Daily Archives: March 4, 2015

Global Gene Therapy Market Report 2015-2025 – Extensive Study on the Marketed and Pipeline Gene Therapies

Posted: March 4, 2015 at 4:42 am

DUBLIN, Mar. 03, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets

(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/rcv4lq/gene_therapy) has announced the addition of the "Gene Therapy Market, 2015 - 2025" report to their offering.

The "Gene Therapy Market, 2015-2025" report provides an extensive study on the marketed and pipeline gene therapies. A lot of research has been carried out in this field for over a decade but there are only five approved therapies (four available in Asian markets; one approved in the EU). There are many promising therapies which are currently being developed worldwide; the approach is likely to result in several commercial success stories in the foreseen future. The report covers various aspects, such as key players, marketed gene therapy products, products in clinical / pre-clinical research, associated ethical issues, likely future developments and upcoming opportunities for a variety of stakeholders.

Several disorders that arise inside the body are a result of either a direct genetic aberration or a dysfunctional/non-functional protein. The attempt to use nucleic acids to correct or delete the genes causing a particular disease is known as gene therapy. Although gene therapy has not contributed significantly to the global pharmaceutical market yet, it is anticipated to grow at a fast pace over the next decade.

Gendicine, developed by SiBiono GeneTech, was the foremost gene therapy that entered market in 2004 in China. Since then four more therapies have received approval in China, Philippines, Russia and the EU. This number for approved / marketed therapies seems weak at present; however, the strong and highly populated pipeline holds tremendous potential. There are 12 gene therapies in late stage of clinical development for the treatment of cancer, ocular and cardiovascular disorders.

There are several concerns that remain to be answered; examples include insertional mutagenesis, treatment of multigene disorders, curbing the risk of immune reactions, eugenics, high cost of therapy and ethical concerns related to making alterations at the genetic level. Despite this, gene therapy does offer a ray of hope for patients who either have no treatment options or show no benefits with drugs that are currently available. Such a benefit far outweighs any disadvantages that may be associated with this upcoming therapeutic field.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Preface

2. Executive Summary

3. Introduction

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Gene Therapy Market Report 2014-2024 – Technologies, Markets and Companies

Posted: at 4:42 am

DUBLIN, Mar. 03, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets

(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/gxqhg9/gene_therapy) has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech's new report "Gene Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies" to their offering.

Gene therapy technologies are described in detail including viral vectors, nonviral vectors and cell therapy with genetically modified vectors. Gene therapy is an excellent method of drug delivery and various routes of administration as well as targeted gene therapy are described. There is an introduction to technologies for gene suppression as well as molecular diagnostics to detect and monitor gene expression.

Clinical applications of gene therapy are extensive and cover most systems and their disorders. Full chapters are devoted to genetic syndromes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders and viral infections with emphasis on AIDS. Applications of gene therapy in veterinary medicine, particularly for treating cats and dogs, are included.

Research and development is in progress in both the academic and the industrial sectors. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the US is playing an important part. As of 2014, over 2050 clinical trials have been completed, are ongoing or have been approved worldwide.A breakdown of these trials is shown according to the geographical areas and applications.

Since the death of Jesse Gelsinger in the US following a gene therapy treatment, the FDA has further tightened the regulatory control on gene therapy. A further setback was the reports of leukemia following use of retroviral vectors in successful gene therapy for adenosine deaminase deficiency. Several clinical trials were put on hold and many have resumed now. The report also discusses the adverse effects of various vectors, safety regulations and ethical aspects of gene therapy including germline gene therapy.

The markets for gene therapy are difficult to estimate as there is only one approved gene therapy product and it is marketed in China since 2004. Gene therapy markets are estimated for the years 2014-2024. The estimates are based on epidemiology of diseases to be treated with gene therapy, the portion of those who will be eligible for these treatments, competing technologies and the technical developments anticipated in the next decades. In spite of some setbacks, the future for gene therapy is bright.The markets for DNA vaccines are calculated separately as only genetically modified vaccines and those using viral vectors are included in the gene therapy markets

The voluminous literature on gene therapy was reviewed and selected 750 references are appended in the bibliography.The references are constantly updated. The text is supplemented with 75 tables and 15 figures.

Profiles of 181 companies involved in developing gene therapy are presented along with 223 collaborations. There were only 44 companies involved in this area in 1995. In spite of some failures and mergers, the number of companies has increased more than 4-fold within a decade.

Key Topics Covered:

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GeneSight Multi-Gene Combinatorial Pharmacogenomic (CPGx) Test is More Predictive of Antidepressant Response than …

Posted: at 4:42 am

Mason, OH (PRWEB) March 03, 2015

The combinatorial, multi-gene GeneSight test has been found to better predict antidepressant treatment outcomes for patients with depression, and their use of health care resources, than any of the individual genes that comprise the test, according to a peer-reviewed analysis by investigators from the Mayo Clinic and Assurex Health, and published online by The Pharmacogenomics Journal i.

The proprietary technology of the GeneSight Psychotropic test is based on combinatorial pharmacogenomics (CPGx), the study of how variations in multiple genes collaborate to influence an individuals response to medications, and evidence-based medicine and the known clinical pharmacology of various drugs.

This new publication shows that the combinatorial GeneSight test predicts which patients are likely to experience poorer antidepressant outcomes and use more health care services, whereas single gene diagnostics mostly did not, said lead author and Assurex Health Senior Vice President, C. Anthony Altar, Ph.D. The robust evidence from these analyses reinforce the advantage of the combinatorial GeneSight test in helping clinicians guide antidepressant and anti-anxiety treatment decisions. This and other features of GeneSight distinguish our pharmacogenomic products from all others.

The GeneSight Psychotropic test helps inform clinicians treatment selection for commonly prescribed medications including those for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The test is covered by Medicare, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and a growing number of commercial payers.

Evaluating Drug Metabolism with Genetic Data

The CPGx approach that generates the GeneSight report examines DNA variations of multiple genes since these variations can change the efficacy, metabolism, and adverse effects of many psychiatric drugs. Using a patients unique genetics, the GeneSight Psychotropic test creates a personalized report that places 38 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for depression and other mental health conditions into three color-coded categories for clinicians to review: Use as Directed in green, Use with Caution in yellow, or Use with Increased Caution and with More Frequent Monitoring in red. The GeneSight report also alerts healthcare providers to the implications of the patients genetic information to a drugs dosage, and FDA-approved package insert information. Most single gene tests have high variability and are less accurate in predicting patient responses to psychotropic medications. The GeneSight approach compensates for these limitations by aggregating predictions by the drug metabolism and response genes to better predict patients responses.

Nearly 90 percent of antidepressant and antipsychotic medications are metabolized by at least two of the liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, and many interact with the brain serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) or the serotonin 2A receptor (HTR2A), explained the authors. The GeneSight Psychotropic test accounts for this complexity by measuring and combining the DNA sequence variations within drug response and drug metabolism genes. This analysis looked at the GeneSight test that included the liver metabolism genes CYP2D6, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, and CYP1A2, and the two drug response genes, SLC6A4 and HTR2A.

Since these studies were conducted, Assurex Health has enhanced the GeneSight test to include two more genes, CYP3A4 and CYP2B6, making it the first and only psychiatric pharmacogenomic test to offer CYP3A4 analysis distinct and separate from CYP3A5. The CYP2B6 gene affects medications including bupropion (Wellbutrin), the third most commonly prescribed antidepressant.

GeneSight Outperforms Single Gene Tests in Predicting Patient Outcomes

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Honey, we shrunk the SUV and Europe loves it

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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) In Europe, SUV now stands for: Shrunken Utility Vehicle.

An array of ever-smaller sport-utility vehicles and SUV crossovers is going on display this week at the Geneva Auto Show. Automakers are piling into the segment as one of the best hopes for future growth in a still-weak European market.

European consumers like the higher seating, easier entry and perceived greater freight-carrying capacity. Auto makers like the fact that they can built an SUV body on the same mechanical platform they use for compact cars, saving money on development costs.

The key in Europe has turned out to be putting the vehicles on platforms originally built for compact or small mid-sized cars the so-called B and C segments. They're generally less than 4.5 meters (177 inches) long, or smaller than a Honda Civic, which measures 4.54 meters (179.4 inches.)

The smaller size helps with narrow streets and tight parking in European cities that made full-size SUVs less practical for many people, and a little politically incorrect as well for the more environmentally-conscious. The recently lower price of gasoline will not hurt, although gas remains painfully expensive in Europe compared to the United States due to high taxes.

At Geneva, among the top new contenders will be the Renault Kadjar, which blends the more rugged SUV style with cues from station wagons, such as a lower roofline and comfortable interior, in a small, 4.45 meter package. The Kadjar, pronounced KA-jar, is headed for the European market this summer and China after that, with Renault saying it's too earlier for price information.

Hyundai's redesigned Tucson has grown slightly but is only a fraction longer at 4.47 meters (176.2 inches.)

In the higher priced realm, Infiniti will show off its QX30 concept vehicle which keeps the higher stance of an SUV and uses carbon-fiber cladding and large 21-inch wheels with milled aluminum spokes. Infiniti says the design is intended to make occupants feel safe and protected; it has a pronounced front bumper and a large skid plate to protect the rear.

In the smaller, compact category, Honda will show off the new H-RV, which goes on sale in Europe this summer. It blends a basic hatchback configuration with SUV styling such as cladding and bold creases in the body metal; the company says it has added acoustic insulation to the wheel arches and floor to make riding in it less noisy and more relaxing.

Chinese newcomer Qoros is unveiling its 3 City SUV, a crossover that for now is headed for China only.

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Honey, we shrunk the SUV and Europe loves it

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Funny Censorship Graphics | Shinmai Maou No Testament – Video

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Funny Censorship Graphics | Shinmai Maou No Testament
I laugh at the graphics used as censors in this show. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ryuujin-Gamer-Page/194656967369845?fref=nf.

By: Okuro Saigo

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Funny Censorship Graphics | Shinmai Maou No Testament - Video

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"Censorship in Serbia is easy to prove" – RWB

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Source: Beta, Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Executive director of Reporters Without Borders Christian Mihr has said that "censorship in Serbia is neither direct nor transparent, but is easy to prove."

Mihr is one of the authors of the organization's recently published report about media freedom in the world, the Beta agency said.

In an interview for the Slavko Curuvija Foundation's Cenzolovka website - Mihr said that authorities in Serbia had "a very negative stance towards media freedom and suppressed critical, free reporting and influenced editorial policies by pressuring the media, often financially, via advertising."

Commenting on a recent statement made by EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who questioned the validity of the report by Reporters Without Borders regarding censorship in the media in Serbia, Mihr said that, during 2014, independent media and journalists who were critical were exposed to "serious pressure on several occasions, despite the fact that the process of Serbia's EU membership negotiations is under way."

Articles criticizing the government have been removed from the internet, while independent journalists were threatened or exposed to pressure, he said, according to the Beta report.

"Media freedom must be a strong condition for Serbia's admission to the EU," Mihr said.

Recollecting that Serbia had dropped on the organization's media freedom list by 13 places this year, Mihr estimated that this was "sad for a country which is a candidate for EU membership."

Commenting on the statement of Johannes Hahn that evidence was needed to support the claims of media freedom violations in Serbia, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said earlier this week that it showed the EU official was "an honorable man."

"I did not hear this evidence. I guess the idle ones who up until now made various insults will find them," Vuci remarked, and added he was "grateful to Hahn for showing he was ready to stand under fierce media pressure, but cared much more about the truth."

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American Economic Collapse Dollar Collapse Warning Martial Law – Video

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American Economic Collapse Dollar Collapse Warning Martial Law
Visit this site to learn more (RECOMMENDED: First link uses a proxy) USD COLLAPSE,MARTAL LAW, FEMA Camps, and RFIDs Anonymous Warning to Americans SUBSCRIBE for Latest on USD ...

By: Mere Nire

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American Economic Collapse Dollar Collapse Warning Martial Law - Video

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Ron Paul Found Racist… Again – Video

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Ron Paul Found Racist... Again
No matter how many times he gets caught being racist, supporting racism, being supported by racists, libertarians will to the death deny that he is. Source: Ron Paul: Congressional Black...

By: Jason Unruhe

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Ron Paul Found Racist... Again - Video

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Paul: What is the Department of Homeland Security good for?

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By RON PAUL GUEST COLUMNIST

Late Friday night, Congress passed legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security for one week. This vote followed weeks of debate over efforts to attach a prohibition on funding President Obama's executive order granting amnesty to certain illegal immigrants to the Homeland Security funding bill.

Despite the heated rhetoric from both sides, no one seriously believes that Congress will allow Homeland Security funding to lapse. Most in Congress believe that, without the Department of Homeland Security, Americans would be left unprotected from terrorists and natural disasters. As with most areas of bipartisan agreement, the truth is the exact opposite of the DC consensus. The American people would be much better off if Congress transferred the few constitutional functions performed by Homeland Security to other parts of the government and then shut down the rest of the department.

Many Americans associate Homeland Security with the color-coded terrorist warning system and the "if you see something, say something" public relations campaign. These programs were designed to inspire public confidence in the department, but instead they inspired public ridicule.

Ironically, the best case for shutting down this department is its most well-known component -- the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). More terrorist attacks have been thwarted by airline passengers than by the TSA! The TSA may be ineffective at stopping terrorists, but it is very effective at harassing innocent Americans like Lucy Forck. Three-year-old Lucy, who uses a wheelchair, not only had to endure an intrusive screening from TSA agents, but the agents also took away her beloved stuffed animal.

When not abusing children who use wheelchairs, TSA subjects airline passengers to rules that seem designed to make air travel as unpleasant as possible. For example, TSA recently forced a Campaign for Liberty staffer to throw away a jar of Nutella she had in her carry-own luggage. I am sure all airline passengers feel safe knowing that TSA is protecting them from sandwich spreads.

Ending the TSA would return responsibility for airline security to airports and airlines. Private businesses have a greater incentive than a government bureaucracy to ensure their customers' safety. Those conservatives who think this is a radical idea should try to think of one area where they trust government bureaucrats to do a better job than private business owners.

Another agency within Homeland Security that the American people could do without is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Having spent 15 years in Congress representing a coastal area subject to hurricanes and floods, I have seen first-hand how FEMA places adherence to bureaucratic rules ahead of aiding victims of a natural disaster. As a result, it is not uncommon for disaster victims to wait months or even years for assistance.

FEMA not only fails to provide effective relief to disaster victims, it also impedes private disaster relief efforts. FEMA even hinders disaster victims' efforts to help themselves. While in Congress, I heard stories of individuals being threatened with fines or even jail time if they returned to their property without FEMA's permission. One individual in my district was threatened with arrest if he removed a tarp that FEMA put on his house -- even though FEMA was supposed to have put it on his neighbor's house!

Ten years after the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, it is clear that this department has failed to protect our security, but has infringed on liberty. If Congress really wanted to enhance our security and our liberty it would shut down this unnecessary, unconstitutional department.

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Full-Body Transplants Are a Crazy, Wildly Unethical Idea

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For the last week, an Italian neurosurgeon has been executing a full-blown media offensive, talking up his plan to stitch one persons head to another persons body. If the powers-that-be would just get over their ethical queasiness, Sergio Canavero of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group says he could accomplish the feat by 2017.

But full-body transplants arent so crazy. In fact, it might surprise you that there was a successful operation as far back as 1818. Well, successful if you ignore that the transplantee freaked out and murdered his doctors family. Oh wait. That was Frankenstein. I take it back, full body transplants are totally crazy.

What the hell, going to the moon was crazy too, right? And a maybe-crazy-but-what-the-hell moonshot is exactly how Canavero sees his plan to help patients with severe physical impairments. Why did the US and the Soviet Union just vie for being the first to space? Because it is about measuring dicks. We want to demonstrate as a country, to say: I am the best, he says. Canaveros latest paper glosses over questions of ethics and practicality and tacklesthe trickiest aspect of the head-swapping procedure: The spinal splice.

Canaveros plan focuses on sewingtwo people together by their spinal cords. (Hooking up the rest of the utilitiesblood vessels, airways, blood vesselsis incredibly difficult, but trifling in comparison.) Step one is to sever the cords with a special, ultra-thin blade. Canavero rightly notes most cases of spinal trauma are well, traumatic: Snapping your neck on a skateboard ramp is bound to leave the spinal cord in an untidy condition. Those nerve cells scar, and scarring would impede their regeneration (if cells in the central nervous system could regeneratewell get to that in a sec). A clean wound, on the other hand, heals cleanly. Canavero likens those million sharply severed neurons to spaghetti. Italians adore spaghetti, I love spaghetti, and spaghetti is what is called for here, he says.

The job of fusing those spaghetti-like spinal sections together falls to a substance called polyethylene glycol. This stuff has actually been pretty good at repairing the motor functions in rats with spinal traumathough even the kindest critic will point out that successful rat experiments are a far cry from proving that the stuff will repair human spines. Still, Canavero is raring to go. I have enough animal data, he says. Give me a brain dead organ donor. Say someone is in a traumatic car accident, and doctors say that he cannot be saved. In the time between when the persons family says its OK to pull the plug and the moment the doctors actually do so, Canavero asks for three to four hours. I sever the spinal cord, add polyethylene glycol, and start measuring electrophysiological responses, he says.

After surgery (and during it, one hopes), Canavero will keep the patient in a coma. He estimates it will take about at least two weeks for the first axons to beginlacing themselves together, at which point the patient can be revived. Throughout the coma and for some time after, Canavero will bathe the spinal splice with a mild electrical current. This is not a free Frankenstein joke from the good doctor: Its actually a method thats seen surprisingly promising results healingrealhuman patients with spinal trauma. Canavero is confident that this will keep the muscle cells operational. Combined with physical therapy, Canavero estimates his as-yet-unchosen patient (any volunteers?) will be back on her (new) feet in about a year.

In case this wasnt entirelyclear: Canaveros plan is insane. Like, James Bond villain insane. And its not just because his plan fits together like a Voltron of bad science (which it does). Its kind of a bummer, actually, because his plan couldmaybework, if he was given free rein to cut and sew living peoples heads to dead peoples bodies until he got it right. But besides ethics, theres an unfortunate fact of biology standing in his way: The central nervous system in higher vertebrateslike humansdoes not regenerate. Hes insane. You cant put a head on somebody else! says Binhai Zhang, a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego. The reason why goes down to your DNA. The genes in a mature mammalian central nervous system that control regeneration are repressed, says Michael Beattie, a professor of neurosurgery at UC San Francisco. Theyll stay that way, no matter how much you treat the spinal cord with polyethylene glycol and electrical currents. (Although, hey, who wants to work on un-repressing those genes?)

Nobody knows for sure why the cells in your brain and spine arent wired for regrowth. After all, your peripheral nervous systemthe circuitry for every other part of your bodyconducts electrical impulses in exactly the same way, but its genes can code for self-repair. Beattie says this may have to do the fact the spine and brain contain the circuitry coded for movement, not just for conducting signals. Spinal cells must knit themselves together in super-complex configurations in order to command the motor functions youve learned over a lifetime. Once the connections are made, you dont want the wrong connections getting created, he says.

The only reliable way to induce spinal cell regrowth in higher order vertebrates is with stem cell therapy. Last year scientists showed pluripotent stem cells could regrow damaged spinal cordsbut only in rats. Mark Tuszynski studies stem cells in spinal injury at UC San Diego, and he says even with this advance the research community is years away from attempting suchtreatments on humans. Its not at the stage yet where there can be meaningful advances in clinical trials, he says. Plus stem cells will need help, in the form of drugs that knock down natural regeneration inhibitors that your body creates (because cancer), and still more drugs to keep your body from creating scar tissue around the wound. (Though in fairness, thats the idea behind Canaveros super-thin knife.) All of this research remainsyears away from clinical application.

And this slow, careful tempodo no harm being a hallmark of western medicineis what drives Canaveros bold assertion that he will have a successful head transplant in 24 months. There are all these people who tell you: Who is this guy who can do this in two years? When you go public with something like this, you have to have two balls like this. There are people who are not so strong-balled and will just get crushed by the critics. But I love the critics. This is a feat of theoretical neuroscience and the evidence is there and its going to work. In case you need clarification, his main argument there is Haters gonna hate.

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