foundation Medicine, Global Blood Therapeutics, Igenica, Kala Pharmaceuticals, Lotus Tissue Repair, MyoKardia, Nine Point Medical, PanOptica Pharmaceuticals, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, SAGE Therapeutics, Seventh Sense Biosystems, Taris Biomedical, Topica Pharmaceuticals, Warp Drive Bio and Zafgen.

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Third Rock Ventures Appoints Personalized Medicine Expert Felix W. Frueh, Ph.D., as Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Personalized Medicine's Transformation of Healthcare Accelerates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Personalized Medicine's Transformation of Healthcare Accelerates

Never Forget to Take Your Medicine Again

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Medication non-adherence is a costly problem for our nations health-care system--to the tune of $290 billion a year.

Forgetfulness is often cited as the top reason people dont follow their medication plans, and the problem only gets worse for patients on multiple drugs.

To help keep patients on track with the treatments, a slew of apps and devices have hit the market. From web-based reminders to pill organizers, heres a look at four new tools designed to help patients adhere to their treatment plans.

MedMinder

The MedMinder pill dispenser works in conjunction with the Internet to keep track of when medicine is taken to promote adherance.

Heres how it works: Place the pills in the dispenser compartments and then go to MedMinders website to detail when the medicine should be taken. The site will then send reminders when its time to take the pills. The alerts come in the form of a light, sound alert, phone call, text or email. The device will even notify designated caregivers or family members when a medication isnt taken. The pill dispenser and reminder service costs $39.99 a month, and the device needs to be returned to the company.

Digestible Digital Pills

Be on the look out for new digestible pills with built in sensors to track when a user swallow medicine.

Some may be turned off by this new digital pill, but the FDA has green lighted Proteus Digital Health to work to digitize drugs to treat diabetes, the central nervous system and transplants.

According to Proteus Digital Health, each pill will contain a sensor that can communicate with its digital health feedback system to provide information about how users take the prescription drugs and how the body is responding to it. Proteus claims that more than 50% of people dont get the complete benefits from their pharmaceuticals because they take the wrong dose or inconsistently take their medicine.

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Never Forget to Take Your Medicine Again

Popular Migraine Medicine Quickly Absorbed When Delivered With Novel Breath Powered OptiNose Bi-Directional™ Nasal …

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YARDLEY, Pa., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- OptiNose US Inc. today announced results of a study testing delivery of the migraine medicine sumatriptan with a novel device using OptiNose breath powered Bi-Directional nasal technology. In a direct comparison of drug absorption, the study found that OptiNose's sumatriptan product sent 62% more drug into the blood in the critical first 15 minutes than Imitrex nasal spray (AUC 0-15 = 1.69 ng*hr/mL and 1.04 ng*hr/mL, respectively). The OptiNose technology achieved this improved effect despite delivering 20% less drug into the nose (16mg) than the Imitrex liquid nasal spray (20mg).

To view the multimedia content, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/57713-optinose-innovative-breath-powered-nasal-delivery-technology-delivers-drugs-to-treat-variety-of-medical-conditions

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121002/MM84415 )

In addition to showing better early drug absorption than Imitrex nasal spray, the study demonstrated in healthy volunteers that a 16mg dose of OptiNose sumatriptan 84% less drug than Imitrex 100 mg tablet delivered three times more drug into the blood within the first 15 minutes than the oral tablet. During migraine attacks there is a delay in stomach emptying which slows and reduces the reliability of absorption of sumatriptan pills even more, a problem avoided by effective administration of drug in the nose.

"Migraines affect nearly 30 million Americans. People often experience symptoms that progress rapidly, making it difficult to initiate or complete daily activities. Even with the wide range of current medications, many migraine sufferers are dissatisfied and searching for new treatments that provide faster relief with fewer side effects," said Ramy A. Mahmoud, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Operating Officer of OptiNose. "These data show the OptiNose technology has the capability of more efficiently and effectively delivering medicine into the blood in the important first 15 to 30 minutes. Now that OptiNose has demonstrated better drug delivery, we are working on the clinical program to show how improved drug delivery translates into meaningful benefits for migraine sufferers."

To assess the clinical relevance of these study findings, OptiNose has already begun enrolling patients in a head-to-head study comparing OptiNose nasal sumatriptan powder (16 mg) to the most widely prescribed headache medicine, sumatriptan tablets (100 mg) the medicine in Imitrex. The study, called the COMPASS trial, will assess early headache relief (15 and 30 minutes after the first dose of medicine), as well as headache relief at other time points and various other measures of efficacy and treatment related side-effects. The trial is currently enrolling. Click here or visit http://www.optinose.com for additional information.

Additional Study InformationThis randomized, single-dose, four-way cross-over study assessed the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of sumatriptan intranasal powder (16 mg) administered using the breath powered OptiNose Bi-Directional drug delivery device compared to Imitrex subcutaneous injection (6 mg), nasal spray (20 mg) and oral tablets (100 mg) in 20 healthy adult volunteers. Standard PK assessments including peak plasma concentration, drug exposure over time and total drug exposure were measured.

In addition to the above results, the study found patients taking 16mg sumatriptan with OptiNose technology had substantially less total exposure to drug than those given a standard dose of Imitrex 100 mg oral tablet. Total drug exposure for Imitrex tablets was more than four times higher than with OptiNose nasal powder delivery. Total serum exposure was similar between 16mg delivered with an OptiNose Bi-Directional device and 20mg Imitrex nasal spray, though absorption was notably faster with OptiNose. Total drug exposure was twice as high with Imitrex injection, a treatment option generally associated with a notably different side-effect profile.

There were no serious adverse events (SAEs) or discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs). The most commonly reported adverse events were mild nausea (3 reports each following Imitrex injection and tablets) and mild flushing (4 reports following Imitrex injection).

Phase III TARGET StudyA phase III trial called the TARGET study was initiated in January to prove the efficacy and safety of OptiNose delivery of low-dose sumatriptan. Results will be available later this month, specifically assessing the ability of OptiNose sumatriptan delivered with breath powered Bi-Directional technology to offer rapid pain relief, meaningful headache relief and other measures.

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Popular Migraine Medicine Quickly Absorbed When Delivered With Novel Breath Powered OptiNose Bi-Directional™ Nasal ...

Renowned Emergency Physician, Dr. Steven J. Davidson Joins Emergency Medicine Business Intelligence as its Chief …

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NEW YORK, Oct.1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Emergency Medicine Business Intelligence, Inc. (EMBI) has announced that Steven J. Davidson, MD, MBA, FACEP a 35-year veteran of Emergency Medicine and recognized leader in health care informatics joined EMBI as Chief Medical Officer in which role he will lead the EMBI Medical Advisory Board.

Dr. Davidson will continue serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he was Founding Chair of Emergency Medicine, 1995-2010. Trained in Emergency Medicine's earliest days, Dr. Davidson has subsequently engaged nearly all aspects of emergency medicine. His work with leading thinkers in quality improvement drove his pursuit of an MBA at The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, earned in 1989. Having accomplished much of his vision at Maimonides, he shared those principles in a monthly "Leadership Outlook" column from 2000-2004 in Emergency Medicine News and in other publications since.

"Dr. Davidson has joined EMBI because our solution implements and extends his vision of leading transformation informed by relevant measures of clinical, operational and financial performance. He appreciates how EMBI's solution turns silos of data into actionable information. Through the Medical Advisory Board he will lead, Dr. Davidson and his colleagues, will provide guidance to EMBI to ensure our solution stays focused on addressing the problems and meeting needs of their peers and the emergency departments they manage," says Scott Richards, EMBI's CEO and Co-Founder.

Davidson comments, "As the ED becomes a progressively more challenging environment for patients and practitioners alike, EMBI's simplified data management empowers those engaged ED leaders who are devoted to improving clinical, operational and financial performance while gaining the opportunity for improved service quality for patients and a more pleasant, effective working environment for practitioners and staff."

Jonathan Rothman, EMBI's CTO and Co-Founder comments, "We grew up in this space; starting at about the same time Dr. Davidson arrived in Brooklyn. Over the years we've had the honor of meeting and working with many Emergency Medicine leaders. Dr. Davidson stands out among them for his thought leadership, objective accomplishments and his development of Emergency Medicine leaders. We are excited he is joining our team and look forward to his contributions."

Emergency Medicine Business Intelligence, Inc.

Emergency Medicine Business Intelligence, Inc. is an innovator in health care business intelligence. EMBI provides real-time and retrospective web-based performance dashboards and key metric analytics for hospital emergency departments. Leveraging the Balanced Scorecard business processes, EMBI solutions benchmark and monitor every aspect of an emergency department, including patient care, turn-around-times, productivity, utilization, satisfaction, revenue cycle, and risk. EMBI uses a clean and intuitive user interface to present how the emergency department's KPIs are trending in real-time, last month, over the past 13 months and benchmarked against its peers. More information about EMBI can be found at http://www.embiondemand.com.

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Renowned Emergency Physician, Dr. Steven J. Davidson Joins Emergency Medicine Business Intelligence as its Chief ...