Daily Archives: April 5, 2017

In BriefThe FDA has approved the first and only treatment that fightsboth relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis.Now patients with the progressive form of MS have a treatmentoption that could prevent permanent disability. B Cell Targeted Therapy

On March 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug called Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the first and only treatment that fights both relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Ocrelizumab represents a shift in focus for MS drug design, as it is a first-in-class therapy that specifically targets CD20-positive B cells thought to be linked to myelin and axonal nerve damage. Until now, treatments and research had been targeting T cells alone, which is not as effective.

Approximately 400,000 people in the U.S. and more than 2 million worldwide suffer from MS, a chronic disease for which there is no cure. MS is characterized by abnormal attacks by the immune system on myelin sheaths of nerve cells in the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord. The myelin sheath supports and insulates the nerve cells. When it is attacked, it becomes inflamed and eventually sustains damage. Symptoms of damage to the myelin sheath include fatigue, pain, muscle weakness, and difficulty seeing, which can eventually lead to disability, including the inability to walk.

MS is the leading cause of non-traumatic disability in younger adults, typically first striking between the ages of 20 and 40. Patients experience relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), which is the initial diagnosis for 85 percent of MS sufferers, as episodes of new or worsening symptoms (relapses) with periods of recovery in between.

Most people with RRMS will eventually transition into a diagnosis of secondary progressive MS, which steadily worsens over time without periods of recovery just like primary progressive MS (PPMS) does. Everyone with any kind of MS experiences disease activity in the brain and nervous system even when theyre asymptomatic. For all of these reasons, reducing disease activity and slowing disease progression are critical components of treating MS.

Stephen Hauser of the University of California, San Franciscos Weill Institute for Neurosciences, whose research led the drugs development, told Scientific American that early use of ocrelizumab will allow patients with a new diagnosis of PPMS to look forward to a full life without significant disability. This treatment opens up a new option for people with RRMS, but even more significantly, represents the first disease-modifying therapy available for patients with PPMS.

Hauser and his team also see the fact that ocrelizumab provides primary progressive disease patients with only about a 25 percent benefit as useful from a research standpoint; it suggests that the progressive form of the disease is driven by a different biology. Since this research has proved that the B cell plays a key role in MS, but the majority of the immune cells found in MS lesions are T cells, the question is, what do B cells do within the disease process?

Hauser believes that the B cells may be orchestrating the T cell damage process, and notes that many other drugs used to treat MS interfere with B cells even as they target T cells. Ocrelizumabs success has led to a rethinking of how the other MS therapies may be working, he remarked to Scientific American. [O]ur foot is in the door, but were not there yet.

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First-Ever Progressive MS Treatment Has Been Approved by the FDA - Futurism

In Brief Following last month's successful reuse of a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated he is confident that his company can cut the cost of space access by a hundred-fold. Reusable rockets are, indeed, far more cost-effective than the "disposable rockets" previously used, so cheaper space exploration is likely on the way. A Cheaper Space

On March 30, SpaceXmanaged to launch and land a previously used Falcon 9 rocket for the first time. The company has long claimedthat itsFalcon 9 would prove to be the worlds first fully reusable orbital rocketand that such rockets would be a game-changer in space exploration. After last weeks success, those predictions are starting to come true.

Prior to reusable rockets, space flight missions relied on rockets built for single use. These disposable rockets, so to speak, were used in NASAs space shuttle missions, but they were costly for every mission, a new rocket had to be made.

Now, SpaceXs cost-saving rockets are poised to usher in a new, cheaper era of space exploration. At this point, Im highly confident that its possible to achieve at least 100-fold reduction in the cost of space access, SpaceXs founder and CEO Elon Musk said after the historic SES-10 mission last week.

SpaceX has proven its mettle when it comes to space missions. On its website, the private space company has logged more than 70 flights in its manifest. These include numerousmissions funded by NASA, such as SpaceXs 10 resupply runs to the International Space Station (ISS).

SpaceXs 2012 mission to the ISS marked the first time a private spacecraft docked on the space station, andthe latest of its supply missions just took place on February 19. SpaceX has also completed a number of landing tests using its Falcon 9 rockets, as well as missions that launched private satellites into orbit.

Now, with the Falcon 9s reusability confirmed, things are moving forward for SpaceX. The next step is successfully reusing a Falcon 9, after an inspection and a re-fuel, within 24 hours after landing. According to Musk, Rapid and complete reusability of rockets is really the key to opening up space and becoming a space-faring civilization.

The Falcon 9 is powerful and massive enough to reach orbital speeds, and its tough enough to survive re-entry. Its also currently the only truly reusable orbital rocket available. However, it likely wont be the only one for long as Jeff Bezos Blue Origin is well on its way to developing its own reusable rocket. The more of these game-changing rockets we have available, the better the future looks for humanitys exploration of Mars and other off-world wonders.

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Elon Musk Says His Reusable Rockets Will Make Space Access 100-Times Cheaper - Futurism

In BriefA company in Sweden is turning employees into cyborgs byimplanting them with tiny microchips. These chips change how theemployees interact with their office environment, giving them theability to do everything from open doors to order snacks with awave of their hands. Worker Implants

A company based in Stockholm, Sweden, is turning its employees into cyborgs usinga microchip implant about the size of a grain of rice. Though not the first time such microchip implants have been used, this program is the first example ofsuch implants being made available to a companys employees on this sort of level.

The biggest benefit I think is convenience, Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter, told the Associated Press. Epicenter provides network and office space to budding digital startups, and it is currently home to more than 100 companies and about 2,000 workers. The companycalls itself Stockholms first digital House of Innovation, and it only started implanting workers in January 2015.

The microchips, which are implanted in the hands of employees and startup members, function as swipe cards.It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys, Mesterton said, who demoed opening a door just by waving his hand near it. The implant doesnt just open doors, though. Epicenters cyborg employees can operate their printers with it or even order smoothies with a wave of their hands.

The devices arent mandatory, but being chipped has become popular amongst Epicenters employees, with more than 150 now implanted withthe devices. The company even hosts monthly events where participants can get the implants for free, as well as parties to celebrate those who got implanted.

An obvious concern is security and privacy. Of course, putting things into your body is quite a big step to do, and it was even for me at first, Mesterton said, recalling his initial doubts about the implants, which carry information that can be transmitted to other devices via electromagnetic waves, but cannot receive information themselves.

The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone, explained Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholms Karolinska Institute. Such devices, he said, can be exploited by hackers to gain huge amounts of information.

Conceptually you could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often youre working, how long youre working, if youre taking toilet breaks and things like that, Libberton added. The more sophisticated a microchip is, the bigger the ethical dilemmas that can come with them.

For Mesterton, there really isnt a problem. I mean, people have been implanting things into their body, like pacemakers and stuff to control your heart, he said. Thats a way, way more serious thing than having a small chip that can actually communicate with devices.

Indeed, devices that augment the human body, whether through implants or other means, have been turning people into cyborgs for some time now. Some call the trendbiohacking, and it can potentially help us do much more than simply navigate an office environment. The tech couldbe used to monitor health conditions orto treat neurodegenerative diseases. Elon Musk is working on his own version of such a device with a soon-to-be-launched company, Neuralink.

As one Epicenter employee said while she was being implanted, I want to be part of the future, and that may just mean becoming a cyborg.

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Real-Life Cyborgs: A Company Is Implanting Its Employees With Microchips - Futurism