StemCell Therapy

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SUNRISE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 21, 2017 / U.S. Stem Cell (OTCQB: USRM). A scientific paper about intra-articular injection for the treatment of osteoarthritis co-authored by Kristin Comella, Chief Science Officer at U.S. Stem Cell, Inc., a Florida corporation and leader in novel regenerative medicine solutions and physician-based stem cell therapies for human and animal patients, was published in the June 20, 2017 issue of the Journal of Translational Medicine.

Comella is a world-renowned expert on regenerative medicine with a focus on adipose derived stem cells. She was named number 24 on Terrapin's list of the Top 50 Global Stem Cell Influencers and number 1 on the Academy of Regenerative Practices list of Top 10 Stem Cell Innovators. Comella has pioneered stem cell therapies from various sources including cord blood, bone marrow, muscle, and adipose.

Entitled, "Intra-articular injection in the knee of adipose derived stromal cells (stromal vascular fraction) and platelet rich plasma for osteoarthritis," the scientific paper was co-authored by Kristin Comella, Himanshu Bansal, Jerry Leon, Poonam Verma, Diwaker Agrawal, Prasad Koka and Thomas Ichim. Below is a link and abstract to the paper: http://bit.ly/2smaM93.

Background: Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) can easily be obtained from a mini- lipoaspirate procedure of fat tissue and platelet rich plasma (PRP) can be obtained from peripheral blood. We evaluated the safety and preliminary e?-cacy of administering SVF and PRP intra-articularly into patients with osteoarthritis grade 1 and 2.

Methods: A total of ten patients underwent a local tumescent liposuction procedure to remove approximately 100 ml of fat tissue from the abdomen. SVF was isolated using an enzyme digestion and resuspended in PRP for intra-articular injection in the knee. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score and six-minute walk distance (6MWD) were used to evaluate clinical e?ects and included the measure of patient's subjective assessment of pain, joint mobility, and physical disability. WOMAC score, 6MWD and laboratory tests were repeated at 3 and 6 months and 1, 1.5 and 2 years. XRAY and MRI were completed at 1 year.

Results: The average total WOMAC score was 64 at baseline and signi?cantly reduced to 52 at 3 months, 46 at 6 months, 42 at 1 year, 38 at 1.5 years, and 41 at 2 years. Patients walked an average of 1310 feet at baseline and demonstrated a statistically signi?cant improvement at 3 and 6 months and 1, 1.5, and 2 years post treatment. Cartilage thickness as determined by MRI improved by at least 0.2 mm in six patients, was unchanged in two patients and decreased by at least 0.2 mm in two patients.

Conclusions: Overall, all of the patients were pleased with the treatment results. They reported a reduction in pain levels, especially after 3 months. More importantly, the procedure demonstrated a strong safety pro?le with no severe adverse events or complications reported.

Trial registration NCT03089762; Name of registry: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About U.S. Stem Cell, Inc.

U.S. Stem Cell, Inc. (formerly Bioheart, Inc.) is an emerging enterprise in the regenerative medicine / cellular therapy industry. We are focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics that prevent, treat or cure disease by repairing and replacing damaged or aged tissue, cells and organs and restoring their normal function. We believe that regenerative medicine / cellular therapeutics will play a large role in positively changing the natural history of diseases ultimately, we contend, lessening patient burdens as well as reducing the associated economic impact disease imposes upon modern society.

Our business, which includes three operating divisions (U.S. Stem Cell Training, Vetbiologics, and U.S. Stem Cell Clinic) includes the development of proprietary cell therapy products as well as revenue generating physician and patient based regenerative medicine / cell therapy training services, cell collection and cell storage services, the sale of cell collection and treatment kits for humans and animals, and the operation of a cell therapy clinic. Management maintains that revenues and their associated cash in-flows generated from our businesses will, over time, provide funds to support our clinical development activities as they do today for our general business operations. We believe the combination of our own therapeutics pipeline combined with our revenue generating capabilities provides the Company with a unique opportunity for growth and a pathway to profitability.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue," or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

The Company is subject to the risks and uncertainties described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Media Contact:

U.S. Stem Cell, Inc. 13794 NW 4th Street, Suite 212 Sunrise, Fl 33325 Phone: 954.835.1500 Email: usstemcell@us-stemcell.com

SOURCE: U.S. Stem Cell, Inc.

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Kristin Comella, US Stem Cell's CSO, Co-Authors Scientific Paper on Intra-Articular Injection for Osteoarthritis ... - Baystreet.ca

Dr. CohenFor the first time, the FDA has approved a reusable fat collection and transfer system for plastic and reconstructive surgery.

In March, Millennium Medical Techologies (MMT) was granted clearance of its collection of canisters, lids, luer extension and bags that are used with vacuum and/or cleared pumps, tubing and cannulas for collection and transfer of aspirate fat.

The FDA clearance of these items for grafting permits me to use FDA-validated devices in conjunction with the companys Lipo-Loop for large volume fat grafting, without cost or need for additional processing devices, says Steven R. Cohen, M.D., medical director and owner of FACES+ Plastic Surgery, Skin and Laser Center in San Diego, Calif.

Dr. Cohen tells Cosmetic Surgery Times that he co-developed Lipo-Loop, a sterile closed system for liposuction, to eliminate the confusion around large volume fat grafting. Tumescent anesthesia is more effectively delivered because the device vibrates while instilling the solution, making it very comfortable for the patient.

The fat is gently separated by vibration, yielding more stem and regenerative cells, while loosening up the fat and making it easier and more comfortable to remove, Dr. Cohen explains. Because the fat graft is optimized by the hole size of the harvest cannula, it is already micronized. Then, after rinsing, if even needed, the fat is ready to be reinjected into the patient using an automatic injection with vibration, making the fat graft more uniformly distributed and smoother.

Dr. Cohen says Lipo-Loop is the first commercially available system to make large volume fat grafting predictable, simple and safe. Not only can one obtain macrofat for grafting larger volumes into breasts and buttocks, but one can also modify the fat for full facial rejuvenation in a new procedure I have labeled injectable tissue regeneration.

Related: Best practices for facial fat transfer

The discovery of bioactive and biostimulatory cells and molecules, such as mesenchymal stem cells, pericytes, growth factors, exosomes and other cell signaling factors in fat, are leading to a disruption in not only how we will manage aging in the face, but also how we will manage aging and wear and tear in other body tissues, Dr. Cohen says.

For instance, for early knee injury, instead of injecting a steroid to reduce pain and inflammation, we will be injecting stromal vascular fraction cells and platelet rich plasma into the knee to reduce inflammation and stimulate repair, Dr. Cohen says.

Likewise, for facial aging, we will be treating a woman with full facial fat grafting early in the course of agingto replace what is being lost with biologically active tissues that not only restore appearance, but actually regenerate tissue that has aged, Dr. Cohen says. These new strategies will likely be found to impact us even on the cellular level, where we may for the first time begin to see a deacceleration of the aging process in some tissues treated with these new regenerative approaches.

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Lipo-Loop: A closed system for large-volume fat transfer - ModernMedicine

When we cant see clearly, we grasp at what we can. While we cant correct vision without the help of lenses or surgery, there are some fundamental ways you can improve your eyesight and eye health on your own.

The best way to improve your eyesight naturally is to give your eyes what they need to be healthy. A steady supply of nutritious foods and vitamins keeps your eyes and your body in general at their peak.

Two common vitamins and antioxidants shown to help improve eyesight include:

Lutein is a pigment found in high concentrations in a layer of the retina where pigment-packed cells help shield against excess light. Solid scientific research shows that lutein supplementation aids this process in our eyes to naturally improve vision.

Fortunately, lutein is an antioxidant that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables such as spinach, kale, and Swiss chard

Many of the vitamins and antioxidants that improve eyesight naturally are found in common foods, including:

Many eye exercises are touted as ways to naturally improve eyesight and overcome nearsightedness. The Bates Method suggests palming, movement and visualization techniques to reshape the eyeball and improve vision. Yan Bao Jian Cao suggests massage and acupressure as ways to relieve strain and eye problems.

However, none of these exercises are verified to have more than anecdotal or placebo results. While vision therapy is a serious area of optometry that addresses problems with alignment, tracking and strain, theres no sound evidence that vision exercises can affect clarity.

We cant correct our vision without professional help, and theres no quick-and-easy fix for eyesight problems. But with tools such as good nutrition and diet, you can still help your eyesight naturally and on your own. As always, please discuss with your eye doctor.

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Improve Eyesight & Vision | Eye Exercises | CooperVision

The beauty truly is in the details. Andrew Airey was born with a genetic disorder known as Stargardt Macular Dystrophy, but wasnt properly diagnosed until he was an adult. As a result, Airey often struggled with his eyesight as a child, but it wasnt until he was in his mid-20s that he pretty much lost his eyesight entirely.

By then, he was already in a relationship with his now-wife, Kelli, whom he calls a covenant wife.

Kelli knew that I had low vision and it was something that she accepted, Airey tells The Knot. I was going to specialists often and it was not until 2006 that I was able to get some real answers about my eye problems I lost my detail vision, color vision, the ability to focus in on items at several distances. I was upset. Kelli knew that there was no cure and my eyesight would get worse. She has been right by my side through this whole endeavor.

When the pair got married in August 2002, Airey remembers he wasnt able to really see Kellis face or any other details from their special daya fact that still haunts him.

I have been out of focus for too long, he says. When you have an eye disease, it is challenging to function at a high level. I am a tenacious individual and I will try to the best of my ability to overcome any challenge that life brings. I was not able to see my wifes face Honestly, the average person has no idea what it is like and lack of awareness is prevalent in our world.

In 2015, then the couple happened upon eSight Corp, a new technology company giving legally blind individuals the gift of sight, after actively searching for possible solutions. From there, Director of Marketing Jeff Fenton reached out to the couple with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to recreate their wedding. This time, Airey would be able to see it all.

The pair, who share three daughters, gathered close friends and family, and, as documented in a viral video shared on eSights Facebook page, they recreated their celebration of love.It was an incredible experience, Airey says. I was able to see Kelli walk down the aisle smiling the whole time. I saw her beautiful face, her dress, and her veil. I will never forget it.

Airey noticed other details too: When my daughters walked down the aisle I could see their sweet faces, their facial features which have been a blur for so long. I remember seeing my daughter Avas ring on her finger and the diamonds in Kellis veil. The details of everyday life, which so many people take for granted, were brought to life for me again that day.

(Photo courtesy of eSight)

(Photo courtesy of eSight)

Now, Airey and his family are excited to experience life with his rediscovered vision, and he tells The Knot that though there are so many things hes excited to see, the one that hes most thankful for is being able to see his three daughters dancing.

One of the most precious moments was seeing each of my daughters in their dance classes, Airey says. All three girls have a passion for dance and have danced at a local studio, Creative Sole, for years. I have missed out on actually being able to see them during some of their happiest moments. As I write this, my girls are preparing for their recital tonight and tomorrow. Words cannot describe how much I am looking forward to watching them dance on stage. This is their sixth dance recital, but for me, it will all be new thanks to my eSight glasses.

(Photo courtesy of eSight)

In retrospect, Airey says he sees the deeper meaning and implications behind his eye disease and his familys love and support through it all. I know there is a greater purpose for our lives, he says. I believe that God chose me to inspire others through this challenge. I have lost my sight, but not my vision.

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Legally Blind Man Finally Sees His Wife For the First Time at Their Second Wedding - The Knot News

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American Diabetes Association

Definition

Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is vital to your health because it's an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It's also your brain's main source of fuel.

If you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood, although the causes may differ. Too much glucose can lead to serious health problems.

Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes and gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy but may resolve after the baby is delivered.

Diabetes symptoms vary depending on how much your blood sugar is elevated. Some people, especially those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe.

Some of the signs and symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are:

Although type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, it typically appears during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, can develop at any age, though it's more common in people older than 40.

To understand diabetes, first you must understand how glucose is normally processed in the body.

Insulin is a hormone that comes from a gland situated behind and below the stomach (pancreas).

Glucose a sugar is a source of energy for the cells that make up muscles and other tissues.

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown. What is known is that your immune system which normally fights harmful bacteria or viruses attacks and destroys your insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This leaves you with little or no insulin. Instead of being transported into your cells, sugar builds up in your bloodstream.

Type 1 is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, though exactly what many of those factors are is still unclear.

In prediabetes which can lead to type 2 diabetes and in type 2 diabetes, your cells become resistant to the action of insulin, and your pancreas is unable to make enough insulin to overcome this resistance. Instead of moving into your cells where it's needed for energy, sugar builds up in your bloodstream.

Exactly why this happens is uncertain, although it's believed that genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is strongly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, but not everyone with type 2 is overweight.

During pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones to sustain your pregnancy. These hormones make your cells more resistant to insulin.

Normally, your pancreas responds by producing enough extra insulin to overcome this resistance. But sometimes your pancreas can't keep up. When this happens, too little glucose gets into your cells and too much stays in your blood, resulting in gestational diabetes.

Risk factors for diabetes depend on the type of diabetes.

Although the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, factors that may signal an increased risk include:

Researchers don't fully understand why some people develop prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and others don't. It's clear that certain factors increase the risk, however, including:

Any pregnant woman can develop gestational diabetes, but some women are at greater risk than are others. Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

Long-term complications of diabetes develop gradually. The longer you have diabetes and the less controlled your blood sugar the higher the risk of complications. Eventually, diabetes complications may be disabling or even life-threatening. Possible complications include:

Most women who have gestational diabetes deliver healthy babies. However, untreated or uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause problems for you and your baby.

Complications in your baby can occur as a result of gestational diabetes, including:

Complications in the mother can also occur as a result of gestational diabetes, including:

Prediabetes may develop into type 2 diabetes.

You're likely to start by seeing your primary care doctor if you're having diabetes symptoms. If your child is having diabetes symptoms, you might see your child's pediatrician. If blood sugar levels are extremely high, you'll likely be sent to the emergency room.

If blood sugar levels aren't high enough to put you or your child immediately at risk, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in diabetes, among other disorders (endocrinologist). Soon after diagnosis, you'll also likely meet with a diabetes educator and a dietitian to get more information on managing your diabetes.

Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment and to know what to expect.

Preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time with your doctor. For diabetes, some questions to ask include:

Examples of questions your doctor may ask, include:

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often appear suddenly and are often the reason for checking blood sugar levels. Because symptoms of other types of diabetes and prediabetes come on more gradually or may not be evident, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has recommended screening guidelines. The ADA recommends that the following people be screened for diabetes:

If the A1C test results aren't consistent, the test isn't available, or if you have certain conditions that can make the A1C test inaccurate such as if you're pregnant or have an uncommon form of hemoglobin (known as a hemoglobin variant) your doctor may use the following tests to diagnose diabetes:

If type 1 diabetes is suspected, your urine will be tested to look for the presence of a byproduct produced when muscle and fat tissue are used for energy when the body doesn't have enough insulin to use the available glucose (ketones). Your doctor will also likely run a test to see if you have the destructive immune system cells associated with type 1 diabetes called autoantibodies.

Your doctor will likely evaluate your risk factors for gestational diabetes early in your pregnancy:

Your doctor may use the following screening tests:

Depending on what type of diabetes you have, blood sugar monitoring, insulin and oral medications may play a role in your treatment. Eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and participating in regular activity also are important factors in managing diabetes.

An important part of managing diabetes as well as your overall health is maintaining a healthy weight through a healthy diet and exercise plan:

Healthy eating. Contrary to popular perception, there's no specific diabetes diet. You'll need to center your diet on more fruits, vegetables and whole grains foods that are high in nutrition and fiber and low in fat and calories and cut down on animal products, refined carbohydrates and sweets. In fact, it's the best eating plan for the entire family. Sugary foods are OK once in a while, as long as they're counted as part of your meal plan.

Yet understanding what and how much to eat can be a challenge. A registered dietitian can help you create a meal plan that fits your health goals, food preferences and lifestyle. This will likely include carbohydrate counting, especially if you have type 1 diabetes.

Treatment for type 1 diabetes involves insulin injections or the use of an insulin pump, frequent blood sugar checks, and carbohydrate counting. Treatment of type 2 diabetes primarily involves monitoring of your blood sugar, along with diabetes medications, insulin or both.

Monitoring your blood sugar. Depending on your treatment plan, you may check and record your blood sugar as often as several times a week to as many as four to eight times a day. Careful monitoring is the only way to make sure that your blood sugar level remains within your target range. People who receive insulin therapy also may choose to monitor their blood sugar levels with a continuous glucose monitor. Although this technology doesn't yet replace the glucose meter, it can provide important information about trends in blood sugar levels.

Even with careful management, blood sugar levels can sometimes change unpredictably. With help from your diabetes treatment team, you'll learn how your blood sugar level changes in response to food, physical activity, medications, illness, alcohol, stress for women, fluctuations in hormone levels.

In addition to daily blood sugar monitoring, your doctor will likely recommend regular A1C testing to measure your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Compared with repeated daily blood sugar tests, A1C testing better indicates how well your diabetes treatment plan is working overall. An elevated A1C level may signal the need for a change in your insulin regimen or meal plan. Your target A1C goal may vary depending on your age and various other factors. However, for most people with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C of below 7 percent. Ask your doctor what your A1C target is.

Insulin. People with type 1 diabetes need insulin therapy to survive. Many people with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes also need insulin therapy.

Many types of insulin are available, including rapid-acting insulin, long-acting insulin and intermediate options. Depending on your needs, your doctor may prescribe a mixture of insulin types to use throughout the day and night.

Insulin can't be taken orally to lower blood sugar because stomach enzymes interfere with insulin's action. Often insulin is injected using a fine needle and syringe or an insulin pen a device that looks like a large ink pen.

An insulin pump may also be an option. The pump is a device about the size of a cellphone worn on the outside of your body. A tube connects the reservoir of insulin to a catheter that's inserted under the skin of your abdomen. A tubeless pump that works wirelessly is also now available. You program an insulin pump to dispense specific amounts of insulin. It can be adjusted to deliver more or less insulin depending on meals, activity level and blood sugar level.

An emerging treatment approach, not yet available, is closed loop insulin delivery, also known as the artificial pancreas. It links a continuous glucose monitor to an insulin pump. The device automatically delivers the correct amount of insulin when the monitor indicates the need for it. There are a number of different versions of the artificial pancreas, and clinical trials have had encouraging results. More research needs to be done before a fully functional artificial pancreas can receive regulatory approval.

However, the first step toward an artificial pancreas was approved in 2013. Combining a continuous glucose monitor with an insulin pump, this system stops insulin delivery when blood sugar levels drop too low. Studies on the device found that it could prevent low blood sugar levels overnight without significantly increasing morning blood sugar levels.

Controlling your blood sugar level is essential to keeping your baby healthy and avoiding complications during delivery. In addition to maintaining a healthy diet and exercising, your treatment plan may include monitoring your blood sugar and, in some cases, using insulin or oral medications.

Your health care provider will also monitor your blood sugar level during labor. If your blood sugar rises, your baby may release high levels of insulin which can lead to low blood sugar right after birth.

If you have prediabetes, healthy lifestyle choices can help you bring your blood sugar level back to normal or at least keep it from rising toward the levels seen in type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight through exercise and healthy eating can help. Exercising at least 150 minutes a week and losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight may prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

Sometimes medications such as metformin (Glucophage, Glumetza, others) also are an option if you're at high risk of diabetes, including when your prediabetes is worsening or if you have cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease or polycystic ovary syndrome.

In other cases, medications to control cholesterol statins, in particular and high blood pressure medications are needed. Your doctor might prescribe low-dose aspirin therapy to help prevent cardiovascular disease if you're at high risk. Healthy lifestyle choices remain key, however.

Because so many factors can affect your blood sugar, problems may sometimes arise that require immediate care, such as:

Diabetes is a serious disease. Following your diabetes treatment plan takes round-the-clock commitment. Careful management of diabetes can reduce your risk of serious even life-threatening complications.

No matter what type of diabetes you have:

In addition, if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes:

If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly. Alcohol can cause either high or low blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and if you eat at the same time. If you choose to drink, do so only in moderation one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger and always with food.

Remember to include the carbohydrates from any alcohol you drink in your daily carbohydrate count. And check your blood sugar levels before going to bed.

Numerous substances have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in some studies, while other studies fail to find any benefit for blood sugar control or in lowering A1C levels. Because of the conflicting findings, there aren't any alternative therapies that are currently recommended to help with blood sugar management.

If you decide to try an alternative therapy, don't stop taking the medications that your doctor has prescribed. Be sure to discuss the use of any of these therapies with your doctor to make sure that they won't cause adverse reactions or interact with your current therapy.

Additionally, there are no treatments alternative or conventional that can cure diabetes, so it's critical that people who are receiving insulin therapy for diabetes don't stop using insulin unless directed to do so by their physicians.

Living with diabetes can be difficult and frustrating. Sometimes, even when you've done everything right, your blood sugar levels may rise. But stick with your diabetes management plan, and you'll likely see a positive difference in your A1C when you visit your doctor.

Because good diabetes management can be time-consuming, and sometimes overwhelming, some people find it helps to talk to someone. Your doctor can probably recommend a mental health professional for you to speak with, or you may want to try a support group. Sharing your frustrations and your triumphs with people who understand what you're going through can be very helpful. And you may find that others have great tips to share about diabetes management.

Your doctor may know of a local support group, or you can call the American Diabetes Association at 800-DIABETES (800-342-2383) or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at 800-533-CURE (800-533-2873).

Type 1 diabetes can't be prevented. However, the same healthy lifestyle choices that help treat prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes can also help prevent them:

Sometimes medication is an option as well. Oral diabetes drugs such as metformin (Glucophage, Glumetza, others) may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes but healthy lifestyle choices remain essential.

Have your blood sugar checked at least once a year to check that you haven't developed type 2 diabetes.

Last updated: July 31st, 2014

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Diabetes Disease Reference Guide - Drugs.com

Diabetes is a serious disease. People get diabetes when their blood glucose level, sometimes called blood sugar, is too high. The good news is that there are things you can do to take control of diabetes and prevent its problems. And, if you are worried about getting diabetes, there are things you can do to lower your risk.

Our bodies turn the food we eat into glucose. Insulin helps glucose get into our cells, where it can be used to make energy. If you have diabetes, your body may not make enough insulin, may not use insulin in the right way, or both. That can cause too much glucose in the blood. Your family doctor may refer you to a doctor who specializes in taking care of people with diabetes, called an endocrinologist.

There are two main kinds of diabetes.

Diabetes can affect many parts of your body. Its important to keep diabetes under control. Over time, it can cause serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage, and circulation problems that may lead to amputation. People with type 2 diabetes also have a greater risk for Alzheimers disease.

Many people have prediabetes. This means their glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Prediabetes is a serious problem because people who have it are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

There are things you can do to prevent or delay getting type 2 diabetes. Losing weight may help. Healthy eating and being physically active can make a big difference. Work with your doctor to set up a plan for good nutrition and regular exercise. Make sure to ask how often you should have your glucose levels checked.

Some people with type 2 diabetes may not know they have it. But, they may feel tired, hungry, or thirsty. They may lose weight without trying, urinate often, or have trouble with blurred vision. They may also get skin infections or heal slowly from cuts and bruises. See your doctor right away if you have one or more of these symptoms.

Doctors use several blood tests to help diagnose diabetes:

Your doctor may want you to be tested for diabetes twice before making a diagnosis.

Once youve been told you have diabetes, your doctor will choose the best treatment based on the type of diabetes you have, your everyday routine, and any other health problems you have. Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose levels with diet and exercise alone. Others need diabetes medicines or insulin injections. Over time, people with diabetes may need both lifestyle changes and medication.

You can keep control of your diabetes by:

Your doctor may want you to see other healthcare providers who can help manage some of the extra problems caused by diabetes. He or she can also give you a schedule for other tests that may be needed. Talk to your doctor about how to stay healthy.

Here are some ways to stay healthy with diabetes:

Make sure you always have at least 3 days worth of supplies on hand for testing and treating your diabetes in case of an emergency.

Medicare may pay to help you learn how to care for your diabetes. It may also help pay for diabetes tests, supplies, flu and pneumonia shots, special shoes, foot exams, eye tests, and meal planning.

For more information about what Medicare covers, call 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-MEDICARE) or visit their website, http://www.medicare.gov.

American Diabetes Association 1-800-342-2383 (toll-free) askada@diabetes.org (email) http://www.diabetes.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1-800-232-4636 (toll-free) 1-888-232-6348 (TTY/toll-free) cdcinfo@cdc.gov (email) http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/home/index.html

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 1-800-860-8747 (toll-free) 1-866-569-1162 (TTY/toll-free) healthinfo@niddk.nih.gov (email) http://www.ndep.nih.gov http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes

Smokefree.gov 1-800-784-8669 (1-800-QUITNOW/toll-free) cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov (email) http://www.smokefree.gov https://60plus.smokefree.gov

For more information on health and aging, contact:

National Institute on Aging Information Center P.O. Box 8057 Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057 1-800-222-2225 (toll-free) 1-800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free) niaic@nia.nih.gov (email) http://www.nia.nih.gov

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National Institute on Aging National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Originally posted here:
Diabetes in Older People | National Institute on Aging

Podiatrist Vinaya A.S. has bumped across southern India in a bus-turned mobile clinic for 17 years, going village to village checking feet for the ulcer-causing effects of diabetes. These days, her key to staving off limb amputations comes down to one thing: food.

Millets, to be precise. The ancient grains were a staple in India for thousands of years, but largely spurned since a so-called Green Revolution last century led to cheaper, more abundant supplies of refined rice and wheat flour that can bolster blood-sugar. Now a surge in type-2 diabetes is pushing doctors and government officials to recommend a return towholegrains, like ragi or finger millet, that healthfully sustained previous generations.

Vinaya A.S. with patients at a mobile clinic on the outskirts of Bengaluru

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

Food is your medicine you need to eat right, Vinaya, 48, told a group of villagers inDoddaballapur, on the outskirts of Bangalore, last month. Bring the fiber-rich ragi back to your plates, along with fruits and vegetables.

Healthy food choices are becoming critical in India, where diabetes is ripping through the population with deadly consequences. The number of adults living with the disease has risen more than five fold since 1980, though more than half of sufferers arent aware they have it. Left uncontrolled, high blood-sugar levels can damage organs and tissues, including the nerves and blood vessels in the feet, making them susceptible to injuries that fail to heal and eventually turn gangrenous. When that happens, amputations can be life-saving.

Onset of diabetes occurs about a decade earlier in Indians than in North Americans and Europeans. About a third of Indians with the obesity-linked disease are thin, suggesting that too many calories isnt the only diet-related problem, saidK. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Modern Indian meals lack fiber, which protects against diabetes, and are high in white rice and other refined carbohydrates, like wheat flour, used to make poori, or deep-fried bread, and samosas, a deep-fried, vegetable-containing pastry. Such energy-dense foods cause spikes in blood-sugar that weaken the bodys response to insulin and, when eaten regularly, can eventually lead to type-2 diabetes.

Traditional staples, like millets, have been replaced by polished rice and refined wheat flour even in rural areas, said Reddy, a cardiologist who is a past president of the World Heart Federation. Traditional Indian diets, not in vogue now, had a protective effect against diabetes.

There were 69.2 million adults living with diabetes in India in 2015, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Complications such as stroke, kidney failure and blood-poisoning from festering sores kill more than 1 million annually and the country will have 123.5 million diabetics by 2040 unless trends in overweight and obesity are curbed, the Brussels-based group predicts.

Health awareness is motivating Indias urban upper crust to seek out so-called superfoods, such as steel-cut oats and quinoa, a type of edible seed from South America, but millets an umbrella term for many small seeded grains have been slower to catch on, said Krishna Byregowda, the agriculture minister of Karnataka state.

Why are we forgetting our own superfoods while buying and adopting imported oats and quinoa? he asked a crowd at a three-day Organics and Millets National Trade Fair in the state capital, Bangalore, last month.

Customers at Vaathsalya Millet Cafe in Bengaluru.

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

Byregowda is spearheading a campaign involving chefs, nutritionists, doctors and food businesses to bolster demand for a grain he grew up eating as ragi mudde finger-millet flour cooked and shaped into soft mounds and served with leafy greens in a spiced gravy.

His farmer-ancestors grew it not just for its nutritional benefits: the crop needs a third of the rainfall of rice. Yet, millet and sorghum production have declined by a combined 51 percent in India and rice and wheat output has almost quadrupled since the 1960s, when a Green Revolution introduced modern seeds, chemicals and irrigation to boost harvests and stave off hunger.

Drought-induced crop failures in recent years in southern India have convinced the 44-year-old American University graduate of the need to return to growing millet.

In these times of climate change, it made sense to encourage farmers to switch to climate-smart crops rather than cultivate the water-intensive rice, Byregowda said in an interview. The post-Green Revolution planning left millet farmers, like my family, in the lurch.

The government of the neighboring southern state of Tamil Nadu has allocated 8 billion rupees ($124 million) to subsidize the cultivation of millets and pulses, and restaurants in the capital, Chennai, are catering for a growing appetite for millets. P. Sathiya Moorthi sells biscuits, biscotti and sweets from the grain to customers working at the local Hyundai Motor India Ltd. factory and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.s offices.

In Hyderabad in Telangana state, Narayana Peesapaty and his wife Pradnya Keskar have found another culinary use for the grain: edible spoons costing a few cents apiece.

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While millets have gained some international popularity thanks to pop starMadonna and chef Joanne Weir, they are only just gaining traction among health-conscious consumers in the U.S., according to Amrita Hazra. The India-born researcher is part of the Millet Project, a two-year-old University of California, Berkeley program thats working with Californian farmers, chefs and retailers to rediscover the traditions of cultivating and consuming millets.

Ancient grains are making a comeback in peoples diet, and very slowly into the fields, Hazra said.

A farmer cuts millet on the outskirt of Bengaluru.

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

A reviewin 2014 of sorghum and millets used as livestock fodder and birdseed in some countries found they contain health-enhancing properties, though more human clinical trials are needed to assess their direct dietary benefits. They contain more fiber, more micro-nutrients and probably have a smaller blood-sugar impact than refined carbohydrates, said Jennie Brand-Miller, professor of human nutrition at the University of Sydney.

As long as the millets are prepared and consumed in traditional ways, I think this is a good suggestion, said Brand-Miller, who is internationally recognized for her research on the bodys absorption of carbohydrates. To maximize the health benefits of millets, consumers need to resist the urge to grind and refine them.

For podiatrist Vinaya, they are much healthier alternative to the fast-foods, sweetened soda drinks and rice more of her patients are consuming. Of the 60 people who turned up for last months free clinicin which her team checks blood flow to the foot, nerve sensitivity and blood-glucose, 27 were found to have diabetes, she said.

Unchecked, that can lead to foot sores that ulcerate. Her hospital in Bangalore does 30 to 35 foot amputations a month because of diabetes. In at least three of these cases, an entire lower limb needs to be amputated to prevent gangrene causing lethal blood poisoning, or sepsis.

Checking for diabetes at a mobile clinic.

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

To London-trained Vinaya, who runs the diabetic foot clinic at Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, the link between diet and lifestyle changes and the rising incidence of diabetes has strengthened based on data her team has gathered from 2.4 million people in 350,000 households across 1,700 villages the largest such diabetes study in the world.

Even physically active, slender farmers in their 30s and 40s are being afflicted with the disease in India. She tells them how to replace the rice in their favorite dosa pancakes and idli savory cakes with millets. On her repeat rounds to the rural camps, villagers gather round to titter, Doctor-madam has come to conduct cooking classes.

Continued here:
Birdseed Turned Superfood May Help Curb India's Diabetes Scourge - Bloomberg

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) sparked a social media uproar at its annual conference in San Diego earlier this month when it restricted participants from posting photographs of slide presentations on Twitter:

ADA Twitter response to an attendee who posted a photograph from a slide presentation.

The response by conference attendees especially those quite active on social media was brisk, passionate, and hinted at Orwellian censorship. Medscape, who broke the story on the second day of the meeting, mostly focused on the response by physicians.

It would be fair to point out theres some selection bias at play here; after all, the survey was done via social media, and completed by people who use social media. Many like Kevin Campbell MD, a cardiologist in North Carolina with a substantial Twitter following felt the ban was ill-advised for these reasons:

Michelle Litchman PhD, FNP

Whether these rationale hold water or not will likely be debated frequently in the coming years, as more people attending medical conferences turn to social media.

But these arguments center on health care providers.

What about patients? Could such a ban affect the roughly 1 out of 10 Americans with diabetes?

Michelle Litchman is a Utah-based family nurse practitioner who specializes in diabetes care. She was unable to attend the ADA conference but followed it on Twitter so she could bring the latest information back to her patients.

Its impossible to be at every significant conference. There are just too many. Healthcare providers and patients rely on the collective sharing of conference pearls, which include photos, to engage in discussions. These discussions are focused on how to interpret and implement research findings, which in turn inform clinical practice and diabetes management. If we want to elevate healthcare, we need to give clinicians and patients access to up-to-date information.

Amy Tenderich

Amy Tenderich, who has Type 1 diabetes, agrees. I really dont see a downside to sharing openly, as that is also the world we live in now, says Tenderich, who started the popular diabetes advocacy website, DiabetesMine.com, about 12 years ago.

I can tell you that Twitter has definitely given many more people a window into these events. And I believe it helps patients to know what is happening in the field, to have hope, and to be able to look for research studies to potentially be involved in.

If live tweeting from a conference actually creates a pipeline from researchers up-to-date findings, through health care providers, and ultimately to patients this raises two important issues that I did not see brought up in any of the news coverage I saw of the Twitter debate (such as this strongKaiser Health News piece that emphasized possible corporate influence over the ADA policy). First, how often is there truly cutting edge information from medical conferences that needs to be disseminated ASAP? Second, what are the implications of globally disseminating new findings that have not been peer-reviewed or meticulously vetted for publication?

In theory, rapid and early dissemination of new research findings both to the medical community and the lay public may help to get appropriate care to patients sooner, and help important ideas spread, says Michael Hochman MD, an internist and director of the Gehr Family Center for Implementation Science.

In practice, however, it seems that the dissemination of early stage research findings often leads to the cart getting out ahead of the horse. Its hard to know where the optimal balance lies. There are clearly benefits to immediate communication, but there are also real risks that preliminary, un-adjudicated results will be taken out of context. And there are countless examples of new medical treatments and tests becoming widely disseminated before the data support their widespread dissemination.

Michael Hochman MD

Case in point: earlier this month we reviewed several presentations at the worlds largest cancer meeting (ASCO) that generated significant mainstream and social media buzz, but clearly did not live up to the hype. Some of it was downright misleading. Did these findings make their way through social media to ultimately become topics of discussion between patients and providers?

Over the years weve written about many other examples of news from scientific meetings that wasnt ready for prime time:

Clearly, we need to consider the potential consequences of rapidly spreading unfiltered misinformation via social media. Likewise, is there an argument to be made for not tweeting preliminary results and waiting until they are published? Certainly, the possibility of doing harm seems very real.

This Twitter debate at the ADA meeting in San Diego may very well become a bellwether for both the benefits and limitations of social media in broadcasting health care information.

As they stand now the bookends seem to be on one end an ideal of a democratization of access to information that flies in the face of tradition and promises open dialogue, open sharing, and accelerated innovation and on the other a push to protect property rights (doctors, drug companies, and associations) that on the surface, at least, seems to be primarily financially motivated.

The ADA stance centered on unpublished data and intellectual property is a curious one. If the abstracts from the conference are available online, and the data is publicly presented at the meeting, what is it about tweeting the same information that concerns them?

Of note, after the meeting the ADA promised to re-evaluate its social media policy and our legal obligations to the researchers. It was not made clear what those legal obligations were, and if they involved not just the researchers, but also the funders of research.

But I suspect what might become rather neglected as this story evolves is the issue of spreading unvetted findings, and how that can mislead both doctors and patients.

This very well may be the most important consideration of all especially for patients and may not initially appear to be associated with costs, but will ultimately prove very costly in every sense of the word.

Joy Victory is deputy managing editor of HealthNewsReview.org. She tweets as @thejoyvictory. If you feel

"With each passing week he displays the classic symptoms of medium-grade mania in more

Increasingly, I'm becoming more appreciative of, and am on the lookout for, alternative, creative approaches

See the rest here:
American Diabetes Association's Twitter fiasco: Does it matter to patients? - HealthNewsReview.org

With the upcoming watchOS 4 update for Apple Watch slated to bring new features for diabetes management devices, we took some time to speak with Dexcoms CEO Kevin Sayer this week about what it means for users. When Apple revealed watchOS 4 at its Worldwide Developers Conference this month, it featured Dexcom, makers of the G5 Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) popular among iPhone users, on stage as an example of an Apple Watch app that will benefit from new features in the release.

Sayer shared details on how exactly Dexcom devices will improve from these new features in watchOS 4, and more specifically why CoreBluetooth support will be a game changer for Apple Watch users with diabetes.

We also learned from Sayer about the next-generation of the companys popular G5 CGM coming soon. And we had to ask about the chatter prior to WWDC that Apple is reportedly developing its own glucose monitoring technology, to find out his thoughts on the possibility of such features being built directly into future Apple Watch models.

Dexcoms G5 CGM already works with both the iPhone and Apple Watch, but currently the G5s signal has to go to the iPhone first before syncing data to Apple Watch. That means the data on Apple Watch is a bit delayed, and it also means you must have your iPhone around if youre on the go and want to continue syncing data. With new support for CoreBluetooth in watchOS 4, the G5 CGM will make a direct connection:

The way we architected our transmitter to transmit this glucose data many years ago is there is two Bluetooth channelsso it could communicate with two devices at the same time because our sensor talks to Android phones as well, it also speaks with certain models of insulin pumps an Apple patient now with this Watch direct connectivity can have a direct Watch connection and a direct connection with another device what that means for our patients, I think its a game changer for them.

People who work out who have diabetes right now always have these fanny packs and if they have a Dexcom system theyre carrying their phone so the datas there If they have an Apple Watch [with CoreBluetooth support], they can leave that phone home, and track their workout real-time. Or if youre in your office if I had a meeting in the boardroom and had diabetes and was tracking my glucose. I could leave my phone in my office so it wouldnt bother my meeting theres a number of places where this direct connection will be useful I think its part of a much longer term strategy to make that wearable more useful in the lives of people who use it.

Apple announces CoreBluetooth support for watchOS 4 at WWDC 2017

Our ultimate goal is to make the on body component, the wearable, the size of about a penny to wear it like a bandaid.

Sayer also confirmed that the current-generation G5 CGM will get the CoreBluetooth support for a direct connection with watchOS 4, although the iPhone will still likely be required for some setup and data entry:

Hardware-wise its ready to go what we will have to do is once the new OS for the Watch comes out, well have to fine tune our app and get it ready and make sure it works Then well submit our app to the FDA for review We absolutely will support the feature.. We will give patients the ability to see their data directly on the Watch for the current G5 system and systems after that

I believe we will continue to have set up with the phone app a patient doesnt have to enter data that often they have to enter a couple calibrations a day Those things are to be worked out during our human factors testing and our discussions with the FDA, in addition to our discussions with Apple.

Apple announces new diabetes management features at WWDC 2017

One report from CNBC back in April, prior to the unveiling of new features for diabetes management with watchOS 4, claimed Apple had a secret team working on optical sensors to allow for noninvasive measuring of glucose levels (and Tim Cook was reportedly spotted wearing a sensor of some kind connected to Apple Watch). Thats something no one else has been able to do, so we asked Sayer his thoughts on the reports and the possibility of integrating the technology directly into a device like a smartwatch:

Right now the way our sensor works is theres a small wire literally about the width of a human hair thats inserted in the subcutaneous tissue, and that wire is coated with several membranes. And thats how glucose is measured is through that sensor thats inserted under the skin for years people have tried to come up with solutions that dont involve any thing under the skin, similar to what the Apple Watch would be with some type of light technology bouncing through the skin and back up people who intensively manage their diabetes really require extremely accurate information, because insulin is a life saving and a life threatening drug. If somebody could solve that problem it would be a boon for diabetes, but we havent seen anything thats better than what we have and we know how hard it is to do what we do

He also told us about the companys ultimate goal to make the on body component, the wearable, the size of about a penny, which in theory could enable a device the size of a bandaid that could be worn underneath or attached directly to a device like Apple Watch:

We experiment with a number of new form factors Our ultimate goal is to make the on body component, the wearable, the size of about a penny, and have you be able to wear it like a bandaid. What our patients want today more than anything else, is to not have that [the CGM] seen if its the size of a penny and like a bandaid sitting on your arm, if it can communicate directly to an Apple Watch thats a wonderful solution for a patient, theyll be thrilled If Apple asked for a collaboration, wed certainly talk about it.

Currently under development and scheduled for a release as soon as next year following watchOS 4, Sayer told us about the next-generation of the companys G5 CGM, which will feature a lower profile design, a new automated insertion system, and other new features:

Gen 6 is the name of the next platform that is a different hardware configuration that will be lower profile and the insertion system will be automated and very, very user-friendly and easy for patients to use, with the same connectivity that we have in our current G5 system. So it will give the patients a much better on body experience, and the sensor we believe is really the next step in our technology evolution as far as making these things more accurate and more consistenttheres a bunch of great features Apple users have that to look forward to next year sometime, we hope to file it with the FDA in September

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news!

Link:
Dexcom CEO talks 'game changer' diabetes management coming to Apple Watch - 9to5Mac

Diabetes is affecting a growing population of Americans.

Almost 29 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with prevalent cases of the condition, which can cause serious health problems like vision loss, organ damage, and dangerously low levels of blood sugar.

In addition, an estimated 86 million Americans aged 20 years or older have pre-diabetes, which is a condition where blood glucose levels become higher than normal without reaching a level high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Insulin is the standard form of treatment, but a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year indicated the price of these drugs more than tripled between 2002 and 2013. The total cost rose from around $231 a year to $736 a year for each patient, according to the report.

Moreover, many patients require multiple daily injections and struggle with taking medications consistently at the same time with the same dosage. This can make treatment an arduous process.

Novel technologies may offer a solution to these challenges.

A number of tech firms and startups have emerged over the past few years with technologies such as artificial pancreas, machine learning algorithms, and implantable treatments that have the potential to help the growing population living with the disease.

R&D Magazine highlighted a few of the inventions that could redefine the treatment process for this condition.

Artificial Pancreas

This technologys proposed purpose is to help diabetes patients automatically manage their disease without needing to manually adjust their blood sugar levels.

Medtronic is leading the charge on this effort, becoming the first company to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A) last year for its own artificial pancreas. The device is named the MiniMed 670G, and operates as hybrid closed loop system, helping patients with type 1 diabetes automate the laborious process needed to check glucose and insulin levels.

The system is comprised of a glucose sensor and insulin pump that gets strapped to a patients body where it can be worn for seven days at a time. Insulin gets administered through a catheter while an algorithm powers the sensor so the component can continuously monitor baseline glucose levels. An apparatus similar to a smartphone will let users know what the levels are but some basic maintenance on the device is still required.

Medtronic may have made the most progress, but this isnt stopping other companies from planting their own stake in this market.

Senseonics, for instance, struck a development deal with TypeZero technologies to develop their own proprietary artificial pancreas.

This particular system will combine TypeZeros artificial pancreas algorithms with a durable specialized sensor that can last up to 90 days being able to automatically adjust and regulate insulin delivery.

Machine Learning Algorithms

Other firms are exploring software-oriented solutions that could help individuals deal with some of the side-effects of this condition.

Computing giants like IBM are using a mix of deep learning and visual analytics to predict and diagnose the severity of diabetic retinopathy, a condition where high blood sugar levels inflict harm on the retina.

Over 35,000 eye images were used to train the technology to pinpoint lesions and hemorrhages so it could analyze the damage to a retinas blood vessels while also predicting how severe this harm was.

Results from a clinical trial indicated the software was able to achieve an accuracy score of 86 percent when it came to categorizing the severity of the condition, which was better than previously published efforts using this same technology.

A breakthrough like this would help produce a new diagnostic technique for one of the worlds leading causes of blindness.

Other startups developing unique software platforms include DreaMed Diabetes. This venture wants to use machine learning programs to help identify the most efficient intensive insulin therapy for diabetics.

Its technology, emulates the way expert endocrinologists actually evaluate their patients, progressively refining their understanding of how a particular patient responds to insulin treatment adjustments, according to the company website.

One program called Advisor can synthesize information transmitted during daily routine home care tasks, like glucose readings, insulin dosing, and meal data, and automatically adjust insulin treatments and behavior modification recommendations in a manner akin to the way a medical professional would.

The startup also hasanother platform called Glucositter, which can perform round-the-clock monitoring of glucose levels and real-time adjustment of insulin levels as well.

Implantable Treatments

Another unique area being explored within diabetes is implantable prototypes that could continuously deliver medication to patients who need it.

One organization testing this method is ViaCyte, a privately-held regenerative medicine company.

The firm raised $10 million to help advance clinical research on two of its stem cell-based inslet replacement therapies.

One candidate named PEC-Direct works by delivering pancreatic progenitor cells through an implantable device to enable direct vascularization cells. A concomitant maintenance immune suppression therapy is used in conjunction with this experimental therapy in an effort to deliver a possible cure for type 1 diabetes patients at high risk for acute life-threating complications.

The second candidate PEC-Encap is designed to perform a similar function in terms of delivering stem cell-derived islet replacement therapies, but it is geared towards type 1 diabetes as well as type 2 diabetes patients that require insulin. It produces the progenitor cells through an immune-protected device that has demonstrated a viable safety and efficacy profile in an early preliminary clinical evaluation.

Another leader in this research field is Intarcia Therapeutics, which is a biotech startup valued at an estimated $5 billion.

The firm created a specialized technology comprised of an osmotic mini-pump component, high-temperature therapeutic stabilization features, and a mini-pump placement tool.

Its investigational product named ITCA 650 is a GLP-1 receptor agonist administered through a small injectable pump embedded within the skin. The goal is to have this device eliminate the need for daily or weekly injections, essentially boosting adherence to the medication.

The F.D.A. accepted a filing for this device in February 2017.

Read more:
Novel Tech Pushes Diabetes Treatment in New Direction - R & D Magazine

EVANSTON - There hasnt been a gold standard for how orthopaedic spine surgeons promote new bone growth in patients, but now Northwestern University scientists have designed a bioactive nanomaterial that is so good at stimulating bone regeneration it could become the method surgeons prefer.

While studied in an animal model of spinal fusion, the method for promoting new bone growth could translate readily to humans, the researchers say, where an aging but active population in the U.S. is increasingly receiving this surgery to treat pain due to disc degeneration, trauma and other back problems. Many other procedures could benefit from the nanomaterial, ranging from repair of bone trauma to treatment of bone cancer to bone growth for dental implants.

The colored region in a micro-CT image shows regenerated high-quality bone in the spine with minimal use of growthfactor.Regenerative medicine can improve quality of life by offering less invasive and more successful approaches to promoting bone growth, said Samuel I. Stupp, who developed the new nanomaterial. Our method is very flexible and could be adapted for the regeneration of other tissues, including muscle, tendons and cartilage.

Stupp is director of Northwesterns Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology and the Board of Trustees Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine and Biomedical Engineering.

For the interdisciplinary study, Stupp collaborated with Dr. Wellington K. Hsu, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, and Erin L. K. Hsu, research assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, both at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The husband-and-wife team is working to improve clinically employed methods of bone regeneration.

Sugar molecules on the surface of the nanomaterial provide its regenerative power. The researchers studied in vivo the effect of the sugar-coated nanomaterial on the activity of a clinically used growth factor, called bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2). They found the amount of protein needed for a successful spinal fusion was reduced to an unprecedented level: 100 times less of BMP-2 was needed. This is very good news, because the growth factor is known to cause dangerous side effects when used in the amounts required to regenerate high-quality bone, and it is expensive as well.

The findings were published today (June 19) in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Stupps biodegradable nanomaterial functions as an artificial extracellular matrix, which mimics what cells in the body usually interact with in their surroundings. BMP-2 activates certain types of stem cells and signals them to become bone cells. The Northwestern matrix, which consists of tiny nanoscale filaments, binds the protein by molecular design in the way that natural sugars bind it in our bodies and then slowly releases it when needed, instead of in one early burst, which can contribute to side effects.

To create the nanostructures, the research team led by Stupp synthesized a specific type of sugar that closely resembles those used by nature to activate BMP-2 when cell signaling is necessary for bone growth. Rapidly moving flexible sugar molecules displayed on the surface of the nanostructures grab the protein in a specific spot that is precisely the same one used in biological systems when it is time to deploy the signal. This potentiates the bone-growing signals to a surprising level that surpasses even the naturally occurring sugar polymers in our bodies.

In nature, the sugar polymers are known as sulfated polysaccharides, which have super-complex structures impossible to synthesize at the present time with chemical techniques. Hundreds of proteins in biological systems are known to have specific domains to bind these sugar polymers in order to activate signals. Such proteins include those involved in the growth of blood vessels, cell recruitment and cell proliferation, all very important biologically in tissue regeneration. Therefore, the approach of the Stupp team could be extended to other regenerative targets.

Spinal fusion is a common surgical procedure that joins adjacent vertebra together using a bone graft and growth factors to promote new bone growth, which stabilizes the spine. The bone used in the graft can come from the patients pelvis an invasive procedure or from a bone bank.

There is a real need for a clinically efficacious, safe and cost-effective way to form bone, said Wellington Hsu, a spine surgeon. The success of this nanomaterial makes me excited that every spine surgeon may one day subscribe to this method for bone graft. Right now, if you poll an audience of spine surgeons, you will get 15 to 20 different answers on what they use for bone graft. We need to standardize choice and improve patient outcomes.

In the in vivo portion of the study, the nanomaterial was delivered to the spine using a collagen sponge. This is the way surgeons currently deliver BMP-2 clinically to promote bone growth.

The Northwestern research team plans to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration to launch a clinical trial studying the nanomaterial for bone regeneration in humans.

We surgeons are looking for optimal carriers for growth factors and cells, Wellington Hsu said. With its numerous binding sites, the long filaments of this new nanomaterial is more successful than existing carriers in releasing the growth factor when the body is ready. Timing is critical for success in bone regeneration.

In the new nanomaterial, the sugars are displayed in a scaffold built from self-assembling molecules known as peptide amphiphiles, first developed by Stupp 15 years ago. These synthetic molecules have been essential in his work on regenerative medicine.

We focused on bone regeneration to demonstrate the power of the sugar nanostructure to provide a big signaling boost, Stupp said. With small design changes, the method could be used with other growth factors for the regeneration of all kinds of tissues. One day we may be able to fully do away with the use of growth factors made by recombinant biotechnology and instead empower the natural ones in our bodies.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health (grant 5R01DE015920-10) and the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine at Northwestern University provided funding for this research.

The paper is titled Sulfated Glycopeptide Nanostructures for Multipotent Protein Activation. Stupp and Wellington and Erin Hsu are senior authors of the paper, and postdoctoral fellows Sungsoo Lee and Timmy Fyrner are first authors.

Read this article:
Sugar-coated nanomaterial excels at promoting bone growth - Northwestern University NewsCenter

For two years, Alyssa Hillpot didn't know the name of the man who saved her life.

His blood-forming cells work in her body, taking the place of the unhealthy cells that kept her in and out of the hospital during the prime of her life.

"We're bonded by that," she said.

She wrote him a letter through her doctor, but privacy rules prevented them from learning each others' name, email or phone number.

A year later, he wrote back. And last summer, the two agreed to share personal information and talked online through Skype.

She learned her stem cell donor, Stephan Mages, is a German medical student and aspiring neurologist who has traveled around the world. He learned she almost died from pneumonia and fought non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, multiple times.

Now, at 26, Hillpot, of Phillipsburg, N.J., has been cancer-free for about two years and wants to help other blood cancer patients find the person who can help them recover. The young cancer survivor will be leading the inaugural Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 5K Run/ Walk Saturday at Notre Dame High School in Bethlehem Township, an event organized by her doctor at St. Luke's Hospital-Warren Campus.

Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are expected to make up a tenth of the cancers diagnosed in the country this year, according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Money raised at Saturday's event will go to the organization, which funds research and treatment.

Dr. Eugene Decker, Hillpot's primary care doctor, said 148 people were signed up by Tuesday night. He expects that number to grow. Those attending the event also can join a bone marrow donors' registry by giving a sample of their DNA through a cheek swab.

Decker, a lifelong runner and an assistant cross-country coach at Notre Dame, got the idea from runners he met at a half-marathon at Walt Disney World in Florida. The race, benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society , draws tens of thousands of people. And when stormy weather prompted organizers to cancel the race earlier this year, he felt a stronger resolve to organize his own race, he said.

"We had to complete what we started," he said.

He's inspired by Hillpot, he said, because she beat back death multiple times.

"Never give up. Always be a fighter. That's a story I can tell over and over again," he said.

In his three-decade career in medicine, Decker has had to tell dozens of patients they have blood cancer. About a quarter of them died, he said. In the hopes of helping more people survive, Decker is using the run to raise awareness of bone marrow donation, a process that he said has become less invasive. He hopes the race will continue annually.

After graduating college, Hillpot found out she had cancer two months into her job teaching preschool. Instead of working her way up in education, she was stuck in cancer treatment and watched her friends build careers, fall in love, get married and have kids.

But now she feels she can start her life.

She's looking for a job in sales, human resources or customer service. She wants to teach, but her doctors warned her against working with young children, considering her fragile immune system.

After fighting cancer, a career change isn't a big deal to Hillpot. She's optimistic about her future.

Her birthday is Jan. 23. But she celebrates another date too: April 25, 2014, the day she got the transplant.

"That's my rebirth," she said.

Bhuang@mcall.com

Twitter @Bhuang2012

610-820-6745

What: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 5K Run/Walk and one-mile children's walk

When: 9:30 a.m., Saturday.

Where: Notre Dame High School of Green Pond, 3417 Church Road, Bethlehem Township.

What else: Be The Match will be doing on-site testing to find donor matches.

Register online: pretzelcitysports.com, click on calendar

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Cancer survivor to lead inaugural Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 5K Run - Allentown Morning Call

Researchers at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development will collaborate with a team at the New York Blood Center on a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, for research and development on a river blindness vaccine.

River blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, is a skin and eye disease transmitted to humans through the bite of a blackfly, which breeds in fast-flowing rivers and streams and increases the risk of blindness to those that live nearby. The disease occurs most commonly in Africa, but also is found in six countries in Latin America and in Yemen.

The grant will support the continuation of the international initiative TOVA The Onchocerciasis Vaccine for Africa which was established in 2015 and is comprised of 13 world-renowned scientists and research centers. The mission of TOVA is to develop recombinant protein-based vaccines that will support the efforts to eliminate river blindness in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The overall goal of the study is to advance the development of the Ov-103 and Ov-RAL-2 antigens as components of a vaccine against human onchocerciasis. Through the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylors focus, led by Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor, and Dr. Bin Zhan, associate professor of pediatrics, will be in the development of the production process for Ov-103 and Ov-RAL-2 vaccine antigens. Researchers will characterize the vaccine antigens and co-develop vaccine formulations using previously developed quality-control assays.

The vaccine will fill an urgent gap in the fight against onchocerciasis and will have a strong impact on improving public health in Africa, Bottazzi said.

A vaccine to combat river blindness could greatly accelerate the timetable to eliminate river blindness in Africa, compared to current methods focused only on mass drug administration, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Other collaborators on the project include Dr. Sara Lustigman of the New York Blood Center, Dr. Ben Makepeace of the University of Liverpool and Dr. David Abraham of the Thomas Jefferson University.

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Grant funds continued research for river blindness vaccine - Baylor College of Medicine News (press release)

LE MARS, Iowa | Hours before Marty Kurth won his 500th game as a baseball coach at Gehlen Catholic High School in Le Mars, he walked through his house with a black fungo bat, the kind he's used thousands of times to hit fly balls and grounders to his players.

"I use the bat as my cane," Kurth said. "It helps me get around the house."

Coach Kurth is going blind. In layman's terms, he has suffered a stroke in each eye the past 11 months, resulting in a sudden loss of blood flow to the optic nerve. The first stroke, which afflicted his left eye, happened on July 25, 2016. The stroke to his right eye took place on June 3, just 19 days ago.

Kurth is still coaching, doing so from the dugout, not in his coaching box on the field. He relies on assistant coaches Solomon Freking and Ty Kurth (his son) and Jays players such as Cooper Davis to describe action on the field. The Jays won 10-0 at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on Monday night, giving Kurth his 500th victory. With that victory level and a pair of state championships (1995 and 1999) among his six state tournament appearances, the Westmar College graduate is a lock for a spot in the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

The accolades matter little right now, if they ever did. Kurth remains focused on his 2017 team, a club that began the season 0-4 and has ripped off 11 wins in the last 13 games. When he's not studying lineups or opponents, he's pondering a somewhat uncertain future, one that for the first time in his adult life doesn't include teaching or coaching full-time, as he recently resigned.

"I was at the point of my career where I thought maybe after next year I'd retire," said Kurth, a native of Remsen and a second-baseman on Remsen St. Mary's state championship baseball team in 1983. "Now what? I have no idea what the good Lord has planned for me."

Kurth hasn't been one to run from challenges in the past. A physical education teacher who was toiling as Gehlen athletic director several years ago, Kurth was charged with finding a head coach to direct the girls' basketball program. When his search turned up empty, Kurth told school officials he'd lead the team for a maximum of two years.

"I ended up coaching eight years," he said.

Not only that, Kurth piloted the 2012 Jays basketball team to the school's first state basketball tournament. And, he surpassed the 100-win total, all for a guy who was awfully "green" when it came to high school girls' basketball.

The news of his failing eyesight came as a shock to me. I didn't realize it until Barry Poe mentioned it in a Sunday story in the Journal, a wrap-up of Gehlen's title in the J-Club Tournament on Saturday. I was there that day and saw Kurth sitting in the dugout, an oddity for a hands-on coach who was always prepping the field and his players for another game.

"When I lost my vision in my left eye in July 2016, I woke up that morning and closed my right eye and could not see myself in the mirror," he said.

He began worrying at that point, not only about his left eye, but his right eye, too. Kurth's sister, Cheri Hoebelheinrich, who resides in Florida, lost vision in one eye when she was 37. She lost the vision in her other eye one decade later. Kurth's father, who died at age 56, began losing vision in one eye at age 37, too.

"We hoped that after I lost the one eye that I'd have time, like maybe 10 years," Kurth said. "But not even 11 months later, I woke up on June 3 and knew something wasn't right."

Kurth hit infield to his Jays that weekend in the CYO Classic, which played out on fields in Carroll and Glidden, Iowa. Before the second game at Glidden, a 10-0 victory over St. Edmond High School of Fort Dodge, Kurth had trouble catching a toss from his catcher as he hit ground balls. It's the kind of catch he's made a million times, second-nature.

"I couldn't see the ball," he said.

Jen and Marty Kurth visited the Truhlsen Eye Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center two days later. Doctors there identified the cause, the same affliction that struck his left eye last July: non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy, or "NAION" for short.

"There's no cure," he said. "It's what my sister had, too."

Jen said that while the condition isn't genetic, it can be familial. Researchers continue to study it. The Kurths continue to pray.

Marty Kurth tried to qualify for a "NAION" study, but his participation was ruled out because he has too many red blood cells.

"We got opinions from Duke University and Johns Hopkins Medicine and they didn't want to give me the medication in the study because they didn't know what the ramifications might be with my blood disease," he said.

Jen Kurth, who works in the business office at Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars, said that "NAION" typically affects smokers, diabetics and those with high blood pressure. Marty, she noted, fits none of those descriptors.

Marty Kurth said he can currently see a little out of the upper right hand corner of his right eye. He also has some peripheral vision in his left eye. "I told Ty that if you closed your eyes so that your eyelids were touching and you tried to see, that's kind of what it's like for me right now."

He hasn't lost his sense of humor, though, and it showed on Saturday as the Jays battled Newell-Fonda. When Gehlen pitcher Collin Buden got ahead in the count before hitting one batter and walking the next, the old head coach became anxious on Saturday: "I hollered out to the mound and said, 'Alex, don't make me come out there. You know, I will find you!'"

The players and Budden got a kick out of it, their longtime coach making the best of a difficult, life-changing predicament.

Kurth knows he's fortunate to have Jen, their children Kendra, Mitchell and Ty, and Jen's parents offering love and support, as well as a world of friends and current and former Gehlen students, players and competitors throughout Plymouth County and Northwest Iowa.

"I'm 52," the Gehlen legend said. "I feel good. The good Lord has a plan. We hope to find out what it is soon."

In the meantime, researchers will continue to work, as will the baseball players sporting the Gehlen green and gold. And the wise, old coach in the dugout? He'll lean on his fungo, listening, feeling, smelling for the optimum time to call a pitch-out or a hit-and-run. Maybe Marty Kurth is becoming visionary, in a figurative sense.

"My daughter wanted to make a shirt after Monday's victory," he said. "It was going to say, '500 wins. Not so hard. My dad did it. The last six with his eyes closed.'"

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GALLAGHER: Gehlen coach rallies while battling blindness - Sioux City Journal

A number of Offaly residents are set to walk for Fighting Blindness, a small charity with a big mission. They aim to find treatments and cures for sight loss in Ireland where over 246,000 people are affected by conditions such as age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Diabetic Retinopathy and Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Additionally, their Insight Counselling Centre provides a professional counselling service to people affected by sight loss and their families.

Fighting Blindness must raise 90% of their annual funding for their work, which is the reason they rely so much on the kindness and support of the community and companies nationwide. In an enormous effort to raise money Fighting Blindness are asking members of the public to join them and walkers from all over the world to discover Marbella on their VISION WALK this October.

Edenderry's JohnnyBrady, Aileen Mallon, Vinnie Leech and others will take on the walking adventure for Fighting Blindness later this year, and they are encouraging others to join them. The walk takes place from October 10-16 and the itinerary includes Aer Lingus flights, 4 Star Hotel accommodation in Marbella for 6 nights, transfers, Gala Dinner on final night and registration for the four daily walks. You can choose either a 5K, a 20K or for the very fit a 30K.

The walks take place daily through the countryside, nature trails and along the beach. It promises to be great fun, challenging and an opportunity to raise much needed funds for research into the cause of visual impairment.

If you choose to join, 50% of the money raised will go to Fighting Blindness. To book, a deposit of 200 is required and the full cost of the trip is 1,800 Euros. Fundraising ideas and sponsorship cards will be given to all those who book. Further information is available on http://www.FightingBlindness.ie or by calling Freddie on 086 8584144.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you have a story for us, sports news, an event happening in your area, or if you want to submit pictures or videos, contact the Offaly Express team via e-mail to justin.kelly@iconicnews.ie, or through our Facebook.

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Offaly people to walk in Spain for Fighting Blindness charity - Offaly Express

The FINANCIAL -- The University of Liverpool is part of a new $3.6 million international project to put into action a strategic plan to create a preventative vaccine for River Blindness, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the disease from Sub-Saharan Africa.

River blindness, scientifically known as onchocerciasis, is a skin and eye disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus, a parasite that can cause permanent blindness. An estimated 18 million people are still infected with O. volvulus, including 12.2 million who suffer from Onchocerca skin disease and 1.025 million people who have permanent vision loss, according to the World Health Organization and the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.

Led by the New York Blood Center (NYBC) and funded by the National Institutes of Healths (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a consortium of partners will continue their work on developing a prophylactic vaccine for the disease.

The group will test vaccine formulations in mice to identify those that induce the highest protective immunity. Formulations will then be tested in nave calves against a natural infection with O. ochengi, a closely related parasite known to mimic the immunological status of humans living in regions susceptible for O. volvulus infection. Once the optimal vaccine formulation is found, the consortium will move to clinical development and first-in-human clinical phase 1 trials by the year 2020, according to the University of Liverpool.

Dr Ben Makepeace, from the Universitys Institute of Infection and Global Health, said: I am delighted that the University of Liverpool, alongside our partners from the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, have been provided with a subcontract from NYBC of $900,000 to test a river blindness vaccine in cattle. If it works in cattle, we can be much more confident that it will be effective in humans too, contributing to elimination of this terrible disease from Africa.

Dr Sara Lustigman, who is leading the project from NYBC, said: New tools are desperately needed, particularly a prophylactic vaccine that will support the elimination of this disease rather than only controlling it by mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin, which reduces transmission but does not cure the disease.

We believe that our strategic goal should be to vaccinate children who have not yet had access to MDA with ivermectin; the vaccination will prevent infection in this vulnerable population, and also help prevent reintroduction of infection in areas where it might have been controlled through MDA. This is what these essential clinical trials will help us to prove.

Lord Alexander John Sandy Trees, Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, University of Liverpool, and Crossbench Member of the United Kingdoms House of Lords said: It is very exciting to see that partners from United States, UK and Africa have joined forces to advance the worlds first onchocerciasis vaccine and continue on a mission I was part of. Lord Trees has made significant contributions to the field of tropical medicine, and in particular to those suffering from river blindness in West Africa.

The other collaborative partners on the NIH grant are Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Dr David Abraham of the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Dr Makepeace and the University of Liverpool are part of the international initiative TOVA The Onchocerciasis Vaccine for Africa which was established in 2015 and is comprised of 14 world-renowned scientists and research centers. Its mission is to develop recombinant protein-based vaccines that will support the efforts to eliminate River Blindness in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Major funding to advance world's first river blindness vaccine - The FINANCIAL

It is critical that humanity meet the food needs of a growing population and relieve the increasing pressures on natural systems. Environmental Defense Fund supports the coexistence of diverse farming systems to ensure a sustainable future for farmers, society, and our environment. Achieving these goals will require a comprehensive strategy that draws on a wide range of approaches and technologies, including biotechnology.

EDF recognizes the use of biotechnology as a legitimate deployment of science in the search for effective solutions, and also recognizes that past deployment of some biotechnology products has caused legitimate concerns. For that reason, we will support or oppose specific biotechnology products or processes based on transparent assessments of their health, environmental, social, and economic risks and benefits.The risks and benefits of biotechnology products will often vary by organism, geography and other variables, and need to be assessed at relevant temporal and spatial scales.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Our position on biotechnology

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Environmental Defense Fund: Sustainable farming, feeding growing population require biotechnology - Genetic Literacy Project

About Lilly's Biotechnology Center and the Company's Presence in San DiegoThe center features a new technologically-advanced laboratory and an additional 180,000 square feet of working space, which is an increase of 145 percent compared to the former facility. In addition to the center's established presence in preclinical and clinical immunology research, the new space allows for closer partnership between Lilly experts in biotechnology, discovery chemistry and research technologies while also fostering external collaborations.

"Being in the San Diego area for the last 13 years has been a game changer for us, specifically in the arena of discovering medicines for hard-to-treat autoimmune conditions," said Thomas F. Bumol, Ph.D., senior vice president of biotechnology and immunology research at Lilly. "With compounds such as Taltz (ixekizumab) for psoriasis, we've not only provided patients with a new treatment option, but we've also moved the needle for advancing science."

As a pioneer in automated organic synthesis, Lilly is creating the Lilly Life Science Studio in San Diego. Building upon Lilly's Automated Synthesis Laboratory in Indianapolis, the new facility will allow researchers across the globe to remotely design, synthesize and screen investigational molecules in an unprecedented manner. Using the power of automation, the Lilly Life Sciences Studio will shape the next generation of drug discovery and expand the reach of individual scientists to test new ideas, while reducing the cost and minimizing the environmental impact of our research activities.

"Investing in drug discovery and development is critical to maintaining an ecosystem that encourages and promotes innovation. Our expansion in San Diego is a prime example of investing in a research success story," said Jan Lundberg, Ph.D., executive vice president for science and technology and president of Lilly Research Laboratories. "Expanding our presence in San Diego will not only help us discover and deliver innovative medicines faster, but will also help us achieve our goal of launching 20 new medicines in 10 years."

San Diego has long been an important location for Lilly. In 2004 Lilly acquired Applied Molecular Evolution, Inc. before establishing the Lilly San Diego Biotechnology Center in 2009, located near the University of California, San Diego, among other prominent biomedical research institutes. Since its establishment, the center has created more than 100 jobs with more than 200 scientists currently working in various research activities.

"Congratulations to Lilly on the expansion of its new Biotechnology Center, which will double its drug research and development in San Diego, create high-quality jobs, and encourage collaboration on groundbreaking therapies that improve patient care and lower costs," said Representative Scott Peters (D-CA 52nd Congressional District). "San Diego's life sciences industry is changing the face of medicine and companies like Lilly are driving this innovation."

About Lilly's U.S. Research and Development InvestmentNearly $250 million of Lilly's $850 million capital investments will be dedicated to supporting its research and development centers around the U.S., including the center in San Diego, in 2017. Lilly's other U.S. research centers are located in Indianapolis, Indiana; Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York, New York; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 2017, Lilly plans to spend approximately $5 billion on global R&D, nearly $4 billion of which will be invested in U.S. based programs, including projects with many of California's leading biomedical research institutions.

"This investment doesn't come without risk. America's biopharmaceutical leadership is driven by a free-market economy that rewards innovation," said Ricks. "Today, there are multiple public policy threats to our business that would discourage or reduce our investment in the U.S. and the state. We are committed to working with policymakers and stakeholders to ensure our efforts to deliver new innovative medicines to patients are not threatened."

AboutEli Lilly and CompanyLilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at http://www.lilly.com and http://www.lilly.com/newsroom/social-channels. C-LLY

This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about the benefits of the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego, California and other planned capital projects, and reflects Lilly's current beliefs. However, as with any such undertaking, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the processes of pharmaceutical research and development, and capital project implementation and completion. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that the projects will be completed on the anticipated timeline or at all or that Lilly will realize the expected benefits of the projects. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, please see Lilly's latest Forms 10-Q and 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

Nicole Hebert, hebert_nicole@lilly.com, (317) 701-9984 Jackie Shelton, sheltonj@lilly.com, (317) 719-5928

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eli-lilly-and-company-unveils-expanded-biotechnology-center-in-san-diego-300477395.html

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Eli Lilly and Company Unveils Expanded Biotechnology Center in San Diego - PR Newswire (press release)

Evotec and co-investors support Dutch Facio Therapies BV with 4.8m to push development of Dux4 inhibitors to treat facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD), one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy.

With its investement alongside unnamed Australian and North American investors, Evotec enters the field of musculoskeletal diseases.

Currently there is no causative treatment for the muscle wasting disease that affects 700,000 people worldwide. In a patient cell-based screening, Evotec and Facio Therapies (Leiden) have already identified some FSHD candidate drugs, which block the overexpression of the DUX4 protein in skeletal muscle cells that causes muscle atrophy and oxidative stress, hallmarks of the disease. About 20% of people with FSHD end up in a wheelchair.

Facio announced it will use the proceeds to select pre-clinical lead candidates for further development. According to the NIH, the field of muscular dystrophies received US$80m in funding in 2017. One tenth of the amount has been channeled into FSHD research.

Some companies have already started clinical testing of candidate drugs for treating FSHD. aTyr Pharma, Inc. is in Phase I/IIa testing of the protein drug Resolaris in early onset FSHD. Acceleron Pharma, Inc. has recently started Phase II testing of ACE083, an inhibitor of proteins of the TGF-beta family.

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Evotec invests in Facio Therapies - European Biotechnology - European Biotechnology