The new face-lifting acupuncture treatment that claims to take five years off (but could you handle the needles?)

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By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 16:27 EST, 14 August 2012 | UPDATED: 16:27 EST, 14 August 2012

A non-surgical alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery is fast becoming the new trend for anti-aging procedures.

AcuFacial, a process that involves strategically placing tiny needles on the body and face, has doctors claiming patients can come away looking five to ten years younger.

Shellie Goldstein, a New York acupuncturist, told Good Morning America: 'We are taking your face to the gym, were exercising it. We have muscles in our body, we have muscles in our face, there is no other procedure that actually exercises the muscles and improves circulation in your skin.'

AcuFacial: A non-surgical alternative to botox and cosmetic surgery fast becoming the new trend for anti-aging

Despite the procedure's lack of scientific backing, people are still choosing the process, which costs $150-$200 per session, with results being seen after ten sessions.

While the results of cosmetic surgery can be unnatural, AcuFacial claims to give men and women a similar outcome without having to pull the skin or put anything underneath.

'We're working with your energy. The energy of your body, to lift it up, to work with the muscles of your face, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improve muscle tone and give it a beautiful overall glow and complexion,' Ms Goldstein said.

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The new face-lifting acupuncture treatment that claims to take five years off (but could you handle the needles?)

Proteonomix Receives FDA Permission to Initiate Company-Sponsored Phase 1 Clinical Trial with UMK-121 in Patients with …

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MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Proteonomix, Inc. (OTC/BB: PROT), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics based upon the use of human cells and their derivatives, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted permission to the Company to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial with its mobilization technology UMK-121. The Proteonomix-sponsored trial will evaluate UMK-121 in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD).

Permission by the FDA marks an important milestone in our plans to initiate a Company-sponsored clinical trial with UMK-121, following years of research and investment to advance development of this drug candidate, said Proteonomix Chief Technology Officer Steven Byle. We hope and anticipate that this trial will demonstrate the potential of UMK-121 to mobilize stem cells in order to improve liver function in patients with ESLD. We consider ourselves fortunate to be involved with a development-stage therapy that could improve the life expectancy for this class of terminally ill patients awaiting liver transplants.

Proteonomix CEO Michael Cohen added, This is a significant step for our Company as this is the first FDA IND to be held by Proteonomix and demonstrates the ability of the Company to move basic research projects into clinical trials.

UMK-121 is a patent-pending combination of two FDA-approved drugs designed to mobilize mesenchymal stem cells from the bone marrow to the peripheral circulation. The combination drug is designed to reduce inflammation and increase angiogenesis to restore liver function. UMK-121 was developed by Proteonomix Chief Scientific Officer Ian McNiece and President and CEO Michael Cohen, and subsequently licensed to Proteonomix through its wholly owned subsidiary Thor Biopharma, Inc.

About Proteonomix, Inc.

Proteonomix is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics based upon the use of human cells and their derivatives. The Proteonomix family of companies includes Proteoderm, StromaCel, PRTMI and THOR Biopharma. Proteoderm is a wholly owned subsidiary that has developed an anti-aging line of skin care products. StromaCel develops therapeutic modalities for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and plans to file an IND application for treatment of patients who have suffered post-myocardial infarction. Proteonomix Regenerative Translational Medicine Institute, Inc. (PRTMI) intends to focus on the translation of promising research in stem cell biology and cellular therapy to clinical applications of regenerative medicine. Additional information is available at http://www.proteonomix.com and http://www.proteoderm.com.

Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking statements" (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Proteonomix, Inc. cautions that statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements and makes no guarantee of future performance. Actual results or developments may differ materially from projections. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made.

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Proteonomix Receives FDA Permission to Initiate Company-Sponsored Phase 1 Clinical Trial with UMK-121 in Patients with ...

Anatomy of a movie

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Readmore: Local, Education, Community, Anatomy of a Murder, Anatomy 59, Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee, James Stewart, Baraga

NEGAUNEE -- The Tuesday lecture series at the Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee continues with a look at Anatomy '59. It's a film made by local journalist John Pepin that takes a behind the scenes look at the movie Anatomy of a Murder. Pepin made the film to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film. It includes a look at the actual events that led to the book and movie.

"It's a big part of U.P. history because more than 50 years later its still remains a very popular topic with people and a lot of people don't know about the history of the area and how there was a true crime and this actually fits the three together," said Filmmaker John Pepin.

The Tuesday lecture series wraps up at the Iron Industry Museum next Tuesday with a look at the film Iron Spirits: Life on the Michigan Iron Range.

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Anatomy of a movie

Two Space Station Spacewalks to be Broadcast on NASA TV

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WASHINGTON -- Astronauts and cosmonauts will perform two spacewalks outside the International Space Station this month. NASA Television will broadcast both events live. Coverage of the first will begin at 10 a.m. EDT, Monday, Aug. 20. Coverage of the second will begin at 7 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 30.

The first spacewalk, scheduled to begin at 10:40 a.m., Aug. 20, will feature Expedition 32 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency in Russian Orlan spacesuits. They will float outside the Pirs docking compartment airlock for a 6 1/2 hour spacewalk to relocate a cargo boom from Pirs to the Zarya module, complete the installation of micrometeoroid debris shields on the Zvezda service module and deploy a small science satellite.

The second spacewalk, scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m., Aug. 30, will feature NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide. The duo will don U.S. extravehicular mobility unit spacesuits for the first U.S.-based spacewalk since July 2011. It will be a 6 1/2 hour excursion designed to replace a faulty power relay unit on the station's truss, rig power cables for the arrival late next year of a Russian laboratory module, and install a thermal cover on a docking port.

The spacewalks will be the 163rd and 164th in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Padalka has conducted eight previous spacewalks and will wear a suit bearing red stripes. Malenchenko has conducted four spacewalks and will wear blue stripes. For the U.S. spacewalk, Williams will wear a suit with red stripes for the fifth spacewalk in her career. Hoshide, wearing a suit with no stripes, will be conducting his first spacewalk. He is the third Japanese astronaut in history to conduct a spacewalk.

International news media planning to cover the U.S. spacewalk in-person at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston must apply for accreditation by contacting the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 6 p.m., Aug. 21. U.S. media also may begin their application process at this time. International accreditation for the first spacewalk has closed.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the International Space Station and its crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

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Two Space Station Spacewalks to be Broadcast on NASA TV

ISS crew gears up for two space walks

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Astronauts living on the International Space Station will cap a busy summer with a pair of spacewalks this month to upgrade and repair the exterior of their home in orbit.

On Monday, two Russian cosmonauts, Gennady Padalka and Yuri Malenchenko, will venture outside the space station to perform a variety of maintenance tasks. Ten days later, on Aug. 30, American astronaut Sunita Williams and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide will also step out into the vacuum of space to complete their own list of tasks.

The two spacewalks are the only ones planned during the station's current Expedition 32 mission, NASA officials said. Williams and Hoshide will also be performing the first NASA spacewalk in more than a year. The last American excursion outside the orbiting complex was carried out by station astronauts Mike Fossum and Ron Garan in July 2011, during the agency's final space shuttle mission.

"Things are going extremely well on the space station," Dina Contella, Expedition 32 lead flight director at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, told reporters during a news briefing Tuesday. "The crew is in great spirits, looking forward to a pair of spacewalks coming up."

The Russian spacewalk is scheduled to last about 6.5 hours, beginning at 10:40 a.m. EDT.

The cosmonauts will install debris shields to protect parts of the Russian Zvezda service module, and will move a cargo crane from the Pirs docking module to the nearby Zarya module. The crane is being moved to make way for a new Russian laboratory unit that is scheduled to launch to space station and be installed in 2013, NASA officials said. [ Gallery: Building the International Space Station ]

If the cosmonauts complete their main tasks ahead of schedule, they will retrieve two science experiments from the exterior of the station, and release a spherical satellite part of a separate Russian experiment into space.

Padalka and Malenchenko are both veteran spacewalkers. Padalka has conducted eight spacewalks six at the International Space Station and two at the Russian Mir space station. Malenchenko has previously worked outside in the vacuum of space four times.

On Aug. 30, Williams and Hoshide will don their bulky white spacesuits and will embark on a 6.5-hour spacewalk of their own. Williams has conducted four previous spacewalks, but it will be Hoshide's first time venturing outside the orbiting lab, NASA officials said.

The NASA spacewalk, or Extravehicular Activity (EVA), is scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30.

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ISS crew gears up for two space walks

Space Triathlon: Station Astronaut to Compete Where No One Has Before

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As if holding the record for the longest spaceflight by a female astronaut wasn't enough, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is preparing to compete in a triathlon in space.

Williams, who is stationed aboard the International Space Station, is planning to participate in the 26th annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon in September. But unlike the more than 5,000 athletes who will gather at Zuma Beach in California to swim, bike and run, Williams will compete while orbiting more than 240 miles (386 kilometers) above Earth. She left Earth July 17 for her second long-duration stay in the orbiting lab.

Williams will participate in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in concert with CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, for a CNN special. While Gupta sticks to a more Earthbound experience of swimming in the Pacific Ocean, bicycling and racing through the streets of Malibu, Williams will run, pedal, and engage in a series of bench presses that will serve as the microgravity equivalent of swimming.

As part of her triathlon training, Williams participated from space in the Aug. 12 Falmouth Road Race, an annual seven-mile race from Woods Hole in the town of Falmouth, Mass. [Video: Astronaut to Run Triathlon in Space]

Now she has roughly a month to prepare for the triathlon, which requires competitors to swim half a mile in the ocean, bike 18 miles and run four miles.

Astronauts on long-duration missions at the orbiting outpost exercise roughly two hours each day to combat loss of bone and muscle density. The space station is equipped with a specially designed stationary bike, treadmill (complete with harnesses to keep participants from floating away) and a machine called the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, or ARED, which acts as a weightlifting machine.

In recent interviews with CNN and WCIA radio in Illinois, Williams described the progress of her training in space, and how her body is adjusting to exercise in the microgravity environment.

"Microgravity is nice to your body," Williams told WCIA. "You can float around, it feels good, but when you simulate gravity when you're on either the treadmill or the ARED it sort of hurts. So it's been a bit of an adjustment to get into the exercise."

During her first two weeks in space, Williams spent time familiarizing herself with the machines, which are either new or have been upgraded since she was last at the space station in 2007.

"The first two weeks we've sort of used as a just-get-used-to-the-equipment, get used to the protocols that we're doing," Williams said at the time. "So I think we're at that point that we're finally adapted and ready to start building on it. So, just watch out, because now I'm ready to really start preparing for the triathlon."

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Space Triathlon: Station Astronaut to Compete Where No One Has Before

NASA Technology Transfer Opportunity: Decorated Carbon Nanotubes for Novel Materials With Tailorable Electrical …

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Synopsis - Aug 14, 2012

General Information

Solicitation Number: TTO1025 Posted Date: Aug 14, 2012 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Aug 14, 2012 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Dec 31, 2012 Current Response Date: Dec 31, 2012 Classification Code: 99 -- Miscellaneous NAICS Code: 927110 Set-Aside Code:

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 12, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001

Description

NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits interest from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use.

THE TECHNOLOGY:

NASA Langley has created a new class of materials based on depositing nanometer-sized metal particles onto carbon allotropes. The method is scalable and relatively simple, and allows for control over the size and distribution of the metal particles in the substrate, adjusting the surface area to optimize specific thermal or electrical properties of the material. One promising nanocomposite material created consists of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated with metal particles dispersed in a polymer matrix. Ribbons, tubes, and moldings of the nanocomposite were found to have novel intrinsic electrical characteristics that enable tunable dielectric constants with low loss factors. The decoupling and independent control of the two fundamental parameters offer a class of materials with the potential for finely tailored electronic properties. The novel methods enable materials that show promise for a variety of applications in electronics, communications, catalysis, and optics.

To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to Sean Sullivan, Research Triangle International (RTI), at: NASA Langley Research Center, 17 West Taylor St., Mail Stop 218, Building 1212, Room 110 Hampton, Virginia, E-mail: Sean.D.Sullivan@NASA.gov, or phone: 757-864-5055. Please indicate the date and title of the FBO notice and include your company and contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at http://technology.nasa.gov/ .

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NASA Technology Transfer Opportunity: Decorated Carbon Nanotubes for Novel Materials With Tailorable Electrical ...

NASA Announcement of Flight Opportunities #5 Now Open

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dryden Flight Research Center has released a solicitation entitled "NASA Announcement of Flight Opportunities (AFO) for Payloads Maturing Crosscutting Technologies that Advance Multiple Future Space Missions to Flight Readiness Status." The current solicitation cycle, AFO #5, provides access to flights on parabolic flights, suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles (sRLV), and high-altitude balloons.

Applications are due on or before 5:30 PM Eastern Time September 21, 2012, and selections will be announced in November 2012 (target). The solicitation is available by opening the NASA Research Opportunities home page at http://nspires.nasaprs.com , selecting "Solicitations," then selecting "Open Solicitations," and, selecting "NOCT110 Announcement of Flight Opportunities." To go directly to the solicitation page on NSPIRES click here.

NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) seeks to mature towards flight readiness status crosscutting technologies that perform relevant environment testing and advance multiple future space missions. To facilitate this goal, NASA is providing access to certain flight opportunities available to the Agency, on a no-exchange-of-funds basis, to entities that have technology payloads meeting specified criteria. The payloads may be exposed to a near-zero or reduced gravity environment by flying on aircraft that provide parabolic flight trajectories and on sRLVs that are potentially capable of flying to altitudes above 100 km. For flight tests that do not require microgravity, but do require the temperature, pressure and atmospheric conditions of high altitudes, balloon flights are available. Refer to http://flightopportunities.nasa.gov/ platforms for specific information on vehicle and flight characteristics.

This call is open to all individuals and organizations, U.S. and non-U.S. Such organizations may include educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), other Government agencies, and partnerships between such entities.

Science payloads will not be evaluated under this announcement. Prospective responders with science payloads are encouraged to respond to open solicitations for science from the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Human Exploration and Operations Research Mission Directorate (HEOMD).

All applications must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES by an authorized organizational representative (AOR). Potential applicants and proposing organizations are urged to access the electronic proposal system well in advance of the application due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and to enter the requested information. Note that it may require several weeks for non-U.S. organizations to obtain the registrations needed to submit a proposal.

Comments and questions may be sent via e-mail to peer-review-afo@nasaprs.com. Responses to inquiries will be answered by e-mail and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.

Visit us on the web: http://flightopportunities.nasa.gov

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nasafo

Subscribe to our mailing list: https://lists.nasa.gov/mailman/listinfo/flightopportunities-news

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NASA Announcement of Flight Opportunities #5 Now Open

NASA asteroid mission has guidance problem

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Artist's impression of NASA's Dawn spacecraft orbiting the giant asteroid Vesta. The depiction of Vesta is based on images obtained by Dawn's framing cameras. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Published: Aug. 14, 2012 at 5:49 PM

PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A NASA spacecraft on a mission to study the giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres has powered down part of a guidance system, the space agency reported.

A reaction wheel, part of a system that helps the spacecraft point precisely, was shut down automatically by the spacecraft with data beamed back to Earth suggesting the wheel had developed excessive friction, a release from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., reported Monday.

Another Dawn reaction wheel had been shut down in similar circumstances in June 2010, the release said.

During its flight to Vesta, the JPL team demonstrated they could, if necessary, complete the second part of the mission, the cruise to Ceres, without the use of reaction wheels.

Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, and Ceres, the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system, are both located in the so-called asteroid belt, roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter.

Dawn has finished it science mission at Vesta, which it has been orbiting since July 15, 2011, and is slowly moving away for the journey to Ceres, using its thrusters to both move and to orient itself toward Earth for communications, JPL said.

Aside from the reaction wheel issue, the rest of the spacecraft is otherwise healthy, the Dawn team said.

"The Vesta mission has been spectacularly successful, and we are looking forward to the exciting Ceres mission ahead of us," Robert Mase, Dawn project manager, said.

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NASA asteroid mission has guidance problem

NASA 'Itching to Move,' Maps Course for Curiosity

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NASA's newest rover Curiosity has yet to make its first move on Mars, but scientists said Tuesday they are already mapping out possible driving routes to a Martian mountain.

Since landing in Gale Crater near the equator last week, the nuclear-powered rover has been busy getting a head-to-wheel health checkup while parked. It touched down about 5 miles from Mount Sharp where signatures of past water have been spotted at the base.

Its ultimate goal is to scale the lower slopes in search of the chemical building blocks of life to determine whether the environment was favorable for microbial life.

The team is "kind of itching to move at this point," said deputy project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $2.5 billion mission.

Scientists have been poring over pictures of the landing site snapped by Curiosity and spacecraft circling overhead. The pebble-strewn terrain where the rover landed appeared easy to traverse but the landscape gets more rugged the closer to Mount Sharp.

The team identified half a dozen potential paths through buttes and mesas that are reminiscent of the southwestern United States. Vasavada estimated it'll take a year to make the trip to the mountain driving about the length of a football field a day. Along the way, the six-wheel rover will make pit stops to study interesting rocks and scoop up soil.

Before Curiosity can explore, it has to go through a laborious check of its tools and systems. As the most complex spacecraft sent to Mars, it landed using a novel routine that involved lowering it to the surface by cables.

It just completed an upgrade to its computers and planned to take its first, albeit short, test drive in several days. Engineers still have to test the rover's robotic arm and drill later this month before giving the keys to scientists.

"We're trying to just keep our eyes on the prize and finish these checkouts and then get going," said Vasavada.

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NASA 'Itching to Move,' Maps Course for Curiosity

NASA: Mars rover Curiosity brain surgery complete

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After a four-day software upgrade, NASA's Curiosity is ready to continue its 2-year search for Martian microbes. In about a week, the rover will go for its first test drive. Once it begins moving, it will be able to travel about the length of a football field daily.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has survived its four-day "brain transplant" in fine shape and is now gearing up for its first Red Planet drive, scientists announced today (Aug. 14).

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Engineers upgraded Curiosity's flight software over the weekend, switching the rover's main and backup computers from landing mode to surface mode. The four-day overhaul temporarily halted Curiosity's science and instrument-checkout work, which had begun almost immediately after therover touched downinside Mars' Gale Crater on the night of Aug. 5.

But those activities can resume later today, on the rover's ninth full Martian day or Sol 9, in mission lingo becauseCuriosity's brain surgerywent well, researchers said.

"It came off pretty much without a hitch," Curiosity mission systems manager Mike Watkins, of NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., told reporters today. "All four days went as planned, so we're now 'go' to continue our checkout activities."

As part of the checkout process, Curiosity's handlers hope to turn the rover's wheels for the first time in the next week or so, Watkins added. [Gallery: Curiosity's 1st Photos of Mars]

"We're going to test the steering actuators on Sol 13, and then we are going to take it out for a test drive here probably around Sol 15," Watkins said. "We're going to do a short drive of, you know, a couple of meters, and then maybe turn and back up."

Curiosity is the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL), which seeks to determine if the Red Planet could ever havehosted microbial life. To get at this question, Curiosity will analyze Martian rocks and soil with 10 different science instruments for the next two years or more.

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NASA: Mars rover Curiosity brain surgery complete

NASA Releases New Stunning Images of Mars Curiosity Rover

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NASA officials today released new images taken by and of the Mars Curiosity rover as it makes its way around Gale Crater.

Several images were captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is flying above the Red Planet. Officials added a color boost to the images in order to highlight the difference in terrain around the crater.

"The landing region is not as colorful as regions to the south, closer to Mount Sharp, where Curiosity will eventually explore. In reality, the blue colors are more gray," NASA said.

The dark blue color at the bottom of the first shot in the slideshow below are dune fields between the rover and Mount Sharp. The rover is located about 980 feet from the bottom of the shot, NASA said.

NASA also put together a 3D image of Gale Crater, with a green dot showing where the rover landed and Mount Sharp in the middle. The photo was put together thanks to images from three Mars orbiters: the High Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, the Context Camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Viking Orbiter imagery.

On Saturday, NASA started a four-day software update that ditched the rover's landing functionality and replaced it with an R10 update, which should allow the rover to drive and make use of its geochemistry lab sampling system.

On Monday, President Barack Obama called the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to congratulate the Curiosity team.

Photographer Andrew Bodrov also stitched together many of the Mars images to create a stunning, 360-degree panorama (below).

PCMag's Meredith Popolo was at the JPL in California covering the Curiosity rover's arrival on Mars. For more, her tour of JPL. Also check out 7 Minutes of Terror: Landing the Mars Curiosity Rover and How to Hack NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover.

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NASA Releases New Stunning Images of Mars Curiosity Rover

Nanotechnlogy delivery system for breast cancer could be game changer for treating diseases

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A novel nanotechnology drug delivery system under development to infiltrate breast cancer tumors could pave the way for treating other diseases.

Penn State College of Medicine received a $1 million grant from a state research fund set up with money from its tobacco settlement to assess the drug treatments commercialization potential.

The principal investigator for the nanotechnology delivery system is Mark Kester, a professor of pharmacology and director of the Penn State Center for NanoMedicine and Materials. He has been working for the past five to six years with Jim Adair of Penn States department of material sciences and engineering, and Keystone Nano, a nanotechnology company spun out of Penn State University led by Jeff Davidson, the founder of the Biotechnology Institute and Pennsylvania Bio industry association.

The next generation of cancer-fighting drugs specifically target cancer proteins rather than attack cancer and noncancer cells indiscriminately. Although companies have recognized the ability of small interfering RNA as a small molecule that can be directed to interfere with the production of cancer cells, the toxicity of siRNA has proved a challenge in its use. Biotechnology companies and institutions have been studying ways to use different nanotechnology particles to house the toxic molecule.

In an interview with MedCity News, Kester explained that the team has developed nontoxic nanojackets that use calcium phosphocillate nanoparticles, material that makes up teeth and bones, to deliver the toxic siRNA safely to the gene mutation. In this case, the one that causes overexpression of an oncogenic protein in breast cancer patients.

Getting to this stage has taken five to six years. Kester estimates it will take another one-and-a-half years to get to the point where it will have enough data to submit an IND application. During that time it will work with contract research organizations across Pennsylvania to conduct preclinical trials using the nanojackets.

Even if the companys IND application is approved, it will take another five to eight years to get the technology to the point where it can be submitted for FDA approval.

A cursory search on Clinicaltrials.gov revealed that 10 clinical studies are using siRNA to combat diseases in clinical trials. The one that is using them to fight breast cancer uses fat cells to house the toxic molecule.

If successful, the siRNA molecule could theoretically be delivered to any protein mutation and destroy it, a development that would revolutionize not only cancer treatment but one that could lead to treating Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease and other unmet needs.

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Nanotechnlogy delivery system for breast cancer could be game changer for treating diseases

Afterlife Trailer – Video

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13-08-2012 19:19 Afterlife is a novel about people who choose mind uploading as their method of living forever. But the religions of the world don't like the idea of someone trespassing on their territory. It becomes a battle to the finish as the people in the virtual world must use their expanded minds to fight against the real world military that is set against them. Out end of August 2012.

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Afterlife Trailer - Video

Understanding the Peripheral Intervention Toolkit

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NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0944833/Understanding-the-Peripheral-Intervention-Toolkit.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=General_Medicine_and_Specialty_Medicine

In February 2010, Frost & Sullivan surveyed 157 vascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists, and interventional radiologists on a broad range of issues relating to peripheral intervention procedures. This study is based on their responses to an extensive online questionnaire. The study addresses balloons and stents, atherectomy devices, thrombectomy devices, and endovenous ablation. A wide variety of topics are covered in the study, including respondents' purchasing authority; referral pathways; treatment selection criteria; patient awareness of/receptivity to treatment options; procedures currently in use and likely to be adopted; and primary, secondary, and last-resort treatment options by pathology.

Balloons and stents Atherectomy devices

Topics covered in the study include:

Respondents' purchasing authority

Referral pathways

Treatment selection criteria

Patient awareness of/receptivity to treatment options

Procedures currently used and likely to be adopted

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Understanding the Peripheral Intervention Toolkit

Common Lab Dye Found to Interrupt Formation of Huntington's Disease Proteins

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A small molecule agent like methylene blue that has been grandfathered into approved use as a diagnostic tool in humans can be studied further as possible treatment for the neurodegenerative illness

By Kathleen Raven

Methylene blue Image: Flickr/amandabhslater

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

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FromNature Medicine's"Spoonful of Medicine" blog:

A compound already sitting on the shelves of biomedical laboratories and emergency room supply closets seems to interrupt the formation of neurodegenerative protein clumps found in Huntingtons disease, according to a preliminary animalstudypublished August 7 in theJournal of Neuroscience.

This versatile agent, called methylene blue, gets a mention in medical literature asearlyas 1897 and was used to treat, at one time or another, ailments ranging frommalariato cyanidepoisoning. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never formally approved it as a therapy for any illnesses. But that fact hasnt stopped biomedical researchers from tinkering with the agents apparent ability toimprovecognitive function. And although the new paper out today relies on a Huntingtons disease model in flies and mice, scientists are hopeful. "Because of existing knowledge of methylene blue and the fact that its not harmful to humans, I would hope that progress toward clinical trials could go relatively quickly," saysLeslie Thompson, a neurobiologist at University of CaliforniaIrvine and lead author on the new study.

Huntingtonsdiseaseoccurs when the C-A-G sequence of DNA base pairs repeat too often on theHTTgene, resulting in an abnormally long version of the huntingtin protein, that therefore folds incorrectly and forms clumps in the brain. The illness usually begins to affect people in their 30s and 40s, causing movement problems and early death. No drug is currently available to stop the disease from progressing.

For their experiment, researchers fed methylene blue mixed with food for a week toDrosophilaflies engineered to carry a mutated copy of theHTTgene. An examination of the flies brains showed that protein clumps had been reduced by 87 percent compared with a control group. Meanwhile, mice designed to carry the mutated gene were given methylene blue and underwent several tests to assess mobility. At two months of age, the treated mice showed abnormal clasping of their hind claws only 20 percent of the time in a reflex test, whereas their untreated counterparts clasped at a 60 percent rate. (Less clasping meant healthier mice.) While the number of mice used was not sufficient to provide statistically significant results and the difference in the test quickly dropped off at nine weeks of age, Thompson still views the data as hopeful, because even a delay in Huntingtons symptoms would be very helpful. Thompson quickly points out that more research is needed. "The early steps of aggregation [protein clumping] are getting altered in a test tube, in flies and in miceand thats significant," she says, and speculates that methylene blue may possibly prevent the mutantHttprotein from sticking to itself.

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Common Lab Dye Found to Interrupt Formation of Huntington's Disease Proteins

Independent committee recommends changes at Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center

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By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff

An independent panel of scientists and veterinarians enlisted by Harvard Medical School to review its troubled primate research facility in Southborough is recommending that new leadership positions be created and a committee be formed to assure animal safety and foster closer ties with the main medical school.

The two-page executive summary of the report, released to the Globe by Deborah Kochevar, dean of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the chairwoman of the committee, calls for establishing a new veterinarian position and appointing a biosafety officer specifically dedicated to the New England Primate Research Center. The committee did not set out to investigate the specific lapses in animal care and procedures that resulted in death and harm to animals.

Our charge and our intent was the evaluation of process improvements and these long-term strategies that would impact the delivery of humane, effective animal care and also ensure productive research, Kochevar said in an interview. The information about recent primate deaths was part of our context, but we werent there to investigate those incidents.

Many of the recommended changes involve adding layers of oversight and direct reporting to Harvard, including the designation of a senior leader at the medical school who would act as an advocate for the primate center.

The new attending veterinarian specifically assigned to the primate center would report directly to Harvard Medical Schools executive dean for administration. The independent committee recommended a review of training and policies to ensure they encourage open communication and reporting of problems.

Similarly, authors of the review recommended that a subcommittee be formed with the express task of focusing on the care and use of primates at the Southborough center. Now, there is a single committee overseeing animal research and care at all of the medical schools research facilities.

In a statement, Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of the medical school, said Harvard accepted the recommendations.

We have begun a timely implementation of these recommendations, Flier said in the statement.

Of course, this has been a challenging period, for the primate center, Flier wrote, but it has also been a time of reflection and analysis that has led to more stringent oversight and to a rigorous process of quality improvement.

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Independent committee recommends changes at Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center

Western Liberty Bancorp Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

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LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Western Liberty Bancorp, Inc. (WLBC), the holding company for Service1st Bank of Nevada (Service1st Bank) and Las Vegas Sunset Properties (LVSP), today reported its tangible book value per share was $5.43, down slightly from $5.53 in the preceding quarter. Western Liberty reported second quarter loss of $1.5 million, or $0.11 per share, compared to $1.1 million, or $0.08 per share, in the first quarter of 2012, and $4.6 million, or $0.30 per share in the second quarter of 2011. For the six month period ended June 30, 2012, net losses narrowed to $2.5 million, or $0.19 per share, compared to $5.0 million, or $0.33 per share in the first half of 2011. All financial results are unaudited.

Our loan portfolio continues to stabilize with nonperforming loans down $3.5 million from year end, said William Martin, Chief Executive Officer. While we still have a lot of work to do, we believe the steps we are taking will help us achieve our operating goals. Fortunately, capital remains exceptionally strong.

Financial Highlights (at or for the six months ended June 30, 2012)

Nevada Economic Update

According to the July 31, 2012 report from the University of Nevada Las Vegas Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), CBERs Southern Nevada Coincident Index grew by 0.61% in May, the strongest showing since before the financial crisis in 2008. Nonfarm employment grew by 0.45% and household employment increased by 0.77%.

Compared to the previous six months, CBERs Southern Nevada Leading Index slowed down, increasing by only 0.17% for May 2012. This is about 0.08 percentage points below the average for early 2012 and late 2011. Our neighboring states fared well; Arizonas component increased by 0.17% and Californias by 0.29%.

"Decreased activity at McCarran airport and lower stock prices werent enough to offset these gains. Changes in CBERs three other indexes for Southern Nevada were as follows:

Sources: http://cber.unlv.edu/commentary/CBER-31July2012.pdf

Balance Sheet Review

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Western Liberty Bancorp Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results