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Kelly Osbourne Campaigning to Make Stem Cell Therapy Affordable … – Hollywood.com

April 27th, 2017 10:40 am

Wenn

Singer-turned-TV personality Kelly Osbourne wants to help cure fellow Lyme disease sufferers by making stem cell therapy available for all in the U.S.

Ozzy and Sharon Osbournes daughter contracted the condition after she was bitten by a tick during a party for the rockers 56th birthday back in 2004, when her mother had a reindeer sanctuary installed at their Los Angeles home.

However, Kelly wasnt properly diagnosed until 2014, months after suffering a seizure while filming an episode of E!s Fashion Police show in 2013, when doctors claimed her collapse had been caused by epilepsy.

She did some research into her ailments and discovered she was actually struggling with Lyme disease, and promptly sought out alternative treatment to help her overcome the illness.

I started to actually do the one thing doctors tell you not to do and thats to go online and look it up, she explained on Good Morning America, and all roads pointed to Lyme disease so I found a doctor through my mum.

I went to Frankfurt, Germany, and I did stem cell (therapy) and I got cured, Kelly claimed.

The 32-year-old is lucky to have been in a position to afford the treatment, which involves the transplant of stem cells to heal those damaged by the disease, and now she is looking to get involved in making the therapy more widely available and affordable to others less fortunate.

It sickens me that thats not available to everyone and that you have to be considered lucky or privileged to get that sort of treatment, she said. I want to make sure and I will do anything that I can do to make sure that that treatment is available in this country.

Kelly details her experience with the bacterial infection in her new memoir There Is No F**king Secret: Letters from a Bada** B**ch. She isnt the only celebrity to open up about her struggles with Lyme disease pop star Avril Lavigne, and veteran model Yolanda Hadid and her runway star kids Bella and Anwar Hadid have also been battling the illness.

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Are baby, wisdom teeth the next wave in stem cell treatment? – FOX 61

April 26th, 2017 10:43 am

FOX 61
Are baby, wisdom teeth the next wave in stem cell treatment?
FOX 61
Alison Bassetto's voice is steady and brisk as she explains why her husband's untimely death prompted her to have her 19-year-old son's wisdom teeth banked. The practice of cryopreserving children's baby or wisdom teeth is one that's been around for a ...

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California’s deadly ‘social legislation’ parallels its economic and … – Desert Dispatch

April 26th, 2017 10:43 am

By Richard Reeb

The Golden States well-known descent from its years of prosperity and political clout, which stands in sharp contrast to the nations recently renewed growth and turn to the right, has another side. That is its Democrat leaders determination to facilitate the death of unwanted unborn babies, the elderly and terminally ill. Indeed, this session of the California State Legislature provides more evidence of this ominous trend. We Californians already legalize and finance abortion on demand and last year sanctioned so-called assisted suicide. Now attention is turning to new means and new victims of this misguided movement.In the State Senate, four bills have been introduced to this end, while one constitutional amendment has been proposed to stem the billions in funding for embryonic stem cell research. First, the bill (SB 743) of Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, would guarantee that Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers could still receive federal Medicaid funds via Medi-Cal family planning services. This is a perfect example of California Democrats defiance of the national conservative trend. Fortunately, it will probably go nowhere as President Donald Trump has recently rescinded his immediate predecessors executive order to force states to finance abortions. Exemplifying abortion advocates virtual sanctification of fetal homicide is SB 309, originally introduced by Sen. Pan, which would actually establish a specialty license plate celebrating reproductive freedom. Revenue generated would go to the California Reproductive Freedom Fund, whatever that is. One wonders: did the Third Reich authorize plates for Volkwagens to celebrate the killing of members of inferior races? Sen. Pans SB 481 would allow nursing homes to declare patients unfit to make their own decisions, and then implement medical procedures which may include assisted suicide. The state already permits persons believed to be facing deathin six monthsto end their lives, justified on the grounds of their own consent. This new development demonstrates just how hollow that premise was. While unlikely to make it out of committee, Senate Constitutional Amendment 7 would repeal the (embryonic) Stem Cell Research and Cures Act approved by the states voters in 2004. That misguided measure was sold on the failed promise that embryonic cells offered the greatest potential. But experience with adult stem cells and from placentas has been far more fruitful. Though not directly aimed at death, SB 18, also the work of Sen. Pan, originally sought to challenge parental authority in the name of childrens rights. Of course, parents natural concern for their childrens very lives cannot be surpassed. Yet this bill would have directly threatened parents ability to provide in-home education for their children or to send them to private schools. But Senate committee action has changed the focus of the bill to establish an 18-member Children and Youth joint committee (half from the Senate and half from the Assembly) to direct the legislature to maximize spending on that class of persons. It would undo current code on this subject by the year 2025. The original alarming objectives doubtless will be implemented in bits and pieces through the new committees efforts. Do only children who have been permitted to be born deserve this intense concern? Meanwhile, California's new Attorney General Xavier Becerra has slapped 15 felony charges 14 counts of illegally recording conversations without consent and one count of conspiracy against David Daleiden, the project lead at the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), and his associate Sandra Merritt. In the past 20 months, the Center for Medical Progress has released a series of undercover videos that feature high end Planned Parenthood officials and employees of tissue procurement companies associated with the nation's largest abortion provider. They admitted in recorded conversations various illegalities about how the companies skirted state and federal law to engage in the selling of highly-desired aborted baby tissue, organs and limbs. "At the end of the day, the only thing that is different from the work that I did and the work that CMP did and the work that undercover journalists and investigative journalists are doing every single day here in California ... is who I went after," Daleiden said during a telephone interview with the Washington Times. "The only difference is that I happened to go after and expose the political ally and financial backers of the establishment power structure in California and in the country. That is the only reason why I am being prosecuted with these bogus charges under California Penal Code 632 and why the local reporters with NBC Los Angeles and other places are not. That really says it all." One can only hope that Californias political leadership would be as zealous in saving lives as they are in ending them. But alas they are not. Such is the situation in our coming sanctuary state.

Richard Reeb taught political science, philosophy and journalism at Barstow College from 1970 to 2003. He is the author of "Taking Journalism Seriously: 'Objectivity' as a Partisan Cause" (University Press of America, 1999). He can be contacted at rhreeb@verizon.net

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SUPERHUMANS: Mars ‘will be colonised by genetically engineered Star Trek-style beings’ – Express.co.uk

April 26th, 2017 10:43 am

GETTY STOCK IMAGE

The way to the Red Planet and other mysterious worlds is being inspired by the villainous Khan from the blockbuster films, according to new research.

The use of stem cell technology may mean the difference between life and death on any attempt to travel beyond Earth into the wilderness of space.

So the first person to walk on Mars is likely to be selected from the growing group of people whose parents took the step to store their child's stem cells at birth.

Stem cells are 'blank' cells that can be reprogrammed to turn into any other cell in the body, enabling the replacement of damaged cells.

More and more British parents, including TV presenter Natalie Pinkham and dancer Darcey Bussell, are paying more than 2,000 to freeze samples from their babies' umbilical cords at birth.

Stem cells are also found in bone marrow and some body tissue, but the procedure to harvest them from umbilical cords is less risky.

Adventurous Mars pioneers will have to be especially prepared for the dangerous trip, which could expose them to cancer and other diseases, through carefully researched gene therapy.

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We wince at the thought of genetically engineered humans

Mark Hall

Mark Hall, spokesperson for the UK's leading stem cell storage and diagnostics company StemProtect, said: "We wince at the thought of genetically engineered humans.

"And we are not going to create a Khan from Star Trek specifically to get to another planet. Getting humans to Mars and beyond will be both expensive and dangerous.

"But the scientific by-products - such as huge leaps in stem cell medicine - will benefit humanity for centuries to come."

Genetic engineering has featured in two Star Trek movies, and a number of TV episodes.

IG

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This still image strikes an uncanny resemblance to a figure of a woman

Khan, who appeared in Space Seed and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, was modified to make him stronger and to give him greater stamina and intellectual capacity than a regular human.

Mr Hall said: "The first human to walk on Mars may not even be born yet - but that's an advantage."

StemProtect believes advanced medical techniques will be required to cope with the rigours of interplanetary space.

While a trip to Mars may appear "just around the corner" in galactic terms, it is highly possible exposure to radiation along the way could lead to the astronauts developing leukaemia and other cancers even before they arrived.

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This means future travellers will have to be 'immunised' before they leave Earth.

Mr Hall said: "There was an article in The Times suggesting elephants would make ideal Martian travellers because they'd be largely immune to the radiation.

"But those laughing at the ridiculous sounding headline completely missed the point - the fact is scientists are already working on ways of getting humans there and back alive."

Recent research has shown radiation in deep space increase the risk of leukaemia while long term exposure to micro gravity may leave astronauts open to infection.

The three year round trip to Mars would affect humans at the stem cell level, leaving them with a drastically lowered immune system, NASA funded scientists say.

And NASA's own findings say stem cells may be crucial to the future of space travel, particularly how they respond in a low gravity environment.

One study showed stem cells flown in space and then cultured back on Earth had greater ability to self renew and generate any cell type, changing more easily into specialised heart muscle cells, for instance.

Mr Hall said an astronaut will have to be prepared for the journey "quite literally at the stem cell level."

He explained: "That means working with the best and most effective stem cells available to the patient - those harvested from the umbilical cord at birth."

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The therapies required to 'immunise' humans to space travel are still being researched.

And with most space based science, it can only mean huge benefits to mankind back down on Earth when it comes to fighting otherwise deadly conditions and diseases.

Stem cells have the ability to treat a potentially infinite range of illnesses and diseases.

Stem cell therapy is already being used all over the world to treat some cancers and stroke victims - and there is fast progress being made in many other areas, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

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INTERNATIONAL: Mexico eliminates leading cause of blindness – St. Lucia News Online (press release)

April 26th, 2017 10:43 am

PRESS RELEASE Trachoma has been eliminated as a public health problem in Mexico, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.

Mexico becomes the first country in the Americas and the third in the world after Oman and Morocco to receive validation from WHO for having eliminated this disease.

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. It is transmitted by contact with bacteria in the eye and nasal discharges of infected persons, especially young children. It affects poor, isolated populations in 41 countries around the world. In the Americas, trachoma is still endemic in Brazil, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Mexico has managed to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan in a letter to the Mexican Government congratulating the country on the achievement. WHOs conclusion is based on the data presented in the country record and on the recommendation of the review group of independent experts which visited the country last November, she added.

This is a historic moment for public health in Mexico and the Americas, said Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO regional office for the Americas. Eliminating a disease is not achieved every day, she said, acknowledging the decades-long efforts of Mexican authorities, health workers and communities to improve their health and quality of life, and end this disease of poverty.

In Mexico, the disease has been endemic in 246 communities in five municipalities in the state of Chiapas, affecting a total of 146,207 people. Actions to combat trachoma were strengthened in 2004 with the creation of the Trachoma Prevention and Control Program of the Ministry of Health of Chiapas and the strengthening of the WHO SAFE strategy.

This strategy consists of a comprehensive package of interventions including surgery for advanced disease, antibiotics to clear C. trachomatis infection, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement to reduce transmission.

The Trachoma Brigades, a group of doctors, nurses and specially trained technical personnel to combat trachoma, worked locally to reduce the number of cases from 1,794 in 2004 to zero cases in 2016, according to data from the Chiapas Trachoma Prevention and Control Program.

Using this approach, the country met the international criteria for elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, which are: Prevalence of less than 5 percent in children aged 1 to 9, and less than one case oftrachomatous trichiasis (inverted eyelashes) per 1,000 inhabitants.

In 2012, there were only 36 cases of infection among children from 1 to 9 years of age (less than 5%) and less than 1 case of trachomatous trichiasis per 1,000 inhabitants. These numbers met the international criteria for elimination of trachoma as a public health problem.

The Secretary of Health of Mexico, Jose Narro, said he was excited at the achievement of elimination. The accomplishment, he said, was due to A long history of hard work and efforts by many persons, over the course of generations.

To maintain elimination and prevent a resurgence of the disease, PAHO / WHO recommends continuous monitoring of trachoma and delivery of care to affected patients.

To date, five other countries (China, Gambia, Ghana, Iran and Myanmar) have reported on the achievement of elimination targets. Most countries with trachoma are using the SAFE strategy to eliminate the disease by 2020. In 2015, more than 185,000 people with trichiasis received corrective surgery worldwide, and 56 million were treated with antibiotics for trachoma.

This elimination in Mexico adds to another important achievement reached by the country in 2015, when it received the verification of the elimination of onchocerciasis from WHO. Onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease that can also cause blindness and disability and, like trachoma, mainly affects people living in poverty.

This article was posted in its entirety as received by stlucianewsonline.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of stlucianewsonline.com, its sponsors or advertisers.

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How Orbis is Bringing the World Together to Fight Blindness | 3BL … – 3BL Media (press release)

April 26th, 2017 10:43 am

3BL Media (press release)
How Orbis is Bringing the World Together to Fight Blindness | 3BL ...
3BL Media (press release)
Imagine the world around you in darkness. For millions of people this darkness is a reality. Blindness takes away so much more than vision. It can impede your ...

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Pac-Man meets biotechnology – Phys.Org

April 26th, 2017 10:42 am

April 26, 2017 The authors artwork, illustrating the article, was also featured on the cover of Lab on a Chip. Credit: Royal Society of Chemistry

Scientists in the U.S have a designed a computer game that could help with biomedical research.

Scientists increasingly use miniscule robots to solve a range of problems, from cancer treatment to water purification. And, as with a lot of technology, the race is on to make these devices ever smaller.

However there is a limit to how far you can go with a mechanical device moving parts such as motors can physically only get so small.

So scientists are looking to the natural world to help. Single cell organisms, such as bacteria and algae, could make the parts in the miniaturised robots move, without the need for an external power source.

Such organisms respond to changes in their environment such as light and food by moving, and if these movements can be harnessed, we can use them as motors.

In a new paper just published in Lab on a Chip, Ingmar Riedel-Kruse and fellow scientists from Stanford University in the U.S. have demonstrated the use of one such organism, in the form of a game.

It's based on Euglena gracilis, single cell algae that move in response to changes in strong light. In the game, the organisms are directed around a maze or "captured" in a space on the screen by the users turning lights on and off. The ability to control the movement of the algae demonstrates their potential application in mini, single cell organism-driven motors.

In this set-up, the algae's movements are programmable a promising first step towards creating a microcomputer built on biotechnology.

Explore further: Single cell organism firm joins top ranks of Japan bourse

More information: Amy T. Lam et al. Device and programming abstractions for spatiotemporal control of active micro-particle swarms, Lab Chip (2017). DOI: 10.1039/C7LC00131B

The high-tech titans of Japanese industry were joined Wednesday in the major league of the Tokyo Stock Exchange by a company exploiting the 500-million-year-old science of a single cell organism.

Diatoms are unicellular algae that are native in many waters. They are a major component of marine phytoplankton and the food base for a large variety of marine organisms. In addition, they produce about one fifth of the ...

A new 3-D printed, easily assembled smartphone microscope developed at Stanford University turns microbiology into game time. The device allows kids to play games or make more serious observations with miniature light-seeking ...

Scientists at the John Innes Centre have discovered that Euglena gracilis, the single cell algae which inhabits most garden ponds, has a whole host of new, unclassified genes which can make new forms of carbohydrates and ...

Scientists at the Swedish Museum of Natural History have found fossils of 1.6 billion-year-old probable red algae. The spectacular finds, publishing on 14 March in the open access journal PLOS Biology, indicate that advanced ...

In an algae-eat-algae world, it's the single-celled photosynthetic organisms at the top (layer of the ocean) that absorb the most sunlight. Underneath, in the sublayers, are cryptophyte algae that must compete for photons ...

Being first in a new ecosystem provides major advantages for pioneering species, but the benefits may depend on just how competitive later-arriving species are. That is among the conclusions in a new study testing the importance ...

Giacomo Cavalli's team at the Institute of Human Genetics (University of Montpellier / CNRS), in collaboration with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), has demonstrated the existence of transgenerational ...

(Phys.org)A pair of researchers with Harvard and Yale Universities has conducted a study of optimal human throwing techniques and found which work best under which conditions. In their paper published in the journal Royal ...

Biologists at the University of California San Diego have demonstrated for the first time that a widely used pesticide can significantly impair the ability of otherwise healthy honey bees to fly, raising concerns about how ...

Newborn humpback whales and their mothers whisper to each other to escape potential predators, scientists reported Wednesday, revealing the existence of a previously unknown survival technique.

New genes are more likely to appear on the stage of evolution in full-fledged form rather than gradually take shape through successive stages of "proto genes" that become more and more refined over generations. This is the ...

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Top 5 Vendors in the Biotechnology Reagents Market From 2017 to 2021: Technavio – Yahoo Finance

April 26th, 2017 10:42 am

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recent global biotechnology reagents market report. This research report also lists four other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170425006359/en/

The global biotechnology market is a continuously growing market and has witnessed a speedy growth in past few years. The increase in bio-related technologies, research labs, and centers and commercial requests are the main reasons behind the growth of the global biotechnology reagents market. Increasing investment in R&D of biotechnology, from private and government sector, is the key driver for the growth of the global biotechnology reagents market.

Competitive vendor landscape

According to the report, the global biotechnology reagents market consists of a sizeable number of key global players, along with regional and local players. These players have a vast geographical presence with huge production facilities located, globally. There are a considerable number of small regional vendors with significant shares in the market

The major players compete depending on the innovations, price, and quality of the product. Some players can capture the market due to lower costs compared to their competitors. Also, few suppliers financial, technological, and other resources are better as compared with their competitors who can adapt to the changes in the market demand, says Ajay Adhikari, a lead bio-chemicals and bio-materials research analyst from Technavio.

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavios sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Top five biotechnology reagents market vendors

Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies is one of the leading companies in the biotechnology reagents market. The company produces control reagents, blocking reagents, buffers, diluents, and lysing, fixation, and permeabilization reagents.

BD

BD is one of the major biotechnology reagents producing companies. The company offers reagents for research, clinical, and custom services. It provides reagents for various applications such as immunoassays, cell-based assays, and clinical research.

Merck

Merck is one of the largest biotechnological reagents manufacturing companies. The company provides a wide range of reagents and solvents for different functions such as DNA and RNA synthesis, in vitro diagnostics, and instrumental inorganic analysis.

Bio-Rad Laboratories

Bio-Rad is one of the key vendors for the biotechnology reagents market. The company provides biotechnology reagents for clinical diagnostics, PCR technology, protein assay, and immunodetection reagents.

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific is one of the key vendors in the biotechnology reagents market. The company offer reagents for various applications such as an immunogenic adjuvant, protein gel buffers, nucleic acid gel buffers, flow cytometer buffers and reagents, immunoassay buffers and reagents, protein purification buffers, and diagnostic testing.

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Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as theyre published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like industrial gases, olefins, and metals and minerals. This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavios constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

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Skepticism About Biotechnology Isn’t Anti-Science – Slate Magazine

April 26th, 2017 10:42 am

AquAdvantage salmon.

AquAdvantage

Keep Frankenfish off my Dish! a protesters sign read. Another, adorned with six red hearts, suggested that real people love real salmon. A couple of years ago, protests against the approval and sale of genetically modified salmon targeted the Food and Drug Administration and supermarket chains across the country, attempting to halt the approval and sale of the AquAdvantage salmonan Atlantic salmon modified with DNA from the Chinook salmon and the ocean pout. The borrowed genetic material lets the fish grow year-round and reach market size in half the time as its natural counterpart, but its also spurred passionate public debate.

In November 2015, the FDA approved the AquAdvantage salmon as the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption. According to the hype, the AquAdvantage salmon could help with reducing global hunger, decreasing the carbon footprint of aquaculture (the cultivation of fish and other aquatic life), and shoring up dwindling wild fish stock. The regulatory process behind the approval of the AquAdvantage salmon took almost 20 years.

But the approval was quickly followed by a flurry of controversy and charges of insufficient consideration of key issues. A consortium of environmental groups lead by Earthjustice and the Center for Food Safety sued the FDA for approving the AquAdvantage salmon, in their words, without considering or fullydisclosing the environmental and other risks of this unprecedented decision. Two months after the approval, Congress also threw a wrench in the works by adding a rider to a spending bill that tasked the FDA with spending not less than $150,000 to develop labeling and implement a program of consumer disclosure for the fish before it could be made available for sale. As a result the fish is not yet anywhere near U.S. dinner plates, caught up in a seemingly endless process of contestation, with no clear end in sight.

To many in bioscience and biotechnology circles, this is a case of politics contaminating science. In an open letter to President Obama in 2014, a group of concerned international scientists and global technology company executives argue this point:

These scientists and others offer a picture of a Manichean world divided into those who are for scientific and technological progress and those who are against ita representation of the world that we have been seeing more and more of lately in reports of a war on science. But drawing this line is dangerous. The real problem here is the regulatory process itself, which forces dissent to take the narrow form of challenges to scientific data and methodology and ignores other questions about whats at stake.

The FDA approval process for the AquAdvantage salmon took longer and included more opportunities for public comment than most products the FDA reviews. This unique openness to public input was balanced by a careful parsing of what counts as scientifically and contextually relevant and what does not. The agency received 38,000 comments in response to its draft assessment alone, but it determined that just 90 were worth considering. The remaining comments were discounted as irrelevant because they did not directly address the details of the regulation process, or they raised issues beyond the mandate of the agency. These disregarded comments focused on a wide range of concerns, including patenting and ownership regimes of seed and crops; how deploying genetically modified corn and soy would affect the United States image around the world; continuing failures of existing market configurations to address inequality and food distribution; and the long history of multinational corporations central to the commercialization of biotechnologies, such as Monsanto, intentionally obscuring the negative impacts of their chemical products and byproducts while undermining human health.

Your Cheat-Sheet Guide to Synthetic Biology

What Exactly Is Synthetic Biology? Its Complicated.

Can You Patent an Organism? The Synthetic Biology Community Is Divided.

The U.S. Regulations for Biotechnology Are Woefully Out of Date

Synthetic Biology and Queer Theory Are Cutting Down the Tree of Life You Learned About in School

Being Skeptical About Biotechnology Doesnt Make You Anti-Science

So the FDA is not the forum for deliberation on the meaning of giving entry to this new form of life into our environment, grocery stores, and dining rooms. But what is? The FDA approval process is the only existing avenue for public consideration of technological innovation of this kind. Accordingly, the agencys narrow reading of what kinds of input are relevant represents a significant dismissal of a broad range of relevant concerns.

Some might read the vast public preoccupation with a broad set of social, political, and economic issues as the contamination of science with politics. But I would suggest that this is actually a case of the reverse problem: seemingly endless conflict around the AquAdvantage salmon reflects the limitation of using narrow scientific terms to address questions of broad social, political, and economic significance. As things stand, the only legitimate way to engage in debates about the entry of the AquAdvantage salmon and other genetically modified organisms into our environments, meals, intellectual property regimes, and beyond is to contest its approval at the level of regulatory science. When the system asks the public to limit objections to narrow technical concerns, it undermines regulatory legitimacy and stultifies democratic debateand perhaps most importantly, it contributes to the problematic discourse around science itself. When our modes of public deliberation strictly define what counts as a legitimate view on these issues, we end up portraying a good portion of the population as against science, when that in fact could not be further from the truth.

The vast majority of people in the world, not being scientists or angel investors, have no say over the technological trajectories that will shape our world and our lives. We are instructed to continue funding basic science and patiently wait and watch as the world is transformed around us. Scientists often dismiss resistance to the AquAdvantage salmon and other biotechnologies as borne of scientific ignorance. But its a lot easier to understand peoples reluctance if you realize that the debate is about much broader questions than science alone can answer.

To position science on one side of these debates is not only patently false but detrimental to public discourse.

As the first genetically engineered animal developed for human consumption, the AquAdvantage salmon can be understood as an early form or precursor to products of more advanced practices of synthetic biology. Even as the power and precision of these techniques increases and the particular technical challenges associated with the salmon are left behind, the core issues and deep public resistance around the AquAdvantage salmon will likely persist and haunt continued efforts to reshape environments, economies, and human life through the biological sciences. Synthetic biology is billed as having the potential to transform the world in a way that will disrupt prevailing economic and geopolitical paradigms and reshape the very fabric of life. The one thing both sides of the fishy debate seem to agree on is that the AquAdvantage salmon is a pioneer technology, and what happens to this fish could set the stage for the role that biotechnology will play in our food system in the century to come. As one commentator opined for the New York Times:

This framing suggests that biotechnological innovation is a necessary and unmitigated good. But for many, the prospect of a world radically altered by biotechnology conjures past experiences in which scientific progress didnt go as plannedlike the devastation and political instability ushered in by nuclear weapons. Similarly, to some, a dam looks like progress, development, and economic prosperity. But to others, it looks like the violent end of a way of life, heralded by the destruction of ecosystems and entire species.

The debates over the AquAdvantage salmon arent narrow and technicaltheyre multifaceted, laden with questions of political, economic, and social values. They are about what kind of world we want to live in and what types of transformations are beneficial, desirable, and helpfuland for whom. To position science on one side of these debates is not only patently false but detrimental to public discourse and productive political deliberation.

Nonetheless, resistance to biotechnologies is often framed as a problem of the uneducated masses meddling in areas where they dont belong. The open letter to Obama by the concerned scientists and technologists, for example, claims:

Characterizing legitimate concerns about what kinds of technologies enter and help shape our world as anti-science is more likely to alienate than inspire everyday Americans to identify with this vision of what science can do, and to believe in it.

The long journey of the AquAdvantage salmon may turn out to have been a waste of time, energy, and resources on all sides, but perhaps we can make it productive in one way. Understanding the limitations of the process can help us think critically about how decision-making about synthetic biology going forward might be more open to a broader set of concerns and voices much earlier in the innovation process. The way forward is not drawing battle lines between those who are for or against science and closing down regulatory processes to all but the narrowest risk-based considerations. Rather, we should be forming and expanding spaces for a wide range of participants in creatively considering how to solve societys biggest challenges. We need new ways of thinking and talking about technological promise and possibility in the world that we live in.

This article is part of the synthetic biology installment of Futurography, a series in which Future Tense introduces readers to the technologies that will define tomorrow. Each month, well choose a new technology and break it down. Future Tense is a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate.

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Global Biotechnology Reagents Market to Grow at a CAGR of 10.13 … – Yahoo Finance

April 26th, 2017 10:42 am

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Biotechnology Reagents Market 2017-2021" report to their offering.

The global biotechnology reagents market to grow at a CAGR of 10.13% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Biotechnology Reagents Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Ready-to-use reagents help minimize calculation, dilution, and pipetting errors. They reduce the duration of the diagnostic procedure and prevent contamination of samples. These factors have resulted in the demand for ready-to-use reagents among clinical laboratories and hospitals.

According to the report, the biotechnology industry is spending a huge amount on R&D to innovate new techniques and technologies. The companies are more focused to improve the products, their quality, and standards. The biotech companies are majorly spending on protein synthesis, drug assessment, therapeutics, DNA and RNA analysis, and cell culture applications. Biotechnology reagents are used in all the processes.

Key vendors

Other prominent vendors

Key Topics Covered:

PART 01: Executive summary

PART 02: Scope of the report

PART 03: Research Methodology

PART 04: Introduction

PART 05: Market landscape

PART 06: Market segmentation by technology

PART 07: Market segmentation by application

PART 08: Geographical segmentation

PART 09: Decision framework

PART 10: Drivers and challenges

PART 11: Market trends

PART 12: Vendor landscape

PART 13: Key vendor analysis

PART 14: Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j8h37n/global

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170425005769/en/

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Plandai Biotechnology Gains Credibility with NutriBullet Deal – Marketwired (press release)

April 26th, 2017 10:42 am

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - April 26, 2017) - Planda Biotechnology (OTCQB: PLPL) expects Capital Brands, LLC, the developer, marketer, and distributor of both the wildly popular NutriBullet and NutriBullet SuperFoods, to launch its reformulated product, SuperFood Fat Burning Boost, next month. SuperFood Fat Burning Boost is being reformulated to include Planda's Phytofare Catechin Complex. This is a landmark moment for a company like Planda Biotechnology that has just recently moved from solely a research and development company to focusing more on sales and marketing of its Phytofare product.

More than 40 million NutriBullet units have been sold worldwide, it's an Amazon best seller in a number of categories and even Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and the wife of Prince William, is a big fan of NutriBullet. Capital Brands produces SuperFood formula mixes that it says is to help "give the consumer the best possible health benefits using only the best and most quality ingredients available." The company focuses on nutrient extraction in order to deliver the most nutrients possible from food and other ingredients to increase the health of people everywhere.

Capital Brands has chosen Planda Biotechnology's Phytofare as one of those quality ingredients it will deliver, and now some time next month Phytofare is expected to be introduced to Capital Brands' retailers (Target, Kohl's, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, JC Penny, etc.) and to shoppers who use their website (nutriliving.com) as the active ingredient in SuperFood Fat Burning Boost. This is a deal that should immediately give Planda credibility. After all, Planda invested many years of hard work into the development of Phytofare, and having a worldwide brand that is well-known for using "only the best and most quality ingredients" in its products, speaks loudly to just how potent Phytofare is.

Capital Brands reformulating one of its SuperFood products to include Planda's Phytofare, should also serve as confirmation for the many years of research and the human clinical trials that Planda conducted to prove that its product is highly bioavailable. Bioavailability is essentially the measure of how much of a drug or supplement is able to be absorbed into the bloodstream and how long it can remain there so that the body can realize its health benefits. In the case of Planda's Phytofare Catechin Complex, Capital Brands obviously feels that the results will offer exactly what its customers want.

A human clinical trial showed Planda's product offers 10 times more bioavailability than the commercially available extract it was compared to, and the results from the clinical trial, which was conducted in South Africa by North West University, have allowed Planda to advertise exactly what consumers are looking for -- a more potent green tea extract.

Green tea's health benefits come from the 8 catechins, a type of antioxidant, found in the leaves of the tea plant. In Planda's clinical trial, all 8 of those catechins were present in the bloodstream versus only two found when participants consumed the commercial extract that was used in the clinical testing. Phytofare also provided 5 times greater absorption of those catechins, and the clinical trial found that the life span of the catechin's molecules in the bloodstream was doubled in Phytofare.

When consumers shop for health products, they're looking for those that have proven themselves in clinical trials, and, in turn, can boast of higher bioavailability. Capital Brands has created a worldwide brand with that thinking in mind, and it's no mistake that the company has landed at Planda's door.

The benefit to those using the Planda's Phytofare Catechin Complex is that with higher bioavailability or absorption rate, the phytonutrients are in the bloodstream in greater quantities and for twice as long, and now as the company has become fully focused on sales and marketing, the credibility of this NutriBullet deal along with powerful clinical trial results, should help the company become extremely competitive in the market.

About Stock Market Media GroupStock Market Media Group is a Content Development IR firm offering a platform for corporate stories to unfold in the media with research reports, corporate videos, CEO interviews and feature news articles.

We may from time to time include our own opinions about our featured companies, their businesses, markets and opportunities. Any opinions we may offer are solely our own, and are made in reliance upon our rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and are provided solely for the general opinionated discussion of our readers and viewers. Our opinions should not be considered to be complete, precise, accurate, or current investment advice, or construed or interpreted as research. Any investment decisions you may make concerning any company are solely your responsibility based on your own due diligence. Our publications are provided only as an informational aid. We encourage you to invest carefully and read the investor information available at the web site of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at: http://www.sec.gov. We also recommend as a general rule, that before investing in any securities you consult with a professional financial planner or advisor, and you should conduct a complete and independent investigation before investing in any security after prudent consideration of all pertinent risks.

We are not a registered broker, dealer, analyst, or adviser. We hold no investment licenses and may not sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. Our publications are not a recommendation to buy or sell a security.

Section 17(b) of the 1933 Securities and Exchange Act requires publishers who distribute information about publicly traded securities for compensation, to disclose who paid them, the amount, and the type of payment. In order to be in full compliance with the Securities Act of 1933, Section 17(b), we are disclosing that SMMG is compensated $5,000 per month by Plandai Biotechnology for content development. Neither SMMG nor anyone associated with it owns shares in PLPL.

For more information: http://www.stockmarketmediagroup.com.

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Chart Level Analysis on Shares of ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIS) – Baxter Review

April 26th, 2017 10:42 am

ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIS) currently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of -291.59. Despite the name, CCI can be used on other investment tools such as stocks. The CCI was designed to typically stay within the reading of -100 to +100. Traders may use the indicator to determine stock trends or to identify overbought/oversold conditions. A CCI reading above +100 would imply that the stock is overbought, and a reading of -100 would imply that the stock is oversold.

A populartool among technical stock analysts is the moving average. Moving averages are considered to be lagging indicators that simply take the average price of a stock over a certain period of time. They may also be used to assist the trader figure out proper support and resistance levels for the stock. Currently, ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIS) has a 200-day MA of 31.84, and a 50-day of 27.97. Presently, the stock has a 14-day RSI of 40.66, the 7-day is sitting at 31.69, and the 3-day is resting at 18.34. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is one of multiple popular technical indicators created by J. Welles Wilder. Wilder introduced RSI in his book New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems which was published in 1978. RSI measures the magnitude and velocity of directional price movements. The data is represented graphically by fluctuating between a value of 0 and 100. The indicator is computed by using the average losses and gains of a stock over a certain time period. RSI can be used to help spot overbought or oversold conditions. An RSI reading over 70 would be considered overbought, and a reading under 30 would indicate oversold conditions. A level of 50 would indicate neutral market momentum.

ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIS)s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R presently is at -94.66. In general, if the reading goes above -20, the stock may be considered to be overbought. Alternately, if the indicator goes under -80, this may show the stock as being oversold. We can also take a look at the Average Directional Index or ADX of the stock. For traders looking to capitalize on trends, the ADX may be an essential technical tool. The ADX is used to measure trend strength. ADX calculations are made based on the moving average price range expansion over a specified amount of time. ADX is charted as a line with values ranging from 0 to 100. The indicator is non-directional meaning that it gauges trend strength whether the stock price is trending higher or lower. The 14-day ADX for ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIS) presently sits at 12.12. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would indicate a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would signify an extremely strong trend.

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Arthritis cure: Would you use THIS extreme treatment to ease the pain? – Express.co.uk

April 26th, 2017 10:41 am

GETTY

Pepe Casaas, a 71-year-old Cuban peasant, gets rid of the discomfort of his arthritis by allowing himself to be stung by a scorpion.

The venom has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties which reduce his pain.

He keeps up to four scorpions near his house so he can guarantee being able to sting himself when he feels the arthritis returning, which is usually once a month.

Casaas told EFE: "The sting doesn't hurt me a bit. And if they're using it as a treatment for cancer in Cuba, it has to be good.

"About eight years ago, I started with this scorpion stuff. My bones were beginning to hurt me, arthritis, and it helped me to feel comfortable.

GETTY

I couldn't brush my teeth, or comb my hair. I got a scorpion, squeezed it, and it stung me twice, and look: my arm's doing fine.

Pepe Casaas

Casaas arthritis had got so bad it was impacting on his daily life, and so he decided to find his own solution.

He explained: I couldn't brush my teeth, or comb my hair. I got a scorpion, squeezed it, and it stung me twice, and look: my arm's doing fine.

Before that, he had used bee stings as a remedy, having come from a family of beekeepers - but he soon graduated onto the larger animal.

While it might seem an unconventional way to treat the condition, scorpion venom is used as an ingredient in Cuban medication.

Getty

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GETTY

It is the main component in Vidatox, a homeopathic medicine prescribed for easing pain and other cancer symptoms.

Around 17,000 bottles are sold over the counter in Cuba and in 15 other countries around the world, and 65,000 people have used it for alleviating cancer pain.

Dr. Fabio Linares told EFE: A very important use of Vidatox, which we want to promote, is that of an analgesic and anti-inflammatory, for use against cancer, given that any osteoarthritic process such as rheumatism can be treated with this medication.

Linares says Casaas feels better after the scorpions sting because of its analgesic effect, and due to the venom stimulating the body's natural curative mechanisms and immune system.

GETTY

In fact, such is Cubas belief in the healing powers of scorpion venom, it started clinical trials in 2006 to test whether it could treat cancer.

So far they have found patients quality of life has significantly improved.

Ways of treating arthritis in the UK, according to Arthritis Research UK, include pain-relief drugs, physical therapies such as physiotherapy, and surgery.

Currently 10 million people in the UK are suffering with arthritis, and despite its associations with the elderly, it affects people of all ages.

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Ironman pain nothing compared to juvenile arthritis: Pensini – Camden Haven Courier

April 26th, 2017 10:41 am

Nathan Pensini wants to generate awareness about a little-known condition his daughter has.

Support network: Rachelle and Jim Sanderson, Paul Martin and Alyssa, Nathan, Adrian and Cassie Pensini.

NATHAN Pensini knows better than most the pain which Ironman competitors face when they climb Matthew Flinders Drive.

But he also knows its nothing compared to the pain 17-year-old daughter Alyssa has to deal withevery day.

She was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of 11 and its whythis yearsIronman Australia will have added meaning for him.

Every time I go out I realise the painthat lasts for 10-12 hours or a few days after Ironmanfor every competitoris the type of pain Alyssa goes through every day, he said.

Thats the main driver for us.

Pensini has a great team of people racing alongside him this year in training partner Paul Martin along with Jim and Rachele Sanderson and brother and sister in law Adrian and Cassie.

One in 1000 Australians has juvenile arthritis who have attendedcamps in the last two years.

One is Camp Footloose, an Arthritis and Osteoporosis NSW initiative, which gives children with juvenile arthritis the chance to have fun and achieve personal success in sport and other outdooractivities at their own pace.

Juvenile arthritisis a serious, persistent medical conditionof childhood.

Its surprising how many people have this condition, he said.

Every time I go out I realise the pain that lasts for 10-12 hours or a few days after Ironman for every competitor is the type of pain Alyssa goes through every day. - Nathan Pensini

We dont know if its genetically linked or whether it is caused by eating a certain type of food.

Pensini and his brother first generated awareness about the condition when they competed in the 2015 Ironman.

He said it gatheredamazing support two years ago and now they want to build on that.

Kids are starting to be diagnosed with it from as early as 18 months old now, he said.

Weve got to get awareness out there soI want to make this as recognised as the Jane McGrath Foundation.

Tohelp the Pensinis raise awareness about the condition, for every $50 donated, people will go into the draw to win a mountain bike.

To donate, visit https://racingforjuvenilearthritis.gofundraise.com.au/ or visit the GoFundraise website.

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Eli Lilly Stock Falls on Continued Arthritis Drug Approval Delay – TheStreet.com

April 26th, 2017 10:41 am

Shares of Eli Lilly (LLY) were lower by 2.89% to $81.01 on heavy trading volume Tuesday afternoon, after the drug manufacturing company offered no new details as to when the FDA might approve its rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib.

The drug won European approval but U.S. regulators rejected it earlier this month. "The FDA specifically stated that additional clinical data are needed to determine the most appropriate doses and to further characterize safety concerns across treatment arms," the company said in a statement.

Eli Lilly was asked on a conference call if it believed it was likely the drug would be approved this year or next, Reuters reported.

"We can't give an estimate on this year or next until we meet with the FDA," the company responded.

Additionally, the company posted better than expected 2017 first quarter adjusted earnings of 98 cents per share on revenue of $5.23 billion. Revenue was roughly in-line with expectations, while EPS beat by 2 cents per share.

What will move markets this quarter and how should investors position themselves ahead of time? Jim Cramer sat down with four of TheStreet's top columnists recently to get their views. Click here to listen to his latest Trading Strategies roundtable with them and read their advice for stocks, bonds, forex and gold.)

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Lilly gives no time frame on arthritis drug delay; shares fall – Yahoo Finance

April 26th, 2017 10:41 am

By Bill Berkrot

(Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co on Tuesday provided no new information on how long U.S. regulators might delay approval of its closely watched rheumatoid arthritis drug after its surprise rejection by the Food and Drug Administration this month.

Lilly shares, which have outperformed its rivals this year, fell 3 percent to $80.83 even though the U.S. drugmaker reported a slightly higher-than-expected quarterly profit.

"Maybe people are trying to understand where the near-term upside is going to come from," said Credit Suisse analyst Vamil Divan, adding that investors may be taking profit while waiting for clarity on baricitinib.

Lilly reiterated that it was disappointed and disagreed with the FDA assessment on baricitinib, particularly since the medicine won European approval. It said it hoped in the next 60 days to meet with the agency, which had requested more data.

On a conference call with analysts, Lilly was asked whether it was likely in 2017 or 2018 to satisfy FDA concerns outlined in the letter denying approval.

"We can't give an estimate on this year or next until we meet with the FDA," said Christi Shaw, head of Lilly Bio-Medicines.

The FDA asked for more data on proper dosing and safety information on the medicine developed with Incyte Corp.

Lilly expressed confidence it could attain its minimum goal of 5 percent annual revenue growth even without baricitinib approval this year.

Excluding special items, Lilly said it earned 98 cents per share in the first quarter, topping the analysts' average estimate by 2 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Guggenheim Securities analyst Tony Butler said the results benefited from an animal health acquisition, which "makes the beat look less glamorous."

He did call sales of newer diabetes drug Trulicity "tremendous." If baricitinib was approved, he added, "I don't think the stock would be down."

Trulicity, which competes with Novo Nordisk blockbuster Victoza, brought in $372.9 million in the quarter, well ahead of Wall Street estimates of about $328 million.

Lilly maintained its full-year forecast for earnings of $4.05 to $4.15 per share, excluding items.

Revenue rose 7.5 percent to $5.23 billion, roughly in line with expectations.

Other new products with strong sales included Taltz for psoriasis and cancer drug Cyramza. The company called Cyramza sales for gastric cancer in Japan "phenomenal" but acknowledged competitive challenges from immuno-oncology drugs for lung cancer in the United States.

(Reporting by Bill Berkrot in New York and Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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Kelly Osbourne campaigning to make stem cell therapy affordable in … – TV3.ie

April 26th, 2017 10:40 am

25th Apr 17 | Entertainment News

Singer-turned-TV personality Kelly Osbourne wants to help cure fellow Lyme disease sufferers by making stem cell therapy available for all in the U.S.

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's daughter contracted the condition after she was bitten by a tick during a party for the rocker's 56th birthday back in 2004, when her mother had a reindeer sanctuary installed at their Los Angeles home.

However, Kelly wasn't properly diagnosed until 2014, months after suffering a seizure while filming an episode of E!'s Fashion Police show in 2013, when doctors claimed her collapse had been caused by epilepsy.

She did some research into her ailments and discovered she was actually struggling with Lyme disease, and promptly sought out alternative treatment to help her overcome the illness.

"I started to actually do the one thing doctors tell you not to do and that's to go online and look it up...," she explained on U.S. breakfast show Good Morning America, "and all roads pointed to Lyme disease so I found a doctor through my mum.

"I went to Frankfurt, Germany, and I did stem cell (therapy) and I got cured," Kelly claimed.

The 32-year-old is lucky to have been in a position to afford the treatment, which involves the transplant of stem cells to heal those damaged by the disease, and now she is looking to get involved in making the therapy more widely available and affordable to others less fortunate.

"It sickens me that that's not available to everyone and that you have to be considered lucky or privileged to get that sort of treatment," she said. "I want to make sure and I will do anything that I can do to make sure that that treatment is available in this country."

Kelly details her experience with the bacterial infection in her new memoir There Is No F**king Secret: Letters from a Bada** B**ch. She isn't the only celebrity to open up about her struggles with Lyme disease - pop star Avril Lavigne, and veteran model Yolanda Hadid and her runway star kids Bella and Anwar Hadid have also been battling the illness.

WENN Newsdesk 2017

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Scientists in Texas closer to diabetes cure with unconventional treatment – icFlorida

April 25th, 2017 4:55 am

by: Marty Toohey, American-Statesman Staff Updated: Apr 24, 2017 - 9:52 PM

SAN ANTONIO, Tx. - Years of testing remain, but UT Health San Antonio researchers say theyve cured Type 1 diabetes in mice.

In peer-reviewed paper, they say a gene transfer can wake up cells in the pancreas to produce insulin.

>> Read more trending news

Health researchers at the University of Texas think they have found a way to trick the body into curing Type 1 diabetes.

The immune system of a person with diabetes kills off useful beta cells, but the UT researchers say they have found a way to make other cells in the pancreas perform the necessary work. Their approach, announced earlier this month in the academic journalCurrent Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, not only would have implications for Type 1, formerly called juvenile diabetes, but also could help treat the far more common Type 2 variety, also known as adult-onset diabetes.

The researchers have cured mice, which are genetically similar to people but different enough that new rounds of animal testing and millions of dollars more are needed before human trials can begin. The researchers approach is sure to garner skeptics, at least in part because it is a significant departure from the many other attempts at curing diabetes, which typically involve transplanting new cells and/or suppressing the immune systems attempts to kill off useful ones.

By contrast, were taking a cell that is already present in the body its there, and its happy and programming it to secrete insulin, without changing it otherwise, said Ralph DeFronzo, chief of the diabetes research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Diabetes is a disease characterized by a persons inability to process carbohydrates, a condition that if untreated can lead to often-catastrophic health consequences: lethargy, diminished eyesight, heart attacks, strokes, blindness and a loss of circulation in the feet that could lead to amputation. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionestimate that in 2014, about 29 million Americans almost 1 in 10 had diabetes.

The core problem is insulin. Most people naturally secrete that substance when they eat something with carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes and candy bars. Insulin acts like a concierge that escorts the sugar from the bloodstream into the cells, providing the cells with the energy to function. In most people, the body is continually monitoring blood sugar and producing insulin as needed.

In Type 2 diabetes which makes up 9 out of 10 diabetes cases and is generally associated with older people and weight gain the cells reject the insulin, causing sugar to build up in the bloodstream even as cells are starved for energy. Type 2 is often treated with pills that tell the cells to let in the insulin. But in Type 2 diabetes, the body also often gradually loses the ability to produce insulin, requiring insulin injections.

In Type 1 the type the researchers studied the body has simply stopped producing insulin. This type often manifests in children, though it can sometimes develop in adults as well.

The reason the body stops producing insulin is that it kills off the pancreas beta cells, which produce insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes must get their insulin from injections or ingestion, a cumbersome and often imprecise task. Too little insulin and blood sugar levels stay high for extended periods, potentially damaging the body; too much and blood sugar levels crash, possibly causing a person with diabetes to faint or experience an even worse problems, such as a stroke.

DeFronzos partner, Bruno Doiron, decided to see whether the body could reliably produce insulin without transplanting new cells. He used a gene transfer technique on mice, delivered via a virus, that activated insulin production in cells already in the pancreas for instance, those that produced certain enzymes.

Were not fundamentally changing the cell, DeFronzo said. Were just giving it one additional task.

The mice immune systems did not attack the new insulin-producing cells. Most important, according to the findings: The cells produced the right amount of insulin: not so much that they sent a mouse into a blood sugar free fall, not so little that blood sugar levels stayed high. The mice have shown no sign of diabetes for more than a year, according to the findings.

Quite a bit of work remains before testing will start on people. If they can raise enough money they estimate $5 million to $10 million they can proceed to testing on larger animals, such as pigs, dogs or primates, a next step that would be planned in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

They hope to start human trials in three years.

DeFronzo and Doiron said they expect skepticism but said much of it will be driven by how unconventional their work is. Doiron added that, although the technique is unconventional in the context of diabetes, using a virus to deliver a gene transfer is an established technique, having been approved dozens of times by the FDA to treat diseases.

We can use the cells the body has naturally, Doiron said. This will simply wake up the cells to produce insulin.

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

The work of Bruno Doiron and Ralph DeFronzo focuses on Type 1 diabetes, not Type 2.

Both diseases involve a problem with insulin, the substance that healthy bodies produce to take sugar from the bloodstream into the cells and power the body.

Type 2 is far more common. The main issue is that the cells reject insulin, causing sugar to build up in the bloodstream. The common treatment is a pill that makes the cells accept the insulin (and sugar it carries into the cell). But over time, people with Type 2 diabetes often lose the ability to produce insulin.

With Type 1 diabetes, people simply stop producing insulin. Their bodies kill off the cells in the pancreas that produce it.

Those with Type 1 diabetes must inject or ingest insulin. People with Type 2 often grow increasingly dependent on insulin injections, though Type 2 can sometimes be cured or controlled through diet and exercise.

2017 Cox Media Group.

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Croydon dad who stars in Channel 5 show needs transplant to live after ‘death sentence’ diagnosis – Croydon Advertiser

April 25th, 2017 4:52 am

A Croydon dad who achieved fame as a bailiff on a TV show has been handed a "death sentence" unless a donor can be found to rescue him from terminal blood cancer.

Delroy Anglin is "Croydon born and bred" and found unexpected fame for his work as a bailiff on Channel 5's Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away!

Now the 56-year-old has been stricken by an aggressive form of leukaemia which ravages the blood and bones of its sufferers.

READ MORE: Charity seeking to save life of Croydon TV star tell well-wishers - 'you can save him'

The dad-of-six was confined to a hospital bed while undergoing punishing chemotherapy.

But the searing treatment can only battle the cancer for so long.

Delroy desperately needs a bone marrow transplant in order to beat the debilitating disease.

It is hard to find a matching donor because of his minority background, and he has suffered for months since first hearing the news of his illness.

"You feel as if someone has pronounced a death sentence," said Delroy, from Croydon Old Town.

READ MORE: This 8-year-old Croydon schoolboy is a musical genius despite being deaf

"Life changed in an instant. When they tell you, you're just hoping someone has made a mistake, but they haven't.

"At the end of the day, unless somebody says differently - I'm terminal."

His condition was first discovered after he requested a check-up because he had been catching more colds than he usually would.

A blood test revealed what was really affecting his usually robust health.

READ MORE: Missing People Choir on Britain's Got Talent: Who is missing Crystal Palace fan Lee Boxell?

AML affects the stem cells in bone marrow, causing a huge amount of white blood cells to be produced. Less than half of patients can be cured of the rare disease, which causes a dangerous reduction in the number of red blood cells in the body.

"I think I was in denial because I felt so fine," said Delroy, who has been forced to quit his on-screen work.

"Life changed straight away, from diagnosis to entering the hospital was a matter of days.

"Your life just changes instantly. Everything is chaotic and it remains like that for while."

Delroy, now a grandfather, is continuing to battle the disease, which developed with shocking speed, alongside his family.

His children have rallied to support him, and although his 82-year-old mum worries, her home cooking gives him strength.

"You don't want to worry your mum," said Delroy, who is now being treated at the Royal Marsden in Sutton.

"She does worry. She comes from a generation where leukaemia was a death sentence.

"But you get the home cooking from her and build up your strength it's funny how it never changes.

"You don't know how your kids are going to react. Some react well, some become aware of their own mortality a bit, and hate going to hospitals.

"But my family have reacted so well, and I think that's because they've seen my reaction. They've been absolutely amazing."

The expert bailiff, filmed alongside colleagues for the popular Channel 5 series, is facing the fight with calm determination.

His treatment has been gruelling, but he hopes there may be hope of victory over AML, although only a transplant will guarantee he beats the cancer which claimed his own brother's life 40 years ago.

He said: "For all intents and purposes I'm a pretty young bloke, you know, this is not supposed to happen. It just seems unreal.

"Chemotherapy is tough. The first time I had it I was in a wheelchair after. I looked in the mirror and didn't even recognise myself, I was so weak and frail.

"The next time I forced myself to take a few steps, and not let it do that to me again. Now I'm feeling positive about it. But it won't go away.

READ MORE: Former Crystal Palace striker talks with inspirational honesty about his battle with depression

"A transplant would be a game changer. It's the only way to get rid of it."

Transplanting fresh stem cells from donated bone marrow can treat the cancer.

But because Delroy is of African Caribbean origin his chances of finding a donor are slimmer because of the low number of donors with African Caribbean heritage on the donor register.

And none of Delroy's five siblings fit the criteria to make the vital donation.

His chances would be improved if more people from his background were on the register to donate bone marrow. Delroy thinks that the support he has received could translate into something positive for other sufferers.

"It's strange, people don't usually like bailiffs," he said.

"But I have had so much support, from everyone including complete strangers.

"I'm Croydon born and bred, I know everyone. And being on telly I still don't know how that happened that gives me an opportunity to raise awareness.

"Hopefully we can encourage more people to become donors, becasuse if I'm honest, even I didn't know anything about this issue."

A campaign has now begun to help find the missing match to save Delroy's life and more donors for future sufferers.

READ MORE: Emotional celebration held in memory of Croydon murder victim Bjorn Brown

The #Match4Delroy appeal is to be led by blood cancer charity the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) and encourages people to join the donor register.

Delroy's daughter Domenique Anglin said: "He is a fantastic father to my siblings and a wonderful grandfather too.

"I am appealing on his behalf to all Caribbean and African people in the UK and abroad to join the register, in the hope they might be the match that saves his life."

Delroy's sister, Janet Hills, is chair of the Met Black Police Association.

She said: If you love Del on the show as much as I love him as my brother, then please, please, please make that commitment today to join the stem cells register."

To join the Stem Cell Register visit aclt.org

The rest is here:
Croydon dad who stars in Channel 5 show needs transplant to live after 'death sentence' diagnosis - Croydon Advertiser

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‘Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away’ Star Reveals ‘Death Sentence’ – Unilad – UNILAD

April 25th, 2017 4:52 am

The star ofCant Pay? Well Take It Away!has revealed he desperately needs a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

TV bailiff Delroy Anglin has an aggressive form of leukaemia which hes called a death sentenceunless a donor an be found.

The 56-year-old father of five is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden in Sutton to battle the worst symptoms of the disease but the treatment will only be effective for so long.

Delroy has spoken about the toll that chemo has taken on his body, saying:

Chemotherapy is tough. The first time I had it I was in a wheelchair after. I looked in the mirror and didnt even recognise myself, I was so weak and frail.

The next time I forced myself to take a few steps, and not let it do that to me again. Now Im feeling positive about it. But it wont go away. A transplant would be a game changer. Its the only way to get rid of it.

Unfortunately The Croydon Advertiser have reported that finding a donor will be difficult due to Delroys minority background as there arent manydonors with African Caribbean heritage on the donor register.

Delroys life has changed significantly since the diagnosis and hes been forced to quit his on-screen work for Channels 5s Cant Pay? Well Take It Away!

He said:

You feel as if someone has pronounced a death sentence. Life changed in an instant. When they tell you, youre just hoping someone has made a mistake, but they havent.

At the end of the day, unless somebody says differently Im terminal.

Mr Anglin is suffering from a specific type of leukaemia called Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) whichaffects the stem cells in bone marrow and causes a huge amount of white blood cells to be produced, reducing the number of red cells in the body.

Only half of patients can be cured of the rare disease but despite the debilitating effects Delroy remains hopeful he can beat it and his family have rallied around him to support him during this difficult time.

In order to help save Delroys life the campaign#Match4Delroy has been launched by blood cancer charity the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) to encourage people to join the donor register.

Here is the original post:
'Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away' Star Reveals 'Death Sentence' - Unilad - UNILAD

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