Completion Date of Staten Island’s Giant Wheel Still Up in the Air – New York Times

Posted on by

When former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg first announced plans for the wheel in 2013, it was scheduled to be completed by late 2015. The contract between the developers and the original builders, a group known as Mammoet-Starneth, stated a completion date of May of this year.

The wheel, known in the tourism industry as an observation wheel, would dwarf all others, including the London Eye, and would hold as many as 1,440 passengers at a time. A taller wheel is under construction in Dubai and that project has moved along more swiftly.

New York City tourism officials had been telling travel promoters around the world that the wheel was on course to open by late 2018 or early 2019. But completion of the wheel may be father out.

Cristyne Nicholas, a spokeswoman for New York Wheel, said in a statement that the developers expected to announce a new completion date soon. Ms. Nicholas said that the developers were in advanced negotiations with American Bridge Company to take over and complete the wheel. She said that the transition would involve removing cranes from the site and replacing them with other equipment.

So far, only the foundation of the wheel and a terminal building have been installed on the waterfront site, which sits west of the Staten Island Ferry terminal, the future home of an outlet shopping mall and the stadium where a New York Yankees farm team plays.

The massive legs that would brace the wheel have been sitting in a warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront for months, awaiting inspection. Eventually, they would be carried by a barge to Staten Island and secured to the foundation. The wheel would then be assembled piece by piece, starting with the arcs of its rim and then to the attachment of the large pods that customers would ride in.

Fred Dixon, the chief executive of the citys tourism promotion agency, NYC & Company, mentioned the wheel during a presentation Monday about the new New York in So Paulo, Brazil. He said he had heard about the switch of construction teams on the project but would continue promoting the wheel as a future attraction until he had reason to doubt that it would be completed.

We havent changed our tack at all, Mr. Dixon said. Were fully expecting it to open.

But he added that he considered the wheel less critical than the outlet mall in bringing more tourists to Staten Island. As long as the outlets open next year, that effort should pay off, Mr. Dixon said. Thats the thing that the international market is most interested in because shopping is the No. 1 activity of visitors to New York City.

Follow this link:

Completion Date of Staten Island's Giant Wheel Still Up in the Air - New York Times

The Islands of Ireland: When you come to a Fork in the sea – Irish Examiner

Posted on by

Though there are very few inhabitants on Gola Island in Co Donegal the welcome at the pier is nonetheless encouraging, writes Dan MacCarthy

Magheragallan Lough, Gola Island, Co Donegal. Pictures: Dan MacCarthy

Filte go Gabhla is the declaration painted on a bright noticeboard along with a ketch cruising on an aquamarine sea.

The pretty scene is accompanied by a Discover Ireland walking sign which details a lovely walk of a couple of hours duration.

The waymarked trail Sl Ghabhla (Gola Way) meanders across the island taking in an old green road, past the stunningly beautiful Magheragallan Lough and looping around through acres of heather and back through a group of houses to the pier.

In summer, bog cotton floats on the air, and Mount Errigal with its white quartzite slopes provides a magnificent backdrop. This part of Donegals coast, the Rosses, is comprised of granite, but not any old granite, pink granite. Its hue brightens a dark day and provides a striking contrast with the sea.

Gabhla forked island once had population of 168 as recorded in 1926. It gradually dwindled until the last person left in the 1960s. However, Gola is unusual in that the population has recovered with an estimated 15 people now living there permanently.

Most historic houses and public buildings the world over are built from indigenous rock sandstone and limestone in the southwest of Ireland for instance - and Gola is no different.

The Gabhla longhouse is recognised as the islands vernacular cottage architecture.

The old houses are built from the surrounding granite, hugh blocks forming a formidable barrier to the unworldly storms that blew in from time to time. Nearly all are deserted now, but the islands population swells in the summer when holiday homes are occupied mainly by descendants of former islanders.

However, it is climbers for whom the island provides an irresistible magnet and it pulls them in from all over the country and beyond. Tormullane and Rinatoke on the west of the island are two popular climbs, but it is Torglass Island (a sea stack effectively) with its manmade climbers cairn as if to say I was here, which bespeaks a superb climbing ability.

The attraction of the granite is that it affords a superb grip plus it has many vertical splits for footing. Mountaineering Ireland describes Gola Island as one of the magic meccas of Irish climbing, with stunning sea cliffs, and inland crags on the island, which has to be one of the most tranquil places to spend a weekend climbing.

In addition to the pink graite and sea stacks, the island has a couple of fine beaches and sea arches visible if you sign up for a tour around the island.

The main crossing to Gola is from Maghergallon Pier which lies 1km away.

Gola and nearby Owey Island as well as a few smaller ones, are dwarfed by one of the largest islands in the country, Arranmore which lies a few kilometres to the south.

On the eastern side of the island, facing the mainland, lie the ruins of the old schoolhouse. Semi-intact in places with half a roof, it is not hard to imagine children of bygone generations sitting at their desks listening attentively to the master.

Around one bend in the road the visitor is surprised to find a sad reminder of our past Reilig na bPist. The childrens graveyard was for unbaptised children mainly but also interred there were suicides and shipwrecked sailors.

Golas claim to fame is as the source for the lively childrens song Bidn Fheidhlimidh which generations of schoolchildren learned by heart and which has been performed at many a seisn over the years. It was from this island that the poor eponymous Feidhlim set sail only to later drown at the nearby Tory Island and thus establish himself in the traditional canon.

Bidn Fheidhlimidh dimigh go Gabhla, - Feidhlims little boat took off for Gabhla Bidn Fheidhlimidh s Feidhlimidh ann - Feidhlims little boat and Feidhlim in it Bidn Fheidhlimidh briseadh i dToraigh , - Feidhlims little boat was crushed against Toraigh Bidn Fheidhlimidh s Feidhlimidh ann Feidhlims little boat and Feidhlim in it.

Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

Continue reading here:

The Islands of Ireland: When you come to a Fork in the sea - Irish Examiner

Human Germline Genome Editing – Genetics bodies weigh in on debate with position paper – Lexology (registration)

Posted on by

In an article published in American Journal of Human Genetics on 3 August 2017, an international group of 11 organisations with genetics expertise has issued a joint position statement, setting out 3 key positions on the question of human germline genome editing:

(1) At this time, given the nature and number of unanswered scientific, ethical, and policy questions, it is inappropriate to perform germline gene editing that culminates in human pregnancy.

(2) Currently, there is no reason to prohibit in vitro germline genome editing on human embryos and gametes, with appropriate oversight and consent from donors, to facilitate research on the possible future clinical applications of gene editing. There should be no prohibition on making public funds available to support this research.

(3) Future clinical application of human germline genome editing should not proceed unless, at a minimum, there is (a) a compelling medical rationale, (b) an evidence base that supports its clinical use, (c) an ethical justification, and (d) a transparent public process to solicit and incorporate stakeholder input.

This serendipitously timed statement comes on the heels of Shoukhrat Mitalipov and colleagues at Oregon Health and Science Universitys publication of an article in Nature reporting the successful use of CRISPR/Cas9 in human embryos to correct a mutation in a gene called MYBPC3 that causes a potentially fatal heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The publication of this article has drawn the attention of the wider mainstream media and reignited the public debate as to the desirability, feasibility and ethics of editing the human genome in an inheritable way.

Gene editing - putting the paper in context

Whilst debates about the ethics of gene editing (both somatic and germline) go back decades, human germline genome editing has never before been realistically possible from a technical standpoint. That has changed with the advent of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, whose efficiency and ease of use has not only opened up the field of gene editing to a far larger number of companies and laboratories than previously, but has brought the editing of specific genes in a human embryo out of the realms of fantasy into reality. The potential for such technology to improve quality of life and prevent suffering caused by debilitating genetically inherited diseases has captured the imagination of many, particularly people living with currently intractable genetic conditions, their friends and family. However, the power of the technology has also conjured up the familiar spectres of playing God, the uncertainty of long term effects on individuals (and what it means to be human itself), marginalisation of the disabled or genetically inferior and the potential for inequality to manifest itself genetically as well as socioeconomically.

Germline cell editing poses significantly more concerning ethical and regulatory issues than somatic cell editing. The latter will only result in uninheritable changes to the genome of a population of cells in the particular individual treated, whilst the former involves genetic changes that will be passed down, for better or worse, to the individuals offspring.

In early 2015, the first study demonstrating that CRISPR/Cas9 could be used to modify genes in early-stage human embryos was published. Although the embryos employed for those experiments were not capable of developing to term, the work clearly demonstrated that genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 in human embryos can readily be performed. That report stimulated many scientists and organisations to clarify their stance on the use of genome-editing methods. The United Kingdom and Sweden have both approved experiments for editing DNA of a human embryo but not those that involve implanting embryos. In the UK, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has approved an application by developmental biologist Kathy Niakan, at the Francis Crick Institute in London, to use CRISPR/Cas9 in healthy human embryos. Currently, such experiments cannot be done with federal funding in the United States given a congressional prohibition on using taxpayer funds for research that destroys human embryos. Congress has also banned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from considering a clinical trial of embryo editing. As would be expected, the safety requirements for any human clinical genome-editing application are extremely stringent.

However, earlier this year, US-based National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), published a report that concluded using genome-editing technology, such as CRISPR/Cas9, to make alterations to the germline would be acceptable if the intention was to treat or prevent serious genetic disease or disorders, and the procedure was proven to be safe ( significant and, to an extent, subjective hurdles to be overcome).

The ASHG position paper

The position paper was the product of a working group established by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), including representatives from the UK Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors, Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors, International Genetic Epidemiology Society, and US National Society of Genetic Counsellors. These groups, as well as the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Asia Pacific Society of Human Genetics, British Society for Genetic Medicine, Human Genetics Society of Australasia, Professional Society of Genetic Counsellors in Asia, and Southern African Society for Human Genetics, endorsed the final statement. The group, composed of a combination of research and clinical scientists, bioethicists, health services researchers, lawyers and genetic counsellors, worked together to integrate the scientific status of and socio-ethical views towards human germline genome editing.

As part of this process, the working group reviewed and summarised nine existing policy statements on gene editing and embryo research and interventions from national and international bodies, including The International Society for Stem Cell Research (2015) Statement on Human Germline Genome Modification, The Hinxton Group (2015) Statement on Genome Editing Technologies and the statement released following the International Summit on Human Gene Editing (2015) co-hosted by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society (UK). It was observed that differences in these policies include the very definition of what constitutes a human embryo or a reproductive cell, the nature of the policy tool adopted to promote the positions outlined, and the oversight/enforcement mechanisms for the policy. However, by and large, the majority of available statements and recommendations restrict applications from attempting to initiate a pregnancy with an embryo or reproductive cell whose germline has been altered. At the same time, many advocate for the continuation of basic research (and even preclinical research in some cases) in the area. One notable exception is the US National Institutes of Health, which refuses to fund the use of any gene-editing technologies in human embryos. Accordingly, due to the lack of public funding in the US, work such as that done by Mitalipovs group must be privately funded.

The working group considered that ethical issues around germline genome editing largely fall into two broad categories those arising from its potential failure and those arising from its success. Failure exposes individuals to a variety of health consequences, both known and unknown, while success could lead to societal concerns about eugenics, social justice and equal access to medical technologies.

The 11 organisations acknowledged numerous ethical issues arising from human germline genome editing, including:

Having touched on each of these issues, the group then outlined its consensus positions:

1. At this time, given the nature and number of unanswered scientific, ethical, and policy questions, it is inappropriate to perform germline gene editing that culminates in human pregnancy.

It was noted that there is not yet a high quality evidence base to support the use of germline genome editing, with unknown risk of health consequences and ethical issues still to be explored and resolved by society.

The group observed that two major categories of safety concerns are (i) the effect of unwanted or off-target mutations, and (ii) the potential unintended effects of the desired on-target base changes (edits) being made. It noted that it is reasonable to presume that any human genome-editing therapeutic application will require stringent monitoring of off-target mutation rates, but there remains no consensus on which methods would be optimal for this, or what a desirable maximum off-target mutation rate would be when these techniques are translated clinically. The working-group thus outlined its views on the minimum necessary developments that would be required (at least from a safety perspective) before germline genome editing could be used clinically:

2. Currently, there is no reason to prohibit in vitro germline genome editing on human embryos and gametes, with appropriate oversight and consent from donors, to facilitate research on the possible future clinical applications of gene editing. There should be no prohibition on making public funds available to support this research.

The group agreed that conducting basic scientific [techniques?] involving editing of human embryos and gametes can be performed ethically via compliance with applicable laws and policies, and that any study involving in vitro genome editing on human embryos and gametes should be conducted under rigorous and independent governance mechanisms, including approval by ethics review boards and meeting any other policy or regulatory requirements. Public funding for such research was seen as important in ensuring that such research is not driven overseas or underground, where it would be subject to less regulation, oversight and transparency.

3. Future clinical application of human germline genome editing should not proceed unless, at a minimum, there is (a) a compelling medical rationale, (b) an evidence base that supports its clinical use, (c) an ethical justification, and (d) a transparent public process to solicit and incorporate stakeholder input.

Even if the technical data from preclinical research reaches a stage where it supports clinical translation of human germline genome editing, the working group stresses that many more things need to happen before translational research in human germline genome editing is considered. The criteria identified by the group in this position cut across medical, ethical, economic and public participation issues and represent the setting of an appropriately high and comprehensive standard to be met before human germline genome editing may be applied clinically. The group acknowledges the challenges of public engagement with such technical subject matter but encourages new approaches to public engagement and engagement of broader stakeholder groups in the public discussion.

The ethical implications of altering the human germline has been the subject of intense discussion in recent years, with calls for such work to be put on hold until the process of genome editing is better understood. ASHG supports somatic genome editing and preclinical (in vitro human and animal) germline genome research but feels strongly that it is premature to consider human germline genome editing in any translational manner at this time.

The working group concludes that Many scientific, medical, and ethical questions remain around the potential for human germline genome editing. ASHG supports somatic genome editing and preclinical (in vitro human and animal) germline genome research but feels strongly that it is premature to consider human germline genome editing in any translational manner at this time. We encourage ethical and social consideration in tandem with basic science research in the upcoming years.

This appears a reasonable position largely in line with the recommendations from the major national and international groups surveyed by the working group. It balances the need to encourage further basic research and validation with strong awareness of the ethical and societal implications of human germline genome editing, setting a high bar before such technology should be translated to the clinic. No doubt, however, the debate will continue, particularly in respect of public funding for such work. Whether the US will maintain their stance against public funding, in the face of international competition, and potential loss of talent and investment, remains to be seen.

For more information about the science of CRISPR, its wide range of applications in life sciences and beyond, and latest developments in the field, please see Allen & Overys dedicated CRISPR microsite.

View original post here:

Human Germline Genome Editing - Genetics bodies weigh in on debate with position paper - Lexology (registration)

LHS Foundation names 9 more Distinguished Alumni – Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Posted on by

Nine more graduates of Lockport High School have been named "Distinguished Alumni" by the LHS Foundation.

The 11th annual recognition ceremony for honorees will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 at the high school auditorium. A reception precedes the ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in the art gallery and foyer. All community members are welcome.

The 2017 honorees are listed here.

Anthony Caridi

Anthony Caridi, class of 1980, is recognized as the state of West Virginias most popular sports voice.As the play-by-play announcer of the West Virginia University Mountaineers, he has described the action of some of the schools greatest athletic accomplishments including victories in the Orange, Sugar and Fiesta bowls, along with an NCAA Final Four appearance.

A multiple winner of the West Virginia Sportscaster of the Year award, Caridi has hosted his own nightly statewide sports talk show on the Metro News Radio Network since 1986.

As a founding member of Emmy Award-winning Pikewood Creative, Caridi is responsible for generating new business development, fostering client relationships and directing the Pikewood team in its creative trajectory.

Caridi was raised in his familys grocery business in Lockport. He attended Syracuse University and graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication with a degree in broadcast journalism.

This past December, he released his first childrens book, Where, Oh Where, Oh Where Could we Go? which takes readers on a whimsical trek around West Virginia.

Tony and his wife Joan have three children: Michael, who has a degree in finance and works in Morgantown, and twins Andrew and Matthew, who just finished their freshman year at WVU.

Mary E. Poole Dale

The late Mary Elizabeth (Bette) Poole Dale, class of 1935, was a pioneer in the elder care field and her legacy lives on through the local not-for-profit Dale Association.

Dale was an early advocate for the elderly. She created the first senior center in the United States that provided direct mental health services for adults. Lockport Senior Centre became a national model of the multi-purpose senior center.Dale was an acclaimed speaker at conferences and seminarswell beyond the limits of New York state.In 1995, Lockport Senior Centre was renamed in her honor.

Dale died in 2007.

Jack J. Florio Jr.

Jack J. Florio Jr., class of 1979, and his wife Rebecca are the owners of Micro Graphics, a printing and sign company on Main Street. Florio founded the business in 1989, while he was attending college in Florida, studying computer engineering and working in the college computer lab.

Florio paid close attention to the graphic design classes taught in the lab and mastered the curriculum quickly. The college soon hired him as a technical adviser, to help instruct computer graphics. Seeing the industry's potential, Florio invested in a Xerox copier and a laser printer and landed clients includingShands Teaching Hospital, University of Florida and Daytona International Speedway.

Upon his return to Western New York, Florio went to work for Roswell Park Cancer Institute, developing the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Registry and the AIDS Database Registry and utilizing his skills for various departments from radiology and pathology to medical illustration, marketing and the print shop. Simultaneously, he was rebuilding Micro Graphics, with which he eventually went full time.

While building up his business, it was normal for Florio to work two or three jobs at a time. He did CAD for General Motors and EDS and has worked as an auto mechanic for Texaco and Gulf Oil, a pre-press and web press operator for the Union-Sun & Journal, a software instructor for DuPont Paint, and a manager of CopyMax and the old Friendly's restaurant in Lockport.

Florio and his wife have been the sole organizers of the Mother's Day Breast Cancer Canal Walk for over 20 years. The walk has raised over $500,000 for cancer support. Florio also partners with the Salvation Army every year to send oversized Christmas cards to U.S. troops overseas.

The Florios' son Michael works in the computer animation field in New York City.

Ronald Franco

Ronald Franco, class of 1982, met his future wife and fellow Distinguished Alumnus, Deborah Qualiana, while attending track practice as an eighth grader.He graduated as senior class president, then attended the Air Force Academy and Syracuse University, and earned a degree in aerospace engineering.

A graduate of Officer Training School, Franco flew supersonic jets during his year at undergraduate pilot training and qualified for Fighter-Attack-Reconnaissance assignment. He returned to Western New York to serve with the Niagara Falls-based 328th Tactical Airlift Squadron and flew: combat missions to liberate Kuwait during Desert Storm and in Iraq and Afghanistan during Operation Iraqi Freedom; humanitarian aid flights to Somalia and the Kurds; UN support missions in Bosnia and Serbia; international cooperation missions in Egypt and Japan; and Special Forces support in Central and South America. He was awarded the USAF Air Medal and Aerial Achievement Medal.

In 1999, Franco was hired by American Airlines. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Checkride Award and recently upgraded to Captain on the Airbus 321 aircraft. He has over 8,000 hours of flight time in jet aircraft.

Last year, Francospent two months at NASAs Johnston Space Center in Houston taking part in the Human Exploration Research Analog. He and three other men completed a simulated deep-space mission to help facilitate the national space program's goal of sending a manned mission to Mars.

Franco is a past member for the Lockport Common Council, representing the 2nd Ward. Currently he serves on the board of directors of Challenger Learning Center and is a member of the Explorers Club in Manhattan.

Franco has completed two marathons was a member of the winning team in the Lockport 100 Mile Relay Race, which commemorated the 1967 world record. He also has volunteered with the disabled veterans sled hockey team.

Julie Zenger Hain

Julie Zenger Hain, class of 1980, is an expert in the field of genetics.

She's a graduate of St. Lawrence University, where she earned a degree in biology and psychology and was inducted in Phi Beta Kappa. Subsequently, she earned a Ph.D. in human genetics and a bachelor's degree in nursing at the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University. Her post-doctoral work in medical genetics and cytogenetics was completed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and she achieved board certification from the American Board of Medical Genetics. From there she developed the genetics program at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan, which provides laboratory and clinical genetic services to the Oakwood Health System, now Beaumont Health.

Since her career at Oakwood, Zenger Hain has worked to educate physicians, patients and the public regarding the power of genetics in health care. She has been an active participant with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services genetic and genomic initiatives, volunteering her time to assist the development and implementation of public policy aimed at enhancing genetic services to all Michigan residents.

Zenger Hain is co-chair of the Michigan Cancer Genetics Alliance, a collaborative network of genetics professionals, patient advocates, oncology experts, health plan employees, state and local public health workers and others with an interest in cancer genomics. She has collaborated on multiple state and community grants aimed at delivering genetic services to underserved populations and served on the Wayne State Institutional Review Board to foster safe research practices for human study participants.

She is also a mentor for the Womens Institute for National Global Success, which provides guidance to young women seeking to enter careers in the sciences.

Zenger Hainand her husband, Jon, have a son and daughter. They currently reside in Troy, Michigan.

Cindi McEachon

Cindi McEachon, class of 2000,defied the odds as a teenage mother. After giving birth to her daughter, Emilee, in her sophomore year, she stayed in school and earned her diploma, then went on to complete post graduate studies. Today she's a volunteer youth mentor with numerous organizations and serves as the executive director of Peaceprints of WNY.

After high school, McEachon earned an associate's degree from Niagara County Community College, a bachelor's degree from the University of Buffalo and a Master of Business and Science degree from Medaille College.

According to her nominator, McEachon is passionate and often bull-headed; when she sets her mind to something, she never looks back. When she was 17, she moved out on her own and balanced full-time work, school and parenting, motivated by the "teen parent" stigma that she carried.

McEachon was appointed director of Peaceprints in 2014. Peaceprints works with incarcerated men, youths and their families. McEachon hopes to raise awareness about the U.S. epidemic of mass incarceration and put a stop to "school-to-prison pipeline" in Buffalo.

Currently, McEachon is the executive vice president of the Junior League of Buffalo and board secretary of Homespace Corporation and For Our Daughters Inc. She's an active member of Women on the Rise and the Erie County Reentry Task Force, a volunteer coach for Girls on the Run Buffalo, a teen mentor for Homespace Corporation and coordinator of the annual Christmas cookie drive for Buffalo City Mission. She has been a Kenan Center youth soccer coach, a Brownie troop leader and a life coach mentor; and enjoys running marathons and half marathons.

McEachon has two daughters, Emilee, 19, and Lily, 12. She and Christopher Summers will be married on Sept. 9.

James Sansone

James Sansone, class of 1960, is a local attorney, accomplished musician and tireless civic booster.

Sansone earned a bachelor's degree in linguistics from SUNY at Buffalo in 1964, then went to Buffalo Law School where he received a Bachelor of Laws degree and, in 1968, a Juris Doctorate. He has been a practicing attorney ever since; and has been a confidential law clerk to the Niagara County and Surrogates Court judges, an administrative law judge for New York State. Currently he's the Newfane town attorney and town prosecutor, mortgage counsel to Cornerstone Community FCU and pro bono counsel to Olcott Volunteer Fire Company and EquiStar Therapeutic Riding in Newfane.

Sansone, an accomplished trumpet player, has played professionally since he was 12 years old. He has been a volunteer bugler for American Legion and VFW since 1953, playing Taps on Veterans Day and Memorial Day and at servicemen's funerals. He's a teacher and mentor to young trumpet players and has played in many high school musicals throughout Western New York. Every year, with his trumpet, he leads the (July 4) Patriots Day children's parade in Olcott. He organizes the summertime Olcott Beach Gazebo Concert Series and volunteers his music services for an array of charitable organizations including Olcott Beach Carousel Park, Olcott Lions Club,Batavia School for the Blindand Lawyers for the Arts.

Sansone has been a member of the Newfane Tourism Board since 2003. He's a member of Olcott Lions Club,a life member of Local 97-106 of the musicians' union,a past Eucharistic Minister for St. Josephs church in Lockport and Niagara USA Chamber's 2012 Small Business Person of the Year.

Jack B. Walters

Jack B. Walters, class of 1946, is an engineer, retired Iowa state public servant and the author of four books.

Waltersenlisted in the Army Air Corps when he turned 18, on July 30, 1946, and served in Japan for three years. He was the lead enlisted officer of a statistical control unit where he advanced to the rank of staff sergeant. Using the G.I. Bill, he obtained a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Buffalo.

Walters married fellow LHS graduate Carolyn Highhouse in 1954 and began a lengthy career with Firestone. He was a staff engineer in Akron, Ohio, a senior engineer in Pottstown, Pa., a plant engineer in Hamilton, Ontario, and a plant manager in Calgary, Alberta, Akron, Ohio, and Firestone's largest tire factory in Des Moines, Iowa. The Walters had three children, Amy, Andy and Steve, who died in a plane accident in 1997.

Walters became director of general services for the state of Iowa in 1983, upon appointment by Gov. Terry Branstad. Hismost notable efforts included starting exterior restoration of the Capitol building and design and construction of the $25 million Historical and Library Building. He served in the post for eight years, until his wife died from cancer.

Walters retired to Tucson, Arizona, where he discoveredthe Southern Arizona Hiking Club. The goal of members is to climb to the top of 315 area mountains and Walters did it in five years. Afterward, he became a guide and helped others in their quest. Later, the club set a 400-peak goal; and with encouragement from his friend Roxanna Baker, he accomplished the new goal in 2008, at age 79. Walters still hikes today.

Copies of Walters' four published books are available at Lockport Public Library.

Edward C. Weeks

The late Edward C. Weeks, class of 1953, was an innovator in the adult care field in New York state.

At LSHS, Weeks played football and was a member of the swim team. He went on to the University of Buffalo, where he earned a degree in physical therapy, andmarried Margaret Reddington in 1958. (They had four children, Sean, Patricia, Bridge and Mark. Margaret Weeks died in 1979.)

Weeks did a tour of duty with the Army from 1958 to 1960, serving as a physical therapistat the 98th General Hospital in Neubrucke, Germany.After his discharge, he worked as a physical therapist at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, St. Josephs Hospital in Cheektowaga and Niagara Lutheran Home, where he established a physical therapy department. Impressed by his leadership skills, home management persuaded him to move into an administrative role.

After three years at Niagara Lutheran, Weeks was appointed administrator of Carlton House Nursing Home; and when that facility was sold to becomepart of what is now Roswell Park Cancer Institute, he became the administrator of Newfane Health Care Facility. In 1976, Weeks took over as administrator of Episcopal Church Home, where he rose to president and chief executive officer.

As an administrator, Weeks was always looking for better ways to care for elderly with illness and dementia. He developed many "firsts" in Western New York and New York state: respite care, long-term home health care, HIV/AIDS home care, restraint-free nursing home care, adult day health care, inter-generational child care and, ultimately, the first Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in the state.

Weeks lobbied for state legislation to permit operation of life-care communities, which resulted in him developing Canterbury Woods in Amherst. The project introduced the area to continuing care, which offers a range of options from independent living to skilled nursing, all on one campus.

Weeks married Alana Parisi in 1997 and added five stepchildren to his family: Jason, Cale, Aron, Matthew and Ryan. His hobbies included golfing and sailing. He died in 2015.

See the original post:

LHS Foundation names 9 more Distinguished Alumni - Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Blood test uncovers hidden diseases – Medical Xpress

Posted on by

August 14, 2017

Sufferers of rare mitochondrial disease have new hope with a new method developed at the University of Sydney. The method provides a diagnosis within weeks instead of months or years through a simple blood sample.

Mitochondrial diseases are rare and hard to diagnose. They can affect any organ, at any age and are often 'hidden' in other diseases such as diabetes, blindness, liver and kidney failure and even Autism.

The new method has already led to two new disease gene discoveries where the patients suffered from lactate build-up and hyperglycemia (CYC1), and deafness and organ failure (MRPS7). The research published in the American Journal of Human Genetics and Human Molecular Genetics.

"One in 200 people will carry a mitochondrial genetic defect which means nearly 120,000 Australians are at risk of developing serious illness," says Minal. "And yet mitochondrial diseases are extremely difficult to diagnose. They are often referred to as the 'notorious masquerader'".

With the faster diagnosis, some people can be treated for what had previously been thought to be untreatable disease.

For others even if not treatment is available, the diagnosis gives them a cause for the illness and the possibility to enrol in clinical trials. This can result in enormous improvements in quality of life.

Families can also receive genetic counselling and many may choose to use IVF when building a family, with medical staff able to quantify the risk of the disease being passed on.

Explore further: New genetic analysis approach could improve diagnosis for mitochondrial disease

More information: Pauline Gaignard et al. Mutations in CYC1, Encoding Cytochrome c1 Subunit of Respiratory Chain Complex III, Cause Insulin-Responsive Hyperglycemia, The American Journal of Human Genetics (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.06.015

Minal J. Menezes et al. Mutation in mitochondrial ribosomal protein S7 (MRPS7) causes congenital sensorineural deafness, progressive hepatic and renal failure and lactic acidemia, Human Molecular Genetics (2015). DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddu747

Newcastle researchers have developed a genetic test providing a rapid diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders to identify the first patients with inherited mutations in a new disease gene.

French scientists have discovered that supposedly rare mutations in the mitochondria, the 'power plants' of human cells responsible for creating energy, account for more than 7% of patients with a mitochondrial disease manifesting ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

See the article here:

Blood test uncovers hidden diseases - Medical Xpress

GOP Doomed Its Own Health Care Proposals With ‘Politics of Destruction’ – Newsweek

Posted on by

On July 28 in the wee hours of the morning, the seven-year battle by Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare ended with a whimper when three Republican senators defected to vote against a so-called "skinny bill." Many pundits attributed the failure of repeal and replace to the lack of presidential leadership and to divisions between moderates and conservatives.Sure, those issues mattered, but what led to the Republicans' downfall was their failure to recognize how much the winds had shifted.

Obamacare had poured money into Medicaid, the federal-state program of health insurance for poor and low-income people, and mandated that all states expand the program. Despite a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that made the Medicaid expansion optional, by 2017, 32 states had expanded Medicaid to cover new groups and add new benefits. Most of those states were led by Democrats, but a substantial minority by Republicans. When both the House and Senate proposed huge cuts to Medicaid, governors from both parties denounced the plans at their annual summer meeting.Republican Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada, an expansion state, summed up many of his colleagues' views, declaring that he had great concerns and that he would oppose any bill that cut Nevadas Medicaid program. That should have given pause to the 20 Republican senators who came from the Medicaid expansion states, but they heedlessly plunged ahead.

The public had also changed its tune.Although Medicaid had started as a program of welfare medicine, over time it had expanded well into the middle class. A 2011 poll found that 85 percent of respondents opposed cuts to Medicaid.Medicaid had become as popular as social security and Medicare.

Daily Emails and Alerts - Get the best of Newsweek delivered to your inbox

Politicians arent the only ones who have a stake in Obamacare. So do numerous organizations that govern the delivery of medical services and that arrange for the financing of care.All these organizations are alert to any proposed change to the health care system and thus make up a cadre of potential resistance.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill on July 25. Three Republicans crossed party lines to join Democrats in a 49-51 vote to kill the health care bill. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

The first to speak out were the provider groups.On March 8, the American Hospital Association sent a letter to the House of Representatives slamming the proposed Medicaid cuts, which would make significant reductions in a program that provides services to our most vulnerable populations.The following month, the American Medical Association released a similar letter, urging House members to vote against their own bill so that millions of Americans would not lose their insurance.Especially offensive to the AMA were plans to eliminate regulations that allow adult children to stay on their parents policies until age 26 and that ban insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

The Senate fared no better.When Republican senators proposed their first plan, the Better Care Act, AARP, the largest voluntary organization in the U.S., led the charge. In an open letter, the AARP slammed the Senate bill, labeling it Wealthcare and condemning the Age Tax that would allow insurance companies to charge older Americans five times more for coverage than everyone else. AARP also opposed the deep cuts to Medicaid, which would strip health care from millions of low-income and vulnerable Americans, and the cuts to Medicare, which weakens the program.

In July, the insurance industry, which had largely remained on the sidelines, weighed in.The CEOs of Americas Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association blasted the Freedom Option,a new provision which would allow insurance companies to sell cheaper policies in the state exchanges without the popular mandated Obamacare benefits like maternity care.

Republicans also failed to deliver a message that resonated with the public.The mantra of opposition to big government was first adopted in 2009, when a Republican strategist urged Republicans to call Obamacare a "government takeover.That phrase was repeated each time House Republicans voted for repeal.The problem was that by 2017, people who had initially believed that Obamacare represented a government takeover or, worse, socialized medicine, had now witnessed the benefits for themselves and their families.Indeed, a June CNN poll reported that 51 percent of the public had a favorable view of Obamacare, while only 17 percent approved of the Better Care Act.

That shift in public opinion left Republicans without a coherent message for rallying support to repeal.Robbed of their big government bluff, Republicans could only lambast Obamacare for reasons the public no longer believed.Meanwhile, Democrats drew upon an alternative message, defining Republicans health care plans as divisive and un-American.When House Speaker Paul Ryan praised the House bill as an act of mercy, Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) fired back: "With all due respect to our speaker, he and I must have read different Scripture. The one that I read calls on us to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homelessand to comfort the sick. It reminds us that we are judged not by how we treat the powerful, but by how we care for the least among us."

Other Democrats charged that Trumpcare would strip insurance from tens of millions of Americans to fund a tax cut for the wealthy.Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) declared that sick and older people will see costs skyrocket. Protections for people with pre-existing conditions will be gutted with insurance companies put back in charge.Former President Obama, too, chimed in with an uplifting message:This debate has always been about something bigger than politics.Its about the character of our countrywho we are and who we aspire to be.

The legacy of Medicaid, the opposition of interest groups and the lack of a coherent reason for repealing Obamacare ensured that Republicans would fail.Instead of engaging in the politics of destruction, Republican should work with Democrats to repair problems in the private insurance market and to actually serve the public that elected them.

Jill Quadagno is the Mildred and Claude Pepper Eminent Scholar Emeritus at thePepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy at Florida State University. She is the author ofOne Nation, Uninsured: Why the U.S. Has No National Health Insurance.Daniel Lanford, a postdoctoral fellow at the Scholars Strategy Network, also contributed to this article.

See original here:

GOP Doomed Its Own Health Care Proposals With 'Politics of Destruction' - Newsweek

New life for Medicaid after GOP’s health care debacle – ABC News

Posted on by

It may not equal Social Security and Medicare as a "third rail" program that politicians touch at their own risk, yet Medicaid seems to have gotten stronger after the Republican failure to pass health care legislation.

Reviled by conservatives, the 1960s Great Society program started out as health insurance for families on welfare and disabled people. But the link to welfare was broken long ago, and the federal-state program has grown to cover about 1 in 5 Americans, ranging from newborns to Alzheimer's patients in nursing homes, and even young adults trying to shake addiction. Although Medicaid still serves low-income people, middle-class workers are more likely to personally know someone who's covered.

Increased participation and acceptance means any new GOP attempt to address problems with the Affordable Care Act would be unlikely to achieve deep Medicaid cuts.

"This was an important moment to show that people do understand and appreciate what Medicaid does," said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, a nonpartisan group that represents state officials. "The more people understand what Medicaid is and what it does for them, the less interested they are in seeing it undermined."

With Republicans in control of the White House, both chambers of Congress, and 34 out of 50 governorships, it would have been hard to imagine a more politically advantageous alignment for a conservative overhaul of Medicaid.

President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to cover more low-income adults, many of them working jobs without health insurance. Thirty-one states have accepted the ACA's expansion, covering about 11 million people.

The GOP bills would have phased out funding for Obama's expansion, and also placed a limit on future federal spending for the entire program a step now seen as overreach. Spending caps in the House and Senate bills translated to deep cuts that divided Republicans.

And GOP governors who had expanded the program couldn't swallow the idea of denying coverage to hundreds of thousands of constituents. Some went public with their opposition, while others quietly warned their congressional delegations about dire consequences.

Medicaid "is not yet at the Medicare and Social Security level because it isn't framed as something that you contribute to during your working years and you get it later as a commitment," said Diane Rowland of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. "But I think there is a recognition that for all its flaws...it's really the nation's health care safety net."

An AP-NORC poll taken last month found the public overwhelmingly opposed to GOP Medicaid cuts, by 62-22.

"You just can't do this to people who are in situations that they didn't put themselves in," said Sara Hayden of Half Moon Bay, California. Unable to work as a data journalist due to complications of rheumatoid arthritis, she was able to get health insurance when her state expanded Medicaid.

Hayden estimates that one of the medications she takes would cost about $16,000 a month if she were uninsured. She pays nothing with Medi-Cal, as the Medicaid program is known in California.

"If they are going to repeal and replace, then I am dead in the water," she said.

Brian Kline of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, works as a customer service representative, and got coverage after his state expanded Medicaid in 2015. Early last year he was diagnosed with colon cancer. After treatment that Medicaid paid for, his last CT scan was clear.

"You just wonder if the Republican bill had passed...what would have happened to me?" said Kline. "Would I have had access to my doctors and the tests to make sure my cancer didn't come back? I'm not sure what the answer to that question would have been."

Many Republicans view Obama's Medicaid expansion as promoting wasteful spending, because the federal government pays no less than 90 percent of the cost of care, a higher matching rate than Washington provides for the rest of the program.

"That is not a good recipe for encouraging states to implement better, lower-cost models of care," said Mark McClellan, who oversaw Medicare and Medicaid under former President George W. Bush.

Nonetheless, the debate showed Congress can't just elbow its way to a Medicaid overhaul.

"You are going to have to be gentle and thoughtful, working in a bipartisan way to see what ideas will reach across the aisle," said Republican economist Gail Wilensky, also a former Medicare and Medicaid administrator.

The push for Medicaid changes will now shift to the states. Some on the political right are seeking federal approval for work requirements and drug testing. From the left, activists in the 19 states that have not yet expanded their programs are contemplating revived campaigns.

An area that could find bipartisan support is health promotion, since Medicaid beneficiaries tend to have higher rates of smoking and other harmful lifestyle factors.

Katherine Hempstead, who directs health insurance research for the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says Medicaid has come out a "winner" for now.

"I imagine these challenges to Medicaid will rise again," she added. "But I think its supporters will also rise again."

Read this article:

New life for Medicaid after GOP's health care debacle - ABC News

Big-name US hedge funds shed healthcare stocks during the rally in second-quarter – Reuters

Posted on by

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Several big-name hedge fund investors trimmed their stakes in healthcare companies in the second quarter as the sector led the broad U.S. stock market higher, rallying amid a Republican effort to repeal and replace President Obama's signature healthcare law.

Jana Partners sold all of its shares in nine healthcare companies, ranging from small-cap biotech company Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc (ACAD.O) to health information company WebMD Health Corp (WBMD.O) to insurer Aetna Inc (AET.N), according to quarterly filings released Monday.

Billionaire Daniel Loeb's Third Point sold 175,000 shares, or about 18 percent of its stake, in health insurance company Humana Inc (HUM.N) and 5 million shares of hospital products maker Baxter International Inc (BAX.N), or approximately 10 percent of its prior position. Shares of both companies are up more than 20 percent year to date.

Farallon Capital Management LLC, founded by Tom Steyer, dissolved its stakes in pharmaceuticals companies Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY.N), according to filings. The hedge fund also trimmed stakes in AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) and Allergan Plc (AGN.N).

Healthcare stocks in the S&P 500 rose 6.7 percent in the second quarter, more than double the 2.6 percent gain in the broad S&P 500 index, after trailing the broad market following Donald Trump's surprise victory in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

Senate Republicans delayed a vote on a healthcare overhaul bill on June 27 after it became clear that they did not have enough votes for it to pass. One month later, a scaled-down plan to replace Obama's Affordable Care Act failed in the Senate.

Healthcare stocks have underperformed since the current quarter began on July 1, dipping 0.5 percent compared with a 1.9 percent gain by the broad S&P 500, suggesting that the move by hedge fund managers could signal the end of the rally.

"If sentiment from certain institutional investors weakens for healthcare it could negatively impact stocks" despite the sector's strong fundamentals, said Todd Rosenbluth, director of mutual fund research at CFRA Research.

Quarterly disclosures of hedge fund managers' stock holdings, in what are known as 13F filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, are one of the few public ways of tracking what the managers are selling and buying. But relying on the filings to develop an investment strategy comes with some risk because the disclosures come 45 days after the end of each quarter and may not reflect current positions.

Overall, hedge funds gained 1 percent in the second quarter, according to Chicago-based fund tracker Hedge Fund Research, less than half of the 2.5 percent gain in the first quarter.

There were few signs that hedge fund managers were attempting to call a bottom in energy stocks as the falling price of oil helped send the sector down 7 percent in the quarter. Third Point sold all of its stake in Rice Energy Inc (RICE.N), Halcon Resources Corp (HK.N), Enerplus Corp (ERF.TO), and Pioneer Natural Resources Co PXD.N..

Jana Partners sold all of its stake in Resolute Energy Corp (REN.N), while Omega Advisors sold its entire stake in seven energy companies, including Cheniere Energy Inc (LNG.A), Eclipse Resources Corp (ECR.N), and Williams Partners LP (WPZ.N).

Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Jennifer Ablan, Phil Berlowitz and Steve Orlofsky

Go here to read the rest:

Big-name US hedge funds shed healthcare stocks during the rally in second-quarter - Reuters

Forget about single-payer healthcare. This California congressman has the real solution: Medicare for all – Los Angeles Times

Posted on by

Dreaming of a state-run single-payer healthcare system? Wake up and enter the real world. Want universal healthcare for all Americans? Medicare for all is the solution.

Not this year or next, but possibly in the future when Democrats recapture the presidency and Congress.

Thats the clear-eyed, pragmatic fight to engage in, and one advocated by U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove), a longtime healthcare warrior.

Medicare is far, far more efficient than private insurance companies, he said. Using the tax system to collect money for healthcare delivery is extremely efficient. No profits. No commissions. No advertising.

Garamendi, 72, earned his healthcare credentials decades ago. He has been fighting for universal coverage since Jerry Brown was governor the first time.

The congressman, whose mostly rural district covers the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and spreads into eight counties, was first elected to the state Assembly in 1974. Later, he moved to the state Senate, where he headed the Health and Welfare Committee.

Garamendi became Californias first elected state insurance commissioner and won legislative passage of a bill to create a commission that would have devised a universal healthcare system. But Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed the measure. Garamendis reform plan, however, became the model for President Clintons ill-fated healthcare proposal in 1993.

In 1994, Garamendi ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, advocating a top-to-bottom healthcare overhaul. He lost to then-state Treasurer Kathleen Brown, Jerrys sister.

After a stint as Clintons deputy Interior secretary, Garamendi again was elected insurance commissioner, later became lieutenant governor and left for Congress in 2009.

So Garamendi has paid his healthcare and political dues. A dawn-to-midnight workaholic who grew up on a cattle ranch in the Sierra gold country, he has won and lost but always spoken his mind.

And he believes California has virtually no chance of going it alone on a single-payer system with the state handling everyones healthcare coverage.

It would be very difficult, particularly given the present federal government, he told me.

Thats an understatement. It would require permission by the Republican-controlled Congress and President Trump for California to use federal Medicare and Medi-Cal money to finance its own healthcare system. Thats not possible.

Plus, lets face it, there are about 6 million California seniors on Medicare. Theyre frequent voters. Think theyre going to trust Sacramento to take over their Medicare coverage? Think again.

Dr. Steve Tarzynski, president of the California Physicians Alliance, agrees.

The reality is that at the moment, a single-payer bill cannot pass the Legislature, he wrote in a recent Times opinion piece. Fighting for one in the immediate term is a waste of time.

Maybe in the future, he continued. But for now millions of California voters with relatively good insurance coverage and those on Medicare are fearful of a radical change in their protections.

The state Senate blindly passed an exorbitantly expensive $400 billion a year single-payer bill June 1. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) wisely quashed it, calling the measure woefully incomplete. Now bellicose single-payer bullies are threatening to recall him.

Brown already had dismissed the measure.

Where do you get the extra money? the governor asked. I dont even get it.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is running for governor, called the bill snake oil.

Single-payer pushers in Sacramento the California Nurses Assn. tried to sell their skimpy proposal as Medicare for all. But in reality it was just the opposite. It would have wiped out Medicare in California, grabbed the federal money and forced seniors into the new state program.

Updates from Sacramento

Garamendi wrote an op-ed piece for the Sacramento Bee advocating an eventual Medicare-for-all program nationally. It would be by far the simplest solution to achieving universal coverage, he said.

Medicare is one of our most trusted and popular government programs, he asserted. For more than 50 years, Americans have trusted Medicare to provide care to the elderly and disabled, funded by the payroll taxes of American workers. Medicare spending rises at a much slower rate than private insurance. It could be modified and expanded to cover more people.

It is an idea whose time is coming.

Its coming, but its not here yet not with Trump and the GOP controlling Washington.

Unlike single-payer, Medicare for all would allow beneficiaries to buy supplemental private insurance, as many seniors do now.

Garamendi told me he wouldnt attempt to increase current benefits. Nor would he try to cover immigrants here illegally. Those would be poison pills politically.

For people fearful of government-run healthcare the old socialized medicine bugaboo Garamendi notes that much of America already is covered by government insurance.

There are more than 46 million seniors and 9 million disabled on Medicare. About 75 million are enrolled in Medicaid for the poor, called Medi-Cal in California. Roughly 22 million federal, state and local government employees benefit from government-funded healthcare. So do 1.3 million military personnel. That totals almost half the population.

In California, the main focus should be on pressuring Congress to retain and patch up the Affordable Care Act, which has reduced the number of uninsured in this state from roughly 7 million to less than 3 million. The GOPs repeal threat has been beaten back, but it isnt dead.

The governor and Legislature can keep making incremental healthcare improvements in California by continuing to restore Medi-Cal benefits that were severely cut during the recession.

Here is the original post:

Forget about single-payer healthcare. This California congressman has the real solution: Medicare for all - Los Angeles Times

Healthcare’s door revolved as Trump moved into the White House – Washington Examiner

Posted on by

After a presidential administration changes hands, top federal officials often move into industry or advocacy jobs, while the new administration picks people from those groups to fill its own top openings. This "revolving door" of politics gives interest groups greater access to members of Congress or to the administration, which allows them to advance their policy positions.

Here are some of the job changes in healthcare that have occurred since around the time President Trump was sworn in to the White House.

Former Obama administration officials who joined the healthcare industry or advocacy groups:

Kevin Counihan: The former CEO of healthcare.gov, the federal Obamacare exchange, was recently hired by insurer Centene. He will be working as the regional vice president for the company's Midwest division and out of its headquarters in Clayton, Mo.

Dr. Patrick Conway: The former administrator for innovation and quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, will take the helm of CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina in October.

Kevin Griffis: The former assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services is now vice president for communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a position announced in April.

Drew Littman: The former counselor for HHS is now policy director at the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, where his clients include companies in the healthcare and biotechnology fields.

Trump's picks from the health industry or advocacy groups:

Lance Leggitt: Now chief of staff for HHS Secretary Tom Price, Leggitt is a former healthcare lobbyist for Baker Donelson.

Randy Pate: The current CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, who also oversees healthcare.gov, came to the administration from the insurer Health Care Service Corporation, which is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. He was was vice president of public policy there.

Charmaine Yoest: The assistant secretary of public affairs at HHS came to the administration from Americans United for Life, an anti-abortion group for which she was president and CEO until February 2016.

Teresa Manning: The deputy assistant secretary for population affairs, which oversees family planning programs, had worked as a lobbyist with the National Right to Life Committee and as a legislative analyst for the conservative Family Research Council. When she was appointed, she was working as a law professor at George Mason University.

Visit link:

Healthcare's door revolved as Trump moved into the White House - Washington Examiner

Studying How Genes, Environment Contribute to Juvenile Arthritis – UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences News

Posted on by

James N. Jarvis, MD, is conducting a study of the gene-environment paradigm for juvenile idiopathic arthritis pathogenesis.

Published August 14, 2017

James N. Jarvis, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics, will use an Arthritis Foundation grant to study how genes and environment work together to influence the immune dysfunction in juvenile arthritis.

After asthma, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic disease condition in children. While genetics play a small role in the disease, environmental factors are also known to be important.

The study, titled Interplay Between Genetics and Epigenetics in Polyarticular JIA, builds upon previous work by Jarvis and his fellow researchers.

The epigenome refers to the features of DNA and the proteins that DNA is wrapped around that do not control the genetic makeup of a person but do influence how cells respond to the environment, says Jarvis, principal investigator on the grant.

Specifically, the epigenome determines what genes a cell will turn on or turn off in response to environmental cues, he notes.

Like most complex traits, genetic risk for JIA is principally located within non-coding regions of the genome.

Our preliminary studies present the hope that we can finally understand the gene-environment paradigm for JIA pathogenesis, Jarvis says.

Rather than regarding JIA as an autoimmune disease, triggered by inappropriate recognition of a self protein by the adaptive immune system, Jarvis hypothesizes that JIA emerges because leukocytes suffer genetically and epigenetically mediated perturbations that blunt their capacity to regulate and coordinate transcriptions across the genome.

This loss of coordinate regulation leads to inappropriate expression of inflammatory mediators in the absence of the normal external signals typically required to initiate or sustain an inflammatory response, he says.

Our field has been dominated by a single hypothesis for JIA pathogenesis for 30 years, Jarvis notes. However, as the field of functional genomics becomes increasingly wedded to the field of therapeutics, our work carries the promise of completely new approaches to therapy based on a completely different paradigm of pathogenesis.

The researchers are recruiting 30 children with newly diagnosed polyarticular JIA for its study to survey the epigenome and CD4+ T cells in them and compare the results with findings in 30 healthy children.

We plan to build a multidimensional genomic map that surveys the functional epigenome, examines underlying genetic variation and examines the effects of genetic and epigenetic variation on gene expression, Jarvis says.

He notes the work will focus on CD4+ T cells because the researchers have already identified interesting interactions between their epigenome and transcriptome in the context of therapeutic response in JIA.

Because the epigenome is the medium through which the environment exerts its effects on cells, Jarvis believes that characterizing the epigenome in pathologically relevant cells, ascertaining where epigenetic change is linked to genetic variation and determining how genetic and epigenetic features of the genome regulate or alter transcription is the key to truly understanding this disease.

This project addresses a question that parents always ask, which I never thought wed begin to answer in my lifetime: What causes JIA? This study wont provide the whole answer, but it will go a long way toward taking us there, he says.

The project has three specific aims:

The two-year, $730,998 grant is part of the Arthritis Foundations 2016 Delivering on Discovery awards. It was one of only six projects out of 159 proposals chosen for funding. For the first time, arthritis patients helped the foundation select projects.

Including patient input as part of the selection process was a new milestone in patient engagement for the Arthritis Foundation and allowed us to select projects that hold the most promise from an arthritis patients point of view, says Guy Eakin, senior vice president, scientific strategy.

Collaborators from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are:

Other collaborators include researchers from the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

Read more from the original source:

Studying How Genes, Environment Contribute to Juvenile Arthritis - UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences News

First human embryo genetically modified in the US – Dailyuw

Posted on by

Researchers from Portland, Ore. genetically modified human embryos for the first time on American soil, but this is not a new feat. The process has already been done in China. To date, no genetically modified embryo has been inserted into a womb.

The lead researcher, Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health and Science University, has a history of embryo work and demonstrated this round that its possible to safely remove inherited diseases by changing defective genes. This is called germline engineering. However, none of the embryos were allowed to last longer than a few days and the results are still pending publication.

Germline engineering typically uses CRISPR-Cas9, technology which precisely alters DNA. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.

At its roots, CRISPR is comprised of a small piece of RNA and a protein called Cas9. The RNA is preprogrammed to match a specific genetic code to then subsequently alter a specific strand of DNA once injected. The RNA guides the injection, and Cas9 tags along because, as an enzyme, it is able to break the DNA at an exact spot.

The challenge is that DNA tends to repair itself pretty fast. To avoid this, some CRISPR injections carry another strand of DNA the cell can use to fix the break thats created, therefore allowing genetic alterations.

The implications are very large, Dr. Charles Murry, Director of the UW Medicines Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, said. It gives us the ability to permanently eradicate a genetic disease from a familys pedigree. And as a physician, thats something thats extremely exciting to me.

Genetic modifications have been around for decades, and CRISPR has applied since early 2013. The possibilities for CRISPR were first realized through a natural bacterial process that defends against invasive viruses also known as this all started with yogurt, surprise.

However, the real breakthrough happened in 2015 with Junjiu Huangs first human embryo edits in China. Scientists are also looking at this system to eliminate pests and the diseases they carry.

Theres another side to it of course, Murry contended. When humans begin to rewrite our own genetic code, and there are all kinds of chances to not only make corrections as we edit but to make new mistakes as we edit we may inadvertently create problems in the attempt to solve others.

UW Health Sciences and Medicine public information editor Leila Gray said UW Medicine researchers are using CRISPR on specific somatic cells, which are the ones that make up your body. These cells were collected from patients with their approval. One team, for example, is trying to edit cells with kidney disease, studying certain conditions in petri dishes. But no UW researcher is reporting work to remove genetic diseases from human embryos.

Currently, the National Institutes of Health wont federally fund this research. However, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine are recommending cautious reconsideration.

Murry predicts that before any of this would apply to a human being, a large animal would have to successfully carry to term a genetically modified embryo. Scientists would also likely have to monitor the newborns life afterward.

There are ethical conundrums with this new technology. Its so concerning that upon its first big embryonic debut, there was a three-day summit in December 2015 for hundreds of local and global scientists, policymakers, and the US presidential science adviser.

Some worry genetic engineering could lead to a dark future where humans are pre-edited for appearance, physical strength, or intelligence.

George Church, a Harvard Medical School geneticist, first told the Washington Post two years ago that there were nearly 2,000 genetic therapy trials already underway that didnt use CRISPR. The difference between those and the few that have is cost.

Its about 1,000 times cheaper for an ordinary academic to do, Church is quoted in the article. It could be a game-changer.

Reach reporter Kelsey Hamlin at news@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @ItsKelseyHamlin

Read more:

First human embryo genetically modified in the US - Dailyuw

Researchers find genetic precursors of leukemia in patients treated for non-blood cancers – Medical Xpress

Posted on by

August 14, 2017 Catherine Coombs, MD, is an associate member at UNC Lineberger and assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine.

In a study of nearly 9,000 people treated for solid tumor cancers, researchers found that radiation treatment and tobacco use were linked to higher rates of blood-based DNA mutations that could lead to higher risk for blood cancers like leukemia.

The study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, revealed new risk factors for "clonal hematopoiesis," a medical phenomenon in which genetic mutations are found in the blood cells of patients who do not have an existing blood cancer. Twenty-five percent of the patients in the study had clonal hematopoiesis. Of the subset of patients they actively followed, those with clonal hematopoiesis had a small 1 percent but increased, estimated incidence of developing blood cancer later on.

"The presence of clonal hematopoiesis can lead to an increased risk for subsequent blood cancers," said UNC Lineberger's Catherine Coombs, MD. "We wouldn't recommend forgoing treatment that is medically indicated because the risk of a secondary cancer is relatively low, but it is important to closely watch those patients who are high-risk."

Coombs was first author of the study at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she completed a fellowship in oncology before coming to UNC Lineberger. The study analyzed genetic changes from 8,810 MSK cancer patients. The researchers found clonal hematopoiesis in 25 percent of patients, with the highest incidence in patients with thyroid cancer, and the lowest in patients with germ cell tumors. Mutations were more common in older people, with the odds of clonal hematopoiesis increasing 6 percent for each decade above age 30. Clonal hematopoiesis was also strongly associated with current or former tobacco use.

"A major risk factor for developing clonal hematopoiesis that can be modified or changed is tobacco use," Coombs said.

They also found a higher frequency of patients with clonal hematopoiesis who had received radiation therapy. Forty-one percent of patients with clonal hematopoiesis received radiation, compared to 35 percent of patients who did not have clonal hematopoiesis, and had received radiation.

Risk for developing a secondary blood cancer was very small in the patient population overall. Only 19 out of the 5,394 patients the researchers actively followed developed a new blood cancer within 18 months. However, for patients who did get a blood cancer, the risk was higher for patients who had clonal hematopoiesis. One percent of patients with clonal hematopoiesis were estimated to develop a secondary cancer, which was three times higher than the estimated 0.3 percent for patients who developed blood cancer and did not have clonal hematopoiesis.

"This has been borne out by other groups: if you have these clonal hematopoiesis mutations, you have a greater risk for developing hematologic cancer than do patients who don't have them," she said.

Coombs said more research is needed to determine the cause of these increases.

Explore further: Biomarker may predict which formerly treated cancer patients will develop highly fatal form of leukemia

More information: Catherine C. Coombs et al. Therapy-Related Clonal Hematopoiesis in Patients with Non-hematologic Cancers Is Common and Associated with Adverse Clinical Outcomes, Cell Stem Cell (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2017.07.010

How do initially benign forms of cancer evolve to become aggressive? In a quest to answer this long-standing question, an EU project has studied the growth and clonal evolution of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)a blood ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

View post:

Researchers find genetic precursors of leukemia in patients treated for non-blood cancers - Medical Xpress

Family with Cancer Syndrome Finds Hope at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences – KATV

Posted on by

Melinda Godsey was enjoying a normal day visiting her family in Little Rock when she started to feel sick. I thought I had a stomach virus, she said. Not wanting to infect her grandchildren, she got up the next morning and started the drive back to her home in El Dorado.

Feeling weaker and weaker as the two-hour trip progressed, Godsey, an interior designer and artist, recalls the frightening moment when she passed out behind the wheel. It was quick. I just faded in and out. Thankfully I didnt cross any lanes of traffic, she said.

Her weakness continued to progress over the next three days, getting to the point where she could not shower or speak. After being admitted to the hospital, doctors found what looked to be the cause of her weakness: Severe bleeding ulcers in her stomach had resulted in a significant loss of blood.

However, that wasnt the only thing they found. Tests also revealed that the ulcers were merely a symptom of a much larger problem that had likely been growing for months. Godsey was living with linitis plastica, a rare stomach cancer that spreads to the muscles of the stomach wall, causing it to harden and become rigid. While this aggressive cancer starts in the stomach, it quickly spreads to other organs, making treatment options limited and complex.

While this diagnosis was about to change Godseys life, she did not yet know the impact it would have on her loved ones as well.

Linitis plastic represents from 5 percent to 10 percent of all gastric cancers, and a slight increase in cases has been observed over the past few years. This may be attributed to improved diagnostic tools, says Luidmila Schafer, M.D., a medical oncologist and assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine.

Our knowledge and ability to diagnose rare cancers has improved significantly in recent years, so conditions such as linitis plastica may not have been diagnosed with such precision in the past, she explains.

Godsey was referred by her physician in El Dorado to a cancer center out of state, where she immediately went for evaluation. After confirming her diagnosis, she was given the news that the cancer had already spread to her abdomen and the preferred surgical treatment was no longer an option. However, she was a candidate for aggressive chemotherapy.

Because her out-of-state physician received his fellowship training in the UAMS Hematology/Oncology Fellowship program, he was aware of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and its comprehensive treatment programs. He told Godsey that she could return to Arkansas and receive chemo at the Cancer Institute close to home.

Referrals were made and Godsey arrived for her first appointment at UAMS in June, about one month after her diagnosis. Unfortunately, good news did not await her. Godsey had developed sepsis as the result of an infection, resulting in a week-long hospitalization and postponement of the start of chemotherapy.

It was a tough start, said Godseys daughter, Courtney Cassinelli, adding that after the infection cleared, her mom was able to begin two types of chemo given simultaneously under Schafers supervision.

While the treatment has been tough, Godsey is thankful for her good days and the time shes been given.

I could have lived for only a short time, but Ive made it two years thanks to Dr. Schafers care. What she has done for me has been remarkable, she said.

A Family Connection

At about the same time that Godsey was coming to terms with her diagnosis of stage 4 stomach cancer in 2015, her first cousin, Anita Meek, was getting the news that she had been diagnosed with lobular breast cancer. This form of breast cancer makes up only about 10 percent of invasive breast cancers and typically doesnt form a lump, making it less likely to be detected on a mammogram.

Having lost a young son to cancer, Meek, who lives in Harrison, decided to undergo genetic testing to see if there might be an inherited genetic component to their conditions. Schafer also recommended that Godsey undergo genetic testing at the UAMS Cancer Genetics Clinic due to the rarity of her cancer and the known link between linitis plastica and the CDH1 gene mutation.

As the only cancer genetics clinic in Arkansas, we see people with rare cancers, early-onset cancers or unusual presentations of cancer from across the state and region, said Kent McKelvey, M.D., director of Cancer and Adult Genetic Services and associate professor of family medicine and genetics in the UAMS College of Medicine.

UAMS has the only board-certified geneticists who diagnose, manage and treat complex cancer syndromes, of which there are more than 50. Cancer genetics counselors work with the geneticist and are a vital part of the team to help families understand their genome and its implications in cancer prevention.

Although any doctor can order genetic testing which is conducted using a blood or saliva sample the process can be daunting. Abnormal results must be put into context for a specific patient and family in this rapidly changing field and no two cases are the same.

When both Godsey and Meek were found to have the CDH1 gene mutation it only took minutes for McKelvey to conclude it was passed to them by their fathers, who were brothers.

A person doesnt inherit cancer from their parents. However, they can inherit the predisposition to cancer. Thats what happened in this family. The CDH1 gene mutation that Mrs. Godsey and Mrs. Meek have increases their risk of developing linitis plastica by about 80 percent and lobular breast cancer by about 40 percent, McKelvey said.

There also is, to a lesser extent, an increased risk of colon cancer associated with CDH1.

Moving Forward

Armed with this information, Meek underwent a double mastectomy at a hospital near her Northwest Arkansas home and continues to be followed twice yearly at Highlands Oncology Group (HOG). The UAMS Cancer Institute and HOG formed a partnership in 2013 that provides expanded access to clinical trials and advanced treatment options to residents of Northwest Arkansas.

Because Godsey and Meek now knew they carried the CDH1 mutation, they also knew their adult children could choose to undergo genetic testing to determine if they had inherited it as well. When someone carries a gene mutation, they have a 50-50 chance of passing that mutation along to each of their children.

My sister and I were both tested at UAMS. My test came back negative, but hers was positive, said Cassinelli. Because Cassinelli does not carry the gene mutation, there is no need to test her children. Once the line is broken, it does not reappear in subsequent generations.

As for Kelly Cameron, Godseys eldest daughter, the positive result set in motion a series of completely unexpected and life-changing decisions.

Because there is no screening method for stomach cancer, it is often found in its late stages after it has already spread to other organs, which was the case with Godsey. The only way to prevent a person with the CDH1 gene mutation from developing stomach cancer is to undergo a procedure called total gastrectomy, which involves removing the stomach and extending the small intestine up to meet the esophagus. With time, the small intestine makes a small pouch mimicking the stomach.

Because food now passes directly into the small intestine when it is consumed, side effects such as bloating, nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea following total gastrectomy are common in the first few months.

Although it is possible to adjust to the new diet and small meals required following total gastrectomy, the surgery also has an impact on a persons physical, social and emotional health, Schafer said.

Due to her young age and the high likelihood that she would develop this rare cancer in her lifetime, the 41-year-old Cameron decided that, regardless of the side effects, total gastrectomy was her best option.

While it has been a challenging transition since her surgery in February 2016, each month becomes a little bit easier for Cameron. The first year is traumatic to your body. Your stomach is a major player and suddenly its gone. You cant fully understand what thats like unless you experience it yourself, she said.

Ultimately, however, the body adapts to its new situation and the symptoms subside. Its a new normal, Cameron said, adding that she has essentially relearned how and what to eat, in addition to taking vitamin supplements that ensure she meets her daily nutritional needs.

Although Meek also is at risk of developing linitis plastica, she elected to forego total gastrectomy for now. If I were younger, I may have chosen that path as well. Instead, Im seeing my doctor regularly and hoping that any signs of cancer will be found early, she said.

Additional Prevention

While still adjusting to her total gastrectomy, Cameron also decided in December 2016 to undergo a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy by having both breasts removed before there was any evidence of cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, this surgery will reduce her risk of developing breast cancer by at least 95 percent. The surgery was performed in December 2016 by V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., who was then director of the UAMS Breast Cancer Program.

She will soon finish the breast reconstruction process led by plastic surgeon Eric Wright, M.D., associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Cameron is thankful the surgical options were presented to her by McKelvey after completing her genetic test.

He was a straight shooter. He told me exactly what I needed to do if I wanted to eliminate the chance of developing these cancers, she said.

She also is thankful to have gone ahead with the surgeries at a young age, as the total gastrectomy revealed stage 1 cancer already formed in the lining of her stomach, as well as precancerous cells in one breast.

If not for that genetic test and Dr. McKelveys guidance, I would have had a much earlier onset of disease than my mom did. Knowing my genetic makeup saved my life, she said.

Next Steps

Now that her surgeries are complete, next on Camerons list is yearly colonoscopies at UAMS to screen for early signs of colon cancer. Thankfully there is a successful screening method for colon cancer, so no preventative surgery is needed there, she said.

Then, after her son turns 18, he will have the opportunity to undergo genetic testing at UAMS for the CDH1 gene mutation and make his own decisions based on those findings. Some of Godseys siblings and other relatives also have agreed to undergo testing to see if they carry the gene and may have passed it to their children.

In addition to providing individuals with knowledge about their personal health risks, genetic tests also assist researchers in better understanding cancer syndromes in the future.

Our ability to diagnose and understand cancer and other genetic syndromes is changing on a weekly basis. Because of this, we need the ability to bank and store individual genomes and tumor samples that can be compared and analyzed for a better understanding of how these syndromes work. As more samples are documented, our knowledge will continue to grow, says McKelvey.

Godsey and Cameron agree they found the right place to address their complex medical needs.

The Cancer Institute at UAMS has been wonderful. Theyve treated me not only like a patient, but more like a friend. Members of the staff have even called to check on me at home. I would never go anywhere but UAMS, Cameron said.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is the home of our states only academic health sciences center. With clinics covering nearly every medical specialty, our research and educational programs inspire new knowledge that results in better diagnosis and more advanced patient care. To learn more about UAMS or schedule an appointment with one of our physicians, visit uamshealth.com.

See the article here:

Family with Cancer Syndrome Finds Hope at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - KATV

A revolutionary leukaemia treatment could soon be approved here’s what it means for patients – The Independent

Posted on by

A revolutionary gene therapy treatment for leukaemia is awaiting a thumbs-upin the US and could change the game in countering the disease.

If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)approves the treatmentin September,CTL019will be the first gene therapy allowed for clinical use in the US and the fourth in the world, following Glybera and Strimvelis, two gene- therapy products recently approved in Europe for two genetic diseases, and Gendicine (for cancer) in China in 2004.

CTL019 is a custom-made, personalised drug developed by the University of Pennsylvania and health company Novartis. The treatment consists of a single shot of immune cells reprogrammed to kill the patients specific leukaemic cells.

Clinical trials showremarkable results. Originally tested in 30 patients affected by resistant acute B-lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) an aggressive blood cancer CTL019 induced complete remission (meaning that the leukaemia vanished) in 90 per cent of patients. The trial was later extended to 50 patients and resulted in a similar remission rate, which is extremely high for ALL.

ALL accounts for 25 per cent of all cancer in children. The standard treatment is based on chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation. If the standard treatment fails, a bone marrow donor is unavailable or the patient relapses, there are no other therapeutic options and the chances of survival are slim. It is estimated that 15 per cent of cases do not respond to standard treatment.

CTL019 represents a major opportunity for these children. Indeed, families of children affected by ALL, whose lives were saved by CTL019, strongly advocated for its approval.

How it works

The treatment is the result of more than 20 years of research in the fields of molecular biology, virology and haematology.

The administration of CTL019 is a lengthy procedure. Immune cells called T cells are taken from the patient using a procedure similar to blood collection. The cells are then grown and genetically modified in a laboratory for expression of a molecule receptor called CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) which is able to recognise CD19, a molecule widely expressed on B-leukemic cells. The genetically modified immune cells are then administered back to the patient in a procedure which resembles a transfusion.

Micro-management: CLT019 is added to T cells (Shutterstock)

It is unclear how long the CTL019 reprogrammed cells will persist in the patients circulation and whether this should be a reason to worry or celebrate. It is not fully understood whether they will remain for long periods of time and go on to harm the patient, for example, or persist and offer protection from any further leukaemic growth.

In the lab, CTL019 has been added to T cells by inserting specific genes inside the T cells using viruses as vectors for the genetic transfer. This is also the system used in the Strimvelis and Glybera treatments.

The approach exploits the natural ability of certain viruses to infect cells and introduce genes into them. The vectors used are not virulent and therefore they are not able to cause a disease, but they can add genes to the human genome.

The first trials using this type of approach didnt fully take into consideration the potential harm of inserting a gene into a random sequence of human DNA. The results had a tragic setback: in 2002, a gene therapy patient developed a leukaemia. This had a profound impact on public opinion.

Since then, enormous efforts have been made to improve the methodology and vector design in order to reduce the risks. Nevertheless, the long-term effects of such new treatments are unknown and patients will need to be under close monitoring for 15 years.

As scientists, we all hope and work hard to find a definitive cure for all cancers. We dont know yet if the patients that undertook the CTL019 trials can be considered cured or whether they will eventually relapse. But this drug is an opportunity to prolong the survival of patients that currently have no other option. In the meantime, we will celebrate every success in the battle to prolong the survival of cancer patients.

An analogous protocol called UCART19, is also under development at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. In 2015, a one-year-old baby affected by refractory ALL was the first patient ever treated with UCART19. The brilliant results led to the development of a phase I clinical trial.

No treatment can be considered 100 per cent safe. For every patient, there are risks and benefits to take into consideration. Nevertheless, CTL019 has produced some excellent results and the side effects have been managed well. At the moment, this treatment is a very promising option for patients with relapsed ALL. Lets hope it saves lives.

Maria Teresa Esposito is a lecturer in biomedical science (cancer biology) at the University of East London. This article was originally published on The Conversation (www.theconversation.com)

Go here to read the rest:

A revolutionary leukaemia treatment could soon be approved here's what it means for patients - The Independent

TIMELINE-Gene therapy’s long road to market – Reuters – Reuters

Posted on by

LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Gene therapy, which aims to patch faulty genes with working DNA, has been a long time in development. The following are major milestones:

1972 - Researchers first suggest gene therapy as a treatment for genetic diseases but oppose its use in humans "for the foreseeable future", pending greater understanding of the technology.

1990 - A four-year-old girl with severe immunodeficiency became the first patient to undergo gene therapy in the United States.

1999 - American patient Jesse Gelsinger dies following a gene therapy experiment, setting the field back several years as U.S. regulators put some experiments on hold.

2002-03 - Cases of leukaemia are diagnosed in French children undergoing gene therapy in a further blow to the field.

2003 - The world's first gene therapy is approved in China for the treatment of head and neck cancer.

2007 - Doctors carry out the world's first operation using gene therapy to treat a serious sight disorder caused by a genetic defect.

2012 - Europe approves Glybera, the first gene therapy in a Western market, for an ultra-rare blood disorder.

2016 - Europe approves Strimvelis for a very rare type of immunodeficiency.

2017 or 2018 - The first gene therapy could be approved in United States. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by David Stamp)

Originally posted here:

TIMELINE-Gene therapy's long road to market - Reuters - Reuters

Yorkshire Coast Radio – News – Next Step In Futurist Demolition – Yorkshire Coast Radio

Posted on by

The next step is coming in the process of demolishing Scarborough's Futurist Theatre.

A planning application is to be considered for the stabilisation of of the cliffs behind the venue. It's as the borough council presses forward with plans by Flamingo Land to build a new attraction in its place.

The application will be considered in October, with the council stressing that it does NOT mean there will be any further debate about whether or not the venue will be demolished, because that's already been decided.

Councillor Mike Cockerill is the member for Project Leadership at the borough council, he said:

"Planning application has been submitted for the method statement for the demolition of the Futurist and the cliff stabilisation.

That's scheduled to go to a planning committeein October. This doesn't re-open the debate as to whether the Futurist is to be demolished or not.

That decision has been taken.

This isn't scary, it's a controlled process. yes, some of the nearby residents are concerned about their properties, and they have every right to be say

Here is the original post:

Yorkshire Coast Radio - News - Next Step In Futurist Demolition - Yorkshire Coast Radio

The Futurist: Technology as the key to HR – Human Resources Online

Posted on by

Want to learn the latest talent acquisition techniques? Don't miss Recruitment Asia, the region's dedicated recruitment and talent acquisition strategy conference. Happening Oct/Nov 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Philippines.

Technology has touched every industry, and human resources is no exception.

With the implementation of cloud technology and mobile applications, I believe the daily operation of the human resources departments, recruitment, and training will be very different from what we are currently experiencing.

The use of cloud technology means that the future human resource information system (HRIS) can be easily accessible to HR staff from anywhere through a mobile device with an internet connection.

HR practitioners should be on the lookout for the technology available for HR and the relevant suppliers of the technology.

With more and more information being stored in the HRIS in the cloud, big data can be analysed by using workforce analytics.

The process for talent acquisition and talent management will turn digital in the near future.

Millennials are technology savvy and active in social communities. I think recruitment through linking with social communities will become more popular.

Conducting recruitment through a mobile application will be a future trend. There will be less need for interviewing in person as it can be done online through a webcam on a computer or on a smartphone.

Things such as job applications and interview result-checking can also be done through mobile devices.

The screening function in the apps or computer programme with selection criteria can be used to process job applications faster and easier with a systematic record.

Information on a preferred candidate or those who do not suit the job description can be stored in the cloud with linkage to the job application apps or computer programme systematically for easy identification.

Like recruitment, training will also be digitalised. With cloud technology, knowledge-sharing has become easier than ever. Self-paced self-learning on mobile devices will become more popular.

Technology on virtual reality will be adopted widely in common commercial training

Making use of technology, trainers and trainees will be able to keep track of every individuals learning effectiveness and learning progress. By linking information on an individuals learning progress to the HRIS, the training record of individuals can be updated automatically.

The June 2017 issue of Human Resources magazine is a special edition, bringing you interviews with 12 HR leaders, with their predictions on the future of HR.

ReadThe Futuristor subscribe here.

Want to learn the latest talent acquisition techniques? Don't miss Recruitment Asia, the region's dedicated recruitment and talent acquisition strategy conference. Happening Oct/Nov 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Philippines.

Human Resources is proud to announce the launch of HRjobs the regions largest online collection of dedicated HR positions, deli..

Family issues are the most common reasons for pulling a "sickie", followed by external job interviews...

With low taxes and lack of capital flow restrictions, the city was lauded for its business efficiency and economic performance...

Not only do overqualified candidates perform better, but they are also more enthusiastic workers and are good for team productivit..

Read about the solutions implemented by the pharma major to unite the recognition programmes under one umbrella...

See the article here:

The Futurist: Technology as the key to HR - Human Resources Online

Popular Futurist to Discuss the Future of the Hospitality Industry – Digital Journal

Posted on by

Global Futurist Jack Uldrich has been invited to address a group of senior leaders of an American multinational diversified hospitality company on Saturday, August 19, in Hawaii.

Honolulu, Hawaii - August 14, 2017 - (Newswire.com)

Prolifickeynote speaker and futurist, Jack Uldrich, will be traveling to Hawaii to share his insights on the future of the hotel and lodging industry with executives in a leading hospitality company.

As a futurist,Uldrich focuses on future-proofing businesses by preparing them to embrace future trends and technologies, including areas such as wearable technology, machine learning, augmented reality, 3D printing, nanotechnology, blockchain, and cryptocurrency, among others.

What are other trends on the horizon for the hospitality industry? Uldrich says one of the biggest trends to be looking at is the Internet of Things. "By 2020, it is estimated that 50 billion physical objects will connect to the Internet. What does this mean for hospitality?In a word, everything."

Continuing, Uldrich says, "The Internet of Things is poised to radically transform customer behavior, business models and the nature of business itself."

"Business leaders have got to be aware of these accelerating technological trends," says Uldrich. "They must possess humility regarding new, unconventional competitors, and take deep strategic action in the coming years."

Jack Uldrich speaks over 100 times a year to a wide variety of businesses and organizations, particularlyon the transformation of agriculture, health care, education, energy, finance, insurance, retail, and manufacturing.

Hisclients include the Retail Industry Leader Association, Cisco, United Healthcare, IBM, PepsiCo,WiPro, Verizon Wireless, FedEX, General Electric, and CenterPoint Energy.

Parties interested in learning more about Jack, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about interviewing Jack as a futurist or trend expert, contact him here.

Press Release Service by Newswire.com

Original Source: Popular Futurist to Discuss the Future of the Hospitality Industry

Follow this link:

Popular Futurist to Discuss the Future of the Hospitality Industry - Digital Journal