Nanotechnology used to engineer ACL replacements

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Lindsey Vonn. Derrick Rose. Tom Brady. Mickey Mantle.

They have all fallen victim to the dreaded pop of the knee.

Connecting the femur to the tibia, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most devastating injuries in sports. No other injury has sidelined more athletes for a season or even the rest of a career. And ACL sprains and tears affect more people than just the pros. According to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 250,000 ACL surgeries are performed annually in the United States, totaling up to more than $500 million in health care costs each year.

Not only is the ACL inelastic and prone to popping, it is incapable of healing itself, causing surgeons to rely on autografts for reconstruction. Most common is the bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) graft, in which the surgeon removes part of the patellar tendon to replace the damaged ACL.

"BPTB autografts have a high incidence of knee pain and discomfort that does not go away," said Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and professor of surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine. "By saving the patient's patellar tendon and using an off-the-shelf product, one may have a better chance of preserving the natural biomechanics of the knee."

Ameer and his research team are working to engineer such a product by combining three components: polyester fibers that are braided to increase strength and toughness, an inherently antioxidant and porous biomaterial previously created in Ameer's lab, and calcium nanocrystals, a mineral naturally found in human teeth and bones. His work is described in the paper "A biodegradable tri-component graft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction," which was published in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. Eunji Chung, a postdoc at the University of Chicago and former graduate student in Ameer's lab, was the paper's first author.

During ACL reconstruction surgeries, tunnels are drilled into the femur and tibia bones to hold the new ligament in a fixed position. Ameer created a bone-like material by combining his antioxidant biomaterials with the calcium nanocrystals; he then embedded braided polyester fibers into it. The artificial ligament's bone-like ends healed to the native bone in the drilled tunnels, anchoring the ligament into place.

By studying an animal model, Ameer and his team noticed that the animal's natural bone and tissue cells migrated into the pores of the artificial ligament, populating it throughout and integrating with the bone tunnels. While longer-term studies are necessary to evaluate the potential use of the approach in humans, Ameer is optimistic about the results.

"The engineered ligament is biocompatible and can stabilize the knee, allowing the animal to function," Ameer said. "Most importantly, we may have found a way to integrate an artificial ligament with native bone."

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Nanotechnology used to engineer ACL replacements

Researchers use nanotechnology to engineer ACL replacements

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Researchers created a tri-component, synthetic graft for reconstructing torn anterior cruciate ligaments

Lindsey Vonn. Derrick Rose. Tom Brady. Mickey Mantle.

They have all fallen victim to the dreaded pop of the knee.

Connecting the femur to the tibia, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most devastating injuries in sports. No other injury has sidelined more athletes for a season or even the rest of a career. And ACL sprains and tears affect more people than just the pros. According to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 250,000 ACL surgeries are performed annually in the United States, totaling up to more than $500 million in health care costs each year.

Not only is the ACL inelastic and prone to popping, it is incapable of healing itself, causing surgeons to rely on autografts for reconstruction. Most common is the bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) graft, in which the surgeon removes part of the patellar tendon to replace the damaged ACL.

"BPTB autografts have a high incidence of knee pain and discomfort that does not go away," said Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and professor of surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine. "By saving the patient's patellar tendon and using an off-the-shelf product, one may have a better chance of preserving the natural biomechanics of the knee."

Ameer and his research team are working to engineer such a product by combining three components: polyester fibers that are braided to increase strength and toughness, an inherently antioxidant and porous biomaterial previously created in Ameer's lab, and calcium nanocrystals, a mineral naturally found in human teeth and bones. His work is described in the paper "A biodegradable tri-component graft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction," which was published in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. Eunji Chung, a postdoc at the University of Chicago and former graduate student in Ameer's lab, was the paper's first author.

During ACL reconstruction surgeries, tunnels are drilled into the femur and tibia bones to hold the new ligament in a fixed position. Ameer created a bone-like material by combining his antioxidant biomaterials with the calcium nanocrystals; he then embedded braided polyester fibers into it. The artificial ligament's bone-like ends healed to the native bone in the drilled tunnels, anchoring the ligament into place.

By studying an animal model, Ameer and his team noticed that the animal's natural bone and tissue cells migrated into the pores of the artificial ligament, populating it throughout and integrating with the bone tunnels. While longer-term studies are necessary to evaluate the potential use of the approach in humans, Ameer is optimistic about the results.

"The engineered ligament is biocompatible and can stabilize the knee, allowing the animal to function," Ameer said. "Most importantly, we may have found a way to integrate an artificial ligament with native bone."

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Researchers use nanotechnology to engineer ACL replacements

A repulsive material

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In a world-first achievement published in Nature, scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science in Japan, along with colleagues from the National Institute of Material Science and the University of Tokyo, have developed a new hydrogel whose properties are dominated by electrostatic repulsion, rather than attractive interactions.

According to Yasuhiro Ishida, head of the Emergent Bioinspired Soft Matter Research Team, the work began from a surreptitious discovery, that when titanate nano-sheets are suspended in an aqueous colloidal dispersion, they align themselves face-to-face in a plane when subjected to a strong magnetic field. The field maximizes the electrostatic repulsion between them and entices them into a quasi-crystalline structure. They naturally orient themselves face to face, separated by the electrostatic forces between them.

To create the new material, the researchers used the newly discovered method to arrange layers of the sheets in a plane, and once the sheets were aligned in the plane, fixed the magnetically induced structural order by transforming the dispersion into a hydrogel using a procedure called light-triggered in-situ vinyl polymerization. Essentially, pulses of light are used to congeal the aqueous solution into a hydrogel, so that the sheets could no longer move.

By doing this, they created a material whose properties are dominated by electrostatic repulsion, the same force that makes our hair stand end when we touch a van generator.

Up to now, manmade materials have not taken advantage of this phenomenon, but nature has. Cartilage owes its ability to allow virtually frictionless mechanical motion within joints, even under high compression, to the electrostatic forces inside it. Electrostatic repulsive forces are used in various places, such as maglev trains, vehicle suspensions and noncontact bearings, but up to now, materials design has focused overwhelmingly on attractive interactions.

The resultant new material, which contains the first example of charged inorganic structures that align co-facially in a magnetic flux, has interesting properties. It easily deforms when shear forces are applied parallel to the embedded nano-sheets, but strongly resists compressive forces applied orthogonally.

According to Ishida, "This was a surprising discovery, but one that nature has already made use of. We anticipate that the concept of embedding anisotropic repulsive electrostatics within a composite material, based on inspiration from articular cartilage, will open new possibilities for developing soft materials with unusual functions. Materials of this kind could be used in the future in various areas from regenerative medicine to precise machine engineering, by allowing the creation of artificial cartilage, anti-vibration materials and other materials that require resistance to deformation in one plane."

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Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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A repulsive material

A repulsive material: New hydrogel dominated by electrostatic repulsion

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In a world-first achievement published in Nature, scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science in Japan, along with colleagues from the National Institute of Material Science and the University of Tokyo, have developed a new hydrogel whose properties are dominated by electrostatic repulsion, rather than attractive interactions.

According to Yasuhiro Ishida, head of the Emergent Bioinspired Soft Matter Research Team, the work began from a surreptitious discovery, that when titanate nano-sheets are suspended in an aqueous colloidal dispersion, they align themselves face-to-face in a plane when subjected to a strong magnetic field. The field maximizes the electrostatic repulsion between them and entices them into a quasi-crystalline structure. They naturally orient themselves face to face, separated by the electrostatic forces between them.

To create the new material, the researchers used the newly discovered method to arrange layers of the sheets in a plane, and once the sheets were aligned in the plane, fixed the magnetically induced structural order by transforming the dispersion into a hydrogel using a procedure called light-triggered in-situ vinyl polymerization. Essentially, pulses of light are used to congeal the aqueous solution into a hydrogel, so that the sheets could no longer move.

By doing this, they created a material whose properties are dominated by electrostatic repulsion, the same force that makes our hair stand end when we touch a van generator.

Up to now, humanmade materials have not taken advantage of this phenomenon, but nature has. Cartilage owes its ability to allow virtually frictionless mechanical motion within joints, even under high compression, to the electrostatic forces inside it. Electrostatic repulsive forces are used in various places, such as maglev trains, vehicle suspensions and noncontact bearings, but up to now, materials design has focused overwhelmingly on attractive interactions.

The resultant new material, which contains the first example of charged inorganic structures that align co-facially in a magnetic flux, has interesting properties. It easily deforms when shear forces are applied parallel to the embedded nano-sheets, but strongly resists compressive forces applied orthogonally.

According to Ishida, "This was a surprising discovery, but one that nature has already made use of. We anticipate that the concept of embedding anisotropic repulsive electrostatics within a composite material, based on inspiration from articular cartilage, will open new possibilities for developing soft materials with unusual functions. Materials of this kind could be used in the future in various areas from regenerative medicine to precise machine engineering, by allowing the creation of artificial cartilage, anti-vibration materials and other materials that require resistance to deformation in one plane."

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The above story is based on materials provided by RIKEN. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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A repulsive material: New hydrogel dominated by electrostatic repulsion

Marketresearchreports.biz: Commercialization of Nanocellulose to Fuel the Global Nanocellulose Market

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(PRWEB) December 31, 2014

The report states that the global nano cellulose market will reach market value worth US$250 million by the end of 2020 in North America.

View Full Report at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/235020

The report studies the types, properties, production, and the advantages of the market. It also examines the various nano cellulose market segments minutely on the basis of the applications, usage in various markets, and regions.

The nano cellulose market is classified on the basis of applications into Nanocrystalline cellulose, Nanofibrillar cellulose, and Bacterial cellulose. The development in the production of nano cellulose in the previous years has been majorly driven by the escalating costs of petroleum and the high energy intenseness in synthetic polymers and chemicals production. At present, there is a considerable amount of research on nano-structured cellulose, and commercial development is now in progress with some potential applications. By using the appropriate extraction and conversion technologies as well as modification and characterization, micro/nanofibrillar cellulose, nano-crystalline cellulose, and bacterial cellulose can be incorporated into bio-based products.

Download Detail Report With COmplete TOC at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/235020 Nano cellulose is also being developed for novel usage in various applications ranging from scaffolds in tissue engineering, wound healing, artificial skin and cartilage, and vessel replacements to biodegradable food packaging. Applications in anti-microbial films and polymer reinforcement will soon be introduced in the nano cellulose market.

The report evaluates the global nano cellulose market with the reference of the supply chain, market structure, patenting and publications for the global nano cellulose market. Markets for nano cellulose, which includes electronics, composites, paper and pulp, construction, filtration, paints, medicine and life sciences, coatings, films, aerogels, rheological modifiers, and oil market, are also studies deeply in this report.

Some of the major regions covered in the global nano cellulose market report are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. In a segment that analyzes individual geographical regions with extreme detail and precision, the report presents with important insights into the factors that impacts the regional nano cellulose market, eventually making an impact on the global market. Some of the crucial aspects addressed in the report comprise regional nano cellulose market production and production value, capacity, cost and profit assessment, demand, supply and consumption, imports and exports, industry share, and economic impact on different regions.

Explore All Future Markets Inc Market Research Reports at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/publisher/27 The global nano cellulose market report assists nano cellulose manufacturers, consultants, and every other stakeholder to get a better insight of the market and make a well-researched business decision.

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Marketresearchreports.biz: Commercialization of Nanocellulose to Fuel the Global Nanocellulose Market

Molecular network identified underlying autism spectrum disorders

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HEIDELBERG, 30 December 2014 - Researchers in the United States have identified a molecular network that comprises many of the genes previously shown to contribute to autism spectrum disorders. The findings provide a map of some of the crucial protein interactions that contribute to autism and will help uncover novel candidate genes for the disease. The results are published in Molecular Systems Biology.

"The study of autism disorders is extremely challenging due to the large number of clinical mutations that occur in hundreds of different human genes associated with autism," says Michael Snyder, Professor at the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine and the lead author of the study. "We therefore wanted to see to what extent shared molecular pathways are perturbed by the diverse set of mutations linked to autism in the hope of distilling tractable information that would benefit future studies."

The researchers generated their interactome - the whole set of interactions within a cell - using the BioGrid database of protein and genetic interactions. "We have identified a specific module within this interactome that comprises 119 proteins and which shows a very strong enrichment for autism genes," remarks Snyder.

Gene expression data and genome sequencing were used to identify the protein interaction module with members strongly enriched for known autism genes. The sequencing of the genomes of 25 patients confirmed the involvement of the module in autism; the candidate genes for autism present in the module were also found in a larger group of more than 500 patients that were analyzed by exome sequencing. The expression of genes in the module was examined using the Allen Human Brain Atlas. The researchers revealed the role of the corpus callosum and oligodendrocyte cells in the brain as important contributors to autism spectrum disorders using genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, antibody staining and functional genomic evidence.

"Much of today's research on autism is focused on the study of neurons and now our study has also revealed that oligodendrocytes are also implicated in this disease," says Jingjing Li, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine who helped to spearhead the work. "In the future, we need to study how the interplay between different types of brain cells or different regions of the brain contribute to this disease."

"The module we identified which is enriched in autism genes had two distinct components," says Snyder. "One of these components was expressed throughout different regions of the brain. The second component had enhanced molecular expression in the corpus callosum. Both components of the network interacted extensively with each other."

The working hypothesis of the scientists, which is consistent with other recent findings, is that disruptions in parts of the corpus callosum interfere with the circuitry that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. This likely gives rise to the different phenotypes of autism that result due to impairment of signaling between the two halves of the brain.

"Our study highlights the importance of building integrative models to study complex human diseases," says Snyder. "The use of biological networks allowed us to superimpose clinical mutations for autism onto specific disease-related pathways. This helps finding the needles in the haystack worthy of further investigation and provides a framework to uncover functional models for other diseases."

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Integrated systems analysis reveals a molecular network underlying autism spectrum disorders

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Molecular network identified underlying autism spectrum disorders

Bats are a possible source of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa

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HEIDELBERG, 30 December 2014 - The outbreak of the Ebola virus disease occurring in West Africa may have originated from contact between humans and virus-infected bats, suggests a study led by researchers from the Robert Koch-Institute in Berlin, Germany. The report, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, identifies insectivorous free-tailed bats as plausible reservoirs and expands the range of possible Ebola virus sources to this type of bats. The results also reveal that larger wildlife are not the source of infection.

Ebola virus disease epidemics are of zoonotic origin, transmitted to human populations either through contact with larger wildlife or by direct contact with bats. "We monitored the large mammal populations close to the index village Meliandou in south-eastern Guinea and found no evidence for a concurrent outbreak," says Fabian H. Leendertz of the Robert Koch Institute, who led the study. The second infection route appears more plausible as direct contact with bats is usual in the affected region.

Fruit bats are the commonly suspected Ebola virus reservoir as previous outbreaks in Africa show. Interviews with Meliandou locals revealed that exposure to fruit bats through hunting and consumption of meat in this area is common. Yet fruit bats seem an unlikely source of infection, as a food-borne transmission would have affected adults before or concurrently with the two-year-old boy - the index case. This suggests a source of infection unrelated to food.

Another opportunity for infection was a large colony of free-tailed insectivorous bats housed in a hollow tree nearby the home of the index case. Villagers reported that children often used to play in and around the tree. This may have resulted in a massive exposure to bats.

The multidisciplinary team of researchers led a four-week field mission in Guinea in April 2014 to examine human exposure to bats, to survey local wildlife and to capture and sample bats in Meliandou and in neighbouring forests. The index village is not located in the forest but rather in an area heavily modified by humans representing "modern" African settings.

The virus that spread from Meliandou into other areas of Guinea and Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal, represents the largest ever-recorded Ebola outbreak killing 7,800 people (as of 17 December 2014).

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Investigating the Zoonotic Origin of the West African Ebola Epidemic

Almudena Mar Saz, Sabrina Weiss, Kathrin Nowak, Vincent Lapeyre, Fee Zimmermann, Ariane Dx, Hjalmar S. Khl, Moussa Kaba, Sebastien Regnaut, Kevin Merkel, Andreas Sachse, Ulla Thiesen, Lili Villnyi, Christophe Boesch, Piotr W. Dabrowski, Aleksandar Radoni?, Andreas Nitsche, Siv Aina J. Leendertz, Stefan Petterson, Stephan Becker, Verena Krhling, Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann, Chantal Akoua-Koffi, Natalie Weber, Lars Schaade, Jakob Fahr, Matthias Borchert, Jan F. Gogarten, Sbastien Calvignac-Spencer, Fabian H. Leendertz

Read the paper: http://embomolmed.embopress.org/content/early/2014/12/29/emmm.201404792

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Bats are a possible source of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa

US researchers identify gene network linked to autism

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Published December 30, 2014

U.S. scientists have identified a molecular network of genes known to contribute to autism spectrum disorders, and they say their finding may help uncover new genes linked to these conditions.

"The study of autism disorders is extremely challenging due to the large number of clinical mutations that occur in hundreds of different human genes associated with autism," study author Michael Snyder, genetics and personalized medicine professor at Stanford University, said in a news release. "We therefore wanted to see to what extent shared molecular pathways are perturbed by the diverse set of mutations linked to autism in the hope of distilling tractable information that would benefit future studies."

According to the news release, researchers used gene expression data and genome sequencing to study the whole set of interactions within a cell, and they identified a module comprised of 119 proteins linked to autism genes.

The sequencing of the genomes was present in 25 study participants who had been diagnosed with autism, which confirmed the involvement of the module in autism. The autism candidate genes in the module were also present in more than 500 diagnosed patients who were analyzed by exome sequencing.

Researchers also found that the corpus callosum and oligodendrocyte cells in the brain can contribute to autism. Oligodendrocytes are myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system, and the corpus callosum is a huge band of myelinated fibers. Myelin, which is comprised of proteins and phospholipids, forms a sheath around nerve fibers and increases the speed at which impulses are conducted.

"In the future, we need to study how the interplay between different types of brain cells or different regions of the brain contribute to this disease, study author Jingjing Li, postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, said in the news release.

Snyder said the module enriched in autism had two distinct components that exclusively interacted with each other: one that was expressed throughout different regions of the brain, and another that had enhanced molecular expression in the corpus callosum.

Based on their findings, the study authors hypothesized that disruptions in parts of the corpus callosum interfere with the circuitry that connects the two hemispheres of the brain, resulting in autism.

"Our study highlights the importance of building integrative models to study complex human diseases," Snyder said.

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US researchers identify gene network linked to autism

Encounter with bat may have sparked Ebola outbreak

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Ebola "patient zero" may have been infected with the virus while playing with bats in a hollow tree in his village in Guinea, like the one seen at far left in this photo. EMBO Molecular Medicine

Where and how did the deadly Ebola outbreak begin? The disease that's killed more than 7,800 people across West Africa may have taken hold after a chance encounter last winter between a 2-year-old boy and wild bat in a hollowed-out tree.

New research published Tuesday in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine provides an almost cinematic theory about the origins of the current Ebola outbreak, and also offers new evidence that a certain type of bat may play host to the deadly virus.

The study traces the activities of Ebola "patient zero," a 2-year-old boy in Mliandou, Guinea, who's believed to have been the virus' first victim in December 2013.

The researchers visited the village and neighboring areas, and learned from the residents that children liked to play in a hollow tree that was home to insect-eating free-tailed bats (Mops condylurus). These large fruit bats migrate annually to southeastern Guinea to the region of Klma, where Mliandou is located.

Previously, experts suspected that bush meat hunted and consumed by villagers might be the source of transmission. But the researchers say the child's father was not a hunter, and they did not find evidence that larger mammals were associated with the spread of the virus.

"In contrast, bat hunting was commonly described in the region," the researchers write. "Men of Meliandou and six other neighboring villages reported opportunistically hunting fruit bats throughout the year. Insectivorous bats were reported to be commonly found under the roofs of houses and similar hides in the villages. These bats are reportedly targeted by children, who regularly hunt and grill them over small fires."

Top, the village of Meliandou in Guinea, where a 2-year-old boy -- Ebola "patient zero" -- contracted the virus and died. Images below are of a hollow tree, a popular place where village children play. These trees frequently harbor insect-biting bats.

EMBO Molecular Medicine

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Encounter with bat may have sparked Ebola outbreak

Dealerships Ensure Workplace Safety With New Features Of KPA's Environmental Health And Safety Online Platform

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myKPAonline 3.0 helps dealerships manage comprehensive safety programs through expert loss control and risk management services.

LAFAYETTE, Colo. (PRWEB) - KPA, a business services provider, has released myKPAonline 3.0, an upgrade of its Environmental Health and Safety online offering. The new platform includes enhanced training and user management features, OSHA 300 log reporting, and is optimized for mobile devices. The companys enhancements to the platform will help dealers prevent workplace accidents, comply with OSHA regulations, lower workers compensation claims, and reduce insurance premiums.

myKPAonline 3.0 is a Web-based application that provides real-time access to EHS operations, including incident/accident management, documentation and tracking; compliance management; on-demand training; regulatory updates; and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) specific to a facilitys chemical inventory.

Debuting with myKPAonline 3.0 are additional training, reporting, and user management features. These components of the platform allow dealers to upload and manage employee lists that accurately track both onsite and online training that have or have not been completed by staff members. Training requirements are automatically customized based on job descriptions to save managers time and ensure employees are properly trained to maintain a safe and compliant work environment.

Additionally, myKPAonline 3.0 can now be accessed on tablets and mobile devices in addition to desktop computers. This optimization allows employees to easily identify and correct EHS issues while walking through their facilities and provides access to SDSs on the go. Users can also quickly access location-specific emergency contacts to call if help is needed. With OSHA 300 log recordkeeping and recording requirements going into effect on January 1st 2015, KPA has refined our accident reporting system and included an OSHA 300 log report generator.

Establishing a strong safety culture requires management support and tools to keep these issues top of mind every day our newest software release makes this easy. said Eric Schmitz, VP of EHS Products for KPA. In addition, our onsite expertise and product offerings help our clients reduce workplace risks and accidents as well as stay up to date on national and regional regulations. This in turn saves dealers money through lower insurance premiums.

To learn more about KPA and its complete portfolio of service offerings, or to request a demo of myKPAonline 3.0, visit http://www.kpaonline.com or call 866.365.1735.

About KPA KPA is a business services provider for more than 5,100 automotive, truck and equipment dealerships, and service companies. KPA provides Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Human Resources (HR) Management software and consulting services. KPAs solutions have been embraced by leading auto dealers, including eight of the 10 largest dealer groups in the United States, and endorsed by 26 dealer associations from around the country. KPA joined the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2012. To learn more, visit http://www.kpaonline.com or call 866.356.1735.

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Dealerships Ensure Workplace Safety With New Features Of KPA's Environmental Health And Safety Online Platform

AWeber Email Marketing

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By Fahmida Y. Rashid

If businesses want to grow, they cannot ignore marketing. Thankfully, there are plenty ofemail marketingtools available to help even the smallest of smallbusinessesget started. AWeber (starting at $19 per month) is just such a choice, offering aneasy-to-use platform with no hidden surprises. AWeber's templates simplify the process for creating visually attractive email marketing campaigns and the reporting dashboard tracks the most important basic statistics. It can'timport contacts Gmail or other third-party address books, nor does it offer Google Analytics integration. For better third-party contacts integration and tracking, you should consider MailChimp and Campaigner, our two Editors' Choices for email marketingtools. For this review, I signed up for AWeber's basic plan.

How does AWeber compare against the competition? It would cost a small business with 2,500 contacts in its marketing database $29 per month to get started with AWeber, which is equivalent to what it would cost to use iContactandCampaign Monitor. Unlike Campaign Monitor, AWeber doesn't have any caps on how many messages can be sent in a month.

Pricingand Features AWeber offers month-to-month, quarterly, and annual plans for each of its tiers. The least-expensiveplan, for up to 500 contacts, is $19 per month, $49 per quarter, or $149 per year. AWeber adds $10 to the normal rate to expand the service to 2,500 users and adds $30 to increase the capacity to 5,000 users. AWeber also automatically sets you up for automatic billing. If you change your mind, the company offers a 30-day full refund.

Watch out for the $29 report on how to develop an email marketing strategy. It's really easy to click on the wrong thing when checking out and winding up with the report in your shopping cart.If do you wind up buying it by mistake or don't find it useful, AWeber promises to refund your money. There is no free trial or free version to test out the servicebut AWeber does let you try out the software for just $1 during the first month. That's agooddeal.

Creating aSubscriber List AWeber lets you manually add up to 10 contactssubscribersvia a form. Each record collects the name of the person, email address, ad-tracking value, and the name of the initial email message the person will receive. This can turn into a long and tedious exercise for a long list of names.The import tool is a better choice, as it has a textbox to cut and paste an entire comma-delimited list of email addresses. You can also upload a spreadsheet (.XLS and .XLSX), text file (.CSV, .TSV, and .TXT). Unlike Campaigner, MailChimp, and GetResponse, AWeber doesn't have Gmail or third-partyintegration forpulling contacts, which is disappointing.

You have to let AWeber know where your subscribers came fromwhether they signed up on a form, bought a product and opted to receive mail, or gave verbal agreement. AWeber also wants to know whether the list is being moved from another mail marketing provider. The goal is to verify you aren't spamming or buying lists. AWeber auto-creates a confirmation message, which is sent to contacts to verify their subscription. Unlike GetResponse, AWeber allowed all of my disposable Mailinator addresses. I wish more services filtered out those domains especially, you have a limiton the number of subscribers you can contact, and disposable email addresses will seldom lead to a response. I found the process for importing the contactsslowa text file of less than a dozen names took a full 24 hours to beverified by AWeber and displayed in my account. The names I added manually took about 15 to 20 minutes toshow up in my account.

When creating a list, you have the choice of using a pre-generated subject line, such as "Please confirm your request to subscribe" or creating yourown. However, creating yourown meansyouhave to wait one day for AWeber's team to verify it asa valid subject line. AWeber also has a wizard to walk you through creating signup forms. I was happy to see I could segment users based on custom fields or profile information.

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AWeber Email Marketing

CSU Receives Record $42.5 Million Gift for Regenerative Medicine from John and Leslie Malone – Video

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CSU Receives Record $42.5 Million Gift for Regenerative Medicine from John and Leslie Malone
Philanthropists John and Leslie Malone have committed a record $42.5 million to Colorado State University to develop regenerative medical therapies for anima...

By: Colorado State University

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CSU Receives Record $42.5 Million Gift for Regenerative Medicine from John and Leslie Malone - Video