StemCell Therapy

If humanity is ever going to settle down on Mars, we may need to become a little less human.

Crewed missions to Mars, which NASA wants to start flying in the 2030s, will be tough on astronauts, exposing them to high radiation loads, bone-wasting microgravity and other hazards for several years at a time. But these pioneers should still be able to make it back to Earth in relatively good nick, agency officials have said.

It might be a different story for those who choose not to come home, however. If we want to stay safe and healthy while living permanently on Mars, or any other world beyond our home planet, we may need to make some tweaks to our species' basic blueprint, experts say.

Related: Space radiation threat to astronauts explained (infographic)

Genetic engineering and other advanced technologies "may need to come into play if people want to live and work and thrive, and establish their family, and stay on Mars," Kennda Lynch, an astrobiologist and geomicrobiologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, said on May 12 during a webinar hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences called "Alienating Mars: Challenges of Space Colonization."

"That's when these kinds of technologies might be critical or necessary," she said.

Genetic enhancement may not be restricted to the pages of sci-fi novels for much longer. For example, scientists have already inserted genes from tardigrades tiny, adorable and famously tough animals that can survive the vacuum of space into human cells in the laboratory. The engineered cells exhibited a greater resistance to radiation than their normal counterparts, said fellow webinar participant Christopher Mason, a geneticist at Weill Cornell Medicine, the medical school of Cornell University in New York City.

NASA and other space agencies already take measures to protect their astronauts physically, via spacecraft shielding, and pharmacologically via a variety of medicines. So, it's not a huge conceptual leap to consider protecting them genetically as well, provided that these measures are proven to be safe, Mason said.

"And are we maybe ethically bound to do so?" he said during the webinar. "I think if it's a long enough mission, you might have to do something, assuming it's safe, which we can't say yet."

Tardigrades and "extremophile" microbes, such as the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, "are a great, basically natural reservoir of amazing traits and talents in biology," added Mason, who has been studying the effects of long-term spaceflight on NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. (Kelly spent nearly a year aboard the International Space Station in 2015 and 2016.) "Maybe we use some of them."

Harnessing these traits might also someday allow astronauts to journey farther than Mars, out to some even more exotic and dangerous cosmic locales. For instance, a crewed journey to the Jupiter moon Europa, which harbors a huge ocean beneath its icy shell, is out of the question at the moment. In addition to being very cold, Europa lies in the heart of Jupiter's powerful radiation belts.

"If we ever get there, those are the cases where the human body would be almost completely fried by the amount of radiation," Mason said. "There, it would be certain death unless you did something, including every kind of shielding you could possibly provide."

Genetic engineering at least lets us consider the possibility of sending astronauts to Europa, which is widely regarded as one of the solar system's best bets to harbor alien life. (The Jovian satellite is a high priority for NASA's robotic program of planetary exploration. In the mid-2020s, the agency will launch a mission called Europa Clipper, which will assess the moon's habitability during dozens of flybys. And Congress has ordered NASA to develop a robotic Europa lander as well, though this remains a concept mission at the moment.)

Related: The 6 most likely places to find alien life

Genetic engineering almost certainly won't be restricted to pioneering astronauts and colonists. Recent advances in synthetic biology herald a future in which "designer microbes" help colonists establish a foothold on the Red Planet, Lynch said.

"These are some of the things that we can actually do to help us make things we need, help us make materials to build our habitats," she said. "And these are a lot of things that scientists are researching right now to create these kinds of things for our trip to Mars."

Some researchers and exploration advocates have even suggested using designer microbes to terraform Mars, turning it into a world much more comfortable for humans. This possibility obviously raises big ethical questions, especially considering that Mars may have hosted life in the ancient past and might still host it today, in subsurface lakes or aquifers. (Permanently changing our own genomes for radiation protection or any other reason may also strike some folks as ethically dubious, of course.)

Most astrobiologists argue against terraforming Mars, stressing that we don't want to snuff out or fundamentally alter a native ecosystem that may have arisen on the Red Planet. That would be both unethical and unscientific, Lynch said.

After all, she said, one of the main reasons we're exploring Mars is to determine if Earth is the only world to host life.

"And how can we do that if we go and change the planet before we go and find out if life actually was living there?" Lynch said.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

Link:
Colonizing Mars may require humanity to tweak its DNA - Space.com

Octant, a company backed by Andreessen Horowitz just now unveiling itself publicly to the world, is using the tools of synthetic biology to buck the latest trends in drug discovery.

As the pharmaceuticals industry turns its attention to precision medicine the search for ever more tailored treatments for specific diseases using genetic engineering Octant is using the same technologies to engage in drug discovery and diagnostics on a mass scale.

The companys technology genetically engineers DNA to act as an identifier for the most common drug receptors inside the human genome. Basically, its creating QR codes that can flag and identify how different protein receptors in cells respond to chemicals. These are the biological sensors which help control everything from immune responses to the senses of sight and smell, the firing of neurons; even the release of hormones and communications between cells in the body are regulated.

Our discovery platform was designed to map and measure the interconnected relationships between chemicals, multiple drug receptor pathways and diseases, enabling us to engineer multi-targeted drugs in a more rational way, across a wide spectrum of targets, said Sri Kosuri, Octants co-founder and chief executive officer, in a statement.

Octants work is based on a technology first developed at the University of California Los Angeles by Kosuri and a team of researchers, which slashed the cost of making genetic sequences to $2 per gene from $50 to $100 per gene.

Our method gives any lab that wants the power to build its own DNA sequences, Kosuri said in a 2018 statement. This is the first time that, without a million dollars, an average lab can make 10,000 genes from scratch.

Joining Kosuri in launching Octant is Ramsey Homsany, a longtime friend of Kosuris, and a former executive at Google and Dropbox . Homsany happened to have a background in molecular biology from school, and when Kosuri would talk about the implications of the technology he developed, the two men knew they needed to for a company.

We use these new tools to know which bar code is going with which construct or genetic variant or pathway that were working with [and] all of that fits into a single well, said Kosuri. What you can do on top of that is small molecule screening we can do that with thousands of different wells at a time. So we can build these maps between chemicals and targets and pathways that are essential to drug development.

Before coming to UCLA, Kosuri had a long history with companies developing products based on synthetic biology on both the coasts. Through some initial work that hed done in the early days of the biofuel boom in 2007, Kosuri was connected with Flagship Ventures, and the imminent Harvard-based synthetic biologist George Church . He also served as a scientific advisor to Gen9, a company acquired by the multi-billion dollar synthetic biology powerhouse, Ginkgo Bioworks.

Some of the most valuable drugs in history work on complex sets of drug targets, which is why Octants focus on polypharmacology is so compelling, said Jason Kelly, the co-founder and CEO of Gingko Bioworks, and a member of the Octant board, in a statement. Octant is engineering a lot of luck and cost out of the drug discovery equation with its novel platform and unique big data biology insights, which will drive the companys internal development programs as well as potential partnerships.

The new technology arrives at a unique moment in the industry where pharmaceutical companies are moving to target treatments for diseases that are tied to specific mutations, rather than look at treatments for more common disease problems, said Homsany.

People are dropping common disease problems, he said. The biggest players are dropping these cases and it seems like that just didnt make sense to us. So we thought about how would a company take these new technologies and apply them in a way that could solve some of this.

One reason for the industrys turn away from the big diseases that affect large swaths of the population is that new therapies are emerging to treat these conditions which dont rely on drugs. While they wouldnt get into specifics, Octant co-founders are pursuing treatments for what Kosuri said were conditions in the metabolic space and in the neuropsychiatric space.

Helping them pursue those targets, since Octant is very much a drug development company, is $30 million in financing from investors led by Andreessen Horowitz .

Drug discovery remains a process of trial and error. Using its deep expertise in synthetic biology, the Octant team has engineered human cells that provide real-time, precise and complete readouts of the complex interactions and effects that drug molecules have within living cells, said Jorge Conde, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and member of the Octant board of directors. By querying biology at this unprecedented scale, Octant has the potential to systematically create exhaustive maps of drug targets and corresponding, novel treatments for our most intractable diseases.

View original post here:
Emerging from stealth, Octant is bringing the tools of synthetic biology to large scale drug discovery - TechCrunch

On May 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued the much-anticipated final Sustainable, Ecological, Consistent, Uniform, Responsible, Efficient (SECURE) rule. 85 Fed. Reg. 29790. The rule is intended to update and modernize USDAs biotechnology regulations under the Plant Protection Act. The final rule amends the regulations regarding the movement (importation, interstate movement, and environmental release) of certain genetically engineered (GE) organisms in response to advances in genetic engineering and APHISs understanding of the plant pest risk posed by GE organisms, thereby reducing the regulatory burden for developers of organisms that are unlikely to pose plant pest risks. APHIS states that the final rule marks the first comprehensive revision of the regulations since they were established in 1987, providing a clear, predictable, and efficient regulatory pathway for innovators, facilitating the development of genetically engineered organisms that are unlikely to pose plant pest risks.

SECURE Regulatory Changes

According to APHIS, the SECURE rule differs from the previous regulatory framework by focusing on an organisms properties and not on the method used to produce it. APHIS states that this approach enables it to regulate organisms developed using genetic engineering for plant pest risk with greater precision than the previous approach. This method will reduce regulatory burden for developers of organisms that are unlikely to pose plant pest risks and will continue to provide oversight of organisms developed using genetic engineering that pose a plant pest risk.

Under the new rule, no person shall move any GE organism, except under permit, that:

The new regulatory process for organisms developed using genetic engineering consists of the following steps:

Exemptions from Regulation

Under the SECURE rule, certain categories of modified plants are exempt from the regulations because they could otherwise have been developed through conventional breeding techniques and thus are unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to conventionally bred plants. APHIS notes that it has historically not regulated conventionally bred plants under 7 C.F.R. Part 340. These exemptions apply only to plants because the long history of plant breeding gives APHIS extensive experience in safely managing associated plant pest risks.

The revised regulations also exempt plants developed using genetic engineering that contain a plant-trait-MOA combination that APHIS has already evaluated under the previous or new regulations and found to be unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. The results of all completed regulatory reviews will be publicly accessible on the APHIS website.

Determining Regulatory Status for GE Plants/Organisms

Under the previous regulations, APHIS assessed the plant pest risk of each plant transformation event (also sometimes referred to as the individual transformed line, transgenic line, or GE line) separately, even though the inserted genetic material may have been identical or very similar to transformation events already assessed. This part has been referred to as an event-by-event approach.

APHIS states that under the revised regulations, developers have the option of requesting a permit or an RSR of a plant developed using genetic engineering that has not been previously evaluated and determined to be nonregulated. This process replaces the petition process in the previous regulations. The revised regulations evaluate whether a plant requires oversight based on the characteristics of the plant itself and not on the method by which the plant was genetically engineered. Once APHIS determines that the plant is not regulated, subsequent transformation events using the same plant-trait-MOA combination would not be regulated.

Decisions on regulatory status are based on APHISs assessment of plant pest risk. If movement or release of a plant developed using genetic engineering is found to be unlikely to pose a plant pest risk, APHIS will not require regulation under 7 C.F.R. Part 340. If APHIS is unable to reach such a finding, it will regulate the plant and the plant will be allowed to move only under permit.

Permitting GE Plants and Organisms That Pose a Plausible Plant Pest Risk

Permits are required for the importation, interstate movement, or environmental release of any plant or organism developed using genetic engineering that may post a plant pest risk to plant health. For plants, developers must apply for a permit if the plant does not qualify for an exemption or if the RSR process determines that the plant poses a plausible plant pest risk. APHIS will approve or deny an application for an importation or movement permit within 45 days, and an application for a permit for an environmental release in 120 days. Developers may also choose to request a permit rather than an RSR, or they may elect to obtain a permit and request an RSR. Applicants will still apply for a permit using the same methods as before -- a paper application, ePermits, or APHIS eFile.

Under the previous regulations, APHIS also offered an option for notifications for certain plants as an administratively streamlined alternative to a permit. Under the SECURE rule, the notification process has been eliminated and replaced by the RSR and permitting process.

SECURE Implementation Time Line

The SECURE rules provisions will take effect on key dates over the next 18 months. According to APHIS, the biotechnology community will have to learn some new processes and meet new requirements in accordance with the implementation schedule. APHIS states that it is available to support stakeholders through this process. The key dates include:

Commentary

The final rule is a welcome change for biotechnology enthusiasts. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) praised the final rule, welcoming the diminished barriers to innovation as sensible and efficient. The Center for Food Safety condemned the final rule, noting that under it, the overwhelming majority of GE plant trials would not have to be reported to USDA, or have their risks analyzed before being allowed to go to market.

Most would agree that the previous regulations, first drafted in 1987, were in dire need of modernizing. Whether the dramatic shift away from the method of production to focus on the properties of the plant will invite consumer concern with too little regulatory oversight and thus erode public confidence remains to be seen.

Additional Resources

SECURE Biotechnology Website;

Questions and Answers on the final SECURE Rule;

Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement;

Documents Associated with the Proposed Rule

[View source.]

Excerpt from:
Final SECURE Rule Will Update and Modernize USDAs Biotechnology Regulations - JD Supra

UC Riverside engineers are transforming yeast, both the domesticated kind used to make bread and beer and lesser-known wild species, so it can be used in a variety of new ways including fighting cancer.

Yanran Li, a UC Riverside assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering, is working with the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae in an effort to turn it into a bioproduction platform for hormones, such as plant steroids, or phytosteroids, with anticancer properties.

Her approach, known as synthetic biology, involves transferring the biosynthetic machinery responsible for producing the desired steroids in plants to the engineered yeast strains so the yeast will robustly produce them, too. Plants cannot produce enough of these steroids for pharmaceutical use because doing so would interfere with their own growth.

S. cerevisiae has been used to make beer for about 13,000 years, and its what you still get today, in dried, purified form, when you open a packet of yeast if you can find one at the store as hordes of amateur bakers have turned to making loaves of crusty sourdough bread to pass the time while sheltering at home.

Of the manywild yeast species present in ancient breweries, the best alcohol producer was Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Though that wouldnt be known until the 1800s, people around the world nonetheless understood its power and cultivated it for use in baking and brewing, making S. cerevisiae one of the oldest domesticated organisms.

S. cerevisiae and its close relatives have, through careful breeding or genetic editing, been made into industrial-scale producers of ethanol fuel, flavorings, vitamins, proteins, and drugs such as insulin and interferon.

Lisaid she expects that one day her research group will know enough about how phytosteroids fight cancer to build a custom phytosteroid that delivers maximum tumor inhibiting or killing properties without hurting normal cells along the way.

Its a pity we cant get enough of these natural products from the original sources, she said. We are using yeast as a cell factory to produce these valuable compounds.

As any baker knows, S. cerevisiae thrives best in environments that are warm but not too hot. Keeping industrial facilities cool enough, especially in hot or tropical climates, has high environmental and financial costs. This makes it unsuitable and less sustainable for some industrial processes and limits what it can produce even with genetic manipulation.

We have fancy genetic engineering techniques for S. cerevisiae and can make it do a lot. But when were looking at industrial uses at a higher temperature we cant use it, said Ian Wheeldon, an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at UC Riverside, who uses synthetic biology to modify the genomes of wild yeasts. We take yeast that already grows in heat and tune it to produce more of what we want.

Wheeldon is working on ways to make Kluyveromyces marxianus, a heat tolerant wild yeast that reproduces more quickly than domesticated yeast, produce fruity esters for scents and flavorings. Hes also developing new multipurpose tools to rapidly make new strains of Yarrowia lipolytica, a wild yeast that consumes hydrocarbons, such as petroleum, and produces fats.

Because less is known about wild yeasts, engineering them is more difficult than S. cerevisiae, whose genome was first sequenced 24 years ago.

Theres huge variation between wild and domesticated yeasts, and the wild ones are often unpredictable, said Justin Chartron, a UC Riverside assistant professor of bioengineering, who studies how proteins are made in yeast. Theres a lot to making proteins. They need to be moved around, folded up, and modified. Theres a whole network of cellular machines to do this, but were trying to get them to produce more than they normally would so we hit a bottleneck.

Chartrons group uses high throughput sequencing to find what machines, or parts of the organisms metabolism, are in use at any given time in order to locate the proteins that take up the most space and remove them. This makes it easier for the yeast to produce the desired proteins.

If we ask the cell to make something it doesnt usually make, it destroys it. So we have to turn off those pathways, but we need to be clever about how we do it because the cell needs it to grow, Chartron said. Shining a blue light a technique known as optogenetics on an especially engineered cell is one way we can switch those pathways off.

The researchers said their work isnt that different from what amateur sourdough bakers are doing at home.

Were looking at nature to find properties of microbes and finding tools to develop those properties, Wheeldon said. These sourdoughs are exactly the kind of process were talking about you find an organism that produces acids and cultivate it to give your bread that sour taste.

Chartron, who also bakes sourdough bread, noted the baking process involves some of the same things as their own work: temperature, feeding the yeast, and fine-tuning the breads flavor.

We just use different instruments, he said.

Header photo: Stan Lim/UC Riverside

Original post:
Coveting yeast? It's much more than a loaf of bread - UC Riverside

A desperately needed tool to curb the COVID-19 pandemic is an inexpensive home-based rapid testing kit that can detect the coronavirus without needing to go to the hospital.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a few home sample collection kits but a number of researchers, including myself, are using the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR to make home tests. If they work, these tests could be very accurate and give people an answer in about an hour.

I am a biomolecular scientist with training in pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering and my lab focuses on developing next-generation of technologies for detecting and treating cancer, genetic and infectious diseases.

The COVID-19 disease is caused by a coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Unlike humans which carry their genetic material encoded in DNA, the coronavirus encodes theirs in a related molecule called RNA.

My research group recently engineered a sensitive CRISPR-based technology, that we named CRISPR-ENHANCE, and used it to create a rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Our assay works like a pregnancy test and shows two purple colored lines if the sample is positive for the virus. Using our technology, I envision developing a test kit that would allow rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva within 45-60 minutes at home without needing any expensive equipment.

The FDA recently gave a green light to a couple of sample collection kits from LabCorp and Everywell under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) that would allow people to ship out the nasal swab samples for analysis. Patients can take a swab of their nose, ship the samples to a lab, and wait for a few days to get the results back.

Although not an at-home testing kit, the test allows the samples to be shipped directly to a lab for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA. There they use a technique called reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which converts the viral RNA into DNA so that it can be easily multiplied and detected.

Although most FDA-approved tests are based on detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA at an early stage, before symptoms even appear, such tests can only be performed in a laboratory setting with expensive equipment and can take multiple days to get the results.

Several antibody testing kits have been approved by the FDA that use a paper-based lateral flow strip, also similar to an at-home pregnancy testing strip, for detecting antibodies called IgM and IgG. Almost all SARS-CoV-2 infected patients make antibodies within 19 days of onset of symptoms and then the body continues to make detectable antibodies for several weeks to months even after symptoms fades away. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using antibody tests for detecting past infections.

However, the coronavirus is usually very active and contagious in the first week of infection and peaks on the day of onset of symptoms. Therefore, to prevent the spread of coronavirus, it is extremely important to detect coronavirus early to block the spread.

The antibody testing can be great for detecting past infections but they cannot reliably detect current or early infections. The delayed appearance and patient-to-patient variability of antibodies in a blood test further complicates the COVID-19 diagnosis with antibody testing kits.

In addition, the variability between different antibody testing methods have raised doubts about the reliability of these test kits.

Therefore, the National Institutes of Health recently announced a Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) which offers up to US$500 million in funding for ramping up the technologies that detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Most people know of CRISPR/Cas systems as a famous gene-editing technology that can precisely edit DNA. Researchers engineer a guide RNA molecule with a target genetic sequence that serves like a GPS and zooms in on a location on the DNA where a Cas protein, a pair of molecular scissors, can cut at the desired location.

Scientists in the labs of Feng Zhang at MIT, Jennifer Doudna at UC Berkeley and others discovered several newer versions of CRISPR/Cas systems, including ones using the proteins Cas12a and Cas13a-d, which get crazy cutting once they find their match.

My colleagues and I have used this Cas12a-based CRISPR technique to detect the coronavirus.

The coronavirus RNA activates CRISPR/Cas, transforming a pair of controlled molecular scissors into an unstoppable chainsaw. When the the CRISPR/Cas enzyme activates, we know that the genetic sequence of the coronavirus is present in the saliva sample. To make the signal of the coronavirus stronger in the testing kit, we add millions of synthetic reporter molecules which are also chopped up by the CRISPR/Cas mechanism. This means that within minutes we can detect detect the presence of coronavirus.

Under EAU, the FDA recently approved the first CRISPR-based SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing kit from Sherlock Biosciences for testing nasal swabs in a lab. Although not yet approved for at-home testing, this is a big leap toward the development of CRISPR-based diagnostics.

While similar CRISPR-based test kits are in development including one from Mammoth Biosciences and others, our CRISPR-ENHANCE technology relies on engineered CRISPR RNAs that increases the speed of Cas12a chainsaw by between three- and four-fold.

This technique dramatically enhances the sensitivity of detection. Our system can detect fewer virus in a clinical sample faster with a clear visual readout. We are in the process of clinically validating the CRISPR-ENHANCE technology for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection.

Standard collection method for detecting respiratory viruses in the clinic is the nasal swab. However, coronaviruses have been detected at comparable levels in saliva so some researchers are now turning to saliva for diagnostic testing.

Collecting saliva is not only less invasive than the nasal swabs but also contains more virus, which makes it easier to detect with RT-PCR. In fact, an at-home saliva collection kit just received a green light by the FDA on May 8, 2020. In our validation study we will be internally comparing our test between the nasal swabs and saliva for FDA approval.

We are developing a six-step procedure for home-based testing for saliva along with the nasal swabs. Here is how it would work with saliva.

Spit into a sample collection tube that contains dry chemical reagents that will begin to react with your saliva when you drop the closed tube into the warm water for 30 minutes.

The heat helps the chemicals break up the virus particle and expose the viruss genetic material RNA. The RT-PCR reagents basically multiply the viral RNA creating billions of copies, which are more easily detected.

After 30 minutes, transfer the contents of the collection tube to a second tube containing dried CRISPR components and leave it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.

Only if CRISPR/Cas finds the specific coronavirus RNA, will it become active and chop up the synthetic reporter molecules that are engineered and added to this second tube. This part happens in just six minutes.

We then drop a paper strip into the second tube. Within 30 seconds one or two purple bands reveal the results.

The health care provider can then direct the individual to either quarantine, isolate and/or recommend further testing such as antibody-based tests. In our study, currently under peer review, we demonstrated that the ENHANCE technology itself is versatile and can also be adopted for detecting a range of targets including HIV, HCV and prostate cancer.

While there are several labs and companies are rushing to develop similar CRISPR-based coronavirus detection kits for saliva testing, we believe our approach offers the fastest detection. We hope to bring the cost of the kit down to between $1 and $2 so that developing countries can also afford a rapid and reliable coronavirus testing kit.

[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversations newsletter.]

Continue reading here:
Rapid home-based coronavirus tests are coming together in research labs were working on analyzing spit using advanced CRISPR gene editing techniques...

SIDAMA, Ethiopia For Lidya Ashango and 14 million other Ethiopians, the false banana plant widely known as enset is a staple food and, on many occasions, a supplementary source of income. But its no longer easy to grow this crop in the southern part of the country, where land is scarce and plant disease is inevitable.

A mother of seven living in this southern town of Sidama, Ashango and her family have been growing, harvesting and processing enset as long as she can remember.

Men plant the crop, but the women do the time-consuming and laborious work of producing food from the crop. By the time a well-tended crop is ready to harvest, three to four years after planting, the woman goes to the farm with a machete and cuts the false stem to scrape and separate it into a starchy pulp and a fiber.

The pulp is covered with enset leaves and left in a pit to ferment for months before being used to make various bread and porridge dishes. Kocho,the fermented product to turn into bread, and bulla,the flour to be cooked into porridge, are among the dishes prepared by the women from the plant. The leaves are used for livestock feed and packaging.

Although enset varieties are known to be found in other countries in Africa such as Uganda, this cultivation and fermentation process is largely known only to Ethiopians with traditional indigenous knowledge. Gurage, Sidama, Gedeo and Hadiya are a few of the ethnic groups that grow and depend on this perennial crop.

Ensets label as a tree against hunger was adopted in 1984, when the northern part of Ethiopia thats mainly dependent upon cereals like teff was severely hit by drought and famine. Researchers note that the south, which relies on enset, saw no such tragedy; and also that the tree is relatively resistant to climate change and exists in hundreds of varieties.

Unlike other cereals, it can also be intercropped with coffee or other fruit-bearing trees, still providing a higher yield per unit area.

However, despite ensets popularity, rapid population growth in Ethiopia has put pressure on available land, and farmers seeking more income are turning toward cash crops like khat, a stimulant, and maize.

Less land means less livestock and less manure for the plant, said Beyene Teklu in an interview. Teklu has been researching farming systems in Ethiopia, especially enset, for the past six years.

According to a study he did on 240 farms in Sidama and Gedeo, khat-based farms grew by 21% between 1991 and 2013, whereas enset-based farming showed a decline of 13% during this period.

But the intensive production of cash crops like khat and maize can only be good for the first three or four years. After that, land that was left empty for several months after harvesting will be eroded and the nutrients gone, resulting in a very low yield the next harvest.

Teklu says this will in turn force youths to abandon the farms and leave for cities, which are growing increasingly crowded with jobseekers.

Beyond land scarcity, the other threat to enset is its high vulnerability to mealy bugs and diseases like bacteria wilt, which dry up its leaves and eventually kill the whole plant.

Recent reports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that Ethiopian researchers, in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), have used genetic engineering to produce a modified enset thats resistant to bacteria wilt.

However, scholars like Teshome Hunduma, a Ph.D. research fellow at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, looks at the initiative with a critical eye.

In an article for the local news site Addis Standard in April, Hunduma said there are no independent studies that show improved yield, disease-resistance or socioeconomic benefits for smallholder farmers from the use of genetically modified crops. An attempt to genetically modify and release enset for commercialization requires a high-level of precaution, he wrote.

An orphan crop thats been neglected by the government for several years, ensets future lies in long-term strategies that apply beyond five or 10 years, according to experts like Tekle.

Banner image: Ashangos brother-in-law, Dilke Didamo, 38, is portrayed at the familys enset farm in Sidama, Ethiopia. Photo by Maheder Haileselassie Tadese.

See original here:
Land scarcity and disease threaten a multifaceted indigenous crop in Ethiopia - Mongabay.com

New Delhi | Updated: May 20, 2020 8:24:50 pm

Written by Dr R L Raina

With the Indian government keen on promoting India as a medical tourist destination for patients seeking affordable treatment, there is going to be a demand for healthcare professionals. To meet this demand, a new course on healthcare engineering has emerged for students. It is a multi-disciplinary specialty that focuses on advancing this sector through engineering approaches involving both healthcare and engineering professionals.

In this course, candidates will not only need to know their subject, but also possess entrepreneurial skills, along with business and technology acumen. Researchers work with clinicians, collaborators and patients to identify and solve problems that are relevant today. They use scientific, engineering methodology to create solutions to complex health care problems and improve quality of life.

Read| Emerging courses to pursue:Virology|Actuarial science| Pharma Marketing|FinTech | Coronavirus | Robotics |

As a healthcare engineer, one needs to have the knowledge of engineering principles that will enable him/her to come up with solutions for healthcare. At times, it is also concerned with the development and design of a medical product. Some of the major skills that an aspirant requires:

Analytical skills Good eye for design Vast knowledge about various diseases Attention to detailing Communication

To pursue a Bachelors degree in healthcare engineering, a candidate must have cleared class 12 exams, with science subjects like biology, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. The course curriculum will be around the application of engineering tools in the healthcare industry and developing new cutting edge equipment to protect people from illness and injury, and property from damage.

Read |Colleges offering AI-powered exams from home: All you need to know about proctoring

Engineers are always in demand in healthcare. It is a misconception that only people who have studied biomedical and clinical engineering can become healthcare engineers. Even students pursuing chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, information, materials, mechanical, software and systems engineering can pursue this field.

Biomechanics: It is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems by using the methods of mechanics.

Medical devices: Under this, a student should have knowledge about devices that benefit patients by helping healthcare providers diagnose and treat patients and helping them overcome sickness or disease, improving their quality of life.

Genetic engineering: It is the knowledge of a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms.

Read |IIT-Gandhinagar launches PG courses, direct admission for students affected by coronavirus

Health Informatics: This is the study of a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms.

Emergency Management: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), emergency is a state in which normal procedures are interrupted, and immediate measures need to be taken to prevent that state from turning into a disaster. Thus, emergency management is crucial to avoid the disruption transforming into a disaster, which is even harder to recover from.

If you are interested in public health challenges, this is the perfect time to pursue a career in healthcare engineering. It is in high demand as they have a crucial role to play in terms of designing and validating models in the context of public health, predictive modelling, epidemiological studies, machine learning and data visualisation. These skills are already some of the most sought after across a wide variety of sectors, and healthcare has also caught up during the current crisis.

Healthcare engineering covers the following two major fields:

Engineering for Healthcare Intervention: This comes into play when there are chances of any treatment, preventive care, or test that a person could take or undergo to improve health or to help with a particular health problem.

Read | How will colleges function post lockdown

Engineering for Healthcare Systems: Engineering involved in the complete network of organisations, agencies, facilities, information systems, management systems, financing mechanisms, logistics, and all trained personnel engaged in delivering healthcare within a geographical area.

Universities offering this course

Since it is a relatively new course in India, none of the Indian universities offer this course yet, but some international universities do, such as Texas Tech University, Cambridge University, and John Hopkins University.

The author is vice-chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University

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 Education News, download Indian Express App.

IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

Read more:
Emerging courses: How to become a healthcare engineer - The Indian Express

December 31, 2019 is a day that will live in infamy. On this day, a pneumonia of unknown origin in the Hubei province of China was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). We did not know it then, but this would be the day that the world would change. At the time of writing this article, there have been more than 4 million confirmed cases and nearly 300,000 confirmed deaths worldwide.

This global enemy, which we have learned to call COVID-19, has ravaged lives, regardless of age, creed or socioeconomic status. It has caused economic turmoil and has disrupted the lives of almost every human across the globe.

The impact that an entity approximately 120 nanometers in diameter -- approximately 1/100th the diameter of a human hair -- can have on the world is remarkable. But as indelible a mark as the virus has had, so too has been the call to arms by the scientific community. Every generation tends to be called to rise to a great challenge, and the response of this generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians will shape the future of humanity and health more than SARS-CoV-2 itself.

As mentioned in a recent article on Forbes, the mobilization of biotechnology is similar to the allies storming the beaches on D-Day. Just like that fateful day, the attack on coronavirus is multipronged. There are new-generation vaccine methods, such as synthetic peptide-based vaccines and nucleic acid-based vaccines, that are genetically engineered. Retrovirals, diabetic medications, immunologic drugs, antibiotics and even anticoagulants have all been proposed to combat the pandemic. By the last count, over 250 medications are being evaluated at various stages.

Before the Defense Research Advanced Projects Agency's (DARPA) support of this work in 2011, the concept of engineering vaccines into DNA strands was at the edge of science. This allows the immune system to generate proteins directly. Prior to this, conventional vaccines were created by inducing an immune response by introducing antigens into the body. Now, many of the vaccines that are being evaluated are using the more novel approach, including Modernas vaccine, the first to enter phase one human trials, and Inovios vaccine, scheduled to enter trials this summer.

But newer, even more audacious biotechnological solutions are currently underway by DARPA in a project they're calling COVID-19 Shield, as part of the Pandemic Protection Platform. The cutting-edge concept is to harvest B cells from survivors of the disease and replicate and mass produce them via genetic engineering. This concept, if successful, could potentially mitigate any future potential pandemic in a matter of weeks and allow time for a vaccine to be developed while maintaining a flat infection curve.

However, DARPA is not the only group actively seeking solutions. There are myriad others, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is seeking both low and high technology readiness level (TRL) solutions through a broad agency announcement (BAA). This includes a large vaccine contract with J&J worth over $1 billion andfast-tracking an IL-6 inhibitor by Actemra that could mitigate the lung manifestations of COVID-19.

This joins several other immune-mediated drug therapies to attempt to ameliorate the suspect cytokine storm cascade that occurs in more severe cases. BARDA is also reviewing advances from the pinnacle of bioengineering by exploring the use of extremophiles for drug therapies.

Biologic countermeasures are, however, not the only weapons being developed in this new viral war. Artificial intelligence (AI) is also playing a role to combat the novel coronavirus. AI is helping to mitigate the spread of disease, find therapies and aid in treatment strategies. BlueDot was the first to use its AI application to identify a novel pneumonia outbreak in China.

Then there is the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19),a multi-institutional initiative that includes The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Allen Institute for AI, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), Georgetown Universitys Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), Microsoft, and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The goal of this initiative is to create new natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to scour scientific and medical literature to help researchers prioritize potential therapies to evaluate for further study. AI is also being used to automate screening at checkpoints by evaluating temperature via thermal cameras, as well as modulations in sweat and skin discoloration. What's more, AI-powered robots have even been used to monitor and treat patients. In Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, an entire field hospital was transitioned into a smart hospital fully staffed by AI robotics.

Any time of great challenge is a time of great change. The waves of technological innovation that are occurring now will echo throughout eternity. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are experiencing a call to mobilization that will forever alter the fabric of discovery in the fields of bioengineering, biomimicry and artificial intelligence. The promise of tomorrow will be perpetuated by the pangs of today. It is the symbiosis of all these fields that will power future innovations.

December 31, 2019 is a day that will always be remembered. Currently, the day is known as the beginning of a disruption to our lives that few -- if any -- have ever experienced, but none shall ever forget. However, as time passes and life begins anew, I believe it will be remembered for a different reason. It will be remembered as the day science and technology went to war. A day in which humanity united to unleash the full capacity of scientific innovation on an enemy that was indiscriminate to race, religion or creed. And on that fateful day, in our darkest hour, science shined brightest. And in science we trust.

Read the original here:
Technology In A Time Of Crisis: How DARPA And AI Are Shaping The Future - Forbes

Biohacking Market (Type - Inside Biohacking, and Outside Biohacking; Product - Smart Drugs, Strains, Sensors, and Other Products; Application - Genetic Engineering, Forensic Science, Diagnosis and Treatment, Synthetic Biology, Drug Testing, and Other Applications; End-user - Forensic Laboratories, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnological Companies, and Other End-users): Global Industry Analysis, Trends, Size, Share and Forecasts to 2025. The global biohacking market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 19.2% over the forecast period of 2019-2025.

This press release was orginally distributed by SBWire

Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/20/2020 -- Infinium Global Research has recently published a global report on "Biohacking Market (Type - Inside Biohacking, and Outside Biohacking; Product - Smart Drugs, Strains, Sensors, and Other Products; Application - Genetic Engineering, Forensic Science, Diagnosis and Treatment, Synthetic Biology, Drug Testing, and Other Applications; End-user - Forensic Laboratories, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnological Companies, and Other End-users): Global Industry Analysis, Trends, Size, Share and Forecasts to 2025." According to the report, the global biohacking market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 19.2% over the forecast period of 2019-2025.

To Know More Request Sample of this Report@ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/sample-request/18407

Increasing Demand for Smart Devices and Effective Drugs

The increasing demand for smart devices and effective drugs contributes to the growth of the biohacking market. Biohacking is a new frontier in the development of drugs and therapeutics due to the emerging healthcare industry and social movement. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases led to the surge in demand for biohacking. As per the World Health Organization, it is projected that by 2020, chronic diseases account for almost three-quarters of all deaths globally.

Growing Awareness About Biohacking

The growing geriatric population boosts the expansion of the biohacking market. A study estimated that around 8.5 percent of people globally are aged 65 and over and it is projected to reach around 17 percent of the world's population by 2050. The geriatric population is prone to chronic diseases escalating the demand for biohacking. Further, growing awareness about biohacking stimulates the growth of the market. Biohacking labs are set up in garages, warehouses, with second-hand equipment bought online.

Thus, anyone interested in science can perform experiments and learn by doing. The rise in the use of radiofrequency identification technology in medical devices aligned with the penetration of the internet of things in healthcare promotes the expansion of the biohacking market. Additionally, increasing the inclusion of fitness and consumer electronics leverages the growth of the market.

Advancement in Technologies Creates Several Opportunities

The rise in demand for biohacking devices in key application areas such as forensic science, genetic engineering, drug testing, synthetic biology, and others leverages the growth of the biohacking market. On the flip side, lack of funds required for research, lack of expertise hinders the growth of the biohacking market. Moreover, advancement in technologies creates several opportunities for the growth of the biohacking market.

"We are Now Including the Impact Analysis of the COVID-19 on this Premium Report and the Forecast Period of this Report Shall be Revised to 2020-2026. The Section on the Impact of COVID-19 on Biohacking Market is Included in the Report for Free."

North America is Anticipated to Have the Largest Share

Geographically, the global biohacking market is divided into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America is anticipated to have the largest share in the global biohacking market. The presence of key market players in the United States drives the growth of the biohacking market in North America. The increasing awareness about biohacking among the younger generation in North America led to the development of the market in the region. Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow in the global biohacking market with a healthy CAGR over the forecast period. The revamping healthcare sector with increasing investments in it contributes to the growth of biohacking market in Asia-Pacific. Europe has significant growth opportunities in the global biohacking market. The rising research and development in Europe drive the growth of the biohacking market in Europe.

Get this Section as a Free Customization in the Report Along With a 30% Discount on the Study. https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/customization/18407

"We Have Decided to Extend Our Support to the Industry on Account of Corona Outbreak by Offering Flat Discount 30% on All Our Studies and Evaluation of the Market Dynamics in Biohacking Amidst COVID-19"

Biohacking Market Coverage

Chapter - 1 Preface

=> Report Description

=> Research Methods

=> Research Approaches

Chapter - 2 Executive Summary

=> Biohacking Market Highlights

=> Biohacking Market Projection

=> Biohacking Market Regional Highlights

Chapter - 3 Global Biohacking Market Overview

=> Introduction

=> Market Dynamics

=> Porter's Five Forces Analysis

=> IGR-Growth Matrix Analysis

=> Value Chain Analysis of Biohacking Market

Chapter - 4 Biohacking Market Macro Indicator Analysis

Chapter - 5 Global Biohacking Market by Type

=> Inside Biohacking

=> Outside Biohacking

Chapter - 6 Global Biohacking Market by Product

=> Smart Drugs

=> Strains

=> Sensors

=> Other Products

Chapter - 7 Global Biohacking Market by Application

=> Genetic Engineering

=> Forensic Science

=> Diagnosis and Treatment

=> Synthetic Biology

=> Drug Testing

=> Other Applications

Chapter - 8 Global Biohacking Market by End-user

=> Forensic Laboratories

=> Pharmaceutical and Biotechnological Companies

=> Other End-users

Chapter - 9 Global Biohacking Market by Region 2019-2025

=> North America

=> Europe

=> Asia-Pacific

=> RoW

Chapter - 10 Company Profiles and Competitive Landscape

=>Thync Global Inc.

=> Moodmetric

=> InteraXon Inc.

=> Behavioral Tech.

=> Fitbit, Inc.

=> Apple Inc.

=> Synbiota Inc.

=> The ODIN

=> HVMN Inc.

=> Modern AlkaMe

=> Other companies

Chapter - 11 Appendix

=> Primary Research Findings and Questionnaire

Browse Complete Report@ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/ict-semiconductor/global-biohacking-market

About Infinium Global ResearchInfinium Global Research is a business consulting and market research firm; a group of experts that caters to fulfilling business and market research needs of leading companies in various industry verticals and business segments. The company also serves government bodies, institutes and non-profit/non-government organizations to meet their knowledge and information needs.

Through our information services and solutions, we assist our clients to improve their performance and assess the market conditions to achieve their organizational goals. Our team of experts and analysts are engaged in continuously monitoring and assessing the market conditions to provide knowledge support to our clients. To help our clients and to stay updated with the advances and inventions in technology, business processes, regulations and environment, Infinium often conducts regular meets with industry experts and opinion leaders. Our key opinion leaders are involved in monitoring and assessing the progress in the business environment, so as to offer the best opinion to our clients.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/how-covid-19-is-transforming-the-biohacking-industry-major-key-players-thync-global-inc-moodmetric-interaxon-inc-behavioral-tech-fitbit-inc-apple-inc-synbiota-inc-the-odin-hvmn-inc-modern-alkame-1291749.htm

Read the original:
How Covid-19 Is Transforming the Biohacking Industry? Major Key Players: Thync Global Inc., Moodmetric, InteraXon Inc., Behavioral Tech., Fitbit,...

There is "no evidence" supporting conspiracy theories that the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, an expert has told parliament.

Claims that COVID-19 was created in a lab were amplified by Donald Trump earlier this month, although the president refused to offer any evidence or give specific details.

The coronavirus outbreak first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year and international blame around the pandemic has incited conspiracy theories about its origin.

Rumours linking the virus to the Wuhan Institute of Virology - based on geographic proximity, and without any endorsement from qualified epidemiologists - have circulated.

But speaking to the House of Lords science and technology committee on Tuesday, Professor David Robertson dismissed the conspiracy theory as "unlikely".

Following the president's comments, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed there was a "significant amount of evidence" supporting the theory but, just two days later, admitted: "We don't have certainty."

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Scientists have discovered that the coronavirus was 96% identical to coronavirus found in bats, one of the many animals sold at a Wuhan seafood market where it is suspected the virus jumped to humans.

British authorities believe it is highly likely the global pandemic is unconnected to the laboratory in Wuhan and was passed from animals to humans naturally.

"You have a virus that you think comes from an exotic species and then you have a wildlife market - that seems the most parsimonious explanation," Professor Robertson said.

He was asked whether a sample of the virus found at the Wuhan Institute of Virology - and thought to be about 40 to 50 years old - could have been behind the initial outbreak.

Professor Robertson, who is the head of viral genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Glasgow, firmly responded: "No, absolutely not.

"That's partly what has driven some of these conspiracy theories, is what is the chance they would have this virus in the labs that is close? And actually, even though it is close in sequence, it is not close in time."

"There is really no evidence for this. We can all enjoy a conspiracy theory but you need to have evidence," he added.

Scientists have analysed the entirety of the novel coronavirus' genomic sequence to assess claims that it may have been made in a laboratory or been otherwise engineered.

The value of the genomic sequence could prove vital for those developing a vaccine, but it also contains key details revealing how the virus evolved.

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in the US, UK and Australia discovered that the virus has proved so infectious because it developed a near-perfect mechanism to bind to human cells.

This mechanism is so sophisticated in its adaptions that the researchers say that it must have evolved and not been genetically engineered in their paper, titled "COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has a natural origin", published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Dr Josie Golding, the epidemics lead at the Wellcome Trust in the UK, described the paper as "crucially important to bring an evidence-based view to the rumours that have been circulating about the origins of the virus causing COVID-19".

"They conclude that the virus is the product of natural evolution, ending any speculation about deliberate genetic engineering," Dr Golding added.

The rest is here:
Coronavirus: Parliament told there is 'no evidence' virus came from Wuhan laboratory - Sky News

Phase 1 Clinical Study to Evaluate Multiple Doses of FT538 as Monotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in Combination with Anti-CD38 Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for Multiple Myeloma

Off-the-shelf NK Cell Product Candidate Derived from Clonal Master iPSC Line Engineered with Three Functional Components to Enhance Innate Immunity

SAN DIEGO, May 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Companys Investigational New Drug (IND) application for FT538, the first CRISPR-edited, iPSC-derived cell therapy. FT538 is an off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy that is derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line engineered with three functional components to enhance innate immunity: a novel high-affinity, non-cleavable CD16 (hnCD16) Fc receptor; an IL-15/IL-15 receptor fusion (IL-15RF); and the elimination of CD38 expression. The Company plans to initiateclinical investigation of three once-weekly doses of FT538as a monotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and in combination with daratumumab, a CD38-directed monoclonal antibody therapy, for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

We are very pleased to expand the clinical application of our proprietary iPSC product platform to multiple myeloma, where rates of relapse remain high, said Scott Wolchko, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fate Therapeutics. Clinical data suggest that deficiencies in NK cell-mediated immunity, which are evident even at the earliest stages of myeloma, continue to accumulate through disease progression. We believe administration of FT538 to patients can restore innate immunity, and that the anti-cancer effect of certain standard of care treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, can be more effective when combined with the engineered functionality of FT538.

The three functional components of FT538 are designed to boost the innate immune response in cancer patients, where endogenous NK cells are typically diminished in both number and function due to prior treatment regimens and tumor suppressive mechanisms. In preclinical studies, FT538 has shown superior NK cell effector function, as compared to endogenous NK cells, with the potential to confer significant anti-tumor activity to patients through multiple mechanisms of action including:

The first-in-human, multi-center, dose-escalation Phase 1 clinical trial of FT538 is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of three once-weekly doses of FT538 in up to 105 adult patients across four dose cohorts (100M cells per dose; 300M cells per dose; 900M cells per dose; and 1.5B cells per dose). The study will assess two treatment regimens: Regimen A as a monotherapy in patients with relapsed / refractory AML; and Regimen B in combination with daratumumab, an FDA-approved anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, in patients with relapsed / refractory multiple myeloma who have failed at least two lines of therapy. In addition, the Company may initiate a third treatment regimen in combination with elotuzumab, an FDA-approved anti-SLAMF7 monoclonal antibody, in patients with relapsed / refractory multiple myeloma who have failed at least two lines of therapy starting at one dose level below the MTD of Regimen B. For all regimens, multiple indication- or dose-specific dose-expansion cohorts of up to 15 patients per cohort may be enrolled to further evaluate the clinical activity of FT538.

FT538 is the fourth off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived NK cell product candidate from the Companys proprietary iPSC product platform cleared for clinical investigation by the FDA. The Company has initiated clinical manufacture of FT538 at its GMP facility in San Diego, CA.

About Fate Therapeutics iPSC Product PlatformThe Companys proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform enables mass production of off-the-shelf, engineered, homogeneous cell products that can be administered with multiple doses to deliver more effective pharmacologic activity, including in combination with cycles of other cancer treatments. Human iPSCs possess the unique dual properties of unlimited self-renewal and differentiation potential into all cell types of the body. The Companys first-of-kind approach involves engineering human iPSCs in a one-time genetic modification event and selecting a single engineered iPSC for maintenance as a clonal master iPSC line. Analogous to master cell lines used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drug products such as monoclonal antibodies, clonal master iPSC lines are a renewable source for manufacturing cell therapy products which are well-defined and uniform in composition, can be mass produced at significant scale in a cost-effective manner, and can be delivered off-the-shelf for patient treatment. As a result, the Companys platform is uniquely capable of overcoming numerous limitations associated with the production of cell therapies using patient- or donor-sourced cells, which is logistically complex and expensive and is subject to batch-to-batch and cell-to-cell variability that can affect clinical safety and efficacy. Fate Therapeutics iPSC product platform is supported by an intellectual property portfolio of over 300 issued patents and 150 pending patent applications.

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of first-in-class cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders. The Company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of universal, off-the-shelf cell products using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform. The Companys immuno-oncology product candidates include natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell cancer immunotherapies, which are designed to synergize with well-established cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, and to target tumor-associated antigens with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The Companys immuno-regulatory product candidates include ProTmune, a pharmacologically modulated, donor cell graft that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease, and a myeloid-derived suppressor cell immunotherapy for promoting immune tolerance in patients with immune disorders. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements regarding the advancement of and plans related to the Company's product candidates and clinical studies, the Companys progress, plans and timelines for the clinical investigation of its product candidates, the therapeutic potential of the Companys product candidates including FT538, and the Companys clinical development strategy for FT538. These and any other forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk of difficulties or delay in the initiation of any planned clinical studies, or in the enrollment or evaluation of subjects in any ongoing or future clinical studies, the risk that the Company may cease or delay preclinical or clinical development of any of its product candidates for a variety of reasons (including requirements that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on the initiation or conduct of clinical trials or to support regulatory approval, difficulties in manufacturing or supplying the Companys product candidates for clinical testing, and any adverse events or other negative results that may be observed during preclinical or clinical development), the risk that results observed in preclinical studies of FT538 may not be replicated in ongoing or future clinical trials or studies, and the risk that FT538 may not produce therapeutic benefits or may cause other unanticipated adverse effects. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Companys actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Companys most recently filed periodic report, and from time to time in the Companys press releases and other investor communications.Fate Therapeutics is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:Christina TartagliaStern Investor Relations, Inc.212.362.1200christina@sternir.com

Read the original here:
Fate Therapeutics Announces FDA Clearance of IND Application for FT538, First CRISPR-edited, iPSC-derived Cell Therapy - GlobeNewswire

Mallons distrust of Baker was not an isolated incident: trust in public health was unevenly distributed among communities, Conis says. For instance, many immigrants came from countries where government-enforced vaccinations were unheard of. The power Baker wielded as a municipal authority was wholly unfamiliar.

Stereotypes about immigrant communities including those to which Baker herself subscribed further hampered trust in public health.

In her autobiography, Baker frequently refers to Irish immigrants en masse as shiftless, and says of the Irish in Hells Kitchen that they were altogether charming in their abject helplessness, wholly lacking in any ambition and dirty to unbelievable degree. In Bakers view, the only other group who could match the Irish distinction of living in the most squalor was Russian Jews, who managed to survive out of thrift.

For communities so frequently maligned and stereotyped, trust was not easily given just because someone with Bakers authority asked for it.

What Baker never seemed to understand about the immigrant communities she served was that when her advice was ignored, it often wasnt a failure of understanding. Rather, it was that those, like Mallon, who she explained the science of germs to, had little control over their own lives and circumstances.

Even though Baker retired from the Bureau of Child Hygiene in 1923, her work extended beyond the health department. She was prolific writer, publishing hundreds of journal and newspaper articles on public health and five books on child health and hygiene for non-experts. She also founded the American Child Hygiene Association, of which she became president in 1917, and served as president of the Womens Medical Association in 1935.

Baker spent the last years of her storied life on a farm in New Jersey with her partner, the novelist and screenwriter Ida Wylie, and their friend, physician Louise Pearce. She died of cancer in 1945.

While she went to greater lengths than any other public health official to learn the needs of tenement residents, Baker never seemed to quite understand why some greeted her and her municipal authority with scepticism. Nor did she reflect on the role she may have played in perpetuating that distrust.

Had she done so, its easy to imagine how many more lives she could have saved. As it is, however, she deserves a reputation as one of the earliest and most influential crusaders for preventative public health and provides an example of not only what to do, but what not to do, when it comes to public health.

--

Missed Genius

Ask people to imagine a scientist, and many of us will picture the same thing a heterosexual white male. Historically, a number of challenges have made it much more difficult for those who dont fit that stereotype to enter fields like science, math or engineering.

There are, however, many individuals from diverse backgrounds who have shaped our understanding of life and the Universe, but whose stories have gone untold until now. With our new BBC Future column, we are celebrating the missed geniuses who made the world what it is today.

--

Portrait of S. J. Baker by Emmanuel Lafont.

Join one million Future fans by liking us onFacebook, or follow us onTwitterorInstagram.

If you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called The Essential List. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife, and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Here is the original post:
SJ Baker: The woman who transformed public health - BBC News

(Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

Senate grilling

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testify on Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee and are expected to answer questions about actions still needed to keep the world's largest economy afloat and missteps in rolling out some $3 trillion in aid so far.

Two months into the United States' fight against the most severe pandemic to arise in the age of globalization, neither the health nor the economic war has been won. Many analysts fear the country has at best fought back worst-case outcomes.

In remarks broadcast Sunday night, Powell outlined the likely need for three to six more months of government financial help for firms and families and said "medical metrics" were the most important data for the U.S. economy right now.

Glimmer of hope

An experimental COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna Inc , the first to be tested in the United States, produced protective antibodies in a small group of healthy volunteers, according to very early data released by the biotech company on Monday.

The vaccine has gotten the green light to start the second stage of human testing. In this Phase II, or midstage, trial designed to further test effectiveness and find the optimal dose, Moderna said it will drop plans to test a 250 mcg dose and test a 50 mcg dose instead.

Reducing the dose required to produce immunity could help spare the amount of vaccine required in each shot, meaning the company could ultimately produce more of the vaccine.

Empty middle seat?

As air travel restarts, travellers, airlines and airports are grappling with a hodgepodge of rules put in place during the pandemic that will make flying different in almost every country.

On planes, one of the biggest debates has been over whether middle seats should be empty. That would limit airplanes to two-thirds of their normal capacity, not enough for most airlines to make a profit without increasing fares.

Eating with your mask on

Israeli inventors have developed a coronavirus mask with a remote control mouth that lets diners eat food without taking it off, a device they say could make a visit to a restaurant less risky.

A squeeze of a lever, much like a cyclist operating a handbrake, opens a slot in the front of the mask so that food can pass through.

The process could get messy with ice cream or sauces, but more solid morsels can be gobbled up in a flash a la Pac-Man in the arcade game.

(Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Read this article:
What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Right Now - The New York Times

Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD-8) underway in the eastern Pacific on April 20, 2020. US Navy Photo

When a COVID-19 outbreak hit USSKidd (DDG-100) last month, the Navy sent a medical team with specialized lab equipment to the guided-missile destroyer to test for novel coronavirus among the crew. An outbreak at sea could easily and quickly overwhelm a warships small medical department, in this case an independent-duty corpsman and two hospital corpsmen in a crew of about 330.

Fortunately forKidd, amphibious assault ship USSMakin Island(LHD-8) was training in the Southern California Operating Area when the Navy on April 23 ordered it to rendezvous withKiddand escort it to San Diego.

Extra medical help was on its way. AboardMakin Islandwere four members of Fleet Surgical Team 1, who were training with the ships medical staff during the at-sea operations.

Withindays, as both ships headed toward California,15Kiddcrew members suspected of being infected by the virus were flown toMakin Islandto be monitored for the virus.

The big-deck amphibious ships medical department is among the largest, most-advanced treatment facilities in the fleet, aside from the Navys two hospital ships operated by Military Sealift Command. It has large treatment spaces, including a 15-bed intensive-care unit and a 45-bed ward designed to treat combat-wounded Marines.

Along with the four members already embarked onMakin Island, the San Diego-based FST-1 sent an additional four a certified registered nurse anesthetist, critical-care registered nurse, respiratory therapy technician and laboratory technician to the ship to help treat theKiddsailors. When deployed, a Navy fleet surgical team generally has about 15 medical personnel and provides Role 2, or resuscitative damage control surgery and mental health, care to naval amphibious forces.

Navy Counselor 2nd Class Caileigh Almazo, assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG-100) on April 28, 2020. US Navy Photo

Once we were notified that there was a possibility that we would be helping the USSKidd, we decided to bring onboard four additional team members, just based on the possibility of getting patients, Lt. Jose PonceVega, the FST-1 division officer and medical regulating control officer, told USNI News.

As soon as we heard that call, we decided we were going to bring those people, said PonceVega. So within an hour, we called our staff and said, Hey, pack your bags, youre coming with us, and they were onboard within four hours.

They arrived the same dayMakin Islandgot directed to assist. The team had two-and-a-half days to prepare before the 15 sailors arrived. They workedwith Makin Islands medical department to treat the patients and handle necessary laboratory work and X-rays en route to San Diego.Our goal was to provide basically observation on the patients, based on their medical condition and based on the symptoms they were displaying, he said. The patients remained aboard theBremerton, Wash.-based shipuntil San Diego.

FST-1 sent one of its independent-duty corpsmen, who have specialized training including in preventative medicine, to theKiddtoassist the destroyers crew, PonceVega said. He is very experienced and very knowledgeable, so him going to that ship really helped out the crew and their medical staff.

On the trek to San Diego,Kiddgot extra support including fuel, protective masks and other medical supplies fromMakin Islandin air deliveries flown by Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, according to an Expeditionary Strike Group 3 news story. A MH-60R from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 75, embarked aboardKidd, transferred the patients fromKiddtoMakin Island, which instituted quarantine and decontamination measures to prevent the spread of any coronavirus.

We were standing by and able to bring those sailors toMakin Islandwhile still maintaining isolation and quarantine of them and the medical professionals that we have onboard who treated them, said Capt. Chris Westphal, the ships commander, said in the news story. We took every precaution to ensure the safety of bothMakin IslandandKiddsailors, and to ensureKiddreturned to San Diego safely, and we were proud to be able to help our fellow shipmates.

The emergent mission put FST-1 members to the test. This was definitely new for us. I think with the spirit of protecting our people, we had made some plans to care for COVID-positive patients at some point, PonceVega said. As soon as we got out of the pier and started doing normal operations in the SoCal area, we started making plans for that. But we didnt expect to employ those plans right away. So we planned for it, but we didnt think it would happen so soon. So we learned a lot through that process.

FST-1 leaned on the Naval Health Research Center and the Navy Environmental Preventative Medicine Unit for information and lessons learned from similar missions.

USS Kidd (DDG-100) arrives in San Diego on April 28, 2020. US Navy Photo

One thing that weve learned the most is about how to use our protective personnel equipment, our PPE, said PonceVega. When youre taking care of a patient, you dont typically wear a mask and face shield, so just getting used to using that and putting it on and taking it off appropriately is a learning experience itself. So they practiced in drills using the protective gear enroute to theKidd.

They took measures to limit interactions of medical staff with each patient, at least until they knew whether the sailor was infected with the coronavirus. You dont need everybody to have close contact with a positive patient right away, PonceVega explained. So you assess the patient and figure out what you need, then if you need additional staff to support the care that youre going to provide, then you bring them in.

That ability to scale your staff, based on the needs of the patient, was definitely something we learned, he said. Also from the perspective from the administrative requirements of moving the patient from one ship to the other and tracking them through the levels of care, that was something we paid close attention to to make sure we got it right.

We had developed plans what to do with patients if we ha positive patients onboard. Our initial plans were to get the patient to a medical facility to get the care they need. But in this situation obviously we had to keep the patient longer than expected, he said, so coordinating that care to make sure that once you get to a location that they get to the right facility for care.

The Navys primary mission is to protect our people, he added, so we pride ourselves on being able to provide care to our sailors and be ready to respond to whatever the needs are of the fleet.

Related

Visit link:
How USS Makin Island, Fleet Medical Team Responded to COVID-19 Outbreak on USS Kidd - USNI News

Many residents are doing their part to help flatten the curve by sheltering in place and reducing visits to local businesses during the COIVD-19 pandemic. But when they dont got to an emergency department because of an illness or injury, the delay could be life threatening.

Bunch

At Riverview Health, Lynne Bunch, the program director of the Fishers and Hazel Dell ER/Urgent Care facilities, said she worries daily that people are waiting too long to see a doctor for fear of coronavirus exposure.

People are afraid to come out to the ER, and it leads to a much higher acuity level, or sickness, with people who dont have a choice and have to come, and thats dangerous for all kinds of reasons, Bunch said.

Delays in seeking care can make otherwise treatable medical conditions worse.

Preventative medicine is shut down, too, right now, so thats an issue in delaying diagnosis, Bunch said. I have several examples of people waiting, and our acuity is much higher than it has been because when they do come in, they are much sicker than they would be.

Bunch said if someone is second-guessing whether or not to seek care, the answer is to seek it.

If you have an acute illness, go to an emergency department. Our facility is a unique model because if you are urgent level care, you are billed urgent level care and you will still see an ER physician and ER-trained staff, Bunch said. If you do need to be an ER patient based on what ails you, we can do that right there, too, and you wont have to be transferred.

Fry

Ascension St. Vincent is noticing a similar downturn in its non-COVID-19 patients.

Our experience has been same as pretty much everywhere around country. The number of patients presenting with stroke and heart attack are down significantly, said Dr. Edward Fry, chair of cardiology atAscensionSt. Vincent. Initially, people were embracing that as a good thing, a silver lining to isolation. Maybe people were not stressed and sleeping more, exercising and eating better, but what we are really finding out is people are fearful.

We are seeing the same phenomenon where people are deferring care and staying home.

Fry said a recent patient had a prolonged episode of chest pain and eventually visited the hospital a week later, where it was discovered he had had a heart attack.

He was lucky enough to survive, Fry said. There are a lot of examples of that. We are trying, through many different ways, to connect to patients to reassure them that every precaution to keep them safe is being put in place and to not forget their original health problem they had in the first place, especially for things like heart attack and stroke where time is of the essence in terms of treatment. If someone presents in a short timeframe of having a stroke, they can often be treated and reverse the effects of that stroke. Otherwise, it can be disabling lifelong. Thats similar with a heart attack.

Fry said heart attack cases are down by approximately 50 percent as of early March, but he doesnt believe that means heart attacks arent happening.

Hoeppner

IU Health has seen similar examples of patients delaying treatment and is taking steps to ensure patients feel safe enough to visit the ER.

We are separating folks based on screening in the emergency department, Director of the Medicine Service Line Christen Hoeppner said. If people are worried about sitting next to somebody who possibly has COVID, we are physically separating them with a wall.

There are two areas of the department, two entrances, all of that.

IU Health Emergency Dept. Physician Megan Crittendon said IU Healths emergency department when the pandemic began but has slowed since then.

Crittendon

I would say the evolution of this thing has been really interesting, she said. Initially, people were coming in just like regular when it first started, and people were concerned they had COVID, and so we were very busy because of it. It then reached this steady state where people started dropping off and not coming in except only for COVID, and we were seeing people in the extremes of illness. They were waiting until they reached the extremis. It has kind of become apparent that people were concerned that they were going to get coronavirus or have exposure or use valuable resources, so we werent seeing a lot of minor stuff, but we also werent seeing serious stuff, stuff people get admitted for. People were coming in extremely sick because they waited such a long time, so we have mitigated that risk by dividing the emergency department and waiting rooms into a cold side and hot side, as we call it, a side for COVID-exposed or concerned and a side of not concerned.

We still treat everybody with the upmost precaution. We mask everybody to mitigate the risk of spread.

Like other hospitals, Community Health has seen a steep downturn in patients.

Ross

Statistics have indicated overall numbers (of non-COVID-19 patients) are down significantly, and those illnesses obviously dont wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to go away. They happen, regardless, said Dr. Chris Ross, a Community Health emergency medicine physician. The overall emergency department volumes (that are) down significantly makes me concerned patients arent seeking care when they need help.

Ross said delaying a visit can result in serious health problems, including death.

We have seen people who have had pretty significant permanent injury because of the wait and also people who have had deaths, he said. We see that directly attributed to waiting to be seen because of coronavirus. Family members are afraid to come to the emergency department because they are concerned of getting the coronavirus, but unfortunately that (non-COVID) illness (and waiting to seek treatment) made them pass away.

Read the original:
The extremes of illness: Delaying a visit to the emergency room could be life-threatening for non-COVID-19 patients - Current in Carmel

For the one in four men who dont have a primary care doctor in the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic should be a wake-up call. With a virus circulating the globe that mostly targets the elderly but also indiscriminately strikes young, healthy people, having a doctor who knows you and who you can call on without walking into a clinic is crucial for personal health. It also makes hospitals and emergency rooms safer and more effective. Its time to add one to your roster. Well wait.

Right now, the most obvious benefit of a primary care doctor has to do with social distancing. Their offices are typically less crowded than clinics, and most visits can take place by phone or online. With far fewer people walking in the door, many offices are set up for patients to go straight into the exam room, and others have removed chairs in their waiting rooms to ensure ample personal space.

Nowadays, primary care doctors only see patients in-person for rare, medically-necessary visits (like removing sutures or for wound care) virtually all docs are holding appointments online or by phone. That hasnt always been the case. Before the pandemic, telemedicine wasnt on our radar, says Dr. Ada Stewart, a family physician at Cooperative Health in South Carolina and president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Now its wide open. Were all doing it, she says.

The same is true in practices across the country. Weve all been hoping for telemedicine for a long time, adds Dr. James Heckman, a primary care doctor and assistant medical director at Healthcare Associates in Boston. COVID kind of forced the issue.

This Year, Mothers Day matters to your family...

More than ever

Less than ever

About the same

Thanks for the feedback!

A relationship with a primary care doctor goes beyond annual appointments or drop-in sick visits. They can be a trusted resource for medical questions, COVID-related, or otherwise. Once you have a primary care doctor, you have a doctor on retainer, says Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, chief of general medicine at the University of Miami Health System. If you hear a dubious medical claim, you can just shoot your doctor an email or give them a call. We get that all the time, Hey, I just saw this on TV, what do you think about it? Dr. Carrasquillo says.

Another benefit primary care doctors offer has to do with preventative medicine. Your doctor is there to help you figure out if youre at risk for certain diseases, pick up signs of depression or anxiety, and manage other chronic conditions. They provide flu shots, tetanus shots (you should get one every ten years), colonoscopy exams (screenings should start at age 50, for most people), regular physical exams, and when the vaccine for the coronavirus finally rolls out, your primary care doc will have those too.

Were going to be on the front lines being the ones that are able to offer this, says Dr. Stewart. And encouraging patients to be vaccinated, just as we do with other vaccines that are out there.

If you get a primary doctor now, your first appointment is almost certainly going to be virtual. That first visit is about reviewing your medical history, figuring out a health care plan, and beginning a new relationship. Most of that can be done over the phone or with a video visit, says Dr. Heckman, of Healthcare Associates. Once were able to provide safe in-person care for routine things, well bring you in to do a physical exam and do the handshake, which is the most important thing.

But there are a few ways you can prepare. Start by writing down your medical and surgical history. (People forget a lot of stuff, says Dr. Carrasquillo.) Have your pill bottles on hand, so you can be sure of the names and dosages of your medications. Take note of what issues you want to address, and try to carve out a private place where you feel comfortable talking with your doctor. Finally, have your insurance information ready, or if you dont have insurance, have a social security or unemployment statement, advises Dr. Stewart.

And for patients who need their vitals taken or lab work done, your doctor will help you work out a plan. They can arrange a visit to a nearby commercial lab, or figure out creative ways to monitor your breathing or check your blood pressure. Dont worry about not having what you need, reiterates Dr. Heckman. Well troubleshoot. The best thing to do is just call usreach out to us.

Oops! Please try again.

Thanks for subscribing!

Read more here:
Its Time to Get a Primary Care Doctor - Fatherly

Close observers of gun politics might be surprised to learn that decades-long Chicago gun control advocate and Catholic priest Father Michael Pfleger is in fact capable of some logic.

An Agence France-Press piece on the continuing violence in Chicago amidst the COVID-19 lockdown shared Pfleger's thoughts on the Windy City's crime problem. Eschewing the notion that the ongoing lockdown could have ever stemmed the violence, AFP reported,"Pfleger argued that someone who was prepared to commit murder was unlikely to be too bothered about observing a stay-at-home order."

Pfleger's key insight will be familiar to gun rights supporters. Second Amendment activists have long understood that gun laws do not stop violent criminals. Simple logic dictates that an individual willing to commit criminal violence will give little thought to violating gun control laws. In bumpersticker form, this reads: When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.

Despite Illinois's stringent gun control laws, Chicago criminals have little trouble securing firearms. A 2015 study published in Preventative Medicine titled, "Sources of guns to dangerous people: What we learn by asking them," queried inmates in the Cook County Jail about where they obtained firearms. The overwhelming source was "family, fellow gang members, or other social connections." Discussing the efficacy of Illinois's firearms licensing system, an inmate opined, "All they need is one person who got a gun card in the hoodand everybody got one.In fact, the authorities can't even keep guns out of the Cook County jail.

It's unfortunate that this simple deduction only came to Pfleger in his 70s, as it might have spared Chicagoans some of the priest's more inane antics.

In 2007, Pfleger teamed up with social justice gadfly Jesse Jackson to protest a gun store in the Chicago suburb of Riverdale for having the temerity to sell guns to those who had already complied with Illinois's onerous licensing procedure. Pfleger and Jackson were arrested after trespassing on the gun store's property. Seeming to set aside the sixth commandment, during the incident the priest said about the gun store owner, "We're going to find you and snuff you out."

Following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, the handgun prohibitionist joined then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevitch (a one-time Firearm Owner's Identification card holder) to condemn the ruling.

Pfleger's anti-gun foolery seems to be too much even for his Chicago comrade Barack Obama. In 2016, then-President Obama held a CNN "town hall" on guns. During the contrived presentation, Pfleger asked Obama why the federal government won't institute full firearms registration. Obama shot down the priest's tired proposal, stating, "Issues like licensing, registration, that's an area where there's just not enough national consensus at this stage to even consider it. And part of it is, is people's concern that that becomes a prelude to taking people's guns away."

Now that Pfleger has demonstrated a rudimentary understanding of the criminal mind and a capacity for reason, one would hope the priest could apply this basic knowledge to his activism. Don't hold your breath.

Originally posted here:
Father Pfleger's Selective Reasoning - NRA ILA

Researchers need 30,000 health care workers from around the world to join the clinical trial to see if chloroquine can help prevent the novel coronavirus

ST. LOUIS A global study based in St. Louis launched Monday. The clinical trial will look at how 30,000 health care workers from around the world respond to a possible COVID-19 prevention medication.

"The world is a global village. We cannot successfully fight and defeat COVID-19 just in St. Louis, Missouri," explainedDr. Michael Avidan with Washington University's School of Medicine.

Dr. Avidan is leading a team of investigators from the U.S., U.K., South Africa, Ireland, Peru and many more countries on nearly every continent. The researchers will follow 30,000 health care workers who volunteer to be part of the study.

"They're at higher risk than the average person for developing this disease," explained fellow Washington University School of Medicine Professor Mary Politi.

Health care workers also are critical for public care. The researchers are hopeful that by testing preventative treatments like chloroquine they can fight COVID-19 more effectively.

"If you combine human ingenuity, if you put all of our efforts together, if we're collaborative and not competitive, there is no question in my mind that we will defeat this pandemic and future pandemics," Dr. Avidan told 5 On Your Side.

And that's exactly what he hopes to do with the group of international investigators called the "COVID-19 Research Outcomes Worldwide Network Collaborative," or CROWN for short.

CROWN rolled out the plan for its randomized study on Monday, May 18. Researchers will look at the effectiveness of three doses of chloroquine compared to a placebo in health care workers who are healthy and not previously affected with a novel coronavirus.

Avidan said chloroquine can decrease the replication of the COVID-19 in cells. It can treat pulmonary hypertension, high blood pressure of the blood vessels in the lungs.

He said the drug can be also helpful in treating pneumonia and it can prevent the harmful immune reaction of the body that can occur with COVID-19.

It's important to note, the drug CROWN is working with is chloroquine, not the similar but more frequently referenced hydroxychloroquine.

"My suspicion is that what we will land on is not a single drug, but a combination of therapies will be most efficacious," Dr. Avidan explained. "And chloroquine will probably be one of the drugs that will be helpful, although we don't know that for sure. We need to find that out one way or the other."

Now, all his team needs is 30,000 health care workers from all over the world to sign up for the trial.

Dr. Avidan said no matter the clinical trial, participation is vital.

"We encourage you, all of you, to participate in a clinical trial, sign on and be enthusiastic. Because the more people we have participating in the research that we're doing, the more quickly we can answer these foundational questions that we have to figure out, as a society," he said.

See the rest here:
Washington University leads global COVID-19 treatment study for health care workers - KSDK.com

As one of the most destructive business sectors, the fashion industry is poised for change, and COVID-19 might just be the catalyst it needs to become a more sustainable and ethical industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on bad practices and unsustainable business models across industries, but one sector in particular has found itself at the forefront of this exposurethe fashion industry.

As one of the worlds most destructive business sectors, fashion is the worlds second worst offender when it comes to water pollution, according to the 2019 Global Wellness Trends Report, and is responsible for approximately 10 percent of all carbon emissions. Not to mention, with overproduction running 30 to 40 percent each season, more than 70 percent of clothes end up in a landfill and an estimated $500 billion value is lost every year due to clothing being barely worn and rarely recycled, The Business of Fashion reports.

As weve seen the crisis unfold, the issues of resilience, or lack thereof, and various aspects of the supply chain have come to the fore within both the fashion and apparel space, said Niall Murphy, CEO and cofounder of EVRYTHING, a tech platform providing digital identities for the worlds consumer products and a pioneer in bringing transparency to the fashion industry. And in other categories, weve seen businesses called out, actually, with dependencies in their source materials, their raw materials, their components within their supply chain that they didnt realize that they had because they dont have sufficient level of visibility across the supply chain.

Last week, Murphy was joined by Vanessa Barboni Hallik, founder and CEO of sustainable fashion brand Another Tomorrow; e-commerce pioneer Julie Wainwright, founder and CEO of The RealReal; and Kathleen Entwistle, private wealth advisor at UBS, for a discussion with Worth CEO Juliet Scott-Croxford about how the business of fashion is changing amidst COVID-19 and how sustainability, brand values and innovative technology will play a larger role in how consumers choose their apparel in a post-pandemic world.

Weve had challenge after challenge in both going fromwe couldnt hire fast enough to now we have to lay people off, Wainwright said. Weve boarded up all of our stores. Hopefully, we can start doing curbside pickup at some point, but its been tough. On the flip side, the company and the team have shown tremendous innovation. The management team, the directors, the entire company has innovated beyond scope. And so, were going to end up in a really unique position when we pull out of this, which were starting to see some light.

But as supply chains have globalized over the last several years, the issues facing the fashion and apparel industry cut much deeper than just the current crisis. I think fashion and sustainability has been a hard sell historically, Barboni Hallik said, noting that this unique moment could be seen as a test for the fashion industry because it really has allowed so many people in so many critically vital areas of the economy to become seen in a way and create that empathy.

All of the panelists agree that consumer education is critical. I do think the first thing is understanding and having the information out there and available to people, UBS Entwistle said.

One of the things that I think is challenging, in terms of getting consumers to think about clothing as an asset, is this really disruptive sales cycle that the industry is in, Barboni Hallik added. And I think its really positive to see that some of the world is changing, but its very difficult to train a customer to think about clothing as an asset, when the retail price is only the retail price for a month, two months at best. And then its 40, 50, 60 percent off. So, I think thats really challenging. I do think that the education piece and the communication piece is so important to actually enable customers to make better decisions. It was one of the major reasons why I started Another Tomorrow, because I found it just so incredibly frustrating to actually get any level of procurement information about how a product was made. Youre pretty much lucky to know what country its manufactured in, let alone how it was made.

But even more important than education alone is that education, at least according to Wainwright, is turned into policy.

Until laws change, even COVID isnt going to change some of the practices, Wainwright explained. So, laws have to change. We cant continue to produce so many goods that end up in landfill. Theres a truckload a second going into landfill as we speak; 50 percent of whats made doesnt sell. A lot of the luxury brands are still burning their bags because they can. Theyre still burning their things because they can. Burberry stopped. Burberry partnered with The RealReal. Were in conversations with other large brands. But until the governments really force it, COVID is not going to force sustainability. We view this as a serious issue.

Look, consumers, its going to be tough, Wainwright continued. Were at this pivotal point where what governments do to help their people get back to work and also their focus on getting a vaccination and preventative medicine, how much effort is going to determine every countrys economy, and thats a weird thing to say. As an entrepreneur, you like to think you chart your own destiny, but this is bigger than whatever any of us are doing here. Governments are going to help get people back on their feet. Theyre also going to help science help give us some form of living with this horrible situation.

I do think that Julies point is right, that theres a macro situation thats much bigger than any of us, Murphy added. And weve got to keep our eyes on how those things affect us. But I am tremendously motivated by the degree of collaboration, and just conversations like this, thats going on every day across industries where people are trying to work out how to find paths to solution. And that bodes well, thats what you want to see in humanity, is collaboration and working out how we solve each others problems together. And Im pretty optimistic about the fact that were going to dig ourselves out of this hole. Were going to dig ourselves out of this hole well.

An indispensable guide to finance, investing and entrepreneurship.

More here:
How the Current Crisis Could Impact the Future of Fashion Forever - Worth

Ground-breaking new study shows the efficacy of a long-acting injectable to prevent HIV

GENEVA, 19 May 2020UNAIDS warmly welcomes the announcement that the long-acting injectable cabotegravir is safe and effective in preventing HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men and transgender women. The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 083 study enrolled almost 4600 HIV-negative people from across more than 40 sites in North and South America, Asia and Africa.

This is a breakthrough that will have a significant impact on the lives of gay men and other men who have sex with men and transgender women when they are at higher risk of HIV infection. said Shannon Hader, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme. We are particularly pleased that the study met its targets to recruit substantial numbers of younger black men who have sex with men and transgender women, the very people for whom accessing effective HIV prevention still remains a huge challenge.

In 2018, UNAIDS estimates that there were 1.7 million new HIV infections, 54% of which were among key populations, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender women, sex workers, people who inject drugs and people in prison.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)HIV-negative people using antiretroviral medicine to prevent HIV infectionis an important element in the HIV combination prevention toolkit. PrEP allows people to reduce their risk of becoming infected with HIV, particularly during periods of increased risk in their lives. It may also provide reassurance and reduce anxieties when the risks are uncertain.

Once it has passed regulatory approval, and when production of affordable cabotegravir can be scaled up, gay men and other men who have sex with men will have the choice of three highly effective ways to use PrEP to prevent HIV infection: daily pills, pills taken before and after sexual activity (event-driven PrEP) or an injection every two months. Transgender women will be able to choose between injections or daily pills, since the World Health Organization does not recommend event-driven PrEP because of possible drug interactions with some hormones. Injections of cabotegravir every two months are an important option for people who find it hard to take a pill every day, yet remain vulnerable to HIV infection.

The trial was scheduled to continue for at least another year, but the first interim analysis of the data was brought forward a few weeks because of the potential disruption that the COVID-19 pandemic might cause to high-quality clinical trial procedures. The Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) in the United States of America reviewed the data up to March 2020 and found that there was already clear evidence that cabotegravir was highly effective and not inferior to the currently recommended oral PrEP regimen.

Half of the study group were given oral PrEP and were injected with a placebo; the other half were given a cabotegravir injection and took a placebo pill. The study found a total of 12 HIV infections in the group using the injectable compared to 38 in the group taking the daily pill. The side-effects of both treatments were relatively mild, with only 2.2% of people in the injection group choosing to stop having the injections because of painful reactions. The DSMB therefore recommended that the study be halted and that all participants be notified of the result. The participants will be able to choose which regimen they wish to continue on.

Despite good adherence in the oral group and very few discontinuations in the injection group, the overall incidence of HIV infection in the study was 0.79 per 100 person-years. Planned analyses will explore why those 50 infections occurred among the 4565 trial participants.

An additional study (HPTN 084) is ongoing to establish the efficacy of the long-lasting injectable in non-transgender women. To date, more than 3000 sexually active women in seven African countries have enrolled in the study. Those results are expected in November.

We are eagerly awaiting the results of the ongoing HPTN 084 study among African women, said Dr Hader. We hope that by the end of this year there will be equally good news for women around the world.

HTPN 083 was conducted by the HPTN and funded by ViiV Healthcare and the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Cabotegravir has not yet been approved for the treatment or prevention of HIV as a single agent by regulatory authorities anywhere in the world. ViiV Healthcare plans to use the data from HPTN 083 for future regulatory submissions.

UNAIDS congratulates the research teams and urges continued investment in research and development for HIV vaccines, diagnostics, preventative medicines, treatment and a cure.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizationsUNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bankand works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Originally posted here:
UNAIDS welcomes new tool for HIV prevention for gay men and other men who have sex with men and transgender women - UNAIDS