StemCell Therapy

Sixteen has turned 32, and in retracing the rise and consistency of TJ Reid it seems there is no such thing as a step back. Only 16 seasons still fast rolling into one.

Looking impeccably fit and forever young, Reid was in Croke Park this week talking up Sundays AIB All-Ireland club hurling final, seeking a fifth title with Ballyhale Shamrocks to go with the seven All-Irelands he has also won with Kilkenny.

In between hes also won seven county and six Leinster club titles, four Allianz Hurling League titles, and eight Leinster hurling titles. And he recently won his fourth All Star. You do the math.

It means hes hardly had a break since 2004 when at age 16, helped by a sudden growth spurt, Reid made his first senior start for Ballyhale, in goal: soon suitably moved outfield, hed already won his first All-Ireland with Ballyhale by 2007, still a teenager, and by 2008 was already a regular senior with Kilkenny.

If there is any secret to his longevity and consistency especially the typically double-digit scoring per game its his own telling of it.

Not getting any younger, he begins. But look, its all about freshness, enjoying the process. And I suppose when youre enjoying life and you have no negativity in your life. In terms of work commitments, family, fianc everything is going very well.

And over the last years, research shows that recovering is better than being in the gym flogging yourself. I have that understanding of training and I can implement that on a daily basis, with my job is as a director of a health and fitness centre, I know how to keep myself in check, keep fresh.

That job being TJ Reid Health and Fitness in Kilkenny (recently expanded with a new gym in Salthill), his fianc being Niamh de Brn, with marriage plans for later this year, and in keeping himself fresh Reid also points to the fact hes never let himself go.

I was always into strength and conditioning and nutrition anyway. My intention in starting my own business wasnt to prolong my career, but it definitely helps. Obviously if you have a match on a Sunday and youre in a car, driving six or seven hours in a day, it definitely does impact on your body.

Now if I have a match on a Sunday, I have the benefit of doing a recovery session on a Saturday before starting into the jobs I have to do in the gym. I control everything I do at this moment in time. And business is going very well. But if things are on the down and Ive nine staff employed if those people werent getting their wages, or if people werent coming through the doors, if rent wasnt paid, well then my hurling would go to shit.

So things are going very well for me at the moment, that allows me to be very consistent, I dont have that headache. And then I can concentrate on my hurling and the stuff I do outside of hurling. Im lucky in that Im 32 and I have no injuries. I havent missed training due to a hamstring or anything like that.

My genetics are decent, so that plays a massive role. I can picture Michael Fennelly, if he hadnt the niggles, hed still be a powerhouse for Kilkenny. But he just got the injuries, ankles and knee injuries. I look back on Michael Rice as well. He got to 32, did his cruciate, and that put him on the back burner as well. So injuries have a big impact on prolonging your career.

There are fresh motivations too. Ballyhale may be the most successful club in hurling history with their seven All-Irelands, but Sunday marks the chance to win a first back-to-back. Reid also ended up top championship scorer in 2019, with his 5-83, only for Tipperary to claim the ultimate award. Borris-Ileigh, Sundays opposition, will be suitably motivated too.

There is also fresh evolution: The three people going for Hurler of the Year were myself, Seamus Callanan and Patrick Horgan, all over 30, so I think that changes the age thing too. Clare and Cork played a young running game and everyone was saying its a fast game now for young players.

Then Galway put that to bed. They won the All-Ireland in 2017 with a physical approach. They went back to the traditional way of winning your own ball up front and getting scores. And then again, Limerick changed that. They had the physicality but they also had the skill and developed a running game, alongside the work rate. So every year I think it evolves. That running game is kind of put to bed at the moment. Its back to basics.

Playing an All-Ireland final on the third Sunday in January is hard to get the head around and Reid still admits his preference for St Patricks Day: there is another fresh motivation too in trying to maintain Henry Shefflins unbeaten reign as Ballyhale manager.

I live next door to Henry and when he came in, everyone in the whole panel were excited. He doesnt even need to do anything. Hes Henry Shefflin. And youll go and give him 110 per cent because you know what hell give you.

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TJ Reid reveals the fresh secrets of his consistency - The Irish Times

The Ceramic Tableware Market analysis report is very indispensable in many ways for business growth and to thrive in the market. Getting well-versed about the trends and opportunities in the industry is fairly time consuming process.

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The Major players profiled in this report include Fiskars villeroy & boch, Rosenthal GmbH, Weiye Ceramics Co., Ltd., Guangxi Sanhuan Enterprise Group Holding Co., Ltd., GUANGDONG SITONG GROUP CO.,LTD, Hunan Hualian China Industry Co., Ltd., Guangdong Songfa Ceramics Co., Ltd., TATA Ceramics Limited, WEIYE CERAMICS CO., LTD, GUANGDONG SITONG GROUP CO.,LTD, Churchill China (UK) Ltd., Homer Laughlin China Company, Rosenthal, staatliche porzellan-manufaktur meissen gmbh, KAHLA/Thringen Porzellan GmbH.

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7 North America Ceramic Tableware Revenue by Countries

8 Europe Ceramic Tableware Revenue by Countries

9 Asia-Pacific Ceramic Tableware Revenue by Countries

10 South America Ceramic Tableware Revenue by Countries

11 Middle East and Africa Revenue Ceramic Tableware by Countries

12 International Players Profiles

13 Market Forecast 2019-2026

14 Analysts Viewpoints/Conclusions

15 Appendix

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Dental File and Burs Market Size by Global Industry Share, Growth, Regional Analysis, Upcoming Trends, Key Manufacturers, Technology Updates and...

Just over a week ago, 13-year-old Ryan Pourjam's father, Mansour Pourjam, died in a plane crash after Iran's government shot down the jet just outside Tehran. All 176 passengers were killed.

Iran initially blamed the Jan. 8 crash on engine failure but later admitted it was shot down in a "human error" amid heightened tensions with the US military.

On Wednesday, Ryan gave an emotional speech at a memorial service at Carleton University. His father earned his degree in biology there in 2001 and went on to become a dental technician in Ottawa, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Ryan said his dad was an incredibly positive person who would have wanted his loved ones to remain optimistic through such a painful time.

"Hed always tell me to stay positive through the dark times and through the good, when we'd get stuck in traffic or when I couldn't get the coffee that I wanted," he said.

"I dont want to talk about the bad things," he continued. "Because I know that if my dad was alive and if someone else died in the crash and that he was right here giving a speech, he wouldn't talk about the bad stuff. I wont."

Ryan said he would describe his dad in one word as "strong."

"Hes been through tragedy after tragedy, wall after wall, wrong turn after wrong turn, and he stood strong," he said. "He was amazing, and we loved each other."

More than 200 people came to the Wednesday vigil, which was held jointly for Mansour Pourjam and another victim, Fareed Arasteh. Arasteh was a PhD student studying molecular genetics at the university, according to CBC.

Ryan said he was comforted by how many people came together to "celebrate Mansour and Fareeds amazing lives."

"I stand up here a week after this horrible tragedy, and I still cant believe it," Ryan said. "I feel like Im dreaming."

"But I know that if I was dreaming, and that if he woke me up, he'd tell me that it's going to be OK," he said. "And it will be."

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A 13-Year-Old Gave An Emotional Speech About His Dad Who Died In The Iran Plane Crash - BuzzFeed News

Charles Boone first set foot in Japan fresh out of undergrad in 1983 when he lived and worked with a local family on a rice farm in Chiba prefecture, just outside Tokyo. There, he fell in love with many things Japanese not least its cuisine, which owes much of its flavourto fermenting microorganisms.

Now, years later, the microbes would lure Boone back to Japan, albeit for a different reason.

So many of the drugs we use today have come from microorganisms, says Boone. And theres still an enormous untapped potential out there.

Over the last decade, Boone has been working with Minoru Yoshida and Hiroyuki Osada, both professors at the RIKEN Centre for Sustainable Resource Science, to identify new compounds from microbes with the potential to be research tools and pharmaceuticals.

Another Donnelly investigator and U of T professor, Andrew Fraser, is also collaborating with the RIKEN teams to find new drugs that target parasites.

Surrounded by cherry trees on a research campus just outside Tokyo, the RIKEN Centre houses the worlds largest collection of natural compounds some 40,000 chemicals and other derivatives produced mainly by soil microbes and plants, as well as some synthetic compounds.

The RIKEN collection is exceptional because it contains so many pure natural products says Boone. This makes it easier to investigate how those molecules might be acting on living cells.

Collected by Osadas team over the last 15 years, the medical potential of the vast majority of compounds remains unexplored.

We still dont know why the microbes are producing these compounds, says Yoshida.

It could be that microbes are using these chemicals as weapons against other microbes or as communications tools, as most of them seem to be non-toxic. Whatever the reason behind their making, the researchers hope to tap into this chemistry for new molecular tools and drugs.

Its no coincidencethat Japan has such a rich resource of natural compounds. The country has a long tradition of microbial exploits in the production of food and drink. Take the rice wine sake, for example. It involves the sophisticated use of a filamentous fungus to transform pure rice into a suitable carbon source for fermentation by yeast cells.

The microbial know-how allowed Japanese scientists to discover, in the second half of the 20th century, more than 100 new antibiotics, as well as the anti-parasite blockbuster drug ivermectin, a finding that was recognized by a Nobel Prize in 2015.

Drug applications came naturally out of using microbes for food fermentation, says Yoshida, whose 1990 discovery of trichostatin A, a drug that interferes with how the DNA is packaged inside the cells, from a Streptomyces bacteriumtransformed the study of epigenetics and led to similar compounds that are being trialed on patients as a treatment for cancer and inflammation.

According to a recent study, the majority of approved medications come from nature, or are synthetic molecules inspired by the natural products. Infection-fighting antibiotics and cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant that has made transplant medicine possible, are prominentexamples.

Natural products make good drugs because they were honed by evolution to act on living cells, says Yoshida. They tend to be large and structurally diverse molecules that engage with their cellular receptors more specifically than the purely synthetic drugs, meaning they can be used at low doses and elicit fewer unwanted side effects.

Despite their clear potential, the pharmaceutical industry has shifted its focus from the natural compounds, which are also difficult to purify and synthesize on an industrial scale, to searching for drug candidates among large pools of synthetic chemicals.

But Boone thinks this may be a mistake.

It seems ridiculous to be shunning natural products given that the majority of drugs we use today have come from nature, says Boone. And our work suggests that there are a lot of compounds out there that could be useful for research and also medicine.

A 2017 study by Boone, Yoshida and Osadas teams found that the RIKEN collection holds more medically promising compounds than several stockpiles of synthetic chemicals widely used in research. They did this by identifying the molecular mechanism of action for thousands of compounds, using a large-scale application of the yeast cell-based chemical genomics platform, developed by Boones lab in the Donnelly Centre. Many of these housekeeping processes in yeast cells are also found in human cells and have been implicated in a variety of diseases, from cancer to Alzheimers.

But, there are many more compounds left to test.

More recently, Sheena Li, a post-doctoral researcher who worked in Boones lab at RIKEN, where he holds a joint appointment, and has since moved to the Donnelly Centre, found that one compound from the RIKEN collection acts as a powerful antifungal by blocking an important enzyme in yeast cells. As such, the compound holds promise for the treatment of drug-resistant fungal infections, which are becoming a serious global health threat.

Taking all their data into account, Li says they have identified about 50 products with medical potential. The next step is to check if these chemicals act in the same way in human cells.

Its a great step forward to be able to take something that you invested so much time studying in yeast into the human system, Li says.

Unlike Boone and Li, Fraser is not interested in compounds that work in human cells quite the opposite.

We want to find new drugs against intestinal parasites, he says . But we do not want to harm the humans infected with these parasites.

Gut worm parasites affect around one billion people globally, 880 million of them children, according to the World Health Organization. As the parasites are becoming resistant to frontline treatments, including ivermectin, new drugs are urgently needed.

Since ivermectin was discovered in a soil microbe, Fraser thinks theres a good chance more future treatments are to be found at RIKEN.

His team recently developed a method to screen for drugs that target an unusual type of metabolism that only exists in parasites. This type of metabolism does not require oxygen for energy production and allows parasites to survive inside the hosts body for long periods of time.

Because parasites are difficult to cultivate in the lab, Frasers team found a way to trick the harmless worm and staple research tool, C. elegans, into using the oxygen-independent metabolism and look for drugs that affect it.

Any drug candidates will only target the worms without causing harm to humans, who do not have the ability to make energy the same way as the parasites.

The next step for Fraser is to see if there any compounds in RIKENs trove that act on those targets.

The RIKEN natural product collection is like an incredible collection of intricate tools the challenge is to figure out which targets each compound affects, and how we can use them to kill pathogens and enhance our health, he says.

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Drugs from nature: Researchers from U of T, Japan mine microbial compound library for new therapeutics - News@UofT

By Caitlin O'Hara for UCSB Arts & Lectures | January 15, 2020 | 9:00 a.m.

UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara co-present Understanding Genetics and Cancer, a free community event featuring Mary-Claire King, the scientist who discovered the BRCA1 gene,7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 6, at UCSB Campbell Hall.

King's lecture will be followed by a panel of experts discussing genetics, cancer and you, providing resources and answering pertinent questions

UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Santa Barbara Cancer Foundation will present a free community event Understanding Genetics and Cancer, featuring a lecture by human geneticist Mary-Claire King, the scientist who discovered the BRCA1 gene.

Her talk, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at UCSB Campbell Hall, will be followed by a panel of experts discussing genetics, cancer and you.

King discovered the genetic mutation responsible for breast cancer, a finding that has revolutionized the course of cancer research and transformed the way patients are diagnosed and treated.

A recipient of the National Medal of Science for her bold, imaginative and diverse contributions to medical science and human rights, Dr. King will discuss the genetics of inherited cancers.

Following the talk, a panel of experts will address genetics, cancer and you, including the following topics:

Lifestyle and cancer risk reductionFamily history and ethnicity risk factorsGenetic testing as cancer preventionPrivacy of genetic testing resultsBenefits and perils of ancestry testingLocal resources for cancer risk assessment and counseling

King is American Cancer Society professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. She was the first to show that breast cancer is inherited in some families, as the result of mutations in the gene that she named BRCA1.

In addition to inherited breast and ovarian cancer, her research interests include the genetic bases of schizophrenia, the genetic causes of congenital disorders in children, and human genetic diversity and evolution.

King pioneered the use of DNA sequencing for human rights investigations, developing the approach of sequencing mitochondrial DNA preserved in human remains, then applying this method to the identification of kidnapped children in Argentina and subsequently to cases of human rights violations on six continents.

King grew up in Chicago. She received her bachelor's degree cum laude in mathematics from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.; her doctorate in genetics from the University of California at Berkeley; and her postdoctoral training at UC San Francisco.

Her Ph.D. dissertation with Allan Wilson was the demonstration that protein-coding sequences of humans and chimpanzees are 99 percent identical. She was professor at UC Berkeley from 1976-95 and at the University of Washington in Seattle since 1995.

King has served on multiple councils and study sections of the N.I.H. and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She was consultant to the Commission on the Disappearance of Persons of the Republic of Argentina and carried out DNA identifications for the United Nations War Crimes Tribunals.

She is past president of the American Society of Human Genetics and a past member of the Council of the National Academy of Sciences. King has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, American Philosophical Society, and as a foreign member of the French Academy of Sciences.

Understanding Genetics and Cancer is co-presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara in association with Breast Cancer Resource Center, Ridley-Tree Cancer Center at Sansum Clinic, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and UCSB Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.

Sponsored by the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, supporter of the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center and its Genetic Counseling Program.

For more, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535 or visit http://www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.

UCSB Arts & Lectures acknowledges Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli and Corporate Season Sponsor SAGE Publishing for their support of the 2019-20 season.

Caitlin O'Hara for UCSB Arts & Lectures.

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Scientist Who Discovered BRCA1 Gene to Give Free Talk on Cancer And Genetics - Noozhawk

The Medium recently had the chance to sit down with Dr. EstebanParra, a molecular anthropologist and anthropology professor at the Universityof Toronto Mississauga (UTM).

Parra has hada long and far-reaching journey in science which began in one of the oldestuniversities in Spain, the University of Santiago de Compostela. He began hisstudies in biology and like many students everywhere [he] discovered what [hewas] really passionate about while completing his undergraduate degree.

For Parra, thediscovered passion was anthropology and genetics. After completing his Ph.D.degree, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at a molecular anthropology labin Spain. He was also a post-doctoral fellow in Rome, Italy, and Pittsburgh,USA, before joining UTM in 2002. Parra advises those interested in graduatestudies to be willing to follow the opportunities that arise. For him, it hasbeen incredibly exciting to see how the UTM campus has changed and grown inthe past seventeen years. We have been attracting incredible new faculty, notonly to anthropology but to many other programs, which has been nice to see,he says.

Parra hascontinued his research at UTM. One of the focuses of his research is toidentify some of the genetic risk markers of traits and diseases such asobesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This is doneusing a genome wide association study to identify variants that are associatedwith these traits. Parra uses a consortiaa large group of samplesto haveaccess to as much data as possible. The more samples there are, the higherchance there is of finding a common link between the genetics of an individualand the ailments they suffer from.

Parra doesmention that genetics are often not the only cause. For diseases such as cysticfibrosis, ones genes are the primary factor in causing the condition. Thesediseases are termed Mendelian disorders. However, for complex conditions likeobesity and diabetes, ones environment and lifestyle play a huge role.Modifications in your lifestyle, your diet, and physical activity, are thebest way to combat conditions such as obesity and diabetes, said Parra.

An excitingdevelopment Parra is looking forward to is the advancement of precisionmedicine. Precision medicineor personalized medicine as it is sometimesreferred tois when an individuals genetic profile can be used to develop atailor-made treatment program for the individual. Precision medicine is a newfield because it has only recently been made possible by technologicaladvancements, which have also lowered the cost of genetic studies dramatically,and, in turn, opened many doors in the field of genetics.

Parraemphasizes the importance of collecting as much data as possible. The best wayto approach this is to collaborate with other scientists [] there are somestudies that are done with many participating research groups, and they havebeen able to use samples of up to a million individuals.

One of theadvantages of collecting a large number of samples is balanced representationof diverse ethnic groups, which for Parra is very important. He explains thatgenetic studies in the past have primarily been conducted in European countrieswhich is problematic for the future of precision medicine. When you primarilywork in just one population group, it may not be as helpful for the rest of theworld, he says.

In fact, foralmost all non-European groups, underrepresentation is a significant issuewhich is only improving slowly. Underrepresentation can be attributed to avariety of factors such as biasness and the location of the research groups whogenerally choose to perform their research in their own areas. Parra encouragesthose conducting research to overcome these factors since it is absolutelycritical to do more studies and represent these groups.

Parra hascontributed in his own right to the growth of the sample pool. One of thestudies he participated in was part of a large collaboration with researchersfrom around the world. Together, the researchers collected samples from overeighteen thousand individuals of various ethnicities. Since very few studieshad been previously conducted on non-European populations, they focused onlooking for genetic markers of obesity in children. Ultimately, they discovereda new locusa fixed position on a chromosome where a genetic marker is located.The locus they had discovered had not been found in significant numbers inpurely European groups, but appeared consistently in the diverse sample pool,exemplifying the need for more diverse sources.

Despite theshortcomings, Parra is hopeful about the future of the field and its growth. Heencourages greater awareness of the disparity of samples and urges efforts torectify the misrepresentation. He is immensely passionate about anthropologyand genetics and finishes off by stating, DNA is an open bookyou just need toknow how to read it.

More:
Genetic risk markers and misrepresentation - The Medium

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Haining Zhu, PhDDepartment of Molecular and Cellular BiochemistryUniversity of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Frontotemporal dementia is the most common type of early onset dementia impacting people between ages 40 and 65. It affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which leads to behavior and personality changes, difficulty speaking and writing, and eventual memory deterioration.

A subgroup of patients with frontotemporal dementia have a specific genetic mutation that prevents brain cells from making a protein called progranulin. Although progranulin is not wellunderstood, its absence is linked to the disease.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: Our research team discovered that after aminoglycoside antibiotics (Gentamicin and G418) were added to neuronal cells with this mutation, the cells started making the full-length progranulin protein by skipping the mutation.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: These results could be promising to drug development. Currently, there are no effective therapies for any type of dementia.This is an early stage of the study, but it provides an important proof of concept that these aminoglycoside antibiotics or their derivatives can be a therapeutic avenue for frontotemporal dementia.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: After this preclinical proof of concept study, the next step is to study the antibiotics effects on mice with the mutation that causes frontotemporal dementia.If we can get the right resources and physician to work with, we could potentially repurpose the FDA-approved drug gentamicin. However, theclinical usageof Gentamicinis limited as it is associated with a number of adverse side effects. Another focus is to possibly develop new compounds from Gentamicin and G418 that could be safer and more effective.

Disclosure: A patent application based on the above results has been filed.

Citation:

Lisha Kuang, Kei Hashimoto, Eric J Huang, Matthew S Gentry, Haining Zhu.Frontotemporal dementia nonsense mutation of progranulin rescued by aminoglycosides.Human Molecular Genetics, 2020; DOI:10.1093/hmg/ddz280

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Last Modified: Jan 15, 2020 @ 4:36 pm

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

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Early Research Suggests Antibiotics May Be Effective in One Form of Dementia - MedicalResearch.com

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that cells from children with NGLY1 deficiency--a rare disorder first described in 2012--lack sufficient water channel proteins called aquaporins. The discovery was published in Cell Reports and may help explain the disorder's wide-ranging symptoms--including the inability to produce tears, seizures and developmental delays--and opens new avenues to find therapies to treat the disorder.

"Our findings uncover a new and completely unexpected 'job' for NGLY1, which was originally thought to only cleave sugars from proteins," says Hudson Freeze, Ph.D., director and professor of the Human Genetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study. "This new information, which includes the molecular signals NGLY1 uses to drive aquaporin production, fundamentally shifts how we approach drug development. Most immediately, we can begin to screen for existing FDA-approved drugs that may increase aquaporin levels."

The first patient with NGLY1 deficiency, then-four-year-old Bertrand Might, was diagnosed in 2012. The condition occurs when both copies of the NGLY1 gene contain mutations. As a result, children with NGLY1 deficiency produce little or no N-glycanase1--a protein that removes sugars from proteins during the cell's regular recycling process. Today, approximately 60 people in the world have been identified with NGLY1 deficiency. There is no cure, and existing treatments only address a few of the disorder's symptoms.

"This discovery is a giant leap forward in our understanding of NGLY1 deficiency and our ability to find a drug for the condition," says Matt Might, Ph.D., Bertrand Might's father and chief scientific officer of NGLY1.org, which funded the research. "In addition to exploring new treatment avenues, we can immediately start to test currently available drugs to see if they may help Bertrand and other children living with NGLY1 deficiency."

A surprise discovery unlocks new insights into NGLY1

Because of NGLY1's established role in helping recycle proteins, scientists predicted that cells that lack NGLY1 would fill with unrecycled proteins. However, despite numerous experiments by Freeze and others, this has not been observed.

Mitali Tambe, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate in the Freeze lab and the first author of the study, set out to shed light on this mystery when she made an unexpected discovery. While normal cells burst open when placed in distilled water, cells from children with an NGLY1 mutation refused to pop open.

"At first I thought what every scientist initially thinks: I made a mistake," says Tambe. "But this observation actually revealed a previously unknown role for NGLY1 protein."

The unexpected finding prompted the scientists to dig in deeper. In addition to studying skin cells from three children with NGLY1 deficiency, the researchers created human and obtained mouse cells that either lacked NGLY1 or produced excess amounts of the protein. In these studies, they found that cells that lacked the NGLY1 protein had fewer aquaporins--proteins that connect the inside and outside of a cell and control water movement--and were resistant to bursting open when placed in water. These results were reversed in cells that were given excess levels of NGLY1. The researchers also identified the molecular signals NGLY1 uses to instruct cells to produce aquaporins, proteins called Atf1 and Creb1, which may lead to useful drug targets.

"In addition to regulating tear and saliva production, aquaporins are involved in many brain functions, such as cerebrospinal fluid production," explains Tambe. "Lack of aquaporins may explain many of the symptoms seen in children who are NGLY1-deficient."

The scientists devised a clever experiment to determine if NGLY1 is regulating aquaporin levels through its expected sugar-removal function or in another manner. They created two cell types that either produced a normal NGLY1 protein or NGLY1 with the sugar-cleaving area disabled. The altered protein successfully altered aquaporin levels--indicating that NGLY1 has a second function in addition to its sugar-removing (enzymatic) activities.

"Our study shows there is more to NGLY1 than its well-known function of removing sugars from proteins," says Freeze. "Together, our findings open important new paths to understanding the pathogenesis of NGLY1 deficiency and ultimately finding treatments."

Reference:Tambe, M. A., Ng, B. G., & Freeze, H. H. (2019). N-Glycanase 1 Transcriptionally Regulates Aquaporins Independent of Its Enzymatic Activity. Cell Reports, 29(13), 4620-4631.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.11.097

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

More:
Why Cant Bertrand Might Cry? Missing Water Channels Could Be the Answer - Technology Networks

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Lung Cancer Diagnostics - Market Analysis, Trends, and Forecasts" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Lung Cancer Diagnostics market worldwide is projected to grow by US$1.3 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 8%. Imaging Tests, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 7.5%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$1.6 Billion by the year 2025, Imaging Tests will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.

Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 6.6% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$45.5 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$39.5 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Imaging Tests will reach a market size of US$85.6 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 11.4% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$354.6 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders.

Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.

Competitors identified in this market include among others:

Key Topics Covered:

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. MARKET OVERVIEW

2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS

3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

III. MARKET ANALYSIS

IV. COMPETITION

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9bt1jt

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Global Lung Cancer Diagnostics Market - Poised to Reach Over US$1.6 Billion by 2025 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

MansourPourjam's son Ryan says his father always strived to be positive.

"I can't remember a single moment in my life where Mansour, my dad, had any trace of negativity in his voice or actions," the 13-year-old boy told a crowd of mourners Wednesday at Carleton University.

"He'd always tell me to stay positive, through the dark times and through the good, when we'd get stuck in traffic or when I couldn't get the coffee that I wanted."

More than200 people came out on Wednesday toa vigil at the university to remember bothPourjam, an Ottawa dental technician who graduated from the school,and PhD student Fareed Arasteh both victims in last week's crashof Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 outside Tehran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down the aircraft on Jan. 8,killingall 176 passengers and crew members including 57 Canadian citizens.

Mansour Pourjam had been working at the Ottawa Denture andImplant Centrein Bells Corners at the time of his death.

"If I could describe [my father] in one word, it would be strong. He's been through tragedy after tragedy, wall after wall, wrong turn after wrong turn and he's stood strong," his son said, as people in the audience wiped their eyes.

"He was amazing. We loved each other."

Arasteh, meanwhile, was performingPhDresearch atthe university's biology department, where he was studying molecular genetics. He'dreturned to Iran for the holidays to marry his long-time girlfriend.

His close friend and roommate Reza Sananfartold the crowd Arastehwas a "dreamer" who worked hard to achieve his goals and would also help his friends fulfil their own dreams.

"Although Fareed didn't get to spend much time here at Carleton, I can see that he touched so many lives while he was walking among us here," Sananfar said.

"I thought talking about him would help me to accept the fact that he is not coming back. But there are no words that can ease the pain, or fill the void that many of us are feeling inside us."

Carleton University president Benoit-Antoine Bacon saidit was important to have this gathering to help the community grieve and begin to heal.

Universities across the country paused to honourthe victims Wednesday,as many of the passengers on the flightwerestudents, faculty members and researchers.

The University of Ottawa has said that threeof the victims were students there, while Queen's University has confirmed one of its undergraduate students died in the crash.

See more here:
Son of Iran crash victim says father 'stood strong' - CBC.ca

Youre reading this with a cup of coffee in your hand, arent you? Coffee is the most popular drink in the world. Americans drink more coffee than soda, juice and tea combined.

How popular is coffee? When news first broke that Prince Harry and Meghan were considering Canada as their new home, Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons offered free coffee for life as an extra enticement.

Given coffees popularity, its surprising how much confusion surrounds how this hot, dark, nectar of the gods affects our biology.

Coffees ingredients

The main biologically active ingredients in coffee are caffeine (a stimulant) and a suite of antioxidants. What do we know about how caffeine and antioxidants affect our bodies? The fundamentals are pretty simple, but the devil is in the details and the speculation around how coffee could either help or harm us runs a bit wild.

The stimulant properties of caffeine mean that you can count on a cup of coffee to wake you up. In fact, coffee, or at least the caffeine it contains, is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world. It seems to work as a stimulant, at least in part, by blocking adenosine, which promotes sleep, from binding to its receptor.

Caffeine and adenosine have similar ring structures. Caffeine acts as a molecular mimic, filling and blocking the adenosine receptor, preventing the bodys natural ability to be able a rest when its tired.

This blocking is also the reason why too much coffee can leave you feeling jittery or sleepless. You can only postpone fatigue for so long before the bodys regulatory systems begin to fail, leading to simple things like the jitters, but also more serious effects like anxiety or insomnia. Complications may be common; a possible link between coffee drinking and insomnia was identified more than 100 years ago.

The National Film Board of Canada produced a documentary on the cultural history of coffee called Black Coffee: Part One, The Irresistible Bean

Unique responses

Different people respond to caffeine differently. At least some of this variation is from having different forms of that adenosine receptor, the molecule that caffeine binds to and blocks. There are likely other sites of genetic variation as well.

There are individuals who dont process caffeine and to whom drinks like coffee could pose medical danger. Even away from those extremes, however, there is variation in how we respond to that cup of coffee. And, like much of biology, that variation is a function of environment, our past coffee consumption, genetics and, honestly, just random chance.

We may be interested in coffee because of the oh-so-joyous caffeine buzz, but that doesnt mean that caffeine is the most biologically interesting aspect of a good cup of coffee.

In one study using rats, caffeine triggered smooth muscle contraction, so it is possible that caffeine directly promotes bowel activity. Other studies, though, have shown that decaffeinated coffee can have as strong an effect on bowel activity as regular coffee, suggesting a more complex mechanism involving some of the other molecules in coffee.

Antioxidant benefits

What about the antioxidants in coffee and the buzz that surrounds them? Things actually start out pretty straightforward. Metabolic processes produce the energy necessary for life, but they also create waste, often in the form of oxidized molecules that can be harmful in themselves or in damaging other molecules.

Antioxidants are a broad group of molecules that can scrub up dangerous waste; all organisms produce antioxidants as part of their metabolic balance. It is unclear if supplementing our diet with additional antioxidants can augment these natural defences, but that hasnt stopped speculation.

Antioxidants have been linked to almost everything, including premature ejaculation.

Are any of the claims of positive effects substantiated? Surprisingly, the answer is again a resounding maybe.

Coffee and cancer

Coffee wont cure cancer, but it may help to prevent it and possibly other diseases as well. Part of answering the question of coffees connection to cancer lies in asking another: what is cancer? At its simplest, cancer is uncontrolled cell growth, which is fundamentally about regulating when genes are, or are not, actively expressed.

My research group studies gene regulation and I can tell you that even a good cup of coffee, or boost of caffeine, wont cause genes that are turned off or on at the wrong time to suddenly start playing by the rules.

The antioxidants in coffee may actually have a cancer-fighting effect. Remember that antioxidants fight cellular damage. One type of damage that they may help reduce is mutations to DNA, and cancer is caused by mutations that lead to the misregulation of genes.

Studies have shown that consuming coffee fights cancer in rats. Other studies in humans have shown that coffee consumption is associated with lower rates of some cancers.

Interestingly, coffee consumption has also been linked to reduced rates of other diseases as well. Higher coffee consumption is linked to lower rates of Parkinsons disease and some other forms of dementia. Strikingly, at least one experimental study in mice and cell culture shows that protection is a function of a combination of caffeine and antioxidants in coffee.

Higher coffee consumption has also been linked to lower rates of Type 2 diabetes. Complexity, combined effects and variation between individuals seems to be the theme across all the diseases.

At the end of the day, where does all this leave us on the biology of coffee? Well, as I tell my students, its complicated. But as most reading this already know, coffee will definitely wake you up in the morning.

Go here to read the rest:
The biology of coffee, the world's most popular drink - EconoTimes

11-year-old Bertrand Might (center) surrounded by his family, including his father, Matt Might (second from right), and his mother, Cristina Might (second from left). Credit: The Might family

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that cells from children with NGLY1 deficiency a rare disorder first described in 2012 lack sufficient water channel proteins called aquaporins. The discovery was published in Cell Reports and may help explain the disorders wide-ranging symptoms including the inability to produce tears, seizures and developmental delays and opens new avenues to find therapies to treat the disorder.

Our findings uncover a new and completely unexpected job for NGLY1, which was originally thought to only cleave sugars from proteins, says Hudson Freeze, Ph.D., director, and professor of the Human Genetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study. This new information, which includes the molecular signals NGLY1 uses to drive aquaporin production, fundamentally shifts how we approach drug development. Most immediately, we can begin to screen for existing FDA-approved drugs that may increase aquaporin levels.

Burst cells are shown in orange, and intact cells are shown in blue (the dye used stains the DNA in a nucleus). Unlike normal cells (left), cells missing the NGLY1 protein (right) refused to split open when placed in distilled water. The cells pictured are from mice. Credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys

The first patient with NGLY1 deficiency, then-four-year-old Bertrand Might, was diagnosed in 2012. The condition occurs when both copies of the NGLY1 gene contain mutations. As a result, children with NGLY1 deficiency produce little or no N-glycanase1 a protein that removes sugars from proteins during the cells regular recycling process. Today, approximately 60 people in the world have been identified with NGLY1 deficiency. There is no cure, and existing treatments only address a few of the disorders symptoms.

This discovery is a giant leap forward in our understanding of NGLY1 deficiency and our ability to find a drug for the condition, says Matt Might, Ph.D., Bertrand Mights father and chief scientific officer of NGLY1.org, which funded the research. In addition to exploring new treatment avenues, we can immediately start to test currently available drugs to see if they may help Bertrand and other children living with NGLY1 deficiency.

Because of NGLY1s established role in helping recycle proteins, scientists predicted that cells that lack NGLY1 would fill with unrecycled proteins. However, despite numerous experiments by Freeze and others, this has not been observed.

Hudson Freeze, Ph.D., director and professor of the Human Genetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study. Credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys

Mitali Tambe, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate in the Freeze lab and the first author of the study, set out to shed light on this mystery when she made an unexpected discovery. While normal cells burst open when placed in distilled water, cells from children with an NGLY1 mutation refused to pop open.

At first I thought what every scientist initially thinks: I made a mistake, says Tambe. But this observation actually revealed a previously unknown role for NGLY1 protein.

The unexpected finding prompted the scientists to dig in deeper. In addition to studying skin cells from three children with NGLY1 deficiency, the researchers created human and obtained mouse cells that either lacked NGLY1 or produced excess amounts of the protein. In these studies, they found that cells that lacked the NGLY1 protein had fewer aquaporins proteins that connect the inside and outside of a cell and control water movement and were resistant to bursting open when placed in water. These results were reversed in cells that were given excess levels of NGLY1. The researchers also identified the molecular signals NGLY1 uses to instruct cells to produce aquaporins, proteins called Atf1 and Creb1, which may lead to useful drug targets.

In addition to regulating tear and saliva production, aquaporins are involved in many brain functions, such as cerebrospinal fluid production, explains Tambe. Lack of aquaporins may explain many of the symptoms seen in children who are NGLY1-deficient.

The scientists devised a clever experiment to determine if NGLY1 is regulating aquaporin levels through its expected sugar-removal function or in another manner. They created two cell types that either produced a normal NGLY1 protein or NGLY1 with the sugar-cleaving area disabled. The altered protein successfully altered aquaporin levels indicating that NGLY1 has a second function in addition to its sugar-removing (enzymatic) activities.

Our study shows there is more to NGLY1 than its well-known function of removing sugars from proteins, says Freeze. Together, our findings open important new paths to understanding the pathogenesis of NGLY1 deficiency and ultimately finding treatments.

Reference: N-Glycanase 1 Transcriptionally Regulates Aquaporins Independent of Its Enzymatic Activity by Mitali A. Tambe, Bobby G. Ng and Hudson H. Freeze, 24 December 2019, Cell Reports.DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.11.097

Research reported in this article was supported by the Bertrand Might Research Fund and NGLY1.org. Additional study authors include Bobby Ng.

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11 Year-Old Bertrand Might Cant Cry Scientists Have Now Discovered Why - SciTechDaily

Image: Chromosomes and their telomeres (visualised in red). Credit: Thomas Ried, NCI Center for Cancer Research

You might not have heard of telomeres but theyre incredibly important they are the caps that protect the end of chromosomes. They work like the plastic tips that stop your shoelaces from fraying.

All cancers alter telomeres in order to survive, so by doing basic research to try to understand how telomere replication and processing works, Max and his team hope to identify possible new ways to target and treat cancer.

Having joined the Division of Cancer Biology in October 2019, Dr Max Douglasis now one of the newest Team Leaders at the ICR. I met him at our Chester Beatty Laboratories in Chelsea, where he told me more about his work.

Max studied for his PhD in biochemistry and cell biology at the University of Cambridge. He then joined Dr John Diffleys team in Londons Clare Hall Laboratories which later became part of the Francis Crick Institute where he focused on studying the early stages of DNA replication.

At the Crick, he helped establish in detail how a protein complex called the CMG replicative helicase that helps unwind DNA during replication, is assembled and activated.

Now at the ICR, Max leads his own research team studying DNA replication but in the context of telomeres and cancer.

My main project is to rebuild telomeres in the lab and then unpick how they work how they are replicated and how they are processed. This knowledge is generally useful, but we will focus on studying it in the context of cancer, explained Max.

Lets finish it:help us revolutionise cancer treatment. We aim to discover a new generation of cancer treatments so smart and targeted, that more patients will defeat their cancer and finish what they started.

Support our work

When a cell becomes cancerous, it divides more often and every time it divides, its telomeres become shorter and shorter. Once there is no telomere left, the DNA unravels, like a shoelace fraying, and the cell dies. This eventually happens in most healthy cells telomeres shorten over time until cell division is no longer possible, leading to cell death.

While this loss of telomere protection can cause cancer cells and healthy cells to die, it can also lead to a state of genome instability that helps cancer survive and spread.

We also know that cancer cells can escape death by making telomerase, an enzyme that prevents telomeres from getting short. Certain cells in our body, such as stem cells, are able to divide over and over again thanks to telomerase. Cancer cells take advantage of this enzyme and hijack it to maintain telomere length which enables them to continue to divide and spread.

In other words, telomeres seem to play a role in the death of cancer cells but theyre also crucial for their survival. However, the molecular steps that guide telomere replication and processing remain poorly understood.

By using genetics and replicating cellular processes in a test tube, through a technique known as reconstitution biochemistry, Max and his team hope to better understand how telomeres are processed, and how they are inherited from one generation of cells to the next.

If Max and his team can dissect how telomeres work and clarify their link to cancer, maybe well figure out new ways to treat it.

His research might seem quite distant from the clinic, but Max knows he belongs at the ICR, which has an exemplary track record in making discoveries that ultimately benefit people with cancer.

I really value the ICRs commitment to doing basic, laboratory science. Good basic science is necessary to understand cancer, and the ICR values that. Here, I can figure out how to use my findings to benefit people, and that, in turn, will also hugely benefit my work, Max said.

I feel very lucky to work at an institution with a mission, being able to do what I love while getting opportunities to make discoveries that could help people.

As a new Team Leader, Max is currently the only member of his team but a higher scientific officer will be joining this month, as well as a post-doctoral training fellow, who will be joining in March. They will also start recruiting for a PhD student. As he told me, he cant wait for the new team members to join him in January.

Im excited to supervise other people for the first time. I want to build a strong team and a good environment for them to thrive in.

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Science Talk - Tell me more about telomeres: how 'basic' science can help us treat cancer - The Institute of Cancer Research

B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network AG (ETR:BNN) just released its yearly report and things are looking bullish. Results overall were solid, with revenues arriving 9.7% better than analyst forecasts at 40m. Higher revenues also resulted in substantially lower statutory losses which, at 0.58 per share, were 9.7% smaller than analysts expected. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what top analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what analysts' statutory forecasts suggest is in store for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network

XTRA:BNN Past and Future Earnings, January 18th 2020

Following the latest results, B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network's four analysts are now forecasting revenues of 43.5m in 2020. This would be a solid 8.6% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Per-share statutory losses are expected to see a sharp uptick, reaching 0.47. Before this earnings announcement, analysts had been forecasting revenues of 40.0m and losses of 0.29 per share in 2020. While next year's revenue estimates increased, there was also a large cut to EPS expectations, suggesting the consensus has a bit of a mixed view of these results.

There was no major change to the consensus price target of 17.80, with growing revenues seemingly enough to offset the concern of growing losses. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. There are some variant perceptions on B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at 24.00 and the most bearish at 9.50 per share. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business.

Zooming out to look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up both against past performance, and against industry growth estimates. We would highlight that B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network's revenue growth is expected to slow, with forecast 8.6% increase next year well below the historical 15%p.a. growth over the last five years. By way of comparison, other companies in this market with analyst coverage, are forecast to grow their revenue at 3.8% next year. So it's pretty clear that, while B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network's revenue growth is expected to slow, it's still expected to grow faster than the market itself.

Pleasantly, analysts also upgraded their revenue estimates, and their forecasts suggest the business is expected to grow faster than the wider market. The consensus price target held steady at 17.80, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on analysts' estimated valuations.

Still, the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have forecasts for B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Story continues

Another thing to consider is whether management and directors have been buying or selling stock recently. We provide an overview of all open market stock trades for the last twelve months on our platform, here.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

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B.R.A.I.N. Biotechnology Research and Information Network AG Just Released Its Full-Year Results And Analysts Are Updating Their Estimates - Yahoo...

Thursday, January 16, 2020

In a coordinated effort, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation on January 9, 2020. The website serves to streamline information regarding agriculture biotechnology products, which are regulated by FDA, USDA, and EPA. The implementation of the website is in response to the June 2019 Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump on Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products. The Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation complements prior joint actions such as the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology, an Obama administration effort to reform the biotechnology regulatory process by enhancing transparency, predictability, and efficacy. Mintz has previously covered these coordinated efforts here.

Agriculture biotechnology products are products created through genetic engineering of plants, animals, and microbes. Each agency has a role in regulating biotechnology products: USDA has authority to approve all releases of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to ensure they do not create an environmental hazard; EPA must approve all crops that contain insect-killing genes; and FDA is responsible for evaluating whether GMOs are safe to eat. However, because of the interrelatedness of this area, agency regulatory oversight can be disjointed and unclear. Additionally, the advancement of technology can cause confusion in interpreting the regulatory requirements of each agency. Therefore, a primary goal of the website is to enhance customer service by allowing users to submit questions directly to the three agencies, as well as through providing a Frequently Asked Questions page.

The Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation does not alter the regulatory process concerning agriculture biotechnology products. Instead, the website acts as an interactive archive containing information about the federal review process, while also enabling users to submit questions to the regulatory agencies with the expectation of a coordinated response. According to the FDA Press Release, "[t]he goals of this website are to provide enhanced customer service to innovators and developers, while ensuring Americans continue to enjoy the safest and most affordable food supply in the world and can learn more about the safe use of biotechnology innovations.

The website launch follows the October 2018 FDA announcement for its Plant and Animal Biotechnology Action Plan, which provides a risk-based regulatory approach to the oversight of plant and animal-derived products of biotechnology, with a focus on safety and effectiveness. One of the action plan's priorities is to coordinate a new biotechnology approach with EPA and USDA to clarify oversight of genome-edited products. According to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, M.D.: This is a time of unprecedented scientific innovation. Agricultural biotechnology promises to bring dynamic new products to the marketplace . . . Our approach balances our internationally respected, science-based review standards with our ongoing risk-based regulatory approaches to ensure the safety of our food supply.

While the Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation is a step towards meeting the goals set in the June 2019 Executive Order, additional efforts are needed to better coordinate biotechnology product regulation as technology continues to advance.

1994-2020 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. All Rights Reserved.

Link:
Unified Biotechnology Regulation Website Launched - The National Law Review

Low cost of capital has fueled exceptional returns for biotech and health stocks but will near zero cost financing last?

Biotechnology & Healthcare was the top performing investment company sector of the last decade producing a return of 491% from 2010 to 2019, compared to a return of 198% for the average investment company over the same period, according to the Association of Investment Trusts (AIC).

The UK Smaller Companies and Global Smaller Companies sectors were the second and third best performing sectors of the decade and delivered 379% and 330% respectively. European Smaller Companies (10th) also featured in the top ten.

Meanwhile the best performing investment companies over the past decade came from a variety of sectors, but companies in the UK Smaller Companies sector featured most strongly, making four appearances within the top ten.

Volta Finance was the best performing member company over the decade. The company from the Debt Structured Finance sector produced an impressive 959% share price total return from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019. It was followed by Lindsell Train in the Global sector, up 730%, and Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon from the Japanese Smaller Companies sector, up 678% over the same period.

Annabel Brodie-Smith, communications director of the AIC said: Its encouraging to see a diverse spectrum of investment company sectors perform so strongly over the last decade. While Biotechnology & Healthcare was the top performing sector by some margin, two UK equity sectors made it into the top ten despite the Brexit referendum and subsequent lack of clarity surrounding the UKs exit.

The closed-ended investment company structure lends itself particularly well to illiquid alternative investments and over the past decade the Private Equity and Infrastructure sectors have both delivered particularly strong returns. Three smaller company sectors feature in the top ten best performers, demonstrating that investment companies are the best vehicle for holding smaller companies which can be hard to sell in times of stress. In addition, investors who have favoured investment companies to gain overseas exposure via the Japan, Global and North America sectors have been handsomely rewarded.

Its always interesting to look back at the best performing companies, but its important to remember that past performance is not an indicator of future returns. Investment companies cover a broad variety of sectors, risk profiles and geographical exposure to match a range of investor needs. When investing you should consider your objectives and the level of risk you are willing to take and, if you have any concerns, you should speak to a financial adviser.

Jason Hollands, managing director, business development and communications at Tilney Investment Management Services said: The last decade has seen huge advances in medical discovery. When combined with an extraordinarily supportive, post global crisis environment for risk assets i.e. low cost of capital thats fueled exceptional returns for biotech and health stocks.

While there is no reason to doubt further advancements in medical science, we wont remain locked in a world of near zero real financing costs forever. Of particular relevance is mounting pressure across the global for greater controls over drug pricing, given the spiraling costs to health services. This could be particularly relevant if the Democrats win the US Presidential election as their nominees have been vocal on this as well as calling for a much more interventionist role for the state in the massive US healthcare market.

With regards to the overall observations below. The broad theme is that smaller companies across a variety of markets have been amongst the best performing parts of the market. Ironically this has taken place over a period during which investors have increasingly shunned them in the clamour for passive products that are overwhelming skewed to large-cap companies. Frankly, the more smaller companies are ignored, the greater the potential available for active managers to add value in this space by spotting winners that the wider market has yet to discover.

Further reading: Investment Trusts: A beginners guide

Read more:
Biotechnology and Healthcare is the best performing IT fund sector - What Investment

Ross Murdoch has been the CEO of Avecho Biotechnology Limited (ASX:AVE) since 2015. This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.

Check out our latest analysis for Avecho Biotechnology

Our data indicates that Avecho Biotechnology Limited is worth AU$7.9m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as AU$404k for the year to December 2018. We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at AU$351k. We examined a group of similar sized companies, with market capitalizations of below AU$289m. The median CEO total compensation in that group is AU$379k.

So Ross Murdoch receives a similar amount to the median CEO pay, amongst the companies we looked at. This doesn't tell us a whole lot on its own, but looking at the performance of the actual business will give us useful context.

You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at Avecho Biotechnology, below.

ASX:AVE CEO Compensation, January 14th 2020

On average over the last three years, Avecho Biotechnology Limited has grown earnings per share (EPS) by 65% each year (using a line of best fit). It achieved revenue growth of 310% over the last year.

This shows that the company has improved itself over the last few years. Good news for shareholders. Most shareholders would be pleased to see strong revenue growth combined with EPS growth. This combo suggests a fast growing business. Although we don't have analyst forecasts shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

With a three year total loss of 80%, Avecho Biotechnology Limited would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.

Ross Murdoch is paid around what is normal the leaders of comparable size companies.

We think that the EPS growth is very pleasing, but we find the returns over the last three years to be lacking. We'd be surprised if shareholders want to see a pay rise for the CEO, but we'd stop short of calling their pay too generous. CEO compensation is one thing, but it is also interesting to check if the CEO is buying or selling Avecho Biotechnology (free visualization of insider trades).

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

Originally posted here:
Should You Be Pleased About The CEO Pay At Avecho Biotechnology Limited's (ASX:AVE) - Yahoo Finance

We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

Given this risk, we thought wed take a look at whether Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. In this report, we will consider the companys annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the cash burn. Well start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

See our latest analysis for Vir Biotechnology

A companys cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. As at September 2019, Vir Biotechnology had cash of US$320m and no debt. Importantly, its cash burn was US$130m over the trailing twelve months. That means it had a cash runway of about 2.5 years as of September 2019. Thats decent, giving the company a couple years to develop its business. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

Some investors might find it troubling that Vir Biotechnology is actually increasing its cash burn, which is up 39% in the last year. And we must say we find it concerning that operating revenue dropped 4.0% over the same period. Taken together, we think these growth metrics are a little worrying. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.

Even though it seems like Vir Biotechnology is developing its business nicely, we still like to consider how easily it could raise more money to accelerate growth. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash to fund growth. By comparing a companys annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Since it has a market capitalisation of US$1.6b, Vir Biotechnologys US$130m in cash burn equates to about 8.2% of its market value. Given that is a rather small percentage, it would probably be really easy for the company to fund another years growth by issuing some new shares to investors, or even by taking out a loan.

Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Vir Biotechnologys cash runway was relatively promising. Cash burning companies are always on the riskier side of things, but after considering all of the factors discussed in this short piece, were not too worried about its rate of cash burn. While we always like to monitor cash burn for early stage companies, qualitative factors such as the CEO pay can also shed light on the situation. Click here to see free what the Vir Biotechnology CEO is paid..

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

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Companies Like Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Are In A Position To Invest In Growth - Simply Wall St

Sofinnova Partners, a leading European venture capital firm based in Paris, London and Milan and specialized in Life Sciences, announced today the promotion of Michael Krel, PhD, to Partner of the Industrial Biotechnology team. Mr. Krel previously served as Principal on the team, where he focused on early-stage deals in Europe and North America.

"This promotion recognizes Michaels excellent skills in the field of industrial biotech, and also reinforces the leading role that Sofinnova Partners is playing in this emerging sector," said Denis Lucquin, Managing Partner of Sofinnova Partners. "We look forward to working with Michael in his new role, and to the continued value his experience and deep subject area expertise bring to our pioneering work in this space."

Mr. Krel said, "It has been a privilege to serve the firm, and to help pioneer its development in Industrial Biotech. I look forward to continuing our work in this important area, and to the potential impact these investments will have globally."

Sofinnova Partners Industrial Biotech franchise is dedicated to start-ups with a specific emphasis on synthetic biology, food, feed, agriculture, materials and chemicals, and represents more than 200 M under management.

Mr. Krel joined Sofinnova Partners as a Senior Associate in 2013 and has been involved in the venture capital firms investment activities in industrial biotech since then. Mr. Krel is an observer on the board of Comet Bio and a board member of EnobraQ and Afyren.

Prior to joining Sofinnova Partners, Michael spent six years in industrial biotech start-ups, holding business development positions. Additionally, Michael was a consultant focused on R&D strategic and organizational issues.

Mr. Krel has a graduate degree in engineering from Ecole Polytechnique and holds a PhD in organic chemistry from Paris X Orsay University.

About Sofinnova Partners

Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specialized in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from all over Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 45 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over 2 billion under management.

For more information, please visit: http://www.sofinnovapartners.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200114005847/en/

Contacts

Press: Media: Kate BarretteRooneyPartners LLC+1 212 223 0561kbarrette@rooneyco.com

France Anne ReinS&I+33 6 03 35 92 05anne.rein@strategiesimage.com

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Sofinnova Partners Announces the Promotion of Michael Krel to Partner of Industrial Biotechnology Team - Yahoo Finance

MIRAMAR, Fla., Jan. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generex Biotechnology Corporation (www.generex.com) (GNBT) (http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GNBT/quote) is pleased to announce that their subsidiary, Olaregen Therapeutix, Inc., is introducing an exciting new product, Excellagen Aesthetics for the cosmetic surgery and aesthetic dermatology market. FDA 510(k) cleared with an indication for the management of wounds, Excellagen Aesthetics is intended for use following facial rejuvenation procedures, including post-laser surgery, post-chemical peels, and post- skin ablation. Excellagen is a ready to use 3-dimensional wound conforming matrix that supports a favorable wound healing environment. It is designed to activate collagen, accelerate granulation, and promote new tissue growth by providing a structural scaffold for cellular migration and proliferation. Excellagen Aesthetics has been shown in vitro to trigger the localized release of endogenous growth factors including Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), a key biological mediator of wound healing.

Olaregen is rolling out Excellagen Aesthetics with a dedicated contract sales force uniquely positioned in major metropolitan areas across the United States where the majority of aesthetic dermatology procedures are clustered. Americans spent an estimated $8 billion on surgical and non-surgical aesthetic dermatology procedures in 2018 when there were over 340,000 facial rejuvenation performed.

Scott Emmens, Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Olaregen commented, We have been working closely with the aesthetic dermatology community, and Excellagen Aesthetics is being tested with some leading dermatologists who are conducting case studies to evaluate the efficacy of our cellular tissue product in wound management as measured by patient reported down-time as well as patient satisfaction with post-treatment care. We are enthusiastic about the early response from patients and doctors who have tried the product after facial rejuvenation procedures including micro-needling and laser skin resurfacing, two procedures that result in post-treatment pain and significant healing times that limit daily activities. We look forward to engaging with the dermatology community to introduce Excellagen Aesthetics and show how our FDA-cleared product can be used to the benefit of their patients and their practice.

About Generex Biotechnology Corp.

Generex Biotechnology is an integrated healthcare holding company with end-to-end solutions for patient centric care from rapid diagnosis through delivery of personalized therapies. Generex is building a new kind of healthcare company that extends beyond traditional models providing support to physicians in an MSO network, and ongoing relationships with patients to improve the patient experience and access to optimal care.

In addition to advancing a legacy portfolio of immune-oncology assets, medical devices, and diagnostics, the Company is focused on an acquisition strategy of strategic businesses that complement existing assets and provide immediate sources of revenue and working capital.

About Olaregen Therapeutix

Olaregen Therapeutix, Inc. is a regenerative medicine company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of products that fill unmet needs in the current wound care market. The company aims to provide advanced healing solutions that substantially improve medical outcomes while lowering the overall cost of care. Olaregen's first product introduction, Excellagen (flowable dermal matrix) is a topically applied product for dermal wounds and other indications. Excellagen is a FDA 510K cleared device for a broad array of dermal wounds, including partial and full thickness wounds, pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, diabetic ulcers, chronic vascular ulcers, tunneled/undermined wounds, surgical wounds (donor sites/ grafts, post-Mohs surgery, post-laser surgery, podiatric, wound dehiscence), trauma wounds (abrasions, lacerations, second-degree burns and skin tears) and draining wounds, enabling Olaregen to market Excellagen in multiple vertical markets. in bone and joint regeneration comprise the current pipeline. The company's mission is to become a significant force in regenerative medicine and advance the science of healing.

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release and oral statements made from time to time by Generex representatives in respect of the same subject matter may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by introductory words such as "expects," "plan," "believes," "will," "achieve," "anticipate," "would," "should," "subject to" or words of similar meaning, and by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements frequently are used in discussing potential product applications, potential collaborations, product development activities, clinical studies, regulatory submissions and approvals, and similar operating matters. Many factors may cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements, including inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of risks and uncertainties, some of which are known and others of which are not. Known risks and uncertainties include those identified from time to time in the reports filed by Generex with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which should be considered together with any forward-looking statement. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results or events, and one should avoid placing undue reliance on such statements. Generex undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Generex claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements that is contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act.

Generex Contact:

Generex Biotechnology Corporation

Joseph Moscato 646-599-6222

Todd Falls 1-800-391-6755 Extension 222 investor@generex.com

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Generex Biotechnology Subsidiary Olaregen Therapeutix Announces the Introduction of Excellagen Aesthetics - Yahoo Finance