StemCell Therapy

The combination of the ixazomib, dexamethasone, and rituximab (IDR) yields durable responses and maintains an excellent safety profile in patients with Waldenstrm macroglobulinemia (WM), according to results of a study published in Blood Advances.

The investigators elected to assess IDR due to the favorable safety profile of ixazomib, in particular a low incidence of neuropathy, in multiple myeloma.

The long-term follow-up results included all 26 treatment-naive patients with WM who participated in the prospective, phase 2 clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02400437) that evaluated the combination of IDR.

For the study, IDR was administered over 12 cycles: six 4-week induction cycles followed by six 8-week maintenance cycles.

All patients had the MYD88 L265P mutation, and CXCR4 mutations were present in 15 patients (58%). The median age at treatment initiation was 65 years (range, 46-82 years).

The median time to response was 2 months, and the median time to major response was 6 months. CXCR4 mutation status appeared to have an effect on the time to response; patients with CXCR4 mutations had a longer median time to response than those without mutations (3 months vs 1 month, respectively; P =.003). However, no significant difference was observed in the median time to major response between the genotypes (10 months vs 3 months, respectively; P =.31).

IDR induced high rates of response among the cohort. The overall response rate was 96% (95% CI, 80-100) while the major response rate was 77% (95% CI, 56-91). At best response, 19% of patients achieved a very good partial response (VGPR), 58% achieved a partial response, 19% had a minor response, and 4% had stable disease. The rate of VGPR was higher in patients without CXCR4 mutations than in patients with CXCR4 mutations (36% vs 7%; P =.06).

Among all patients, the median progression-free survival and median duration of response (DOR) was 40 months and 38 months, respectively. The median time to next treatment was also 40 months. None of these outcomes were associated with CXCR4 mutational status.

The safety profile was considered excellent, although some patients experienced grade 3 adverse events, which included infections (2 patients, unrelated to treatment), hyperglycemia (2 patients, from dexamethasone), infusion reactions (2 patients, with rituximab), and neuropathy (1 patients, due to uncontrolled diabetes). No grade 4 adverse events or deaths occurred.

The authors concluded, On the basis of the findings of our study, IDR represents an easy-to-administer, safe, and effective treatment option for patients with WM, with high rates of durable responses and an excellent adverse event profile.

Disclosures: Some authors have declared affiliations with or received funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Please refer to the original study for a full list of disclosures.

Castillo JJ, Meid K, Flynn CA, et al. Ixazomib, dexamethasone, and rituximab in treatment-naive patients with Waldenstrm macroglobulinemia: long-term follow-up. Blood Adv. 2020;4(16):3952-3959. doi:10.1182/bloodadvances.2020001963

Continue reading here:
Waldenstrm Macroglobulinemia Treated With Ixazomib Combination Therapy: Long-Term Follow Up - Hematology Advisor

In this report, the global Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market is valued at USD XX million in 2019 and is projected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% during the period 2019 to 2025.

Persistence Market Research recently published a market study that sheds light on the growth prospects of the global Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market during the forecast period (20XX-20XX). In addition, the report also includes a detailed analysis of the impact of the novel COVID-19 pandemic on the future prospects of the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market. The report provides a thorough evaluation of the latest trends, market drivers, opportunities, and challenges within the global Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market to assist our clients arrive at beneficial business decisions.

The Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market report firstly introduced the basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the worlds main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.

Request Sample Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.co/samples/30209

Resourceful insights enclosed in the report:

The major players profiled in this Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market report include:

key players and product offerings

For any queries get in touch with Industry Expert @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.co/ask-an-expert/30209

The market report addresses the following queries related to the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market:

The study objectives of Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Market Report are:

To analyze and research the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market status and future forecast in United States, European Union and China, involving sales, value (revenue), growth rate (CAGR), market share, historical and forecast.

To present the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy manufacturers, presenting the sales, revenue, market share, and recent development for key players.

To split the breakdown data by regions, type, companies and applications

To analyze the global and key regions Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.

To identify significant trends, drivers, influence factors in global and regions

To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy market.

Request Report Methodology @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.co/methodology/30209

Read more:
Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Market Set To Register A CAGR Growth Of XX% Over The Forecast Period 2019 2029 - Daily Research Chronicle

*The Iranian writer holds a PhD in Genetics, Molecular Biology and Epigenetic and works at the Genetics Department of the University of Malayas Faculty of Science.

KUALA LUMPUR

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. IPCC officially released a critical report in 2014 that addressed the impact of global warming on living phenomena on Earth [1]. In 2015 the UN Climate Change Conference, held in Paris, aimed to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on curbing the effects of climate change. Leaders of 150 nations, along with 40 thousand delegates from 195 countries attended 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in order to tackle climate change on a global political level.

Climate change in the Middle East area is an issue taking on a greater and greater intensity. Middle East countries, especially Iran, will be experiencing an increase of 2.6 degrees C in mean temperatures in the following decades.

It is predicted that the environmental temperature will increase substantially in Southeast Anatolia and the coastal areas of the Mediterranean region, including Iran [2] and Turkey by the end of the 21st century [3]. Iran has been a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 1992 and Turkey became a member in 2004 [4]. Even though both countries are members of the UNFCCC and despite the critical climate situation warnings regarding these regions, the lack of high-quality data and information, the insufficiency of scientific research as well as risk management of natural resources, and the current level of attention given to the profound relationship between human health and climate change are alarming.

The environmental temperature might have fluctuating impacts on many creatures throughout their lives, including humans. This effect may occur yearly, seasonally, or daily, and usually does not remain constant. There is a question to ponder on; how does an organism struggle with long-term or severe temperature changes? [5] Heat exposure will cause a broad range of negative results for human beings, which will start with an unpleasant sensation, continue with decreasing performance in physical activities and cognitive faculties, followed by a number of cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms that will lead to diseases in addition to an increasing number of hyperthermia- and hypothermia-related and heatstroke deaths, all of which mean higher mortality.

Cardiovascular, respiratory and trauma deaths have been reported to increase in extreme temperatures in Iran. It was also reported that diseases like malaria, leishmaniasis and cholera may change pattern and appear in provinces where they were not prevalent before. [2]

Recently, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change has shown parallels with morbidity in certain sections of societies. There is a need to identify vulnerable populations. The adverse health effects are often preventable with relatively simple measures; therefore, factors such as age, gender, fitness, subcutaneous fat, shape and form, health, medication, adaptation will affect the heat balance. The development of management at the initial steps of the vulnerability will improve the function and working ability and reduce healthcare costs.

It was estimated that, without accounting for harvesting activities, summer heat accounted for the loss of approximately 23,000 years of life per year during the 1990s. During these years, 55 % of life lost was among individuals younger than 75. A trial study confirmed that mortality displacement was applied in society for 30 days; the overall impact was reduced by 75% on the average count. Harvesting was more pronounced in North-continental cities than in Mediterranean cities and was stronger among young people than among the elderly. [6].

The estimate of the threshold during the period evaluated was 29.4 degrees C for Mediterranean cities and 23.3 degrees C for North continental cities. It was estimated that only a 1-degree C increase in maximum apparent temperature above the Mediterranean cities threshold was 3.12%, and for North continental cities 1.84%. The highest mortality rate was seen in elderly people and due to respiratory diseases, demonstrating that the segment of the population most vulnerable to heat were elderly people. Subsequently, those with chronic diseases, children, women above 65 years of age, and people adapted to cold climates had serious difficulties coping with heat, and overall they were considered a vulnerable population.

Socioeconomic factors such as social isolation, air-conditioning usage, exceptional situations (such as long electricity blackouts), and lack of experience in dealing with the new environmental conditions are considered as other factors that increase the mortality rates in these areas. In critical circumstances, individuals taking appropriate approaches towards heat are essential. In healthy people in the population, the amount of exposure to heat, exercise, clothing (i.e. use of textile materials with good moisture transfer qualities), nutrition and hydration are essential. In the at-risk population, right adjustment of medication, treatment, proper behavior in crisis are very important. Lastly, there are discussions on organization management in terms of changing the workplace rules for reducing the time individuals are exposed to heat. In conclusion, human lifestyle plays a vital role in coping with climate change and heat exposure [7].

Effect of global warming and environmental temperature on human enzymatic activity and disease rate

The impact of climate change has been significantly threatening human health based on different parameters. Temperature is a dangerous abiotic factor that affects organisms on an ecological level through infiltrating their molecular and cellular structures. Temperature (heat-cold) is a measure of the kinetic energy of the molecules in a system. Environmental temperature has a direct effect on the molecular response and enzymatic activity of animals and subsequently has a direct impact on the rate of the disease.

At this stage, a question arises: what other mechanisms might be affected in response to thermal stress? An additional serious question also suggests itself: what effects does temperature have on enzymatic activity?

Enzymes are protein molecules activated in their tertiary structure. An enzyme may become inactive by an inhibitor or under adverse thermal circumstances. The enzyme activity would reach its highest range in the optimum thermal condition and will decrease in high temperature due to denaturation.

All enzymes have a range of temperatures for their activities. In eukaryotes, the enzymes have an optimum temperature that is the best reaction for their optimum enzymatic activity, which in humans is around 37 degrees (98.6F), the average body temperature. Enzymes activity has an interdependent interaction with high temperatures [8]. All animals have the capacity to adapt to the environmental temperature, albeit in limited scopes. In order to survive, animals from hot climates such as deserts and tropical climates adapt their enzymatic activity to the highest optimum range.

In contrast, animals from cold weather adapt their enzymatic activity to the lowest optimum range [9]. Even though the animals have this adaptation capacity to the temperature limits, there is still a limited tolerance range for their enzymatic activity and survival [10]. These limited ranges are the two ends of the enzyme activity. Enzymes are proteins, and they will break down at temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) [11].

Most animal enzymes will lose their activity above 40 degrees C. In high temperatures, the active site of the enzyme will be denatured and lose its 3D structure. The temperature, therefore, has a strong effect on enzyme activity [11]. And the deficiency in enzymatic activity due to heat caused by climate changes will subsequently cause respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, mental health problems [12, 13], and different types of cancer [14].

Conclusion

Even though the IPCC reports addressing the impacts of global warming on Earth were officially released in 2014, the effect of temperature on human health has since remained largely neglected. It is clear that the environmental temperature has a direct impact on the body temperature and, subsequently, on the enzymatic activity as an environmental stressor. All beings, including human beings, are threatened by the fluctuations in environmental temperature caused by global warming. It has become critical to determine the scope of scientific research on climate change and the associated animals and human health impact. So, to the authors point of view, such studies that report on human health and environment interaction under different climate circumstances contribute to generating more insights into the impacts weather and temperature have on human health.

**Opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu Agency.

References:

[1] Pachauri, R.K., et al., Climate change 2014: synthesis report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2014: Ipcc.

[2] Khanjani, N., The Effects of Climate Change on Human Health in Iran Public Health Review, 2016. 3(1).

[3] R, I.O.E.U.T., Turkeys National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan. , 2011.

[4] Wikipedia, List of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

[5] Hochachka, P. and G. Somero, Biochemical adaptation: mechanism and process in physiological evolution. 2002: Oxford University Press.

[6] Michela Baccini, et al., Heat Effects on Mortality in 15 European Cities. Epidemiology, 2008. 19: p. 711-9.

[7] MIkheimo, T., The effects of temperature on human health. Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, 2013.

[8] Rodrigues, R.C., et al., Modifying enzyme activity and selectivity by immobilization. 2013. 42(15): p. 6290-6307.

[9] Bilal, M. and H.M.J.I.j.o.b.m. Iqbal, Naturally-derived biopolymers: Potential platforms for enzyme immobilization. 2019.

[10] Jiang, W., et al., Effects of temperature change on physiological and biochemical responses of Yesso scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis. Aquaculture, 2016. 451: p. 463-472.

[11] Wei, Y., et al., Improved lignocellulose-degrading performance during straw composting from diverse sources with actinomycetes inoculation by regulating the key enzyme activities. 2019. 271: p. 66-74.

[12] Ito, K., S.F. De Leon, and M.J.E. Lippmann, Associations between ozone and daily mortality: analysis and meta-analysis. 2005: p. 446-457.

[13] Page, L.A. and L.J.P.M. Howard, The impact of climate change on mental health (but will mental health be discussed at Copenhagen?). 2010. 40(2): p. 177-180.

[14] Seyfried, T.N.J.F.i.c. and d. biology, Cancer as a mitochondrial metabolic disease. 2015. 3: p. 43.

More:
ANALYSIS - Effect of global warming and environmental temperature on human health and lifestyle - Anadolu Agency

FLOYD COUNTY The community is remembering the legacy of Ray Weatherholt, a beloved high school teacher who sparked a love for learning and science in many students over the years.

Weatherholt, a retired science educator who taught for 36 years at Floyd Central High School, died Tuesday at age 80. He was known for his passion for nature and gardening, and he was involved in organizations such as the Floyd County Purdue Extensions Sunnyside Master Gardeners program.

Weatherholt taught at Georgetown High School from 1964 to 1966, and he started teaching at Floyd Central High School when it opened in 1967. He retired from Floyd Central in 2002.

At Floyd Central, he helped establish rigorous science classes such as anatomy, microbiology and botany, and he was inducted into the schools Hall of Fame in 2016.

Dr. Rex Bickers, a retired neonatologist, attended Weatherholts biology class the year Floyd Central opened, and the teacher quickly became his mentor. He received an advanced education as Weatherholts student, and he was not challenged like that again until medical school, he said.

What I got out of 10th grade biology class was a transition into medical school biochemistry class thats no joke, he said.

Although Weatherholt was only 13 years older than Bickers, he became like a second father to him. They have been good friends over the past 20 years. They often talked, got together or emailed each other, and they enjoyed sending each other science news.

In a tribute posted on Facebook, Bickers reflected on the loss of his friend and former teacher.

For now, the smile of that extraordinary man has disappeared, those hands, that heart the size of Mammoth Cave, he wrote. But I will stop breathing before Ray Weatherholt leaves my brainand all the buzzing molecules that keep him alive there.

Lee Schmidt, a 1999 Floyd Central grad, said Weatherholt was a major reason he became a scientist. He went on to receive a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular genetics.

Weatherholt was a quiet, gentle man who loved biology, life and learning, Schmidt said, and he was a teacher who never stopped learning.

In his classes, students learned from college textbooks, and students were encouraged to challenge themselves through science experiments. Schmidt said Weatherholt taught him the art of failing, a life lesson that has been valuable in his work as a scientist and researcher.

He said if I dont fail early, fail often, Im not pushing myself that was one of my favorites, he said. Dont be scared of having an experiment go wrong, and dont be afraid to have a result that doesnt tell you anything, but learn from it. All data provides a lesson learn from it, keep adapting, evolving and trying again.

For Stephanie Carroll Lone, a science teacher at New Albany High School, Weatherholts influence was life-changing.

He had a way of making you want to do your very best, and she learned to love science, work hard and think in his classes, she said. She took several upper-level science classes with him during her junior and senior years before graduating from Floyd Central in 1995.

Floyd Central was a great school with a lot of good, challenging teachers, she said. Mr. Weatherholts class was one of the first that had really, really challenging upper-level thinking, and he motivated us to reach those high academic levels. He was so excited and passionate about the subject matter, and he got us excited too.

He didnt put stickers on tests unless students received a 100%, Lone said, so when she received a sticker, it was something special, and she felt a sense of achievement.

After she got married, she moved down the street from Weatherholt. As she drove by his home, he often was outside in his garden, and they waved at each other.

When Lone ran into Weatherholt over the past few decades, he always remembered her and knew what she was up to, and he seemed proud that she had followed in his footsteps to become a science teacher, she said.

It inspires her to think of how many people Weatherholt has influenced over the years, including those who became doctors, nurses or teachers, she said.

If he inspired each of those people to be something, and each one of them changed someone elses life, just think of the trickle effect, Lone said.

Weatherholt was involved in the Sunnyside Master Gardeners program for about 20 years. Gina Anderson, Floyd County Purdue Extension Educator, has known him since she started in 2013. He was a mentor to many, and he will be greatly missed in the community, she said.

He brought a wealth of knowledge as a Master Gardeners volunteer, she said, and he loved sharing his knowledge with others. He is the reason the county has so many wooden houses for bluebirds because he led the construction of several thousand boxes for the birds to nest.

He encouraged other people to learn to really involve themselves in something and learn about it, Anderson said. He just brought new knowledge and new perspectives to others.

Joe Hinton, former Floyd Central basketball coach, said in a Facebook post that Weatherholt always had his back when things got tough, and they worked together when Weatherholt coached junior high basketball for him for five years.

Weatherholt loved his profession, Hinton said.

He was good at understanding the kids he taught, he said. He was particularly good with the kids who wanted more beyond the normal load of class work.

Alison Tower Reid, a 1998 Floyd Central grad, said her high school science classes with Weatherholt were harder than any college science classes she took, and Weatherholt inspired her passion for science and nature. She now works as a certified nurse and midwife in Jeffersonville and is pursuing a doctorate in nursing practice.

Weatherholt wouldnt let students do the bare minimum in his class they had to put in an effort and actually learn to make it through the class, she said.

Reid recalls Weatherholts tradition of peeling oranges on test days so the smell could create a sense of calm for students it has always stuck with her, and now, every time she smells an orange peel, she will think of her former teacher, she said.

I will forever see him as a giant teddy bear with a big smile, she said. He was kind of quiet and reserved, and he always had a big smile for students. He was just a happy and gregarious kind of person.

Original post:
Community remembers longtime Floyd Central teacher Ray Weatherholt - Evening News and Tribune

EpiPanelDxPLUS adds to Lineagens expanding menu of diagnostic tests for children with developmental disorders and provides an offering designed specifically for patients that have experienced seizures or other epilepsy-related symptoms

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bionano Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNGO) today announced the release of EpiPanelDxPLUS by its diagnostics services business, Lineagen. The new laboratory developed test (LDT) and associated clinical support bolsters Lineagens diagnostic services for physicians providing care for pediatric patients with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). EpiPanelDxPLUS is based on a proprietary panel of 223 genes associated with epilepsy-related conditions, more genes than typically found on epilepsy panels available from other service providers and customized for Lineagens core market of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Epilepsy refers to an array of neurological disorders characterized by involuntary seizures and affects approximately 1.2% of the population, or 3.4 million people, in the United States. It is frequently comorbid with other NDDs of childhood development, including intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder and also can co-occur with neuro-behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Collectively, NDDs represent the most common form of developmental disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1 out of 6 children affected in industrialized countries. Lineagens current menu of FirstStepDx PLUS chromosomal microarray and NextStepDx PLUSwhole exome sequencing offers leading molecular diagnostic tests designed to help pediatricians and pediatric neurodevelopmental specialists manage their patients with NDDs. Offering such physicians a test for epilepsy allows Lineagen to more comprehensively serve their needs.

Identifying the underlying genetic variants that may explain the underlying cause of seizures is extremely important because it informs multiple aspects of clinical care, said Alka Chaubey, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Bionano Genomics. This test allows for personalized treatment of the patient, can predict the recurrence risk for other members of the family, and ends the diagnostic odyssey, which for many families can mean years of doctor visits, invasive tests, and failed or even harmful treatments.

EpiPanelDxPLUS is designed for patients who have experienced seizures, infantile spasms, encephalopathy, or febrile seizures, and has an expected 30% diagnostic yield. Lineagen also offers testing to the parents of the patients. By including the analysis of the genomes of one or both biological parents of the patient from the start, it is possible to increase the detection rate of disease-causing variants and inform on recurrence risk for the family. EpiPanelDxPLUS has been curated based on thorough literature review and includes genes with pathogenic variants identified in more than 2,000 epileptic patients tested by Lineagen.

The use of a targeted gene panel such as EpiPanelDxPLUS fits the testing strategy that is recommended by the American Academy of Neurology and complements existing genetic tests offered by Lineagen such as FirstStepDx PLUS chromosomal microarray and NextStepDx PLUS whole exome sequencing, which are recommended for patients who show a wider array of neurological symptoms. To help tailor medical management, Lineagen also offers pharmacogenomic testing which includes certain genes that are responsible for the metabolism of important anti-epileptic or anticonvulsant drugs prescribed for epilepsy.

We already have a depth of knowledge on epilepsy genetics, added Dr Chaubey. We recently tested a 3-year-old girl with muscle spasms and seizures, as well as her parents, and identified a mutation in the SLC2A1 gene. Based on these results, the doctor was able to treat the child with a simple ketogenic diet and over-the-counter supplementation. If she had instead been treated with barbiturates, at one time a standard treatment for epilepsy patients and now contraindicated in patients with this specific genetic condition, her seizures likely would have gotten worse. This case is one of many where results of a genetic test enabled the family and treating physician to significantly improve the quality of life of the child and family.

"Adding the EpiPanelDxPLUS test to Lineagens menu is a critical step forward in our plan for Lineagen to grow and continue supporting the physicians who rely on them," said Erik Holmlin, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Bionano Genomics. "This test also forms the basis of how we envision incorporating the Saphyr system for comprehensive structural variation analysis into an improved diagnostic testing approach for epilepsy. In its current form, the EpiPanelDx test uses next generation sequencing (NGS) to identify single nucleotide variants and for evidence of gene deletion or duplication in 223 genes. Deletions and duplications are examples of structural variations (SVs) that NGS can detect with reasonable sensitivity, but otherwise, NGS is essentially blind to certain SVs that Saphyr detects with ease. We believe using Saphyr in conjunction with NGS can enable later generations of EpiPanelDxPLUS to have potentially higher diagnostic yields by identifying more genetic variations, which may in turn diagnose more patients, and be a unique combination in the industry.

The EpiPanelDxPLUS diagnostic test is available now with full clinical support including genetic counselling. More details on the diagnostic test are available at https://lineagen.com/epipanel/

About Bionano GenomicsBionano is a genome analysis company providing tools and services based on its Saphyr system to scientists and clinicians conducting genetic research and patient testing and providing diagnostic testing for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disabilities through its Lineagen business. Bionanos Saphyr system is a platform for ultra-sensitive and ultra-specific structural variation detection that enables researchers and clinicians to accelerate the search for new diagnostics and therapeutic targets and to streamline the study of changes in chromosomes, which is known as cytogenetics. The Saphyr system is comprised of an instrument, chip consumables, reagents and a suite of data analysis tools, and genome analysis services to provide access to data generated by the Saphyr system for researchers who prefer not to adopt the Saphyr system in their labs. Lineagen has been providing genetic testing services to families and their healthcare providers for over nine years and has performed over 65,000 tests for those with neurodevelopmental concerns. For more information, visitwww.bionanogenomics.com or http://www.lineagen.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as may, will, expect, plan, anticipate, estimate, intend and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes and are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things, intended use of Lineagens tests, including NextStepDX, anticipated benefits of expanded test offerings from Lineagen, anticipated improvements in patient treatment and diagnosis attributable to Lineagens tests, potential combinations or other uses of the Saphyr system in conjunction with Lineagens tests and any improvements in diagnostic testing generated from such uses. Each of these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include the risks and uncertainties associated with: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and the global economy; general market conditions; changes in the competitive landscape and the introduction of competitive products; failure of our products to achieve the stated objectives or anticipated benefits; changes in our strategic and commercial plans; our ability to obtain sufficient financing to fund our strategic plans and commercialization efforts; the loss of key members of management and our commercial team; and the risks and uncertainties associated with our business and financial condition in general, including the risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in other filings subsequently made by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management's assumptions and estimates as of such date. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.

CONTACTSCompany Contact:Erik Holmlin, CEOBionano Genomics, Inc.+1 (858) 888-7610eholmlin@bionanogenomics.com

Investor Relations Contact:Ashley R. RobinsonLifeSci Advisors, LLC+1 (617) 430-7577arr@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Contact:Darren Opland, PhD+1 (617) 733-7668darren@lifescicomms.com

Follow this link:
Bionano Genomics Expands Its Diagnostic Testing Menu with Launch of Lineagen's EpiPanelDx PLUS Gene Panel Test that Identifies Genetic Conditions...

Koushik Sinha assistant professor of computer science in SIU Carbondales School of Computing, left, and Keith Gagnon, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences, have received a one-year grant from the Walder Foundation aimed at better understanding and tracking the COVID-19 virus as it moves through populations. SIU will receive about $360,000 of the $500,000 grant, which involves sequencing the virus genomes and using analytic tools to track it. (Photo by Yenitza Melgoza)

September 14, 2020

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. Although COVID-19 is probably 2020s most common term, many wrongly believe it refers to a specific bug that causes myriad symptoms ranging from fairly mild to deadly.

Researchers know the term actually encompasses a constantly evolving and varying virus that changes as it moves through populations over time. Understanding those changes can tell scientists many things, from its origins to the way it spreads to what it might do next, and unlocking those secrets using genetics and tracking technology is the goal of two researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

SIU leading the way

Keith Gagnon, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry in SIUs College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences, and Koushik Sinha, assistant professor of computer science in the School of Computing, have received a grant from the Walder Foundation. The SIU researchers will work with other scientists from the Open Commons Consortium in Chicago on the one-year, $500,000 project aimed at improving our understanding of the virus, with SIU receiving about $360,000 of the money.

Under the grant, the Illinois Department of Public Health will supply Gagnons lab with COVID-19 samples from patients mostly located in the Chicago area. Gagnons team will then sequence the virus genomes, and perform evolutionary and phylogenetic analyses on the genome sequences.

Combining data with technology

Gagnon said his lab will sequence the genome of SARS-CoV-2 viruses, which cause COVID-19, from positive patient samples. The study will sequence 5,000 virus genomes over the course of the project.

The genomic and analytic tools we will use should help us understand how the virus is moving and changing over time in the Chicago area by identifying variants of the virus, Gagnon said. We expect to identify the original founder outbreaks of the virus, such as geographic location in the world, and predict when different variants were introduced into the Chicago area.

The lab will sequence and analyze the genomes within two weeks of a positive case, Gagnon said. Combing that information with Google mobility data as practiced by Sinha and his team will reveal the demographics to understand how the virus is affecting certain populations, allowing authorities to make rapid decisions about public health policies.

Bringing analytic tools to the fight

Sinhas team will combine the mutation signatures of each virus, as well as where and when the sample was taken, with powerful analytical tools and map-view visualizations, rapidly sharing results with IDPH and other researchers and making them publicly available for viewing and downloading.

Mapping the diversity of mutations that the virus acquires will provide critical insight into better vaccine development, Gagnon said. And our tools can be used to evaluate the success of future vaccines as they are deployed.

Sinha said the goal is to create a one-stop-shop data and analytics infrastructure for storing, integrating, analyzing, and visualizing multiple types of epidemiological data. His group will create a custom visualization and data-analytics platform called COVID-19 Data Map (CoVD-Map). The platform will be an offshoot of the platform that he began developing in spring during some of the early, uncertain months of the pandemic.

Leveraging outside agencies

The teams CoVD-Map will be integrated with the Chicago CAN Commons and designed to work with other public-health surveillance systems, such as Illinoiss National Electronic Disease Surveillance System and the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

It will be unique in its ability to not only integrate diverse data sources through built-in analytics solutions, but also enable researchers to plug-in their own analytics tools and visualize their results using its visualization framework, Sinha said.

For instance, one analytic tool will be genomic epidemiology predictions of virus movement and change. The platform also will also integrate with other tools to present results in an intuitive, unified and timely manner, Sinha said.

Information enlightens approaches

The results, incorporating additional dimensions of data, will be accessible to government and health officials, researchers, and the public, he said. Healthcare and government officials can use the CoVD-Map to improve situational awareness and formulate responses while researchers can plug-in their own prediction models. Individuals might use it to understand how the pandemic is impacting their area and accordingly change their daily activity patterns.

The advances the teams hope to make might eventually be applied to other theaters and populations

We hope to expand this study to the broader state of Illinois to look at rural counties, as well, over time, said Gagnon, who also holds and appointment as an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the SIU School of Medicine.

Continued here:
SIU researchers receive grant to study COVID-19 genome, track it through population - SIU News

New data by a team of researchers at Rutgers University is shedding light on a potential connection between gestational diabetes and biological age of offspring.

An analysis including more than 1100 children from Tianjin, China, researchers revealed children born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus had a higher epigenetic age than their counterparts born to mothers without gestational diabetes mellitus. Additionally, this increased epigenetic age was linked to increased risk of other comorbidities later in life, such as obesity and increased blood pressure.

"These findings suggest that gestational diabetes may have long-term effects on epigenetic aging in offspring and lead to poorer cardiometabolic health outcomes," said lead author Stephanie Shiau, an instructor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, in a statement.

In an effort to further investigate the effects of gestational diabetes mellitus on offspring, Shiau and a team of colleagues from the US and China designed the current study. To do so, they designed their study as an analysis of estimated DNA methylation (DNAm) age in offspring born to mothers with and without gestational diabetes mellitus from the Tianjin GDM Observational Study.

Of note, the Tianjin GDM Observational Study was conducted between 2005-2009 and sought to compare risks of early postpartum diabetes and prediabetes in Chinese women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy. Ultimately, the trial contained cohorts of 1263 women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus and 705 women without gestational diabetes mellitus. With a mean follow-up time of 3.53 years postpartum, Shiau and team used this study to identify data related to 1156 children between the ages of 3-10 years born to mothers within the study.

Of the 1156 children included, 758 were born to mothers with gestational diabetes and 758 were born to mothers without gestational diabetes. All children included in the study underwent an exam at a median age of 5.9 years (3.1-10.2) that included anthropometric measurements and a blood draw for DNAm analysis. For the purpose of analysis, DNAm age was calculated using Horvath and Hannum epigenetic clock algorithms and the residual resulting from regressing DNAm age on chronological age was used as the metric for age acceleration.

Upon analysis, results indicated chronological age strongly correlated with both the Horvath DNAm age (r=.53; P <.0001) and the Hannum DNAm age (r=.38; P <.0001). Results also indicated offspring age acceleration was higher among those born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus compared to their counterparts who had mother without gestational diabetes mellitus when adjusting for potential confounders (Horvath, 4.96 months higher, P=.0002; Hannum, 11.2 months higher, P <.0001). Investigators noted the Horvath algorith was adjusted for sex, pre-pregnancy BMI, cell-type proportions, and technical bias while the Hannum algorithm adjusted for cell-type proportions and technical bias.

Results of the analyses suggest increased offspring DNAm age acceleration was associated with increased offspring weight-for-age Z-score, BMI-for-age-Z-score, waist circumference, body fat percentage, subscapular skinfold, suprailiac skinfold, upper-arm circumference, and blood pressure. Investigators pointed out these associations were strong among offspring born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.

We found that offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus exhibit accelerated epigenetic age compared to control participants, independent of other maternal factors. Epigenetic age in offspring was associated with cardiometabolic risk factors, suggesting that gestational diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes mellitus-associated factors may have long-term effects on offspring epigenetic age and contribute to health outcomes, wrote investigators.

This study, Prenatal gestational diabetes mellitus exposure and accelerated offspring DNA methylation age in early childhood, was published in Epigenetics.

Originally posted here:
Gestational Diabetes Linked to Accelerated Aging in Offspring - Endocrinology Network

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | September 15, 2020 6:20:26 pm'As one of the most noteworthy causes of CKD, the rise in the number of diabetic patients in India directly correlates with the increase in the number of kidney disease patients.' (Representational image)

Many people around the world live with diabetes either type 1 or type 2 and the condition calls for many lifestyle changes for them to lead a normal and healthy life. Dr Nishit Mohanty, Nephrologist, NephroPlus Dialysis Centers, Bhubaneswar & Balasore, says the number of people in India crippled with Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) associated with diabetes, is high.

As one of the most noteworthy causes of CKD, the rise in the number of diabetic patients in India directly correlates with the increase in the number of kidney disease patients. In the times of COVID-19, both co-morbidities are a major risk concern and should be taken into serious consideration, he warns.

The doctor goes on to say that while one is on dialysis, it is important to take care of diabetes. As a result of diabetes, the blood vessels in the kidneys weaken and become damaged. Damaged blood vessels limit the kidneys to work as well as they should, that is, to filter out the toxins and waste from the body. A decline in kidney function may eventually cause kidney failure.

Maintaining and being vigilant of blood sugar levels, consuming a well-balanced diet and exercising are key factors in controlling diabetes, he says.

ALSO READ |A pandemic is never absolutely over, but it can be controlled: Dr Naresh Trehan

Here are some dietary tips from the doctor:

* Eat as per the nutrition plan curated by your nephrologist and dietician.* Eating three meals a day which is a must will help in preventing the blood sugar from going too high or too low.* High-caloric food must be avoided.* Non- processed foods such fresh vegetables and fruits, grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy options should be ideal for nutritious diet.* Foods low in potassium will add fiber to your diet.* Keep your liquid consumption in check, as advised.

Physical activities:

* Exercise daily to maintain a healthy weight; do not over-stress yourself.* Obesity should be looked at with utmost care; reduce if overweight.* Include aerobic and resistance training which will help in lowering blood sugar and keep blood glucose within a normal range.* Practising yoga will help calm the mind and body.

ALSO READ |How do COVID-19 triggered blood clots affect the heart? A doctor answers

Medication:

* Monitor your blood sugar regularly.* Medication must be taken as prescribed by your doctor.* Maintain good eye care; have your eyes checked if you experience any discomfort.* It is also important to maintain good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth in the morning and at night; gargle your mouth after meals.* Blood glucose should be monitored well on dialysis days, mainly before you begin your dialysis treatment.

For more lifestyle news, follow us: Twitter:lifestyle_ie|Facebook:IE Lifestyle| Instagram:ie_lifestyle

The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Lifestyle News, download Indian Express App.

IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

See the original post:
What patients on dialysis need to know about controlling diabetes - The Indian Express

When people with diabetes are discharged from hospital researchers say they are at much higher risk of early death or being readmitted.

A team from the University of Warwick say they have identified known risk factors which could indicate those who are at greater risk for once they leave the hospital.

Each risk factor was grouped into one of the following the categories, demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, patient medical factors, inpatient stay factors, medication related, laboratory results and glycaemic status.

Professor Theo Arvanitis, from the Institute of Digital Healthcare at WMG, University of Warwick, said: The most common risk factor is in the demographic category of age and the second most important factor is co-morbidity burden; this comes under the patient medical factors category, and means patients have more than one condition.

We also identified BMI as a significant risk within the patient medical factors category, with those who were at the heavier end of the scales to be more at risk.

Thirty-seven of the risk factors we identified from one research paper. This tell us that this research in general is still very early, and more studies are needed to identify the importance and possibly any other risk factors. This could decrease the mortality rate of diabetics discharged from hospitals in the future.

The research paper entitled A Systematic Review Considering Risk factors for Mortality of Patients Discharged from Hospital with a Diagnosis of Diabetes has been published in theJournal of Diabetes and its Complications.

Read more:
People with diabetes discharged from hospital at higher risk of death - Diabetes.co.uk

A team of scientists at Queens University, Belfast, funded by us, have discovered a gene that increases the risk of blood vessel damage in people with diabetes.Switching off this gene could help people with diabetes live longer, healthier lives.

People with diabetes can develop life changing health complications, which can lead to limb amputations, because of blood vessels being damaged due to the disease. Belfast based Professor Andriana Margariti and her team discovered the cells in the damaged blood vessels were dysfunctional in diabetic patients and they then went on to cause cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease.

The three-year 264,000 research study, funded by us, discovered that blood vessel cells were dysfunctional because there was a high level of a protein gene, called QKI-7.

Margariti explained: We found that the level of this gene is very high in people with cardiovascular disease caused by diabetes. We discovered from blood vessels taken from the heart and amputated limbs of diabetic patients that the level of this protein gene is high.

So we learned that the QKI-7 protein gene was a key factor in the malfunction of the blood vessels cells that, in turn, cause cardiovascular complications in people with diabetes.

Of the around 74,000 people in Northern Ireland that have coronary heart disease, around a quarter (around 19,000) will also have diabetes.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in Northern Ireland and the single biggest killer worldwide, while adults with diabetes are up to three times more likely to develop heart and circulatory conditions.

Professor Margariti added: Identifying this gene has the potential to stop the damage to the blood vessels that causes the cardiovascular diseases and amputations.

It is a very important discovery. This will make a difference in the medical and scientific field.

The team also discovered that knocking down (removing) protein gene QKI-7 in diabetic mice resulted in restored blood vessel function.

The blood vessels were able to regenerate and therefore stopping damaging cardiovascular complications from happening. This also provided more evidence on how significant, protein gene QKI-7 is.

Having discovered the gene that causes the malfunction in blood vessels the next step will be to develop a drug that will target QKI-7 to stop the heart and circulatory damage caused by diabetes from developing.

Prof Margariti explained: This BHF funded study will allow the opportunity to propose novel medications to prevent the devastation of diabetic complications such as cardiovascular disease and it will significantly improve the quality of life in diabetic patients.

The results will potentially help treat the cardiovascular complications of diabetes and screen patients earlier, which can be lifesaving and life changing for those people living with diabetes.

Our Head of BHF NI Fearghal McKinney said: The results of this study from Prof Dr Margariti and her team show just how important funding research is. It delivers tangible results that have the potential to save and improve the lives of people living with diabetes.

Unfortunately, coronavirus has a long-lasting and devastating impact on charities like ours, with the BHFs funding for new research falling by a shocking 50m this year alone. That's why, not only do we need urgent help from our loyal supporters, were also urging the UK Government to ensure funding for vital research charities like ours.

For us, it will mean we can protect the progress that world class researchers like Prof Margariti are making and continue to transform the lives of those with heart and circulatory diseases. Its ultimately patients who will suffer if this doesnt happen.

These results were published today in the journal Nature Communications.

Our research in Northern Ireland

Read the rest here:
Gene discovery with potential to prevent complications for diabetes - British Heart Foundation

If youre a diabetic, people might have told you to avoid fruits because they are too sweet or contain sugar that can make your blood glucose go up. But this is a myth that you should stop believing right now. All fruits contain natural sugar (some more than others), but they also contain a good amount of other essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. In fact, eating fruits and vegetables is known to help reduce the risk of developing many health conditions including high blood pressure, heart diseases, strokes, obesity, and certain cancers. People with diabetes are more likely to be affected by these conditions. Therefore, its even more important for diabetes patients to eat more fruits and vegetables. Also Read - Diabetes diet: 6 spices that you should eat to manage your blood sugar levels

Most fruits have a low to medium glycaemic index, a number that tells about how slowly or how quickly a food raises blood glucose levels, compared to other carbohydrate-containing foods like white or wholemeal bread. Also Read - Heres what a typical Ayurvedic diet chart for diabetics looks like

However, portion size is very important when considering fruits as part of your diabetes diet. Because certain fruit choices may affect blood sugar levels more than others, its important to keep an eye on portion sizes. Also Read - Why Ayurveda experts are encouraging diabetics to eat black rice?

One serving of fruit should contain 15 grams of carbohydrates. The size of the serving will depend on the carbohydrate content of the fruit. For example, you can consume a larger portion of a low-carbohydrate fruit, and make it small if its a high-carbohydrate fruit. You can eat all fruits as long as the serving size is limited to 15 grams of carbohydrates. Heres what one serving for common whole fruits should be like:

1/2 medium banana

3/4 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries or blackberries

1 1/4 cup whole strawberries

1 cup cubed cantaloupe or honeydew melon

1 small piece (4 ounces) apple, orange, peach, pear, or plum

2 small or 1 large tangerine (4 ounces total)

2 small (2 ounces each) kiwi

4 small (1 ounce each) apricots

~1 cup of melon (cantaloupe, watermelon, or honeydew)

17 small grapes or cherries

1/3 medium mango

Fruit juices contain less fiber than the whole fruits and are high in natural sugars. Therefore, its advisable to avoid juices when you have diabetes and instead eat the actual fruit. If you still want to drink fruit juice, have a maximum of a small glass per day. Drinking too much fruit juice may raise your blood glucose levels and make you gain weight.

While dried fruits even higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals, the sugar content also becomes more concentrated. For example, one cup of grapes contains 27 grams of carbs whereas one cup of raisins contains 115 grams of carbs. This means raisins contain more than three times as many carbs as grapes do.

So, avoiding dried fruit and juice may help you better control your blood sugar. The best way to include fresh fruit to your diabetes diet is to pair it with a protein and/or fat. You can top cottage cheese with pineapple, add berries to a protein smoothie, or dip apple slices into nut butter or tahini.

Published : September 14, 2020 3:01 pm | Updated:September 15, 2020 9:02 am

More here:
Should you have fruits if you have diabetes? - TheHealthSite

Losing weight is key to preventing or reversing type 2 diabetes, according to a major study involving nearly half a million people.

The University of Cambridge trial has shown the condition, commonly associated with poor lifestyle, could be avoided if more people kept their weight in a healthy range or below that target.

Lead researcher Professor Brian Ference said their findings of the study could have significant implications for screening, preventing and treating type 2 diabetes.

The trial involved dividing up the 445,765 participants into five groups relating to their genetic risk of diabetes and five groups according to their body mass index (BMI).

The research team discovered the group of those with the highest BMI had an 11-fold increased risk of diabetes compared to the lowest BMI group.

Professor Ference, who unveiled the research results at the annual European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, said: The findings indicate that BMI is a much more powerful risk factor for diabetes that genetic predisposition.

This suggests that when people cross a certain BMI threshold, their chances of diabetes go up and stay at that same high-risk level regardless of how long they are overweight. You can prevent most cases of diabetes by keeping BMI below a persons threshold.

What the results have also shown is that everyone has a different BMI threshold depending on their height and build. This explains why some people who are a healthy weight develop the condition and some who are overweight do not.

Professor Ference added: You can prevent most cases of diabetes by keeping BMI below a persons threshold.

But it (the study) also implies something that we havent focused on in the past and that is we can also probably reverse most cases of diabetes if we lower somebodys BMI aggressively below their BMI threshold relatively soon after they develop diabetes.

I think the fact that BMI appears to have a threshold rather than a cumulative effect on the risk of diabetes really has potentially significant implications for how we think about changing screening, preventing, treating and reversing diabetes.

The multi-award-winning Low Carb Program is demonstrated to help patients with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and obesity sustainably lose weight, improve blood glucose control and reduce diabetes medications. At 1 year, peer-reviewed research shows 26% of participants who completed the program were in remission.

Read more:
Weight loss is key to type 2 diabetes prevention and reversal - Diabetes.co.uk

"I really would like to stay with Dallas ISD," the third-grade teacher said. "I wish they were practicing more flexibility with teachers."

Jacqueline Martinez has spent the last nine years teaching in Dallas ISD but said Thursday she doesn't know if she will stay beyond next week.

"I will resign. I am not going to go back to campus, Martinez said.

The third-grade teacher is holding class from home right now as the district remains online through Oct. 5.

But, the school district requires teachers who have not already reported to campus to do so by Sept. 17.

Martinez says she has diabetes, making her high risk for complications if she got COVID-19.

Dallas ISD offered an option to teachers last month through an Alternative Work Arrangement, or AWA waiver, which allows employees to work remotely if they can complete 100% of their work.

Right now, Dallas teachers can do that but as the district plans to welcome students back to campus, some as early as Sept. 28, doing all the teaching work remotely will not be possible.

"I applied for the AWA and was denied," Martinez said. "I don't know anyone that's been approved."

On Thursday, the district's HR department, Human Capital Management, told school board trustees the majority of teachers who applied for the waiver did so because of a lack of available child care.

Cynthia Wilson, the head of the department, said the district changed its policy to allow teachers to bring their children to school while they teach remotely.

Wilson said teachers with underlying health conditions who were denied the district's waiver can seek alternatives, including a waiver as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

District 7 trustee Ben Mackey said the process for who is eligible to receive an alternative work arrangement needs to be clearer.

"The clarity would go a long way about what qualifies and what doesnt, Mackey said.

Diedrae Bell-Hunter with Human Capital Management says the district held virtual town halls about options for teachers but said it's likely the message wasn't entirely received.

It is a little bit complicated but we do have other options outside the AWA process," Bell-Hunter said. "We still have leaves available to employees that will protect those who have underlying medical conditions.

Martinez said late Thursday she is talking with the district's benefits department about her situation, but if it is not resolved in the next week, she won't have a choice but to resign from her position.

"I really would like to stay with Dallas ISD," she said. "I wish they were practicing more flexibility with teachers."

Here is the original post:
Dallas teacher with diabetes says she may resign after denied waiver to work from home - WFAA.com

Despite recommendations to the contrary, screening rates for diabetic retinopathy among pediatric patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes remain low. Point-of-care screening is available for diabetic retinopathy screening, but its cost-effectiveness compared with standard screening by an eye care professional (ECP) is unclear. According to a recent study, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in diabetic retinopathy screening among pediatric patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes was effective and resulted in cost savings.

Data collection spanning 1994 through 2019 included out-of-pocket costs for autonomous AI screening, ophthalmology visits, and treating diabetic retinopathy; probability of standard retinal examination receipt; relative screening odds; and the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnosability of the ECP versus autonomous AI screenings. The main outcomes were patient costs or savings, per mean patient payment for diabetic retinopathy screening examination, as well as cost-effectiveness, per costs or savings correlated with the number of true-positive results that diabetic retinopathy screening yielded.

In standard ophthalmologic screening performed by an ECP, the expected true-positive proportions for type 1 and 2 diabetes were 0.006 and 0.01, respectively; for autonomous AI, they were 0.03 and 0.04, respectively. With a base case scenario of 20% adherence, autonomous AI use resulted in a higher mean payment than conventional ECP screening for both patients with type 1 ($8.52 vs. $7.91) and type 2 ($10.85 vs. $8.20) diabetes. But with an adherence rate of at least 23%, autonomous AI was the preferred screening strategy.

These results suggest that point-of-care diabetic retinopathy screening using autonomous AI systems is effective and cost saving for children with diabetes and their caregivers at recommended adherence rates, the study authors summarized.

View original post here:
Effectiveness, Cost Savings of AI to Screen for Pediatric Diabetic Retinopathy - DocWire News

A LIFE-CHANGING new diet shown to put type 2 diabetes into remission has given hope to millions of people.

The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial, or DiRECT, has been carried out in Scotland with a high success rate and Professor Michael Lean, who heads the treatment, believes this proves the disease can be treated.

9

And earlier this month it emerged that thousands of people will now be prescribed the life-changing programme on the NHS.

Prof Lean says: The treatment starts by putting patients on to a weight-loss plan of shakes and soups, 850 calories a day for 12 weeks.

The weight loss reduces the level of fat inside the liver and pancreas, which is what puts the diabetes into remission.

The critical next phase is to guide patients towards a new normal eating plan of different foods from when they had diabetes.

9

With type 2 diabetes costing the NHS 10billion every year, Prof Leans treatment could save vital funds, but more importantly, lives, so it is to be rolled out to around 5,000 patients in ten areas of the UK.

People who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the last six years will be considered for the diet.

Patients will still have to meet certain criteria before their GP can refer them.

Under the year-long plan, patients will be given shakes and soups for three months, as well as support to increase their exercise levels.

They will also be given plans to re-introduce solid food, as well as support and virtual sessions with coaches and dietitians over the remaining months.

The diet is currently available across NHS trusts in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, Humber Coast and Vale, Greater Manchester, Frimley,

Gloucestershire, Derbyshire, Birmingham and Solihull, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK), North East London and North Central London.

Nearly four million people in the UK are living with a form of diabetes and it is estimated that 90 per cent of them have type 2.

Type 2 diabetes is an incredibly serious condition but unlike cancer its entirely reversible

Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is a serious, often life-long condition, it is widely accepted that type 2 diabetes is linked to lifestyle factors.

Being overweight, getting older and having high blood pressure all increase a persons risk of developing the condition.

And despite the fact that it can cause strokes and heart disease, increasing the risk of heart attacks, still too many people are oblivious to the risk.

Prof Lean, from Glasgow University, tells The Sun: Theres misinformation that diabetes isnt too serious a condition to have, and you can live well with it by taking medication.

9

That couldnt be further from the truth. The fact is that ten-year survival rates for breast cancer are better than they are for type 2 diabetes.

Youre more likely to die younger, and with more pain and disabilities from type 2 than you are from breast cancer.

Its an incredibly serious condition but unlike cancer its entirely reversible.

So what is it like to live on a restrictive diet that cuts your calorie count to just 800 a day?

Here, three volunteers from Prof Leans studies share their journey into type 2 diabetes remission having lost 12st between them.

IN just seven months, Edward McGeachie has reversed his type 2 diabetes and lost five stone thanks to the trial.

The company director from Glasgow was diagnosed in January but he thinks he had it years before.

9

A routine health check found he weighed 20 stone and that he had through the roof blood pressure and high blood sugar levels.

He emailed Prof Lean asking to take part in the trial after seeing it on the news and says the diet was the easiest thing Ive ever done.

Edward, 54, says: I was in a critical condition when I started.

"I was probably a few years away from a massive heart attack and morbidly obese I had nowhere to go.

"I was in the danger zone and it was all the motivation I needed.

He was so dedicated to the trial that when he went on holiday to Malaga in February he took his blender with him.

Edward says: Within a few months I was told Id extended my life expectancy by ten years.

"Knowing Ive made such huge changes to my health has been incredible. It has been life-changing in every way.

9

Edward put solid food back into his diet in June and is like a new man.

Im healthier, fitter, I go to the gym, Ive got more energy, Ive stopped snoring which pleased my wife and all the health and weight related issues are gone.

Ive learned so much about food, I wont ever eat in the same way again.

YEARS of travelling with work and having little time to exercise meant Eddie Morrisons weight crept up and up, reaching 18 stone.

In December 2010 at the age of 55, a routine medical at work showed he was suffering type 2 diabetes, and he started on medication.

9

After five years on drugs, it was the birth of his granddaughter Lucy that was the final straw for Eddie.

While his condition wasnt debilitating, he could see a future plagued with serious health concerns.

When his GP told him about the DiRECT trial in August 2015, he realised it was too good an opportunity to miss.

The retired fuels logistics manager says: A few months into the treatment, Id already lost two stone it was the incentive I needed to carry on.

9

Now 13st 2lb, Eddie, from Glasgow, weighs the same as he did in his 20s. He is medication-free and his type 2 diabetes is in remission.

He says: The dietitians taught me about weighing food and what a balanced plate looks like. And by January 2016, I was down to 13st 6lb and needed a whole new wardrobe.

Eddie is still on the trial now, and his weight has stayed even despite the odd blow out to celebrate beers with friends after a game of golf, or birthday cake with his granddaughter.

He says: I never thought when I had the diagnosis, after years on medication, Id be in remission, medication-free and walking up to 100 miles a week but Im fitter and healthier than ever and its all because my GP gave me the chance to take part in a trial that changed my life.

Different types of diagnosis

DIABETES is a serious condition where a persons blood sugar level is too high.

Type 1 diabetes is where the bodys immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, meaning the body can no longer make the hormone.

But type 2 is a bit different it can be prevented and treated.

If you have type 2 it means your body cant make enough insulin, or that insulin cant work properly.

But why is insulin so important?We all need some glucose (sugar) in our blood, and we get that from food it gives us energy.

Once its broken down, it is released into the bloodstream.

From there insulin acts like a key, unlocking the door to our cells and letting the glucose in to fuel our bodies.

But if that insulin doesnt work, and the key doesnt fit, the glucose has nowhere to go and builds up in the blood, causing a spike in sugar levels.

Over a long period of time, left untreated, this can cause serious damage to your heart, eyes, kidneys and other organs causing heart disease among other complications.

A ROUTINE blood test led to Beverly Iceton being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in October 2018.

But within months, she said the drugs she was taking for it stopped her sleeping and she constantly felt sick.

9

Bev, 57, was desperate for a place when she came across the trial online in February 2019.

Most likely I had had it for a few years by the time I was diagnosed, says the admin assistant.

I tried different medications but my quality of life wasnt great and the side effects were getting tougher to deal with.

Other trials had morbidly obese participants but this one wanted to replicate the results in people with a BMI below 27 overweight is 25 to 29.9 who had diabetes for less than six years.

9

Bev, from Barnard Castle, Co Durham, says: Living on 850 calories a day in shakes and soups for eight weeks sounds restrictive, and when you tell people, they say they could not do it but its about far more than just shakes.

The support, the re-education, the accountability it changes the way you see food.

Within eight weeks of starting the trial, I was down from 12st 5lb to 10st 5lb, my bloods showed I was in remission and Ive stayed that way ever since.

I look at food so differently now but I can treat myself or have a blow out.

TINY BUT DEADLYI lost my dad to skin cancer then this tiny mole turned out to be melanoma

LIFE SAVERShowing GP photo of my girl saved her life after spotting tell-tale cancer sign

DR GOOGLE From thrush to warts the 10 symptoms Brits are too embarrassed to talk about

ON CALL1million Brits have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes - the warning signs to look out for

TELLING SIGNMy baby girls dark wee was the first clue she had an incurable disease

"Its just on occasion once every couple of months.

"I didnt think it was possible to reverse diabetes, let alone in such a short space of time.

"I cant thank the team enough.

GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAILexclusive@the-sun.co.uk

Read the original here:
We reversed our type 2 diabetes and lost 12st between us on life-changing new shake diet - The Sun

Nanomedicine Market Overview:

Reports and Data has recently published a new research study titled Global Nanomedicine Market that offers accurate insights for the Nanomedicine market formulated with extensive research. The report explores the shifting focus observed in the market to offer the readers data and enable them to capitalize on market development. The report explores the essential industry data and generates a comprehensive document covering key geographies, technology developments, product types, applications, business verticals, sales network and distribution channels, and other key segments.

The report is further furnished with the latest market changes and trends owing to the global COVID-19 crisis. The report explores the impact of the crisis on the market and offers a comprehensive overview of the segments and sub-segments affected by the crisis. The study covers the present and future impact of the pandemic on the overall growth of the industry.

Get a sample of the report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/1048

Competitive Landscape:

The global Nanomedicine market is consolidated owing to the existence of domestic and international manufacturers and vendors in the market. The prominent players of the key geographies are undertaking several business initiatives to gain a robust footing in the industry. These strategies include mergers and acquisitions, product launches, joint ventures, collaborations, partnerships, agreements, and government deals. These strategies assist them in carrying out product developments and technological advancements.

The report covers extensive analysis of the key market players in the market, along with their business overview, expansion plans, and strategies. The key players studied in the report include:

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Bio-Gate AG, Celgene Corporation, and Johnson & Johnson.

An extensive analysis of the market dynamics, including a study of drivers, constraints, opportunities, risks, limitations, and threats have been studied in the report. The report offers region-centric data and analysis of the micro and macro-economic factors affecting the growth of the overall Nanomedicine market. The report offers a comprehensive assessment of the growth prospects, market trends, revenue generation, product launches, and other strategic business initiatives to assist the readers in formulating smart investment and business strategies.

To read more about the report, visit @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/nanomedicine-market

Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Drug Delivery System Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Request a discount on the report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/discount-enquiry-form/1048

Key Coverage in the Nanomedicine Market Report:

Thank you for reading our report. Please get in touch with us if you have any queries regarding the report or its customization. Our team will make sure the report is tailored to meet your requirements.

Take a look at other reports from Reports and Data on PR Newswire:

Hydroxycitronellal Market: Hydroxycitronellal Market To Reach USD 192.7 Million By 2027

Sterile Filtration Market: Sterile Filtration Market To Reach USD 8.48 Billion By 2027 | CAGR: 7.7%

Tissue Diagnostics Market: Tissue Diagnostics Market To Reach USD 5.02 Billion By 2027

UV-C Robot Market: UV-C Robot Market to Reach USD 1.46 Billion by 2027

About Us:

Our in-house experts assist our clients with advice based on their proficiency in the market that helps them in creating a compendious database for the clients. Our team offers expert insights to clients to guide them through their business ventures. We put in rigorous efforts to keep our clientele satisfied and focus on fulfilling their demands to make sure that the end-product is what they desire. We excel in diverse fields of the market and with our services extending to competitive analysis, research and development analysis, and demand estimation among others, we can help you invest your funds in the most beneficial areas for research and development. You can rely on us to provide every significant detail you might need in your efforts to make your business flourish.

Contact Us:

John Watson

Head of Business Development

Reports and Data|Web:www.reportsanddata.com

Direct Line:+1-212-710-1370

E-mail:[emailprotected]

Connect with us:Blogs|LinkedIn|Twitter

Read this article:
Nanomedicine Market Provides in-depth analysis of the Nanomedicine Industry, with current trends and future estimations to elucidate the investment...

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tottenham Acquisition I Limited (Nasdaq: TOTA, TOTAU, TOTAW, TOTAR) ("Tottenham"), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced today that its subsidiary, Chelsea Worldwide Inc., has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a registration statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement"), which includes a preliminary proxy statement/consent solicitation statement/prospectus, in connection with its recently-announced proposed business combination with Clene Nanomedicine, Inc. ("Clene"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a potential therapeutic nanocatalyst for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in addition to a nanotechnology based-therapy with antiviral applications.

Tottenham's ordinary shares are currently traded on Nasdaq under the symbol "TOTA". In connection with the closing of the transaction, Tottenham intends to change its name to Clene Inc., reincorporate in Delaware (by merging with Chelsea Worldwide Inc.) and remain Nasdaq-listed under a new ticker symbol. Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by Tottenham shareholders, Clene's stockholders, the Registration Statement being declared effective by the SEC, a concurrent closing of private placements and other customary closing conditions.

Chardan is acting as the M&A advisor to Tottenham. LifeSci Capital LLC is acting as the M&A advisor to Clene. Loeb & Loeb LLP is acting as legal advisor to Tottenham. Kirkland & Ellis LLP along with Stoel Rives LLP, Clene's local counsel, are acting as legal advisors to Clene.

About Clene Nanomedicine, Inc.

Clene Nanomedicine, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of unique therapeutic candidates for neurodegenerative diseases. Clene has innovated a novel nanotechnology drug platform for the development of a new class of orally-administered neurotherapeutic drugs.Clene has also advanced into the clinic an aqueous solution of ionic zinc and silver for anti-viral and anti-microbial uses. Founded in 2013, the company is based inSalt Lake City, Utahwith R&D and manufacturing operations located inNorth East, Maryland. For more information, please visitwww.clene.com.

About Tottenham Acquisition I Limited

Tottenham Acquisition I Limited is a blank check company formed for the purpose of acquiring, engaging in a share exchange, share reconstruction and amalgamation with, purchasing all or substantially all of the assets of, entering into contractual arrangements with, or engaging in any other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Tottenham's efforts to identify a prospective target business were not limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although the company initially focused on operating businesses in the TMT (Technology, Media, Telecom), education, e-commerce, health-care and consumer goods industries with primary operations inAsia(with an emphasis inChina).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains, and certain oral statements made by representatives of Tottenham, Clene, and their respective affiliates, from time to time may contain, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Tottenham's and Clene's actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "might" and "continues," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Tottenham's and Clene's expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated financial impacts of the business combination, the satisfaction of the closing conditions to the business combination and the timing of the completion of the business combination. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results. Most of these factors are outside the control of Tottenham or Clene and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement relating to the proposed business combination; (2) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Tottenham or Clene following the announcement of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated therein; (3) the inability to complete the business combination, including due to failure to obtain approval of the shareholders of Tottenham or other conditions to closing in the Merger Agreement; (4) delays in obtaining or the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals (including approval from regulators, as applicable) required to complete the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement; (5) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement or could otherwise cause the transaction to fail to close; (6) the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the post-acquisition company's ordinary shares on NASDAQ following the business combination; (7) the risk that the business combination disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the business combination; (8) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; (9) costs related to the business combination; (10) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (11) the possibility that Clene or the combined company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and (12) other risks and uncertainties identified in the Form S-4 filed by Chelsea Worldwide relating to the business combination, including those under "Risk Factors" therein, and in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") made by Tottenham and Clene. Tottenham and Clene caution that the foregoing list of factors is neither exclusive nor exhaustive. Tottenham and Clene caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Neither Tottenham or Clene undertakes or accepts any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, subject to applicable law. The information contained in any website referenced herein is not, and shall not be deemed to be, part of or incorporated into this press release.

Important Information

Chelsea Worldwide Inc., Tottenham, and their respective directors, executive officers and employees and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the holders of Tottenham ordinary shares in respect of the proposed transaction described herein. Information about Tottenham's directors and executive officers and their ownership of Tottenham's ordinary shares is set forth in Tottenham's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, as modified or supplemented by any Form 3 or Form 4 filed with the SEC since the date of such filing. Other information regarding the interests of the participants in the proxy solicitation are included in the Form S-4 pertaining to the proposed transaction. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated below.

In connection with the transaction described herein, Chelsea Worldwide Inc. will file relevant materials with the SEC including a Registration Statement on Form S-4. Promptly after the Registration Statement is declared effective, Tottenham will mail the proxy statement and a proxy card to each shareholder entitled to vote at the extraordinary general meeting relating to the transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF TOTTENHAM ARE URGED TO READ THESE MATERIALS (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION THAT TOTTENHAM WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TOTTENHAM, CLENE AND THE TRANSACTION. The proxy statement/consent solicitation/prospectus and other relevant materials in connection with the transaction (when they become available), and any other documents filed by Tottenham with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov).

SOURCE Tottenham Acquisition I Limited

See the article here:
Tottenham Acquisition I Limited Announces Filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-4 in Connection with its Proposed Business Combination with...

The world-altering coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic is thought to be just 60 nanometres to 120 nanometres in size. This is so mind-bogglingly small that you could fit more than 400 of these virus particles into the width of a single hair on your head. In fact, coronaviruses are so small that we cant see them with normal microscopes and require much fancier electron microscopes to study them. How can we battle a foe so minuscule that we cannot see it?

One solution is to fight tiny with tiny. Nanotechnology relates to any technology that is or contains components that are between 1nm and 100nm in size. Nanomedicine that takes advantage of such tiny technology is used in everything from plasters that contain anti-bacterial nanoparticles of silver to complex diagnostic machines.

Nanotechnology also has an impressive record against viruses and has been used since the late 1880s to separate and identify them. More recently, nanomedicine has been used to develop treatments for flu, Zika, and HIV. And now its joining the fight against the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2.

If youre suspected of having COVID, swabs from your throat or nose will be taken and tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This method checks if genetic material from the coronavirus is present in the sample.

Despite being highly accurate, the test can take up to three days to produce results, requires high-tech equipment only accessible in a lab, and can only tell if you have an active infection when the test is taken. But antibody tests, which check for the presence of coronavirus antibodies in your blood, can produce results immediately, wherever youre tested.

Antibodies are formed when your body fights back against a virus. They are tiny proteins that search for and destroy invaders by hunting for the chemical markers of germs, called antigens. This means antibody tests can not only tell if you have coronavirus but if you have previously had it.

[Read: Oxfords COVID-19 vaccine is starting to look like a winner]

Antibody tests use nanoparticles of materials such as gold to capture any antibodies from a blood sample. These then slowly travel along with a small piece of paper and stick to an antigen test line that only the coronavirus antibody will bond to. This makes the line visible and indicates that antibodies are present in the sample. These tests are more than 95% accurate and can give results within 15 minutes.

A major turning point in the battle against coronavirus will be the development of a successful vaccine. Vaccines often contain an inactive form of a virus that acts as an antigen to train your immune system and enable it to develop antibodies. That way, when it meets the real virus, your immune system is ready and able to resist infection.

But there are some limitations in that typical vaccine material can prematurely break down in the bloodstream and does not always reach the target location, reducing the efficiency of a vaccine. One solution is to enclose the vaccine material inside a nanoshell by a process called encapsulation.

These shells are made from fats called lipids and can be as thin as 5nm in diameter, which is 50,000 times thinner than an eggshell. The nanoshells protect the inner vaccine from breaking down and can also be decorated with molecules that target specific cells to make them more effective at delivering their cargo.

This can improve the immune response of elderly people to the vaccine. And critically, people typically need lower doses of these encapsulated vaccines to develop immunity, meaning you can more quickly produce enough to vaccinate an entire population.

Encapsulation can also improve viral treatments. A major contribution to the deaths of virus patients in intensive care is acute respiratory distress syndrome, which occurs when the immune system produces an excessive response. Encapsulated vaccines can target specific areas of the body to deliver immunosuppressive drugs directly to targeted organs and helping regulate our immune system response.

Its hard to exaggerate the importance of wearing face masks and washing your hands to reducing the spread of COVID-19. But typical face coverings can have trouble stopping the most penetrating particles of respiratory droplets, and many can only be used once.

New fabrics made from nanofibres 100nm thick and coated in titanium oxide can catch droplets smaller than 1,000nm and so they can be destroyed by ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight. Masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) made from such fabrics can also be washed and reused, and are more breathable.

New fabrics made from coated nanofibres could produce better PPE. AnnaVel/Shutterstock

Another important nanomaterial is graphene, which is formed from a single honeycomb layer of carbon atoms and is 200 times stronger than steel but lighter than paper. Fabrics laced with graphene can capture viruses and block them from passing through. PPE containing graphene could be more puncture, flame, UV, and microbe-resistant while also being lightweight.

Graphene isnt reserved for fabrics either. Nanoparticles could be placed on surfaces in public places that might be particularly likely to facilitate the transmission of the virus.

These technologies are just some of the ways nanoscience is contributing to the battle against COVID-19. While there is no one answer to a global pandemic, these tiny technologies certainly have the potential to be an important part of the solution.

This article is republished from The Conversation by Josh Davies, PhD Candidate in Chemistry, Cardiff University under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read next: Schools are buying up surveillance technology to fight COVID-19

Read the original here:
How very tiny technologies are helping tackle the global pandemic - The Next Web

Highlights

This antibody component, which is 10 times smaller than a full-sized antibody, has been used to construct a drugknown as Ab8for potential use as a therapeutic and prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers report today in the journal Cellthat Ab8 is highly effective in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and hamsters.

Its tiny size not only increases its potential for diffusion in tissues to better neutralize the virus, but also makes it possible to administer the drug by alternative routes, including inhalation.

Importantly, it does not bind to human cellsa good sign that it wont have negative side-effects in people.

Ab8 was evaluated in conjunction with scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, as well as the University of British Columbia and University of Saskatchewan.

Ab8 not only has potential as therapy for the pandemic, but it also could be used to keep people from getting SARS-CoV-2 infections, said co-authorJohn Mellors, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Pitt and UPMC. Antibodies of larger size have worked against other infectious diseases and have been well tolerated, giving us hope that it could be an effective treatment for patients with the disease and for protection of those who have never had the infection and are not immune. Xianglei Liu of Pitt is also co-lead author.

Wei Li, assistant director of Pitts Center for Therapeutic Antibodies and co-lead author of the research, sifted through antibody components and found multiple therapeutic antibody candidates in record time. (UPMC)

The tiny antibody component is the variable, heavy chain (VH) domain of an immunoglobulin, which is a type of antibody found in the blood. It was found by fishing in a pool of more than 100 billion potential candidates using the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as bait.

Ab8 is created when the VH domain is fused to part of the immunoglobulin tail region, adding the immune functions of a full-size antibody without the bulk.

Like the Pitt and UPMC vaccine candidatePittCoVaccthat delivers an immunization through a spiky Band-Aid-like patch and overcomes the need for needles and refrigeration, the researchers are thinking outside the box when it comes to how Ab8 could be administered.

Its small size might allow it to be given as an inhaled drug or intradermally, rather than intravenously through an IV drip, like most monoclonal antibodies currently in development.

Abound Bio, a newly formed UPMC-backed company, has licensed Ab8 for worldwide development.

Dimiter Dimitrov, senior author of the Cell publication and director of PittsCenter for Antibody Therapeutics, was one of the first to discover neutralizing antibodies for the original SARS coronavirus in 2003. In the ensuing years, his team discovered potent antibodies against many other infectious diseases, including those caused by MERS-CoV, dengue, Hendra and Nipah viruses. The antibody against Hendra and Nipah viruses has been evaluated in humans and approved for clinical use on a compassionate basis in Australia.

Clinical trials are testing convalescent plasmawhich contains antibodies from people who already had the pandemicas a treatment for those battling the infection, but there isnt enough plasma for those who might need it, and it isnt proven to work.

Thats why Dimitrov and his team set out to isolate the gene for one or more antibodies that block the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which would allow for mass production.

The pandemic is a global challenge facing humanity, but biomedical science and human ingenuity are likely to overcome it, said Mellors, also Distinguished Professor of Medicine, who holds the Endowed Chair for Global Elimination of HIV and AIDS at Pitt. We hope that the antibodies we have discovered will contribute to that triumph.

This research was funded by National Institutes of Health grants, as well as UPMC; the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; a Canada Excellence Research Chair Award; Genome BC, Canada; Canadian Institutes for Health Research; and Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

To learn more about this research,watch a livestream on Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. ET.

Originally posted here:
AB8 Nano Sized Antibody - the Next Big Thing in Pandemic Prevention & Cure - Drew Reports News

Early development is characterized by the rapid proliferation of embryonic cells, which then differentiate to produce the many specialized types of cells that make up the tissues and organs of multicellular animals. As cells differentiate, their rate of proliferation usually decreases, and many cells in adult animals are arrested in the G0 stage of the cell cycle.

Cell proliferation is carefully balanced with cell death to maintain a constant number of cells in adult tissues and organs. Somatic cells in the adult can be grouped into three general categories with respect to cell proliferation:

Static cell population: These are non-dividing permanent cells, thus they would not be replaced if injured or lost. They leave the cell cycle to perform a specialized function. Static cells include cardiac muscle fibers and neurons.

Stable cell population: These are quiescent cells that do not usually divide. They are considered to be in the G0 phase but be they may be stimulated to divide by appropriate signals as injury, thus their renewal occurs by duplication of existing cells. They include smooth muscle fibers and the epithelial cells of most internal organs such as the liver and kidney.

Labile cell population: These are fully differentiated cells that do not themselves proliferate. instead, their continuous renewal is via the proliferation of the less differentiated stem cells. They include all cells that have a short life span as blood cells, epithelial cells of the skin (skin epidermis), and epithelial cells lining the digestive tract.

It is the process by which unspecialized cells (as embryonic or regenerative cells) acquire specialized structural and/or functional features that characterize the cells, tissues, or organs of the mature organism.

They are primal cells which are the source, or stem for all of the specialized cells that form organs and tissues.

Stem cell possesses two properties:

They have the potential to generate all types of cells and tissues and can construct a complete, viable organism. Totipotent stem cells are derived from the cells produced by the first few divisions of the fertilized ovum ( morula cells).

They are the descendants of totipotent cells, derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. They can differentiate into more than 220 cell types in the adult body, these are the derivatives of the three primary germ layers, ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. Pluripotent stem cells undergo further specialization into multipotent progenitor cells.

They can produce cells of a closely-related family. They include the multipotent hematopoietic stem cells that can differentiate into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

They can produce mature cells of a single type but still, have the property of self-renewal which distinguishes them from non-stem cells. They include stem cells in the skin epidermis.

The normal cells are able to handle normal physiologic demands. If the cell is exposed to severe stresses, it goes into cellular adaptations. When the adaptive response to a stimulus is exceeded, reversible or irreversible cell injury occurs. If the stimulus persists, the cell reaches a point of no return and ultimately cell death. There are 2 different mechanisms of cell death, necrosis, and apoptosis.

Necrosis = accidental cell death: it is a pathological process due to various unfavorable factors e.g. hypoxia, radiation, or as a result of pathogens such as viruses.

It is a physiological process controlled by several genes, during which loss of mitochondrial function initiates a cascade of reactions that can set on cell death. Apoptosis occurs in many conditions, including:

Cell division types, Mitosis, Meiosis, Reductional division & Equatorial division

Regulation of the cell cycle, DNA synthesis phase, Interphase & Mitosis

Cytoplasmic organelles, Ribosomes & Endoplasmic reticulum function, structure & definition

Cell Structure, the function of Golgi apparatus, Endosomes & Lysosomes

The function of Cytoplasmic organelles, Mitochondria, Peroxisomes & Cytoskeleton

Structure of Cytoplasm, The function of centrosome & Cytoplasmic inclusions

Nucleus components, function, diagram & classification of chromosomes

Importance of Nucleosides, Nucleotides, Purines, Pyrimidines & Sugars of nucleic acids

More:
Cell proliferation, mechanisms of Cell Death, types ...