China Medical Technologies and Leica Microsystems Announce Collaboration

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Last month it was announced that Mayo Medical Laboratories entered into a pathology testing agreement with a Chinese medical laboratory.  Earlier this year both UCLA and UPMC announced telepathology initiatives with China.  Now comes word that Leica has entered into collaborative efforts for joint sales, research and development with a Chinese company:

Beijing, China / Wetzlar, Germany. China Medical Technologies, Inc. (CMED) (Nasdaq: CMED), a leading China-based advanced in-vitro diagnostic (“IVD”) company, and Leica Biosystems, a division of Leica Microsystems, a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments, today announced that they have established a sales, research and development collaboration to co-develop and market automated FISH kits to be used on the Leica BOND system. CMED will sell the Automated FISH Kits in China and Leica will have an option to sell the FISH kits in the rest of the world.

 Under the collaboration, CMED and Leica Microsystems will jointly develop automated FISH solutions for tissue sample tests on HER-2, EGFR and TOP2A on the Leica BOND system, an automated advanced staining platform. HER-2, EGFR and TOP2A are genes in connection with the targeted cancer therapy drugs for breast cancer, lung cancer and stomach cancer patients. Automation of these FISH tests on the Leica BOND system will enable pathology laboratories and independent service laboratories to run these diagnostic tests more efficiently and with higher and more consistent quality. The automation of FISH tests will also help users to reduce the work load pressure created by increasing test volumes. Both parties agreed to add further FISH applications into the collaboration during the term, including for cytology and pre-natal applications.

“These collaborations with Leica mark a significant milestone for us,” commented Mr. Xiaodong Wu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CMED. “We believe that FISH applications will be more widely used in various clinical applications on automated basis in the future. By partnering with Leica, one of the leading global players anatomic pathology, we can provide more efficient and higher quality FISH diagnostic solutions to the end users not only in China, but also in the global markets through Leica’s extensive global network.”

“CMED is the market leader for FISH based diagnostics in China and has played a key role in the rapid development in the use of FISH in China, especially for tissue based companion diagnostic testing. This partnership will help Leica and CMED to offer customers in China a broad test menu of high quality FISH tests automated on the Leica BOND system,” commented Arnd Kaldowski, President of Leica Biosystems.

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Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company’s history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise. Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems’ tradition of innovation, which draws on users’ ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in four divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division, Biosystems Division and Medical Division.

Leica Microsystems’ Biosystems Division, also known as Leica Biosystems, offers histopathology laboratories the most extensive product range with appropriate products for each work step in histology and for a high level of productivity in the working processes of the entire laboratory.

The company is represented in over 100 countries with 12 manufacturing facilities in 7 countries, sales and service organizations in 19 countries and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.

China Medical Technologies, Inc. is a leading China-based advanced IVD company using molecular diagnostic technologies including Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and an immunodiagnostic technology, Enhanced Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (ECLIA), to develop, manufacture and distribute diagnostic products used for the detection of various cancers, diseases and disorders as well as companion diagnostic tests for targeted cancer drugs. The Company generates all of its revenues in China through the sale of diagnostic consumables including FISH probes, SPR-based DNA chips and ECLIA reagent kits to hospitals which are recurring users of the consumables for their patients. The Company sells FISH probes and SPR chips to large hospitals through its direct sales force and ECLIA reagent kits to small and mid-size hospitals through distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.chinameditech.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Olympus VS120 Announcement

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The VS120 virtual microscopy slide scanning system from Olympus scans faster than ever before, offers image deconvolution/deblurring for ultra-sharp images and provides important fluorescence imaging capabilities. Virtual slide creation could not be simpler—just set the slide in place and press Start. The system creates outstanding brightfield slide scans up to three times faster than was possible with earlier systems, making it ideal for training, education, archiving and research.

The VS120 is the latest in a series of Olympus virtual microscopy systems that can scan up to 100 slides at a time at very high fidelity, so that users anywhere in the world can view and fully navigate high-resolution images of entire microscope slides or slide areas using a computer. It comes equipped with a 5-megapixel CCD brightfield camera that improves brightfield scanning speeds while delivering superb color reproduction and ultra-high resolution.

Olympus is a world leader in fluorescence microscopy, and no other virtual microscopy system available today can match the fluorescence slide scanning performance of the VS120.

Bt1108olympusins- Acquiring sharp images at multiple depths using six or more fluorescence labels is possible, thanks to OlympusFluorescence Virtual-Z capability. The software adjusts for the potentially different focal positions of various wavelengths in multichannel acquisition. Automated batch scanning can be accommodated with fluorescence samples and individual shading correction isavailable for each color channel. In addition, the VS120 provides for online deblurring during fluorescence acquisition, which vastly improves image sharpness in real time.

“The VS120 provides users with the exceptional optical performance and reliability people have come to expect from Olympus, which is renowned for both research microscopy and pathology imaging,” said Brad Burklow, director of business development for the Olympus America Scientific Equipment Group.

In addition to its faster scan speeds, the system offers more than 30 software enhancements. No-neighbor and nearest-neighbor deconvolution are available offline and a wide range of measurement and annotation functions are supported. Images can now be saved in .tiff and .btf file formats, along with the .vsi virtual slide file format. To support users working simultaneously with images from the Nanozoomer virtual microscopy scanning system, the .ndpi file format is supported.

The VS120 is built around the Olympus renowned optical and microscope technologies. For superior optical performance and scanning flexibility, Olympus Plan Apo 2x, 10x, 20x and 40x objectives come as standard, with optional 60x and 100x Plan Apo oil objectives for high-magnification oil immersion scanning.

Source: Olympus America Inc.

Read more at Olympus Virtual Microscopy site.


 

Corpus Illuminata: An Anatomic Interpretation, Detroit, August 12th and 13th

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Just got word of an interesting looking event/exhibition taking place this weekend in the ever fascinating Detroit. Full details follow:

In the Evening of the 12th and 13th Day of August 2011, it will be unveiled an extraordinary exposition of biological and medical exploration entitled Corpus Illuminata - An Anatomic Interpretation. Hosted within the District VII Gallery in Detroit, this unique event will consist of one part exhibition of anatomic-inspired artwork, one part museum of medical antiquities and one part academia of accredited presentations.

The exhibition portion will feature 33 artistic explorations from 24 artists local and across the nation. Within the museum portion, collectors of Victorian-era medical instruments, quackery and oddities will bring together their cherished pieces to re-create themed display rooms ranging from surgical to mortuary. On stage, various speakers will present and discuss a variety of topics that include human anatomy, psychology, the history of contraception, the chemistry of herbal supplements and other intriguing subject matters.

Video installations within the venue will be feature films and videos ranging from historical medical experimentations, human autopsies, artistic interpretations and more. The ambiance is supplied by Life Toward Twilight from the new CD "I Swear By All The Flowers", which explores memories from the end of the Nineteenth Century through a sound collage from antique sources, including music boxes, ticking grandfather clocks, steam trains, wax cylinder recordings, early mechanical factories and old voices. Also, gelatos, gelato floats and flavored teas, courtesy of the Detroit Tea Company, will be served within our apothecary-themed health bar.

The doors open at 6pm on both evenings until midnight and all ages are welcome, however discretion must be advised due to some graphic medical content.

Admission is only five dollars.

You can find out more about this event here.

Teaser for The Midnight Archive, a New Web Video Series Based Around the Event/Gallery Space Observatory, Brooklyn

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Film maker, friend, and many-time Observatory lecturer Ronni Thomas finds Observatory--the event and gallery space I founded with some friends in Brooklyn New York a few years back--inspiring. So inspiring, in fact, that he has created a new web-based video series entitled "The Midnight Archive: Tales from the Observatory" which will use as a launching off point the events, classes, field trips and personalities to be found in this space.

This Friday night we will be hosting a launch party for The Midnight Archive at The Coney Island Museum as part of my ongoing exhibition The Great Coney Island Spectacularium; more on that party can be found here.

In the meantime, above is a teaser for the show, which features five Observatory presenters--including our self-taught anthropomorphic taxidermy and mummification instructors--and is graced by the music of Stephen Coates of The Real Tuesday Weld. And following is what auteur Ronni Thomas has to say about this new series and its inspiration:

About an ODD year ago, or so, i had the honor to lecture at the ever impressive Brooklyn Observatory in, well... Brooklyn, NY. I was amazed at the turnout - I could not believe so many people were interested in such strange topics. Talking to Joanna Ebenstein of Morbid Anatomy and the Observatory itself, it seemed apparent that there was a demand for a series on the exotic and the esoteric.

Hence - The Midnight Archive... Its not only a web series but a collection - so to speak - of some of the unique people, collections, careers and artifacts from the Observatory as well as around the world. Consider it a sampler, an Observatory Sampler - like those Whitman's Chocolate Samplers (only don't crush each of these to figure out whats inside). The Series launches Friday August 12th at Coney Island USA - for details please email ronni [at] themidnightarchive.com

Title Theme by the ever amazing Stephen Coates (The Real Tuesday Weld, Lazarus and the Plane Crash) http://www.tuesdayweld.com.

Stay tuned for full episodes at themidnightarchive.com. For more on Friday's launch party--where at least one entire episode will be screened--click here. For more on Observatory--the space that inspired it all!--click here.

A tsunami’s icy reach | Bad Astronomy

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The March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami off the coast of Japan did unimaginable damage. The tsunami was several meters high, marching a long way inland, and wiped out entire towns.

It also swept out to sea, expanding across the planet. By the time it hit the Antarctic ice shelf — 13,000 km away, taking less than a day — it was well under a meter high. But water is dense (a cubic meter weighs a ton!) and that much of it hitting the ice can cause it to flex and break.

And that’s precisely what happened:

[Click to antarcticenate.]

That’s the Sulzberger ice shelf on the coast of Antarctica and the Ross Sea. A few days before this image was taken those gigantic blocks of ice were still part of the shelf (though cracks were already present), and in fact the big one had been part of the shelf for over four decades at least. The pounding wave of the tsunami broke up the shelf, sending those blocks into the sea.

Mind you, that big rectangular block of ice is about 11 km (6.6 miles) across — about the size of ...


Olive oil provides amazing liver protection

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You may want to drizzle a little extra olive oil on your next salad, according to findings from a new study out of the University of Monastir in Tunisia and King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Researchers there found that extra virgin olive oil provides powerful antioxidant protection against toxins that cause oxidative stress and damage to the liver.

"Olive oil is an integral ingredient in the Mediterranean diet," explained Mohamed Hammami, author of the study. "There is growing evidence that it may have great health benefits including the reduction in coronary heart disease risk, the prevention of some cancers, and the modification of immune and inflammatory responses."

Hammami and his team tested the effects of olive oil on a group of rats exposed to a toxic herbicide called '2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid' that causes severe liver damage. Compared to control group rats who received no olive oil, the rats that consumed extra virgin olive oil in the presence of the herbicide experienced significantly increased antioxidant enzyme activity and a decrease in the biomarkers of liver damage. Read more...

AyurGold for Healthy Blood

Vaccination safety: The debate that won’t disappear – Colorado Springs Gazette

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Vaccination safety: The debate that won't disappear
Colorado Springs Gazette
Most of the cases were in school-age children. Then, in 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield conducted a study published by a British medical journal that linked the MMR vaccine to autism. His report sent vaccination rates tumbling in the United Kingdom. ...
Immunization Awareness MonthPatch.com
Protect yourself and others: Immunize (Guest View)Mason City Globe Gazette

all 9 news articles »

Harvard Medical School Adviser: New Alzheimer’s guidelines and earlier detection – Detroit Free Press

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Harvard Medical School Adviser: New Alzheimer's guidelines and earlier detection
Detroit Free Press
Your mother's doctor will likely want to evaluate her mental health and rule out other medical conditions. Typically, doctors take a two-pronged approach to diagnosing Alzheimer's. First, they ask the patient questions and may have them fill out a ...

and more »

Meet the newly-formed South Central L.A. Tea Party

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Inspired by Black American Patriot Crispus Attucks

Eric Dondero:

They're multi-ethnic, but share a common goal: Promoting liberty and limited government.

They held their first protest outside an NAACP event in downtown Los Angeles in late July. The organizer (up top), is Jessee Lee Peterson, often pitted against Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton representing a conservative point of view on cable news networks.

Some passers-by jeered them (you can see in the video), and called them "sell-out Negroes."

A similar group has been active in Houston for almost a year - Crispus Attucks Tea Party (website) headed by former ACORN whitle-blower Anita Moncrief.

Photo - Crispus Attucks, the very first American ever killed in a military action, Boston Massacre, 1775.

Pro-Defense libertarian for US Senate – Nebraska

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Abolish Edu Dept.; Privatize Postal Service; Sell-off Amtrak; Completely eliminate Dept. of Energy; sharply reduce spending for EPA, HUD

From Eric Dondero:

The Nebraska GOP Senate primary is rich with libertarian-leaning candidates. Last week we highlighted State AG Jon Bruning. He spoke to a Libertarian Party sponsored event near Lincoln. He made a very libertarian statement comparing welfare moochers to racoons, who wanted to get food the easy way, instead of working for it. But Bruning may have met his match in Pat Flynn who wants to abolish the alphabet soup of federal agencies.

TheIndependent.com (Central Nebraska):

Flynn said he would cut spending by federal agencies by completely eliminating the Department of Energy and Department of Education, while sharply reducing spending in agencies such as the EPA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

He sharply criticized the lack of new U.S. oil refineries since the Department of Energy's creation... work done by the U.S. Department of Education should more properly be done "where it belongs," by parents...

Flynn said he would privatize the U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak and the government printing office, while also cutting U.S. spending for the United Nations by 50 percent.

The "rebels fighting against Ghadaffi are Islamo-Fascists"

But lest anyone mistake him for an isolationist Ron Paulist, Flynn takes a decidedly pro-defense libertarian/anti-Islamist stance on foreign policy. Continuing:

He said he favors an immediate withdrawal from the fighting in Libya. While he said he is no fan of Moammar Gaddafi, Flynn described the rebels fighting against Gaddafi as "Islamo-fascists." He said, "You can't pick a side in this issue."

Flynn said he favors a more gradual withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to prevent those countries from descending into chaos.

He's hardline on Immigration too. His campaign website lists his support for English as America's official language, Workplace compliance for citizenship status, No amnesty, and assimilation to Americanism before immigrants can gain citizenship.

Flynn is a native rural Nebraskan. He's now a Youth Pastor. But interestingly he comes straight out and lays it all on the line in his campaign bio:

Pat’s life was not always exemplary. He had encounters with the law regarding alcohol and marijuana; thankfully the law won regarding these situations.