StemCell Therapy

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8 Women Share The Diet Changes They Made To Get Their Rheumatoid Arthritis Under Control Prevention.com An estimated 1.5 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, and it can sometimes feel like there are just as many theories about how to manage its symptoms. "There's no one-size-fits-all approach," says Ashley Boynes-Shuck, who's been living ...

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8 Women Share The Diet Changes They Made To Get Their Rheumatoid Arthritis Under Control - Prevention.com

OPINION Where will studies fall in the Trump administrations line of immediacy? by Sean Sequeira | Feb 09 2017 | 12 hours ago | Updated 13 hours ago

As President Trumps cabinet ossifies into its final form, several Americans predict that many policy consistencies of the past are now at risk. One place of consistency is the landscape of stem cell research. The impacts Trumps administration might have on biomedical science are still uncertain. Indeed, some cabinet appointments have incited fear in Americans who rely on stem cell therapy or perform research or work at institutions where stem cell research is a vital component of grants and general revenue. While uniformly and staunchly conservative, the Trump administration must ensure continuity within stem cell research not only to protect jobs and research institutions from bankruptcy, but to also preserve a therapy that might actually be a panacea for a range of maladies.

Stem cells, while controversial and ethically precarious to the public, should be researched and ultimately implemented as a therapeutic solution for patients that simply have no alternative. Specifically, stem cells opponents are against embryonic stem cells, which no longer account for the majority of stem cell research. Currently, the majority of stem cell research is made up of induced pluripotent stem cells, somatic cells which can regress to an embryonic state through regenerative and genetic engineering. With the seminal work of Drs. Takahash and Yamanaka, the ethical rigors associated with embryonic stem cells need not be dealt with.

However, the question arises as to why embryonic stem cells are so insatiably invaluable and why they have immense potential to solve the worlds most enigmatic medical maladies. Indeed, after a zygote forms, the subsequent cells follow a pathway based upon environmental and biological cues similar to how a student follows a pathway to become a doctor, lawyer or businessman. Stem cells are categorized according to the broadness of cell they can become embryonic stem cells are the most versatile whereas adult stem cells, like those found in your bone marrow, are comparatively discrete in their differentiation scope. So, with embryonic stem cells, appropriate cues, and research, we could theoretically program these stem cells to become a pancreas, heart, brain or liver cells. On a macroscale, stem cells provide a conduit through which to build full pancreases for diabetic patients or hearts for heart failure patients, from the ground up. Essentially, with stem cells, we can turn the tide in a seemingly perennial battle with virulent pathologies.

Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, are actually adult somatic cells like those found on your skin which revert back to their embryonic state through transcription factors or proteins necessary to develop or progress the fate or state of a cell to a new state. In this case, the Yamanaka factors are four transcription factors are those necessary to combine with adult somatic cells in order to revert the cells back into embryonic stem cells.

Granted, while the discovery of iPSC was a phenomenal one, there is a long road ahead in order to make them a mainstream therapy and to ensure that they are morphologically, molecularly, and functionally identical to their embryonic counterparts. During the Obama administration, research institutions like the National Institute of Health were not only provided the opportunity to research using stem cells, but were also less impeded than they were during the George W. Bush administration in the quantity and quality of research they were able to undertake.

With the new administration, it has become necessary that they scrap their conservative agenda against stem cells and biomedical research by demonstrating to the public they care and see their constituents as people in need of stem cell research. The administration must recognize the ultimate way to defeat unscrupulous stem cell utilization is to fund research to find novel ways to circumvent such controversy.

Sean Sequeira is an Opinion columnist for the Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at s.sequeira@cavalierdaily.com

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SEQUEIRA: Stem cell research must remain in foreground - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

GETTY

Scientists have discovered a cell in the eye's retina that may cause myopia when it dysfunctions.

The dysfunction may be linked to the amount of time a child spends indoors and away from natural light.

It is estimated that up to 40 per cent of British adults suffer myopia or nearsightedness, meaning they struggle to see distant objects clearly.

The newly discovered retinal cell, which is highly sensitive to light, controls how the eye grows and develops.

If the cell instructs the eye to grow too long, images fail to be focused on the retina, causing nearsighted vision and a lifetime of glasses or contact lenses.

Experts say the retina contains a signal to focus the image in the eye and this signal is important for properly regulating eye growth during childhood.

GETTY

The eye needs to stop growing at precisely the right time during childhood

Professor Greg Schwartz

Study leader Professor Greg Schwartz, of Northwestern University, in Chicago, said: "For years no one knew what cell carried the signal.

"We potentially found the key missing link, which is the cell that actually does that task and the neural circuit that enables this important visual function."

He said indoor light had a high red/green contrast, which activates clusters of photoreceptors in the human eye, creating the equivalent of an artificial contrast image on the retina.

GETTY

It's likely the human version of the retinal cell would be over stimulated by such patterns, causing too much growth of the eye, leading to myopia.

Professor Schwartz said: "The eye needs to stop growing at precisely the right time during childhood."

The findings appear in the science journal Current Biology.

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In the study researchers recorded electrical signals from cells in a mouse retina under different light patterns.

Professor Schwartz said: "This discovery could lead to a new therapeutic target to control myopia."

In further research he hopes to find the gene specific to this retina cell. Then scientists can turn its activity up or down in a genetic mouse model to try to induce or cure myopia.

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EYESIGHT WARNING: Kids risk eye damage 'by spending too much time indoors' - Express.co.uk

SWEETWATER, Texas (KTAB) -The8thannualRidin' for Cash Bull Bash will be in Sweetwater on Saturday, February 18. It's a popular event each year at the Nolan County Coliseum. Thirty bull riders and 20 mutton busters come to compete in the bull bash, but this isn't just your normal rodeo.

Cash Miles is just like any other 10-year-old boy. He enjoys reading and music.

"I play a few instruments and I sing," Cash said.

But what makes Cash different is the way he sees the world. He was born with Optic NerveHypoplasiaand is legally blind. He has no sight in his right eye and very little in his left eye.

"It's where his optic nerve is too small," Cash's father, Matt Miles explained. "His eyes are fine. His optic nerves are too small to relay the message to the back of his brain to tell him what he sees."

Matt says that this doesn't stop Cash. Eight years ago, theRidin' for Cash Bull Bash was started to help kids like Cash.

"You're basically helping the visually impaired and the blind," Cash explained.

"We create awareness for visually impaired children in the area," Matt Miles explained. "We send families to camps and conferences for their children to get better knowledge on their situation."

TheRidin' for Cash Bull Bash has grown over the years, filling almost every seat, and everyone is there to support Cash.

"I don't know the word or how to describe it or anything," Cash said. "But, it's pretty exciting."

"I'm usually down here on the dirt getting everything ready," Matt said. "By the time 7:00 rolls around, I'll look up and I'll see everybody piling in and they'll be stacked all around through here and it chokes you up. You get real proud of where you come from."

Cash won't actually be riding in the event. Instead, you can find him at the announcers stand helping announce the riders.

For more information on theRidin' for Cash Bull Bash, clickhere.

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The Inspiring VIsion Behind Ridin' for Cash Bull Bash - Big Country Homepage

A view of the Los Angeles city skyline as heavy smog shrouds the city in 2015. Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images

"Exposure to heightened air pollution during childhood increases the risk for Hispanic children to become obese and, independent of that, to also develop Type 2 diabetes," said Michael Goran, who worked on the study.

The children who participated in the study lived in areas that, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, had excess nitrogen dioxide and tiny air pollution particles that are generated by vehicles and power plants.

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By the time the children turned 18, their insulin-creating pancreatic cells were 13 percent less efficient than normal, making them more vulnerable to developing Type 2 diabetes, Goran's team found.

They also had nearly 27 percent higher blood insulin after having fasted for 12 hours. During their two-hour glucose test, had about 26 percent more insulin than normal, showing the body was using insulin less efficiently.

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The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the journal Diabetes, is the first to connect air pollution and diabetes risk in children. The findings, however, may be generalized only to overweight and obese Latino children, mostly of a lower socioeconomic status.

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Study: Air Pollution Is Linked to Diabetes in Overweight Latino Children - NBCNews.com

The iLet, a device being tested by Ed Damiano of Boston University.Ed Damiano

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that is funding four last-stage clinical trials of artificial pancreas devices, which automate blood sugar control for people with type 1 diabetes . If the trials go well, the groups could seek approval from federal authorities.

These are the latest steps in a race to make a device that eliminates the need for daily finger pricks and careful blood sugar control for people with the condition. There have been promising recent developments: In October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first artificial pancreas device in the United States, which monitors a person's blood sugar levels and automatically provides insulin if needed. However, people using that device still need to manually request more insulin after they eat.

The ideal device would require no human input whatsoever, which is what the four new studies are testing this year and next. The devices vary in approach, but all aim to limit the amount of time a person with diabetes, or their caregiver, has to manage changes in blood sugar levels.

One of the studies slated to begin in mid-2018 will be led by Dr. Steven Russell of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Ed Damiano of Boston University. It will enroll 312 people ages 18 and older who will spend six months testing a bionic pancreas , which uses both insulin and another hormone called glucagon to keep levels stable throughout the day.

Damiano began developing his bionic pancreas after his son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, as TIME explained in a 2015 profile . Damiano says he wants the device approved so his son doesn't have to constantly think about managing his disease.

For many people with type 1 diabetes, the realization of a successful, fully automated artificial pancreas is a dearly held dream," said Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, in a statement . "Nearly 100 years since the discovery of insulin, a successful artificial pancreas would mark another huge step toward better health for people with type 1 diabetes.

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Four Artificial Pancreas Trials for Type 1 Diabetes Move Forward - TIME

The Crossville and Fairfield Glade Lions Clubs, Cumberland County High School Leo Club and Cumberland Medical Center Diabetes Group will again sponsor a Strides Walk for Diabetes Awareness on Saturday, April 29. The event will take place at Centennial Park, 837 Industrial Blvd., Crossville, starting at 9 a.m.

The April 29 walking event will again be titled Fighting Diabetes One Step at a Time. The course is a 1.1 mile, flat course with a resting location at the half-way mark to rest and get more water.

Registration forms are currently being prepared and will be available shortly. One side of the form is for individual participants who are asked to donate $25 tax-deductible dollars. The other side of the form is for Supporters who have three levels of participation:

Bronze Level requests a $100 tax-deductible donation that allows you to name two walkers and receive publicity.

Silver Level requests $250 tax-deductible donation that allows you to name five walkers and receive publicity.

Gold Level requests $500 tax-deductible donation that allows you to name 10 walkers and receive publicity.

Each paid participant will receive an event T-shirt, a bottle of water and a goody-bag filled with an energy bar and some information about diabetes. You are encouraged to bring your family dog to enjoy the walk. A $5 donation is being requested with a bandana and water being supplied in return.

The net dollars collected will be used to send two Cumberland County students with type 1 diabetes to the Tennessee Diabetic Summer Camp for two weeks this year and the balance will go to the American Diabetic Association (ADA) to help cure this terrible disease. Last year over $6,000 gross was donated. The event sponsors are hoping to collect a larger donation this year.

If you have any questions or concerns about diabetes, please call the Cumberland Medical Center, 484-9511, and ask to speak to someone in the Diabetic Group or check with your doctor.

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Join second annual walk to help fight diabetes April 29 - Crossville Chronicle

Research | Policy | Politics | People | Events | Funding | Awards | Trend watch | Coming up

Stem-cell trial Japan is resuming pioneering clinical research using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. A team led by Masayo Takahashi at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe will make suspensions of iPS cells derived from retinal cells, and transplant them into people with age-related macular degeneration, an eye condition that can cause blindness. Takahashi started a similar study in 2014 the first to use iPS cells in humans but the cells prepared for the second patient were found to have genetic abnormalities and no other participants were recruited. On 1February, Japans health ministry approved a new five-patient study. This time the team will use banked iPS cells created from anonymous, healthy donor cells rather than from the participants themselves.

Martian polar ice cap sculpted by wind A seasonal layer of carbon dioxide frost coats Marss northern polar ice cap in this image, which was released on 2February by the European Space Agency (ESA). Each winter, carbon dioxide precipitates out of the cold atmosphere and onto the ice cap. The image is a composite of pictures taken between 2004 and 2010 by ESAs Mars Express spacecraft. The distinctive spiral troughs were probably carved by wind. Radar investigation by Mars Express and NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed that the ice cap consists of many layers of ice and dust extending to a depth of about 2 kilometres.

ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team

GM wheat trial A UK research laboratory has been granted permission to begin field trials of a wheat plant that has been genetically modified (GM) to improve photosynthesis. Scientists at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden have already shown that wheat plants modified with a gene from stiff brome grass (Brachypodium distachyon) are more efficient at photosynthesis in greenhouses than conventional wheat, and they now hope to see improved yields from plants grown outside in more realistic conditions. In 2012, GM trials at Rothamsted attracted small but high-profile protests. The labs researchers have been among the leading advocates of such trials in Europe.

Swedish stimulus The Swedish government unveiled plans on 2February to make the country carbon neutral in less than two decades. A law expected to pass through parliament in March would set a binding target of reducing domestic greenhouse-gas emissions from industry and transport by 85% by 2045, relative to 1990 levels. Remaining emissions would be offset by natural carbon capture through forestation and by investment abroad. On announcing the move, Swedens environment minister, Isabella Lvin, said that her country wants to set an example at a time when climate action in the United States is threatening to lose momentum.

Romanian protests Angry Romanian scientists have called on their new government to reverse its order for national science-advisory bodies to immediately stop their work, pending reorganization. The government made the order on 31January, when it also issued a decree giving amnesty to some officials accused of corruption; this was later withdrawn after mass protests. An open letter signed by nearly 600academics and their supporters says that the councils, which are non-political, should be immune to government change. Signatories fear that the proposed reorganization may allow amnesty for politicians who have committed scientific misconduct.

UK science czar The UK governments chief scientific adviser has been appointed to possibly the biggest science job in the country. The government announced on 2February that Mark Walport will take the helm of a new body called UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which is expected to oversee a pot of more than 6billion (US$7.5billion) in government science spending when it comes into being in 2018. Walports appointment is significant because there are fears that UKRI could reduce the freedom of the nine individual bodies that currently allocate much government science funding.

Researcher on trial An Iranian researcher in disaster medicine, who is accused of collaboration with a hostile government, has been threatened with the death sentence by a judge on Irans revolutionary court, according to close contacts of the scientist. Ahmadreza Djalali, who had been affiliated with research institutes in Italy, Sweden and Belgium, was arrested inApril 2016 during an academic visit to Iran. According to sources close to Djalali, he has been kept in solitary confinement for three months in a Tehran prison and was forced to sign a confession. Djalalis trial is scheduled to start later this month.

Ice station The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) announced on 2February that it had completed moving its HalleyVI research station 23kilometres across the floating ice platform on which it rests. The 13-week operation, which used tractors to tow the stations 8 modules (pictured), was prompted by fears about a growing crack in the Brunt ice shelf. Staff were evacuated last month for the coming Antarctic winter after another unpredictable crack in the ice was discovered. The base, which is designed to be relocated periodically, is ready for re-occupation in November, the BAS said.

British Antarctic Survey

Borehole record The Iceland Deep Drilling Project completed the deepest-ever geothermal well on 25January. After 168days of drilling, the well bottomed out at 4,659metres, just shy of its 5-kilometre goal. But temperatures and pressures were so high at the bottom of the well that fluids were observed behaving in a supercritical fashionas neither liquid nor gasan observation that was one of the projects goals. The well, on Icelands volcanic Reykjanes peninsula, is being used to explore the source of geothermal systems and to see whether supercritical fluids can be tapped as an energy resource.

Indias budget Health research, biotechnology and space science are the main beneficiaries of robust budget increases announced by the Indian government on 1February. Overall, science spending in 2017 by eight ministries (excluding nuclear and defence research) will increase by 11%well above the projected 5% inflation rateto 360billionrupees (US$5.3billion). Health research, including the fight against diseases such as leprosy and measles, will get 31% more government funding. Biotechnology will get an extra 22%, and Indias aspirations in space, including plans to land a rover on the Moon in 2018, will benefit from a 21% budget increase for space science.

Dual tribute The CRISPR gene-editing system, which has transformed biological research and biomedicine, drew yet more major prizes last week. On 31January, the Madrid-based BBVA Foundation announced that its 400,000 (US$427,000) Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine would be shared by Francisco Mojica, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna. Mojica discovered the CRISPR repeating DNA sequences that some bacteria use to fight viral infections. Charpentier and Doudna developed the universal CRISPR editing toolfor which they have also won the 50-million (US$445,000) Japan Prize, announced on 2February. They share it with cryptographer Adi Shamir.

Women, non-Asian ethnic minorities and disabled people are under-represented in science and engineering in the United States, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). Women receive about half of all science and engineering degrees but hold less than 30% of jobs in these areas. White men, who in 2015 comprised only 31% of the US population, held nearly half of these jobs. Although female and minority representation has risen, disparities remain.

Source: NCSES

1115 February Biophysicists gather in New Orleans, Louisiana, for the Biophysical Societys 61st annual meeting. go.nature.com/2jtfz17

1216 February At an international meeting in Queenstown, New Zealand, scientists discuss the latest research in advanced materials and nanotechnology. confer.co.nz/amn8

15 February Indias Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle launches a high-resolution Earth-observation satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. go.nature.com/2jteerk

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Mars's frozen pole, Sweden's climate plan and a stem-cell trial in Japan - Nature.com

Late last year, a report urged health leaders to take action toward ending preventable blindness. And now, Allergan is leading a charge.

Tuesday, the Dublin drugmaker rolled out See America, an effort to increase awareness of the diseases that can cause preventable vision loss and to improve access to vision care.

Partnering with volunteer eye health and safety organization Prevent Blindness, Allerganwhich markets the glaucoma-fighting treatments Lumigan and Alphaganwill sponsor a series of vision-screening events in various cities. Attendees will receive free one-on-one professional eye exams, follow-up treatment plans and info about the most common vision-affecting diseases.

The new efforts from Allergan, which markets products for vision-damaging diseases including glaucoma, follow a September report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that projected a doubling of preventable blindness and visual impairment by 2050 without a nationwide intervention.

With an unrivaled eye care portfolio, a national network of medical experts and an unwavering commitment to the future of America's eyesight, Allergan is standing at the forefront to answer NASEM's call, the company said in a statement.

Allergan isnt stopping there, though. Its joining up with celebrities and influencerswho it isnt yet at liberty to nameas well as renownedmedical experts who share our passion of preserving America's vision, an Allergan spokesperson said in an email interview. And because the company wants to reach people across the country, its looking to engage with them in the places they get their content dailysocial media, online, in magazines, newspapers etc.

More partnerships with like-minded organizations that support the goals of See America could be on the way, too. See America is a first step launched with hope that other industry leaders will join us in making eye health a priority, the spokesperson said.

See America isnt Allergans only recent eyecare marketing push. Last year, summer, the company recruited actress Marisa Tomei as a brand ambassador for Restasis, which is up against new dry eye competition in the form of Shires Xiidra.

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Eye-med maker Allergan takes on preventable blindness with ... - FiercePharma

People on some of Vanuatu's most remote islands will be undergoing eye surgery following the installation of a clinic on a medical vessel.

Photo: Supplied/ Marine Reach

Rotary clubs have raised thousands of dollars for optical equipment for the MV Pacific Hope, which has already been providing dental surgery in the Pacific.

The founder of New Zealand based faith charity Marine Reach David Cowie said the ship will sail out of New Zealand in April and head to Vanuatu.

He said they will be treating people like a 10-year-old child he met on a recent visit.

"I promised this little boy that I'd come back one day and take care of his blind eye, the cataract, really cute kid. Teacher said he was bright but was struggling because of his eyesight. So he represents dozens of children as well as adults throughout the islands that really desperately need help"

The MV Pacific Hope. Photo: Supplied/ Marine Reach

Mr Cowie said there was virtually no optical care in Vanuatu, and the country's only opthalmologist is away this year.

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Mobile clinic to help reduce blindness in Vanuatu - Radio New Zealand

What happened

Cellect Biotechnology (NASDAQ: APOP) stock is up nearly 30% at 12:06 p.m. EST after the company announced that it treated the first patient in the biotech's phase 1/2 trial, dubbed ApoGraft01, testing its stem cell technology ApoGraft in patients with blood cancer.

Treating the first patient shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to investors. In November, the company said the Israeli Ministry of Health had given its approval to begin the trial. Perhaps investors are just really happy that the trial is finally starting. Also keep in mind that Cellect Biotechnology has a fairly low market cap, so the relative increase in valuation wasn't that much.

Image source: Getty Images.

Cellect Biotechnology's ApoGraft attempts to better select stem cells to help prevent graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), which occurs in 25% to 50% of recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. GvHD happens when the donated stem cells produce immune cells that start mistakenly attacking the patients' normal cells because they see it as foreign. GvHD leads to 15% of the deaths that occur after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

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ApoGraft01 will enroll 12 patients, so it shouldn't take too long for Cellect Biotechnology to fully enroll the trial. Before data from that trial reads out, investors will get results from a trial testing ApoGraft in healthy volunteers by the end of the first quarter.

While Cellect Biotechnology is progressing, investors should proceed with caution given the biotech's precarious capital situation. At the end of September, Cellect Biotechnology had just $9.4 million in cash and cash equivalents on the books. The company may be able to raise additional capital, but most biotechs raise capital through secondary offerings, diluting shareholders' equity in the process.

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Why Cellect Biotechnology Ltd Shares Skyrocketed Higher Today - Fox Business

Progressing at breakneck speed, genetic engineering has seen significant advancements since the first time Jamie Metzl addressed the topic at the Vail Symposium in 2015 to a sold-out audience. Metzl will return today, offering the latest update on the science and implications of this world-changing technology.

Metzl, an annual speaker at the Symposium, is a senior fellow of the Atlantic Council and an expert on Asian affairs and biotechnology policy. He previously served as executive vice president of the Asia Society, deputy staff director of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, senior coordinator for International Public Information at the U.S. State Department, director for multilateral affairs on the National Security Council and as a human-rights officer for the United Nations in Cambodia.

Also a novelist, Metzl explores the challenging issues raised by new technologies and revolutionary science in his science fiction writing. His latest novel, Eternal Sonata, imagines a future global struggle to control the science of extreme human life extension. This world, according to Metzl, is not far off.

Jamie Metzl is a brilliant thinker and eloquent speaker who will be discussing a captivating subject based very much in reality, said Kris Sabel, Vail Symposium executive director. His background in biotechnology allows him to understand this complex science, his experience with international affairs lets him place science in a geopolitical context and his dynamic and creative mind can break it all down into digestible information for everyone

Here, Metzl elaborates on the progress of the genetics revolution, his new book, how this unique science fits into the landscape of technological breakthroughs and how the new administration may impact scientific progress.

VAIL SYMPOSIUM: What sort of progress has the genetics revolution made since you first addressed the issue in front of the Vail Symposium audience two years ago?

METZL: The genetics revolution is charging forward at a blistering, exponentially accelerating pace. Virtually every day, major progress is being made deciphering the genome; describing gene-editing tools to alter the genetic makeup of plants, animals or even humans; and outlining how gene drives can be used to push genetic changes across populations. Even if this rate of change slows, then its absolutely clear to me that these new technologies will transform health care in the short to medium term and alter our evolution as a species in the medium to long term.

VS: Despite your scholarly background on the topic, youve again chosen to use science fiction writing as a way to encompass real issues surrounding the progress in genetics science. How does your new book, Eternal Sonata, based in 2025, two years after the setting of your first genetics thriller, Genesis Code, reflect the true pace, opportunities and consequences of genetic science?

METZL: The genetic revolution is too important to be left only or even primarily to the experts. I write nonfiction articles and spend a lot of time with expert groups, but the general public must be an equal stakeholder in the dialogue about our genetic future. I aspire for my novels to be fun and exciting, but also to help people who might be a little afraid of science find a more accessible on-ramp to thinking about the many complex, challenging human issues associated with technological innovation.

I fully believe well be seeing significant growth in human health and lifespans throughout the coming decades, but this progress will also raise some thorny questions well need to address. Like Genesis Code, its based on real science and tries to explore what it will mean on a human level when new technologies begin to transform our understanding of our own mortality.

VS: How much weight should society put on concerns and opportunities of genetics science, or actually making conscious alterations to humans as a species?

METZL: Advances in genetic technologies will help us live longer, healthier, more robust lives, and we should all be very, very excited about that. Like all technologies, however, there will also be new opportunities for abuse. Thats why we need to have the broadest, most inclusive global dialogue possible to help us develop new norms and standards that can guide our actions going forward. The technologies are new, but the best values we will need to deploy to use them wisely are old.

VS: Has there, then, been any progress in policy to regulate genetics science or legal framework created to limit the radical changes this could have on society?

METZL: There is a real mismatch between the rapid pace of scientific advancement and the glacial pace of regulation. On the one hand, we dont want over-regulation killing this very promising field in its relative infancy. On the other, it is clear that all aspects of altering the human genome must be regulated. This challenge is all the greater because different countries have different belief systems and ethical traditions, so there is a deep need for a global norm-creation and then regulatory harmonization process.

VS: Do you have any insight on how changes in the administration will affect progress in this field of science?

METZL: Many people are worried about how the new administration will deal with these very complex scientific issues. Viewing genetic technologies in the context of the abortion debate would be a significant blow to this work in the United States. But the science is global, and even if the U.S. shuts down all of its labs for ideological or other reasons, then the science will advance elsewhere. Well lose our lead building the future as we wait forever for the coal mining and low-end manufacturing jobs to come back.

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Biotechnology xpert Jamie Metzl addresses realities of genetics revolution, Feb. 9 - Vail Daily News

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) announcedregistrationandhousingare now openfor the2017 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. The conference will be held July 23-26, 2017 at the Palais des congrs de Montral in Montral, Canada.

Now in its 14th year, BIO continues to bring new and exciting features to its annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, stated Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Environmental at BIO.Two new tracks-Flavors, Fragrances and Food Ingredients and Agricultural Crop Technologies and Biomass Supply-have been added to this years programming to represent the extended value chain of industrial biotechnology. Additionally, BIO brought The World Congress back to Montral so attendees from all over the world can gather and meet in one international location to make those important industry connections.

BIOs World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology is the worlds largest industrial biotechnology conference that brings together from across the globe business leaders, investors, academics and policymakers in the biofuels, biobased products, renewable chemicals, synthetic biology, food ingredients and biomass sectors. Industrial and environmental biotechnology is at the forefront of the biobased economy, generating good-paying jobs and making cleaner products and processes.

In 2016, the BIOWorld Congress on Industrial Biotechnologydrew around 907 industry leaders from 529 companies, 32 countries and 31 states, as well as the District of Columbia and hosted a record1,961 partnering meetings.

All programs at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters working full time for print, broadcast or web publications with valid press credentials. For more information and to register, please visithttps://www.bio.org/events/conferences/world-congress-media

For more information on the conference please visithttp://www.bio.org/worldcongress. For assistance, please contactworldcongress@bio.org.

About BIO

BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces theBIO International Convention, the worlds largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.BIOtechNOWis BIO's blog chronicling innovations transforming our world and the BIO Newsletter is the organizations bi-weekly email newsletter.Subscribe to the BIO Newsletter.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO CEO & Investor Conference February 13-14, 2017 New York, NY

BIO Asia International Conference March 14-15, 2017 Tokyo, Japan

BIO-Europe Spring Conference March 20-22, 2017 Barcelona, Spain

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Registration Now Open for the 14th Annual BIO World Congress on ... - Business Wire (press release)

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBYI), a biopharmaceutical company, announced that Alan H. Auerbach, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Founder of Puma, will provide an overview of the Company at 11:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday, February 15, at the LEERINK Partners 6th Annual Global Healthcare Conference. The conference will be held at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City.

A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Companys website at http://www.pumabiotechnology.com. The presentation will be archived on the website and available for 30 days.

About Puma Biotechnology

Puma Biotechnology, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a focus on the development and commercialization of innovative products to enhance cancer care. The Company in-licenses the global development and commercialization rights to three drug candidatesPB272 (neratinib (oral)), PB272 (neratinib (intravenous)) and PB357. Neratinib is a potent irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks signal transduction through the epidermal growth factor receptors, HER1, HER2 and HER4. Currently, the Company is primarily focused on the development of the oral version of neratinib, and its most advanced drug candidates are directed at the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. The Company believes that neratinib has clinical application in the treatment of several other cancers as well, including non-small cell lung cancer and other tumor types that over-express or have a mutation in HER2.

Further information about Puma Biotechnology may be found at http://www.pumabiotechnology.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and actual outcomes and results could differ materially from these statements due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, the risk factors disclosed in the periodic reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

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Puma Biotechnology to Present at LEERINK Partners Global ... - Business Wire (press release)

After the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, dubbed Brexit by the press, many have called into question whether the UK would ratify the Unitary Patent System. The Unitary Patent System will create a Unitary Patent and a Unitary Patent Court (UPC) system to enforce patents across many European states. Brexit was especially troublesome for those in the biotechnology field because the UPC was planning to hold many of its human necessities patent cases in its London based court. Following Brexit, there have been several new developments with regard to the UPC, but these events have not eased the uncertainty felt in the biotechnology field.

One such development is that the UK government, which is one of the 13 member states that necessarily must adopt the UPC agreement for it to take force, recently announced that it would in fact ratify the Agreement. This is good news for those interested in the time and cost savings associated with filing and enforcing a Unitary Patent. A single Unitary Patent will streamline the expansive filing process normally associated with many biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent applications. Additionally, litigation at a single system of courts will consolidate patent enforcement thereby streamlining proceedings, reducing costs, and facilitating the ability for global patentees to take consistent positions when defending or asserting their patents. Accordingly, the UKs recent announcement and the opening of the UPC, which may take place as soon as December 2017, may benefit small to mid-size companies with limited resources.

However, news of the UKs announcement to ratify the UPC Agreement is tempered by the UK Prime Minster Theresa Mays speech calling for an end to the EUs and the European Court of Justices (ECJ) jurisdiction over the UK. Theresa Mays comments are in conflict with the UKs announcement to ratify the agreement because under the Unitary Patent System, ECJ decisions will be binding on the UPC, and in turn, the ECJ will retain jurisdiction over the UK through these patent courts. Although this contradiction may be resolved through negotiations between the UK and the EU, it is feared that such deal making may only further delay the institution of the Unitary Patent System.

After many set-backs in bringing a Unitary Patent System to Europe and the latest launch date slated for the end of 2017, the biotechnology industry may have to continue to hold its breath for the Unitary Patent and the determination of the location of the UPCs biotechnology arm.

For more information on the Unitary Patent, please see our previous article at https://www.knobbe.com/news/2016/09/continental-patents-la-carte-or-prix-fixe-biotechnology-considerations-unitary-patent.

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Biotechnology Considerations for the Unitary Patent System in Light of Brexit and Other Current Developments - Lexology (registration)

Kris Boesen works out his upper body after being part of a new stem cell trial. Image courtesy of Greg Iger

USC researchers have potentially discovered the secret to treating paraplegic injuries using stem cells.

A team of doctors from the Keck Medical Center of USC have become the first in California to inject a patient with an experimental treatment made from stem cells as part of a multi-center clinical trial.

The patient in question is Kristopher (Kris) Boesen, a 21-year-old who on March 6 last year suffered a traumatic injury to his cervical spine after his car fishtailed on a wet road and slammed into both a tree and telephone pole.

Kris parents were told that there was a good chance their son would be permanently paralyzed from the neck down. That was until the Keck Medical Center of USCs surgical team offered them hope in the form of an injection of an experimental dose of 10 million AST-OPC1 cells directly into Kris cervical spinal cord just one month after his accident.

Now nine months after this injection and Kris is one of six patients to have lost all motor and sensory function below the injury site that have shown additional motor function improvement after both six months and nine months of treatment with 10 million AST-OPC1.

The stem cell procedure received by the six patients is part of a Phase 1/2a clinical trial which is evaluating the safety and efficacy of escalating doses of AST-OPC1 cells developed by biotechnology company Biotherapeutics Inc.

The positive efficacy results from this study and the effect it has had on the five patients were announced on January 24 at a press conference held by Biotherapeutics Inc.

The positive results in regards to improvements in upper extremity motor function were measured using the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) scale. The trial saw improvements in Upper Extremity Motor Score and also Motor Level Improvement amongst the six patients.

For the five patients who completed at least six months of follow-up, all five patients saw early improvements in their motor score (UEMS) at three months maintained or further increased through their most recent data point of either six or nine months.

And for patients completing at least six months of follow-up, all five achieved at least one motor level improvement over baseline on at least one side, and two of the five had achieved two motor levels over baseline on at least one side, while one patient achieved a two motor level improvement on both sides.

The trial results reveal a positive safety profile for AST-OPC1, as there have been no serious adverse events from the study which indicates that AST-OPC1 can be safely administered to patients in the subacute period after severe cervical spinal cord injury.

Dr Richard Fessler is the professor in the department of neurosurgery at Rush University Medical Center, one of six centers in the US currently studying this new stem cell treatment.

Dr Fessler said the new treatment was bringing improvements to the patients lives involved in the trial: With these patients, we are seeing what we believe are meaningful improvements in their ability to use their arms, hands and fingers at six months and nine months following AST-OPC 1 administration.

Recovery of upper extremity motor function is critically important to patients with complete cervical spinal cord injuries, since this can dramatically improve quality of life and their ability to live independently.

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Experimental stem cell therapy brings positive results - Manufacturer.com

An estimated 3 million people have glaucoma, and many do not realize it, which can be dangerous because it can lead to blindness if untreated, but a device barely visible to the naked eye is helping many patients in the D.C. area keep their vision intact.

The iStent is the smallest implantable medical device in the world.

It's smaller than the lettering on a penny, Dr. Jonathan Solomon said.

Though hard to see, the tiny device can help save eyesight.

Glaucoma is characterized by pressure behind the eye, which can damage the optic nerve, resulting in possible loss of eyesight. It has been called the silent thief of vision because it is so hard to detect.

One of the major problems as it relates to glaucoma is the symptoms are minimal, Solomon said.

Doctors can diagnose it with a pressure test during an eye exam. There is no cure, so early detection is key.

Glaucoma is typically treated with drops or lasers, but now the iStentis recommended for patients with moderate glaucoma.

The stent is being placed in the drain, this is the space between the cornea which is the front window to the eye and the iris, Solomon said.

The FDA approved the procedure to be done only along with cataract surgery.

When I came to Dr. Solomon for the cataract surgery, he said he could put in stents and that would help with glaucoma, so that's what he did, said Henry Clark, who was diagnosed with glaucoma about six years ago and the surgery in 2015.

Since we knew we were going to proceed with the cataract surgery, we talked a little more about what it may be and how the benefits may play out for him, Solomon said.

So far, the benefits seem to have played out well for Clark.

The device, which is permanent, was approved four years ago, and more people are learning more about it, Solomon said.

Recovery from the surgery takes a few days.

Not all insurance companies cover the cost.

Published at 8:13 PM EST on Feb 7, 2017

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Barely Visible Device Can Save Your Eyesight - NBC4 Washington

New York Business Journal

Out of sight, out of mind: 61 million Americans are at risk for serious eye trouble and they don't even know it Rare.us Most Americans, we just don't realize how delicate eyesight is. The problem is some of these diseases that we already discussed, vision loss is a late manifestation. It's a late finding, which is already an advanced disease state, she said. You don ... Allergan Launches See America(SM), a Bold Initiative Furthering the ...PR Newswire (press release) Allergan pledges to battle blindness with 'See America' initiative ...New York Business Journal all 7 news articles »

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Out of sight, out of mind: 61 million Americans are at risk for serious eye trouble and they don't even know it - Rare.us

Founded in 1915, Helen Keller International (hki.org) tackles the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition. HKI has more than 120 programs in 21 African and Asian countries, as well as in the U.S., all based on evidence and research in vision, health, and nutrition.

Last year alone, the organizations Helping People See initiative provided 85 million individuals with treatment to prevent diseases, including blinding trachoma and river blindness. Also in 2015, surgeons trained by HKI performed more than 10,000 cataract surgeries in the developing world. In the U.S., meanwhile, the charitys ChildSight program provided vision screening for more than 82,400 students in high-poverty neighborhoods and delivered free eyeglasses to nearly 18,000 of them.

HKIs Enhanced Homestead Food Production program empowers communities to produce nutritious foods in home gardens and farms, promotes positive nutrition practices, and trains local healthcare workers to treat acute malnutrition.

The charity also provides education and medical care to combat such poverty-related, often deadly diseases as trachoma, river blindness, and intestinal worms. According to the World Health Organization, these diseases infect one in six people, including 875 million children, and claim more than 500,000 lives each year.

BJT readerswho represent one of the highest-net-worth magazine audiences anywhereclearly have the means to contribute to a better world. To help you do that, were spotlighting one deserving organization per issue. All of them have received a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which evaluates philanthropic institutions based on their finances, accountability and transparency.

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Eyesight to the Blind - Business Jet Traveler

We take many of our body's daily functions for granted, like using our legs to move,our voice to talk,or our eyes to see. Sight helps us navigate the world around us;our eyes communicate with our brain about the size, shape, color, and texture of things.As we age, we are more vulnerable to diseases that impair our vision, like cataracts, but they'retreatable, and most importantly, preventable.

In Brit Lab's latest video, "What Are Cataracts?"host Greg Foot explains cataracts appear in the lens of the eyes, the clear, crystalline structure that sits just behind the pupil. The cataract causes the lens to become less transparent, giving us misty or blurred vision. The lenses are made of a precise structure of water and proteins, which start to clump together as we get older. This blocks some light from entering the eye, and also reduces the sharpness of the images we see.

Read More: Cataracts Melt Away Thanks To New Eye Drops Containing Steroid Lanosterol

As they develop, cataracts can also affect the color that we see, giving our vision a slight brownish tint. However, the mechanism that makes proteins clump together is still not fully understand. Clumping of proteins can occur after eye surgery, or an injury as a consequence of certain diseases associated withdiabetes, or after exposure to radiation. Others will have a genetic predisposition to developing cataracts, so they develop them while they're young.

Spotting a cataract doesn't always mean surgery is necessary. However, as they grow, they can cause more symptoms, like dim, blurred, yellow, or double vision. This makes it hard to read, work on a computer, or see in general.

The surgery usually takes under an hour, and most people feel very little pain. The doctor will numb the eye with anesthetic, and may give medicine to relax the patient. A tiny cut will be made in front of the eye, and then the doctor will insert a small tool to break up the cataract, and gently suction it out. The new lens implant, made of plastic, silicone or acrylic will be inserted, and the incision will be closed. A few stitches may be sewn.

People feel better after cataract surgery, but may still be required to wear glasses or contacts.

Read More: Cataract Surgeries Of The Past

Prevention can help eliminate the risk of cataracts.

Orange juice delivers high amounts of vitamin C, which is linked to a lower risk of cataracts. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that high levels of vitamin C reduced the risk of cataracts by 64 percent. Meanwhile, moderately high levels of blood lycopene a naturally occurring chemical that gives fruits and vegetables a red color was associated with a 46 percent increased risk of cataracts.

Lowering the risk of cataracts can be done by limiting intake of carbohydrates. A study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found that people who ate a lot of carbohydrates had three times the risk of cataracts than those who ate the fewest.

Green or black tea can save our eyesight. A study in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry foundgreen and black tea may inhibit the development of diabetes-related cataracts. Over a three-month period, diabetic rats drank a human equivalent of 4.6 eight-ounce cups of tea per day.

See Also:

These Gifs Let You See Through The Eyes Of The Visually Impaired

Child Cataract Blood Test Developed

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Maintaining Good Eye Health: What Causes Cataracts And 3 Ways To Prevent Cloudy Vision - Medical Daily