Daily Archives: February 7, 2017

Gene therapy allows deaf mice to hear: study – Yahoo News

Posted: February 7, 2017 at 7:44 am

Gene therapy delivered by a benign virus enabled deaf lab mice to hear for the first time, researchers said Monday, offering hope for people with genetic hearing impairments.

The breakthrough could pave the way for gene-based treatments, they reported in two studies, published in Nature Biotechnology.

"With more than 100 genes already known to cause deafness in humans, there are many patients who may eventually benefit from this technology," said Konstantina Stankovic, a professor at Harvard Medical School.

Genetic hearing disorders affect some 125 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

An expert not involved in the research welcomed the findings as "very encouraging", but cautioned the technique has yet to be proven safe, and that human trials are likely years away.

In the first study, Stankovic and colleagues used a harmless virus to transport -- deep into the mouse ear -- a gene that can fix a specific form of hereditary deafness.

Previous attempts had failed, but this time the viral package was delivered to the right address: the so-called outer hair cells that "tune" the inner ear to sound waves.

"Outer hair cells amplify sound, allowing inner hair cells to send a stronger signal to the brain," explained Gwenaelle Geleoc, a researcher at the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center at Boston Children's Hospital.

The technique bestowed hearing and balance "to a level that's never been achieved before," she said in a statement.

"Now you can whisper, and the mice can hear you."

In the second study, a team led by Geleoc used the same viral courier to treat mice with a mutated gene responsible for Usher syndrome, a rare childhood genetic disease that causes deafness, loss of balance, and in some cases blindness.

The virus carried a normal version of the same gene to damaged ear hair cells soon after the mice were born.

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The results far exceeded anything to date: 19 of 25 treated mice heard sounds quieter than 80 decibels. Normal human conversation is about 70 decibels.

A few of the mice could hear sounds as soft as 25 to 30 decibels -- roughly equivalent to whispering.

According to Margaret Kenna, a specialist in genetic hearing loss at Boston Children's Hospital not involved in the studies, "cochlear implants are great, but your own hearing is better."

Electronic implants work by bypassing damaged hair cells in the ear to send sound signals directly to the brain.

"Anything that could stabilise or improve native hearing at an early age would give a huge boost to a child's ability to learn and use spoken language," she said.

The need for early intervention, however, could be a problem in itself, other experts pointed out.

In humans, such an intervention would ideally have to happen before a child is born, said Jonathan Ashmore, a professor at University College London's Ear Institute.

Alan Boyd, president of Britain's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine hailed "a very encouraging result".

"But it is only a mouse model," he cautioned, noting that it is still unknown how the human immune system might react.

Any gene deafness treatment is "at least three years away, if not more," Boyd conjectured.

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Severe newborn jaundice could be preventable, mouse study shows – Science Daily

Posted: at 7:44 am

Severe newborn jaundice could be preventable, mouse study shows
Science Daily
To better understand UGT1A1's role in human newborns, Tukey's collaborator and senior author Shujuan Chen, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, replaced the native UGT1A1 gene in mice with the human ...

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A US First: Gene Edited Off-the-Shelf CAR T-Cell Product Candidate – Pharmaceutical Processing

Posted: at 7:44 am

FDA grants Cellectis IND approval to proceed with the clinical development of UCART123, the first gene edited off-the-shelf CAR T-Cell product candidate developed in the U.S.

Cellectis, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing immunotherapies based on gene edited CAR T-cells (UCART), has received an Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct Phase 1 clinical trials with UCART123, the companys most advanced, wholly owned Talengene-edited product candidate, in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN).

This marks the first allogeneic, off-the-shelf gene-edited CAR T-cell product candidate that the FDA has approved for clinical trials. Cellectis intends to initiate Phase 1 trials in the first half of 2017.

UCART123 is a gene-edited T-cell investigational drug that targets CD123, an antigen expressed at the surface of leukemic cells in AML, tumoral cells in BPDCN. The clinical research for AML will be led, at Weill Cornell, by principal investigator Dr. Gail J. Roboz, Director of the Clinical and Translational Leukemia Programs and Professor of Medicine. The UCART123 clinical program for BPDCN will be led, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, by Dr. Naveen Pemmaraju, M.D., assistant professor, and Professor Hagop Kantarjian, M.D., department chair, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine.

AML is a devastating clonal hematopoietic stem cell neoplasm that is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and accumulation of leukemic blasts in bone marrow, peripheral blood and, occasionally, in other tissues. These cells disrupt normal hematopoiesis and rapidly cause bone marrow failure and death. In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 19,950 new AML cases per year, with 10,430 estimated deaths per year.

BPDCN is a very rare and aggressive hematological malignancy that is derived from plasmacytoid dendritic cell precursors. BPDCN is a disease of bone marrow and blood cells but also often affects skin and lymph nodes.

The FDAs approval of Cellectis UCART123 the first off-the-shelf CAR T-cell product candidate to enter clinical trials in the U.S. is a major milestone not only for the company but also for the medical community, global biotech and pharmaceutical industries at large, said Dr. Loan Hoang-Sayag, Cellectis chief medical officer. Cellectis allogeneic UCART products have the potential to create an important shift with regard to availability, and cost-effectiveness, to make these therapies widely accessible to patient population across the world.

After the National Institutes of Health's Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC)s unanimous approval of two Phase 1 study protocols for Cellectis UCART123 in December 2016, the FDAs approval of Cellectis IND is a new major regulatory milestone achieved, for having UCART123 proceed into clinical development and reaching cancer patients in need, added Stephan Reynier, chief regulatory and compliance officer, Cellectis.

Information about ongoing clinical trials are publically available on dedicated websites such as: http://www.clinicaltrials.govin the U.S. http://www.clinicaltrialsregister.euin Europe.

(Source: Business Wire)

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Lawrence Modisett: Need for political correctness still holds true – The Providence Journal

Posted: at 7:44 am

I am writing in response to Thomas Dentons Feb. 2 letter, Politically incorrect crowd doesnt grasp the new rules. Mr. Denton suggests that outside of the Northeast and California, political correctness has taken on a new meaning. He concludes by asking, in a rather mocking tone, How do you like being politically correct now?

Here is my answer. The phrase politically correct may invite ridicule, but the intent behind it should never be a subject for mockery, particularly in our country. Simply stated, the intent is to encourage respect for the feelings of others. It means trying to avoid words and actions that imply that someone who is different in some way is therefore less valued as a human being. Put another way, it means following what Christians refer to as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. This principle has its counterpart in every major religion.

Contrary to what Mr. Denton implies, I believe the majority of Americans still value this rule, including the majority of those who voted for Mr. Trump.

In todays turbulent political environment, it is more critical than ever to hold true to this sacred principle and defend it whenever it comes under attack.

Lawrence Modisett

Portsmouth

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Comparing Trump to Stalin, Australia’s Chief Scientist Warns Against Censorship – Common Dreams

Posted: at 7:43 am


Common Dreams
Comparing Trump to Stalin, Australia's Chief Scientist Warns Against Censorship
Common Dreams
American scientists are facing censorship on par with that imposed in the USSR under Josef Stalin, Australia's chief scientist Alan Finkel said during a scientific roundtable in Canberra, Australia, on Monday. "Science is literally under attack ...
Australia's chief scientist: Trump's EPA changes akin to Stalin's censorship of scienceTheBlaze.com
Australia's Top Scientist Blasts Donald Trump Over Stalin-Like CensorshipHuffington Post
Australia's chief scientist tears Trump's EPA mandate: 'It's reminiscent of the censorship exerted by political ...The Week Magazine
The Guardian -The Australian -The Sydney Morning Herald
all 15 news articles »

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Documents About Financial Censorship Under Operation Choke Point Show Concern from Congress, Provide Few … – EFF

Posted: at 7:43 am

EFF recently received dozens of pages of documents in response to a FOIA request we submitted about Operation Choke Point, a Department of Justice project to pressure banks and financial institutions into cutting off service to certain businesses. Unfortunately, the response from the Department of Justice leaves many questions unanswered.

EFF has been tracking instances of financial censorship for years to identify how online speech is indirectly silenced or intimidated by shuttering bank accounts, donation platforms, and other financial institutions. The Wall Street Journal wrote about the Justice Departments controversial and secretive campaign against financial institutions in 2013, and one Justice Department official quoted in the article stated:

"We are changing the structures within the financial system that allow all kinds of fraudulent merchants to operate," with the intent of "choking them off from the very air they need to survive."

While Operation Choke Point was purportedly aimed at shutting down fraudulent online payday loan companies, we became concerned that this campaign could also affect legal online businesses.

EFF filed FOIA requests with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Trade Commission. The documents EFF received from the DOJ are primarily correspondence between members of Congress and the Department of Justice. In that correspondence, Congress members raised concerns about Operation Choke Point, asked questions about how it operates, and stated that this is an issue that constituents are sending letters about.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Rep. Kenny Marchant (D-TX), for example, emailed the Department of Justice with specific questions about how the Department defines a high risk financial business.

In the correspondence we received, the DOJ overwhelmingly replied with form letters that didnt describe the criteria the Department used to decide whether a company was considered high risk, how many companies were currently labeled high risk, whether a company would ever know if it was considered high risk, or any appeal process for companies to have themselves removed from that category.

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) wrote a letter to then Attorney General Eric Holder describing how two community banks in Wisconsin were bullied by regional agents of the FDIC, who told them to stop working with prominent online lenders:

These banks were informed that if they chose to ignore the FDIC's request, they would face "the highest levels of scrutiny they could imagine," and were given no explanation, details of complaints, or any evidence as to why these demands were being made.'

Duffy called these threats "outrageous" and "intimidation tactics."

Other members of Congress wrote to the Department of Justice about how Operation Choke Point was hampering opportunities for law-abiding Native American tribes and the Hispanic community.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who cosponsored the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and advocates for additional financial regulation, expressed deep concern about the Department of Justice stepping beyond the bounds of the law with Operation Choke Point. In his letter to Holder, he stated:

As much as I would like to see stronger regulation of consumer lenders, I've sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Accordingly, I must oppose efforts to "legislate by prosecution" and legislate by "criminal investigation," even if I agree partly or completely with the ultimate substantive aim.

He also said, "[y]our department should conduct criminal investigations for the purpose of enforcing laws we havenot laws you (and I) might wish we had."

Unfortunately, the responses from the Department of Justice left more questions than answers. Vital details about Operation Choke Pointincluding what industries beyond online loans may be impacted, the exact criteria for labeling a business high risk, and the tactics used to pressure banks into participationare still unknown.

Many people believe that Americas financial institutions may need additional regulation, and some may believe that online lenders should face additional scrutiny. However, an intimidation squadron secretly pressuring banks to cut off businesses without due process is not the right way forward. As weve seen with digital booksellers, whistleblower websites, online publishers, and online personal ads, payment providers often cave to pressurewhether formal or informalto shut down or restrict accounts of those engaged in First Amendment-protected activity. In order to foster a future where digital expression can flourish, we need to ensure that necessary service providers like banks and payment processors dont turn into the weak link used to cut off unpopular speech.

But that requires transparency. We need more information about how the government is pressuring financial institutions. Unfortunately, the Department of Justices nonresponses to Congress dont get us any closer to understanding this complicated issue.

Check out the most recent documents EFF got in response to its FOIA request on Operation Choke Point. See documents EFF received earlier on this program.

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Sharon DuBois: Libertarians offer a choice of freedom – Kansas City Star

Posted: at 7:42 am


Kansas City Star
Sharon DuBois: Libertarians offer a choice of freedom
Kansas City Star
Frederic Bastiat, whose political and economic ideas strongly influenced libertarianism, once wrote, Every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all. Indeed, modern-day ...

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New report examines the genomics market – WhaTech

Posted: at 7:41 am

Genomics is the scientific field which primarily deals with the evolution, mapping and structure of a genome. Genome analysis is undertaken with the purpose of assigning numerical values to genes which orchestrate the production of various proteins.

Over the past few decades, genomics companies have tried map out the mutation of a cells DNA in an effort to understand how diseases like cancer arise. Recent advances in bioinformatics have led to revolutionary research advances to understand critical biological organs like the brain.

Another important factor driving DNA sequencing as well as other human genetics projects is the quest for immortality. Medical professionals are confident that as technology and their understanding advances, they can not only prolong the life of a human being, but also gain success in the pursuit for immorality.

Scope & Regional Forecast of the Genomics Market

The Genomics Market considers the primary growth drivers to be a few factors like: an increasingly competitive pharmaceutical industry; human genetics being widely utilized during the development of new medicine categories; rising demand for genome analysis as governments look to modify plants and animals for enhanced yields and superior adaptability respectively; and a decline in the prices of equipment produced by genomics companies.

The Genomics Market expects Asia-Pacific to drive market expansion during the next few years as growing economies like China and India increasingly depend on genome sequencing for improving crop yields as well as to solve healthcare problems. India is home to a vibrant pharmaceutical industry which is constantly on the lookout for medical innovations which bring down the cost of drugs, treatments or procedures.

The Genomics Market revenue is all set to exceed the $7 Billion mark by 2022 at a CAGR of 7.5%.

Report: industryarc.com/pdfdownload.php?id=1275

Segmentations & Key Players Involved in the Genomics Market

The Genomics Market can be broken down into various segmentations on the basis of -

Product Type: Products (DNA Microarrays, Electrophoresis, X-Ray Crystallography, Polymerase Chain Reaction (Pcr), DNA Sequencers, Chromatography) and Reagents Used.

Service Industry: Bio-Informatics Database, Bio-Informatics Tools and Laboratory Services.

End User Application: Anthropology, Agriculture, Cytogenetics, Diagnostics, Drug Discovery, Toxicogenomics and Others.

Geographical Location: Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World.

Some of the key players involved in the Genomics Market are as follows:

Why access this report?

* The overall market has been consolidated from the perspective of different geographic locations and key economies for this market.

* Identifies growth sectors and factors driving or constraining the market.

* The market is analyzed based on the key attributes such as the power in the hands of producers and consumers, analysis on the degree of competition, and threats from substitutes and new entrants.

* The study includes the demand of this particular market on a global and regional scale for a six year period of 2016 - 2022, to assess how the market will develop.

Report: industryarc.com/1275

...

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Can Hot Peppers Make You Live Longer? This Study Says Yes! – Reader’s Digest

Posted: at 7:41 am

istock/ktsimageHot peppers are the unofficial superfood we all need. They help you lose weight, jumpstart metabolism, and stimulate endorphins as a proven aphrodisiac. And based on a new study, they harness one more superpower: immortality.

Okay, its not that drastic, but hot peppers may be able to increase your lifespan. Researchers from the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont found that the consumption of hot red chili peppers (not to be confused with the Red Hot Chili Peppers) is associated with a 13 percent lower risk of death, especially concerning deaths caused by heart disease or stroke.

These findings are based on 23 years worth of data collected from more than 16,000 Americans. Those who ate any amount of hot red chili peppers, excluding ground chili peppers, were considered chili pepper consumers. After 23 years, the death rate of pepper-eaters (21.6 percent) was lower than the death rate of participants who did not eat the peppers at all (33.6 percent).

The authors behind this study arent sure why chili peppers could delay death, but it could have something do to with capsaicin (the primary component of chili peppers) and its receptors in the body called TRP channels. Capsaicin improves digestion, has antioxidant properties that fight infections, and may fight cardiovascular disease. Certain types of TRP channels may protect against obesity.

So the next time youre debating what kind of salsa to buy, opt for the hottest flavor. It could give you some extra time on this lovely planet of ours.

MORE: 6 Spicy Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

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Genomics Market Expects Asia-Pacific to Drive CAGR of 7.5% Till at … – Digital Journal

Posted: at 7:41 am

Genomics Market Revenue, Spurred by Research Advances & Superior Crop Yields, is Expected to Exceed the $7 Billion Mark by 2022.

Genomics is the scientific field which primarily deals with the evolution, mapping and structure of a genome. Genome analysis is undertaken with the purpose of assigning numerical values to genes which orchestrate the production of various proteins. Over the past few decades, genomics companies have tried map out the mutation of a cells DNA in an effort to understand how diseases like cancer arise. Recent advances in bioinformatics have led to revolutionary research advances to understand critical biological organs like the brain. Another important factor driving DNA sequencing as well as other human genetics projects is the quest for immortality. Medical professionals are confident that as technology and their understanding advances, they can not only prolong the life of a human being, but also gain success in the pursuit for immorality. Hence, the Genomics Market is well placed to register significant growth during the forecast period of 2016-2022.

Scope & Regional Forecast of the Genomics Market

The Genomics Market considers the primary growth drivers to be a few factors like: an increasingly competitive pharmaceutical industry; human genetics being widely utilized during the development of new medicine categories; rising demand for genome analysis as governments look to modify plants and animals for enhanced yields and superior adaptability respectively; and a decline in the prices of equipment produced by genomics companies.

The Genomics Market expects Asia-Pacific to drive market expansion during the next few years as growing economies like China and India increasingly depend on genome sequencing for improving crop yields as well as to solve healthcare problems. India is home to a vibrant pharmaceutical industry which is constantly on the lookout for medical innovations which bring down the cost of drugs, treatments or procedures. The Genomics Market revenue is all set to exceed the $7 Billion mark by 2022 at a CAGR of 7.5%.

Avail Sample @http://industryarc.com/pdfdownload.php?id=1275

Segmentations & Key Players Involved in the Genomics Market

The Genomics Market can be broken down into various segmentations on the basis of -

Product Type: Products (DNA Microarrays, Electrophoresis, X-Ray Crystallography, Polymerase Chain Reaction (Pcr), DNA Sequencers, Chromatography) and Reagents Used.

Service Industry: Bio-Informatics Database, Bio-Informatics Tools and Laboratory Services.

End User Application: Anthropology, Agriculture, Cytogenetics, Diagnostics, Drug Discovery, Toxicogenomics and Others.

Geographical Location: Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World.

Some of the key players involved in the Genomics Market are as follows:

Why buy this report?

* The overall market has been consolidated from the perspective of different geographic locations and key economies for this market.

* Identifies growth sectors and factors driving or constraining the market.

* The market is analyzed based on the key attributes such as the power in the hands of producers and consumers, analysis on the degree of competition, and threats from substitutes and new entrants.

* The study includes the demand of this particular market on a global and regional scale for a six year period of 2016 - 2022, to assess how the market will develop.

Make an Inquiry @http://industryarc.com/inquiry-before-buying.php?id=1275

Media Contact Company Name: IndustryARC Contact Person: Mr. Sanjay Matthews Email: sales@industryarc.com Phone: 1-614-588-8538 (Ext: 101) Country: United States Website: http://www.industryarc.com

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