Suspended animation, you say? The biggest and freakiest scientific breakthroughs of 2019 – SYFY WIRE
By daniellenierenberg
Sci-fi is obviously bizarre. You see phenomena like parallel universes, holograms, suspended animation, human-animal hybrids, zombification ... wait. Things that could once only exist on a movie screen have now been invented in a lab or spawned on a petri dish. If there is one thing this past year taught us, its that actual science can be weirder than science fiction.
Whether they give you Avengers: Endgame realness or Doctor Who dj vu, or make you wonder what kind of Star Trek type of future were hurtling toward, the most incredible scientific discoveries weve unearthed in 2019 should blow your mind just a little.
While we cant yet just freeze human animation for a journey to Mars, doctors have made an incredible breakthrough. Acute trauma can escalate to cardiac arrest in minutes, but Dr. Samuel Tisherman and his team have figured out how to stop death in its tracks by inducing a near-death state. The process of emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR) is a way of buying surgery time for patients suffering from potentially fatal injuries. Being that close to the brink and actually waking up is nothing short of unreal.
Sure, the holograms in Star Wars look real enough, but actual holograms go beyond special effects and into hardcore physics. The newest holograms on the scene upgrade even that technology because now, anyone who doesnt believe what they see can actually feel them. To achieve this, atiny polystyrene bead is trapped in a pocket of low air pressure, which levitates the bead.Its direction can be changed so fast that your brain will perceive those movements as visible and tangible shapes.
SYFY WIRE was there when Doubletree Hotels launched their famous cookie dough to the ISS along with an oven created especially for microgravity by Nanoracks and Zero-G Kitchen. Whats on the menu for astronauts is pretty limited, and proving that this experiment works could mean that we start seeing space burgers and pizza and just about anything that wouldnt result in a floating mess. If this works, it could mean anyone headed for the Moon or Mars wont solely exist on vacuum-packed dinners.
When a physicist who was an advisor on Avengers: Endgame says that infinite versions of you possiblyexist, there is going to be no way to unsee or unhear that. Sean Carroll believes that the universe can be in endless superpositions just like electrons used in quantum physics experiments. The only catch is that you have to believe those superpositions are real. While all these universes only exist in theory, that theory has yet to be disproved.
Just when we thought a disembodied brain like Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was impossible, scientists managed to grow organoid brains from stem cells. The eerie part is that these brains developed the same kind of spontaneous brain waves observed in premature babies. Nobody is out to create a Krang, but rather use these organoids to study autism and schizophrenia, which is already happening, and eventually Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and other diseases that attack the brain.
Regeneration might not just be for Gallifreyan time lords. Humans have been found to have regenerative ability in their cartilage, so even though we cant grow back entire limbs like an axolotl (yet), this could mean a breakthrough for restoring joint tissues and treating osteoarthritis.
Humanoid animals are no shock in sci-fi just think of the terrifying(and seductive) hybrid inSplice (above). But when Japan gave the go-ahead for experiments that will merge human and animal genes this summer, was it going too far? Human DNA will be spliced into animal embryos that will then be implanted into surrogate animal parents. Before you completely freak out, at least the reasoning behind this was that human DNA in animal organs will make it possible for more people to undergo successful organ transplants.
So maybe dinosaur de-extinction isnt happening, but cells extracted from a 28,000-year-old frozen mammoth specimen known as Yuka still did something unbelievable. The cells couldnt divide (which would have meant full zombification) but were actually able to get through some pre-division phases before they finally gave up. It was surprising the cells couldnt go further on a mummy so intact, so rule out an Ice Age version of Jurassic Park, at least for now.
Is it any surprise that the company whose search engine tookover cyberspace has now birthed the fastest computer processor ever? Googles 54-qubit Sycamore quantum processor can make ridiculously complex computations that would take the next fastest supercomputer on the planet 10,000 years to figure out. Obviously, nobodys got time for that. This artificial brain could also mean everything from lighter car batteries to lower carbon emissions, which were totally here for.
Next to everything hes blasted off into space with SpaceX (if it didn't explode first), the futuretech mogul has been advancing a system that could reverse neurological diseases and even make it possible to hook your brain up to AI someday. He also released a swarm of satellites to beam down space internet, and put out a car inspired by James Bonds Lotus Esprit submarine. Want lasers for windshield wipers? Hes working on that,too.
The thing about Musk is that hes a fearless innovator when it comes to tech that we only thought we could imagine or couldnt even imagine. You also know this is a man whos serious about building the future when he himself believes hell end up living on Mars.
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Suspended animation, you say? The biggest and freakiest scientific breakthroughs of 2019 - SYFY WIRE
ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff was diagnosed with pneumonia and HLH before he died. What is HLH? – Q13 News Seattle
By daniellenierenberg
Edward Aschoff, a college football reporter for ESPN, died Tuesday on his 34th birthday, according to ESPN
When ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff died, he had been diagnosed with multifocal pneumonia and a rare disease known as HLH, his fiance tweeted.
Aschoff was first admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with pneumonia in many parts of his lungs but was brought back to the emergency room when antibiotic treatment failed and he got worse, Katy Berteau said.
"After many tests - bone marrow and lung biopsies - treatment was started for a presumed diagnosis of HLH," she tweeted. "Within 3 days of being moved into the ICU, he passed."
HLH, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, is a rare disease that affects the immune system.
She did not provide any further details about the manner of Aschoff's death, which occurred on his 34th birthday.
Other people, including Aschoff himself, expressed surprise about the seriousness of the illness in a young man in apparently good health.
"Anyone ever had multifocal (bilateral) pneumonia in their early 30s as some who never gets sick and has a very good immune system? Asking for two friends ... my lungs," he tweeted on December 5.
More questions have come up about his second diagnosis, HLH. It is unclear if Aschoff had HLH or pneumonia first, if one came from the other, and exactly how he died so quickly.
Here is what we know about the diseases Aschoff's had:
Pneumonia is when air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid or pus. It can be caused by a virus, bacteria or a fungus, causing a fever and respiratory problems.
It can occur in one or both lungs, and multifocal means the pneumonia occurs in multiple places.
Thousands of people die around the world each year of pneumonia, but most healthy people can fight it off, especially with antibiotics and antiviral medications. The people most at risk are the young, elderly, frail or immune-compromised.
HLH is a rare disease that affects the immune system, making certain white blood cells attack other blood cells and enlarging the spleen and liver, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
It can be inherited or acquired, Johns Hopkins said. About a quarter of cases are passed down through families, and the rest come from infections, a weakened immune system and cancer.
Symptoms can include coughing, difficulty breathing, fever, headaches, rashes, swollen lymph nodes, jaundice and digestive problems, according to Johns Hopkins.
There is treatment for HLH, and acquired forms may clear when properly treated, Johns Hopkins said. If familial HLH goes untreated, it is usually fatal.
Treatments include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, steroids, antibiotic drugs and antiviral drugs. Stem cell transplants can cure HLH in most cases if drug treatments don't work, Johns Hopkins said.
There is no way to prevent HLH, the medical center said.
See more here:
ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff was diagnosed with pneumonia and HLH before he died. What is HLH? - Q13 News Seattle
2019: The year gene therapy came of age – Eyewitness News
By daniellenierenberg
Victoria Gray's recovery from sickle cell disease, which had caused her painful seizures, came in a year of breakthroughs in one of the hottest areas of medical research -- gene therapy.
Picture: Supplied.
WASHINGTON, United States - In the summer, a mother in Nashville with a seemingly incurable genetic disorder finally found an end to her suffering -- by editing her genome.
Victoria Gray's recovery from sickle cell disease, which had caused her painful seizures, came in a year of breakthroughs in one of the hottest areas of medical research -- gene therapy.
"I have hoped for a cure since I was about 11," the 34-year-old told AFP in an email.
"Since I received the new cells, I have been able to enjoy more time with my family without worrying about pain or an out-of-the-blue emergency."
Over several weeks, Gray's blood was drawn so doctors could get to the cause of her illness -- stem cells from her bone marrow that were making deformed red blood cells.
The stem cells were sent to a Scottish laboratory, where their DNA was modified using Crispr/Cas9 -- pronounced "Crisper" -- a new tool informally known as molecular "scissors."
The genetically edited cells were transfused back into Gray's veins and bone marrow. A month later, she was producing normal blood cells.
Medics warn that caution is necessary but, theoretically, she has been cured.
"This is one patient. This is early results. We need to see how it works out in other patients," said her doctor, Haydar Frangoul, at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville.
"But these results are really exciting."
In Germany, a 19-year-old woman was treated with a similar method for a different blood disease, beta-thalassemia. She had previously needed 16 blood transfusions per year.
Nine months later, she is completely free of that burden.
For decades, the DNA of living organisms such as corn and salmon has been modified.
But Crispr, invented in 2012, made gene editing more widely accessible. It is much simpler than preceding technology, cheaper and easy to use in small labs.
The technique has given new impetus to the perennial debate over the wisdom of humanity manipulating life itself.
"It's all developing very quickly," said French geneticist Emmanuelle Charpentier, one of Crispr's inventors and the cofounder of Crispr Therapeutics, the biotech company conducting the clinical trials involving Gray and the German patient.
CURES
Crispr is the latest breakthrough in a year of great strides in gene therapy, a medical adventure started three decades ago when the first TV telethons were raising money for children with muscular dystrophy.
Scientists practising the technique insert a normal gene into cells containing a defective gene.
It does the work the original could not -- such as making normal red blood cells, in Victoria's case, or making tumour-killing super white blood cells for a cancer patient.
Crispr goes even further: instead of adding a gene, the tool edits the genome itself.
After decades of research and clinical trials on a genetic fix to genetic disorders, 2019 saw a historic milestone: approval to bring to market the first gene therapies for a neuromuscular disease in the US and a blood disease in the European Union.
They join several other gene therapies -- bringing the total to eight -- approved in recent years to treat certain cancers and inherited blindness.
Serge Braun, the scientific director of the French Muscular Dystrophy Association, sees 2019 as a turning point that will lead to a medical revolution.
"Twenty-five, 30 years, that's the time it had to take," he told AFP from Paris.
"It took a generation for gene therapy to become a reality. Now, it's only going to go faster."
Just outside Washington, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers are also celebrating a "breakthrough period."
"We have hit an inflection point," said Carrie Wolinetz, NIH's associate director for science policy.
These therapies are exorbitantly expensive, however, costing up to $2 million -- meaning patients face gruelling negotiations with their insurance companies.
They also involve a complex regimen of procedures that are only available in wealthy countries.
Gray spent months in the hospital getting blood drawn, undergoing chemotherapy, having edited stem cells reintroduced via transfusion -- and fighting a general infection.
"You cannot do this in a community hospital close to home," said her doctor.
However, the number of approved gene therapies will increase to about 40 by 2022, according to MIT researchers.
They will mostly target cancers and diseases that affect muscles, the eyes and the nervous system.
**BIOTERRORISM **
Another problem with Crispr is that its relative simplicity has triggered the imaginations of rogue practitioners who don't necessarily share the medical ethics of Western medicine.
Last year in China, scientist He Jiankui triggered an international scandal -- and his ex-communication from the scientific community -- when he used Crispr to create what he called the first gene-edited humans.
The biophysicist said he had altered the DNA of human embryos that became twin girls Lulu and Nana.
His goal was to create a mutation that would prevent the girls from contracting HIV, even though there was no specific reason to put them through the process.
"That technology is not safe," said Kiran Musunuru, a genetics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explaining that the Crispr "scissors" often cut next to the targeted gene, causing unexpected mutations.
"It's very easy to do if you don't care about the consequences," Musunuru added.
Despite the ethical pitfalls, restraint seems mainly to have prevailed so far.
The community is keeping a close eye on Russia, where biologist Denis Rebrikov has said he wants to use Crispr to help deaf parents have children without the disability.
There is also the temptation to genetically edit entire animal species -- malaria-causing mosquitoes in Burkina Faso or mice hosting ticks that carry Lyme disease in the US.
The researchers in charge of those projects are advancing carefully, however, fully aware of the unpredictability of chain reactions on the ecosystem.
Charpentier doesn't believe in the more dystopian scenarios predicted for gene therapy, including American "biohackers" injecting themselves with Crispr technology bought online.
"Not everyone is a biologist or scientist," she said.
And the possibility of military hijacking to create soldier-killing viruses or bacteria that would ravage enemies' crops?
Charpentier thinks that technology generally tends to be used for the better.
"I'm a bacteriologist -- we've been talking about bioterrorism for years," she said. "Nothing has ever happened."
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2019: The year gene therapy came of age - Eyewitness News
New technology being used to heal serious wounds – WWLTV.com
By daniellenierenberg
NEW ORLEANS Nancy Van Den Akker went through a difficult time.
Compressed discs caused pain shooting down her leg. In May, she had surgery to fix that. Then there was another problem.
"Was about ready to start physical therapy when apparently some of the stitches in the side opened up. I had kind of these gaping holes there," said Nancy Van Den Akker.
It's harder for diabetics like Nancy to heal, so even with standard wound medicine the incision stayed open for three months. Then Tulane reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr. Abigail Chaffin asked Nancy to try new technology.
"What we're talking about today is living tissue. These are donated placentas from healthy mothers, undergoing planned C-sections, that give consent to donate tissue that would otherwise be discarded," explained Dr. Abigail Chaffin, a reconstructive plastic surgeon specializing in wound medicine who is the Medical Director of the MedCentris Wound Healing Institute at Tulane.
The tissue comes in many sizes. Dr. Chaffin spreads it out over the wound, then it's bandaged for a week. The tissue bathes the wound in growth factors and stem cells helping regenerate your own tissue, faster.
"These can be used for many different type of wounds, from diabetic ulcers, venous ulcers, non-healing surgical wounds, over any area of the body," said Dr. Chaffin.
This can keep people out of the operating room with anesthesia and from having a painful skin graft that leaves a big scar. It can also help prevent infection and limb amputation. She even used it successfully before surgery on a young patient whose wound did not heal for 10 years.
Nancy healed in four weeks with the treatment.
"It's all healed up. I don't even feel it. Within just a couple of weeks, I was able to start physical therapy," said Nancy Van Den Akker.
Every time someone is finished with the treatment the medical team rings a big bell hanging in the center.
Now that her medical team has declared Nancy healed, she can't wait to take the senior dog she rescued out for walks again.
Here are more before and after pictures:
The MedCentris Wound Healing Institute is doing a study at Tulane on the effectiveness of the new technology.
It's for any child or adult who has an open wound for at least four weeks.It is through your insurance and co-pay.
For more call 504-399-3605 or toll free, 1-855-HEAL-DAT.
Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in theIOS App StoreorGoogle Play.
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New technology being used to heal serious wounds - WWLTV.com
What a time to be alive: Reproductive breakthroughs of the 2010s that changed life as we know it – FOX 11 Los Angeles
By daniellenierenberg
This undated screen grab shows the cell-division of two fertilized human embryos during the first 24 hours of embryonic development following IVF treatment at a private clinic in London. ( Jim Dyson/Getty Images )
LOS ANGELES - Some of the scientific advancements of the 2010s have been truly mind-blowing, and perhaps none more so than the leaps and bounds weve made in the realm of reproduction.
This was not only the decade in which the first three-parent baby was born, it was the era when a rogue scientist chose to make edits to a set of twin girls DNA, making real the long-imagined scenario of genetically altering human beings while simultaneously thrusting the deeply complicated ethical discussions surrounding this practice into the limelight.
These are the five most life-altering breakthroughs in reproduction from the past decade.
In 2018, Chinese biophysics researcher He Jiankui announced that he had used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to modify the genes of two twin girls before birth. He and his team said that their goal was to make the girls immune to infection by HIV through the elimination of a gene called CCR5.
When the news broke, many mainstream scientists criticized the attempt, calling it too unsafe to try. Where some people saw the potential for a new kind of medical treatment capable of eradicating genetic disease, others saw a window into a dystopian future filled with designer babies and framed by a new kind of eugenics.
At the time, Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene-editing expert, said Hes work was unconscionable... an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible.
Other experts believe Hes work could propel the field of gene editing forward.
The twins, known as Lulu and Nana, have continued to make headlines since their birth. The gene modification that He claims to have carried out may have caused some unintended mutations in other parts of the genome, which could have unpredictable consequences for their health long term something many scientists who argue against Hes work cite as a reason to hold off on using gene-editing technology on humans.
Only time will tell what will happen to Lulu and Nana and if the edits to their DNA ultimately help or hurt them, but their story pushed the topic of human gene-editing and the ethics surrounding it to the forefront of the global scientific community.
In 2016, a technique called mitochondrial transfer was used successfully for the first time to create a three-parent baby grown from a fathers sperm, a mothers cell nucleus and a third donors egg that had the nucleus removed.
This technique was developed to prevent the transmission of certain genetic disorders through the mothers mitochondria. The majority of a three-parent babys DNA would come from his parents in the form of nuclear DNA, and only a small portion would come from the donor in the form of mitochondrial DNA.
A team led by physician John Zhang at the New Hope Fertility Center in New York City facilitated the birth of the first three-parent baby in April 2016.
Using human pluripotent stem cells, researchers were able to make the precursors of human sperm or eggs. In other words, they reprogrammed skin and blood stem cells to become an early-state version of what would eventually become either sperm or an egg.
"The creation of primordial germ cells is one of the earliest events during early mammalian development," Dr. Naoko Irie, first author of the paper from the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge told Science Daily. "It's a stage we've managed to recreate using stem cells from mice and rats, but until now few researches have done this systematically using human stem cells. It has highlighted important differences between embryo development in humans and rodents that may mean findings in mice and rats may not be directly extrapolated to humans."
A 2018 study showed that gene editing can allow two same-sex mice to conceive pups, and two female mice were able to successfully create healthy pups that then went on to reproduce themselves.
A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, led by developmental biologist Qi Zhou, were able to use gene editing to produce 29 living mice from two females, seven of which went on to have their own pups. They were able to produce 12 pups from two male parents, but those offspring were not able to live more than two days.Whether or not the method can one day be used in same-sex human reproduction is still up for debate.
For the first time ever, Chinese scientists were able to clone two primates using the technique that produced Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell via nuclear transfer.
The two cloned female macaques were named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, and their successful birth opened up the possibility of using the same cloning method to one day clone humans.
Warm up to that glass of carrot ginger juice: It boosts your immune function – TheHealthSite
By daniellenierenberg
Ginger and carrot are powerhouses of nutrition. They are endowed with essential nutrients like vitamins A and C, beta carotene, folate, so on and so forth. While carrot is a good option for people with type 2 diabetes, ginger has long been used in the traditional Indian medicines like Ayurveda and naturopathy to treat a host of ailments like cough and cold, inflammation, nausea, etc. So, sipping a glass of ginger carrot juice every day is a great idea for more reasons than one. Here, we share with you, the most crucial health benefits of ginger carrot juice.
White blood cells are essential components of your immune system. They are formed out of your bone marrow stem cells with the help of vitamin A. Carrot ginger juice is the storehouse of this nutrient. So, have a glass of this drink every day even if you dont like the taste. Smart tip: Add a few oranges to your glass of carrot orange juice.
Loaded with vitamin C, this detox drink is a natural crusader against cancer. This vitamin reduces your risk of breast and stomach cancers. Additionally, gingerol, a chemical component of ginger, can be useful in taming ovarian cancer cells, suggests a study published in the European Journal of Pharmacology. These components also strengthen your fight against colon cancer cells, finds the same study.
Carrot ginger juice is rich in vitamins C and E. Both play a very significant role in ensuring a healthy skin tone and texture. Vitamin C helps in the synthesis of collagen, a protein that gives your skin its structure, strength and elasticity. It also heals skin wounds. Vitamin E, on the other hand, protects your skin against the harsh UV rays of the sun. Rich in antioxidants, this vitamin also regulates the inflammation levels of your skin.
This is a super easy recipe which doesnt take more than 10 minutes for preparation.
Prep time: 10 minutesServes: 1
8 medium-sized carrots, washed, peeled and tops cut off8 medium-sized oranges, peeled and deveined1 3-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
Simply run all the ingredients in a juicer, pour the juice in a glass and serve.
Published : December 27, 2019 3:33 pm
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Warm up to that glass of carrot ginger juice: It boosts your immune function - TheHealthSite
From gene editing to black holes and the Neanderthals, here’s the biggest advances in science over the past decade – inews
By daniellenierenberg
NewsScienceThis was the decade designer babies went from concept to feasibility
Saturday, 28th December 2019, 7:02 am
Gene editing
This was the decade when designer babies went from science fiction to fact as a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, made the shock announcement in December 2018 that the worlds first genetically modified children had been born. He was working illegally and he was widely condemned for not waiting until regulations had been put into place.
But the move showed just how rapidly the Crispr-Cas9 gene-editing technique likened to a find and replace command wasadvancing.
Embryonic and pluripotent Stem Cellresearch
This potentially revolutionary field of medicine has developed to the point where treatments are just around the corner.
Embryonic, or pluripotent, stem cells have extraordinary medical potential because they can develop into any one of the 220 or so mature, specialised cells of the body from insulin-making pancreatic cells to the nerve cells of the brain. In 2018, scientists restored the vision of two UK patients with age-related macular degeneration by inserting a patch of embryonic stem cells into their eyes. The research team hopes an affordable, off-the-shelf therapy could be available to NHS patients within five years.
Treatments for spinal cord injury, heart failure, diabetes, Parkinsons disease and lung cancer are also in advanced trials.
Higgs Boson
Gravitational waves
Scientific history was made in December 2016 as gravitational ripples in the fabric of spacetime, first predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years earlier, were detected, opening new vistas into the dark side of the universe. Physicists around the world confirmed they had detected unambiguous signals of gravitational waves emanating from the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion light years away.
The observations not only confirmed Einsteins general theory of relativity; they also provided the first direct detection of black holes colliding.
Black holes
Neanderthals
The Neanderthals may have been extinct for thousands of years, but in 2010, geneticists mapped their genome using DNA extracted from ancient bones. This led to a startling discovery: our ancestors interbred with other species after they migrated out of Africa.
So in the UK, most of us have a small percentage of Neanderthal genes in our DNA.
Excerpt from:
From gene editing to black holes and the Neanderthals, here's the biggest advances in science over the past decade - inews
2019: the year gene therapy came of age – Times of India
By daniellenierenberg
WASHINGTON: In the summer, a mother in Nashville with a seemingly incurable genetic disorder finally found an end to her suffering - by editing her genome.Victoria Gray's recovery from sickle cell disease, which had caused her painful seizures, came in a year of breakthroughs in one of the hottest areas of medical research - gene therapy.'; var randomNumber = Math.random(); var isIndia = (window.geoinfo && window.geoinfo.CountryCode === 'IN') && (window.location.href.indexOf('outsideindia') === -1 ); console.log(isIndia && randomNumber "I have hoped for a cure since I was about 11," the 34-year-old told AFP in an email.
"Since I received the new cells, I have been able to enjoy more time with my family without worrying about pain or an out-of-the-blue emergency."
Over several weeks, Gray's blood was drawn so doctors could get to the cause of her illness - stem cells from her bone marrow that were making deformed red blood cells.
The stem cells were sent to a Scottish laboratory, where their DNA was modified using Crispr/Cas9 - pronounced "Crisper" -- a new tool informally known as molecular "scissors."
The genetically edited cells were transfused back into Gray's veins and bone marrow. A month later, she was producing normal blood cells.
Medics warn that caution is necessary but, theoretically, she has been cured.
"This is one patient. This is early results. We need to see how it works out in other patients," said her doctor, Haydar Frangoul, at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville.
"But these results are really exciting."
In Germany, a 19-year-old woman was treated with a similar method for a different blood disease, beta thalassemia. She had previously needed 16 blood transfusions per year.
Nine months later, she is completely free of that burden.
For decades, the DNA of living organisms such as corn and salmon has been modified.
But Crispr, invented in 2012, made gene editing more widely accessible. It is much simpler than preceding technology, cheaper and easy to use in small labs.
The technique has given new impetus to the perennial debate over the wisdom of humanity manipulating life itself.
"It's all developing very quickly," said French geneticist Emmanuelle Charpentier, one of Crispr's inventors and the cofounder of Crispr Therapeutics, the biotech company conducting the clinical trials involving Gray and the German patient.
Crispr is the latest breakthrough in a year of great strides in gene therapy, a medical adventure started three decades ago, when the first TV telethons were raising money for children with muscular dystrophy.
Scientists practising the technique insert a normal gene into cells containing a defective gene.
It does the work the original could not -- such as making normal red blood cells, in Victoria's case, or making tumor-killing super white blood cells for a cancer patient.
Crispr goes even further: instead of adding a gene, the tool edits the genome itself.
After decades of research and clinical trials on a genetic fix to genetic disorders, 2019 saw a historic milestone: approval to bring to market the first gene therapies for a neuromuscular disease in the US and a blood disease in the European Union.
They join several other gene therapies - bringing the total to eight - approved in recent years to treat certain cancers and an inherited blindness.
Serge Braun, the scientific director of the French Muscular Dystrophy Association, sees 2019 as a turning point that will lead to a medical revolution.
"Twenty-five, 30 years, that's the time it had to take," he told AFP from Paris.
"It took a generation for gene therapy to become a reality. Now, it's only going to go faster."
Just outside Washington, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers are also celebrating a "breakthrough period."
"We have hit an inflection point," said Carrie Wolinetz, NIH's associate director for science policy.
These therapies are exorbitantly expensive, however, costing up to $2 million - meaning patients face grueling negotiations with their insurance companies.
They also involve a complex regimen of procedures that are only available in wealthy countries.
Gray spent months in hospital getting blood drawn, undergoing chemotherapy, having edited stem cells reintroduced via transfusion - and fighting a general infection.
"You cannot do this in a community hospital close to home," said her doctor.
However, the number of approved gene therapies will increase to about 40 by 2022, according to MIT researchers.
They will mostly target cancers and diseases that affect muscles, the eyes and the nervous system.
Another problem with Crispr is that its relative simplicity has triggered the imaginations of rogue practitioners who don't necessarily share the medical ethics of Western medicine.
Last year in China, scientist He Jiankui triggered an international scandal - and his excommunication from the scientific community - when he used Crispr to create what he called the first gene-edited humans.
The biophysicist said he had altered the DNA of human embryos that became twin girls Lulu and Nana.
His goal was to create a mutation that would prevent the girls from contracting HIV, even though there was no specific reason to put them through the process.
"That technology is not safe," said Kiran Musunuru, a genetics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explaining that the Crispr "scissors" often cut next to the targeted gene, causing unexpected mutations.
"It's very easy to do if you don't care about the consequences," Musunuru added.
Despite the ethical pitfalls, restraint seems mainly to have prevailed so far.
The community is keeping a close eye on Russia, where biologist Denis Rebrikov has said he wants to use Crispr to help deaf parents have children without the disability.
There is also the temptation to genetically edit entire animal species - malaria-causing mosquitoes in Burkina Faso or mice hosting ticks that carry Lyme disease in the US.
The researchers in charge of those projects are advancing carefully, however, fully aware of the unpredictability of chain reactions on the ecosystem.
Charpentier doesn't believe in the more dystopian scenarios predicted for gene therapy, including American "biohackers" injecting themselves with Crispr technology bought online.
View original post here:
2019: the year gene therapy came of age - Times of India
Freeze Thaw Chambers Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace by 2026 – Market Research Sheets
By daniellenierenberg
Freeze thaw chambers are also called refrigerated humidity chambers. Freeze thaw chamber is used for applications which require temperature cycling down below freezing. Principle of freeze thaw cycle is used in cryopreservation technique. Cryopreservation is the process of preserving living cells and tissues at cryogenic temperature, which lead to suspended metabolic activity of cells in liquid nitrogen. Principle of freeze thaw cycle is nowadays used as treatment method for cancer, as freezing temperature is used in cryosurgery for local tissue destruction.
Report Overview @
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/freeze-thaw-chambers-market.html
Freezing and thawing cause cell death due to ice crystal formation, osmotic shock, and membrane damage. Advanced freeze thaw chambers are available in the market with new features, such as, epoxy coating to avoid corrosion, better condenser and evaporator, capillary tube system, CFC-free polyurethane foam for insulation, broad temperature range from -20 C to 60 C, and long service life designs.
Rise in understanding about the physical and chemical properties of freeze and thaw cycle, advancement in the field of mechanics, and flexibility to stimulate a broad range of conditions are some of the factors driving the growth of the freeze thaw chambers market. However, expensive maintenance and stringent regulatory standards are anticipated to hamper the growth of the market during the forecast period. Customized freeze thaw chambers are the ones which can be modified based on the requirement of the end-user. Introduction of customized freeze thaw instruments is likely to boost the growth of the freeze thaw chambers market during the forecast period.
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On the basis of application area, the global freeze thaw chambers market can be segmented into biopharmaceutical development, molecular biology and biochemistry, medical application, and others. Medical application can be further divided into cryopreserved products and others. Cryopreserved products can be further classified into blood transfusion, bone marrow transplantation, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), stem cell and organ, and others.
The biopharmaceutical development segment is propelling the growth of the freeze thaw chambers market as freezing is one of the processing steps in drug development that ensures the stability and quality of drugs, while freeze thaw chambers provide stability to drug substances. Freeze thaw chambers are also used for ASTM material testing. The cryopreserved products segment is expected to drive the growth of the freeze thaw chambers market during the forecast period due to increase in awareness about the importance and function of stem cell and tissue engineering. Advancement in organ transplantation technology is also another important factor contributing to the growth of stem cell and organ cryopreservation. Freeze thaw chambers are extensively used to transfer cryopreserved products to the end-user for applications, such as, blood transfusion, bone marrow transplantation, artificial insemination, and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
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Based on end-user, the global freeze thaw chambers market can be segmented into biopharmaceutical companies, pathology and research laboratories, hospitals, and stem cell and blood banks. The pathology and research laboratories segment is boosting the growth of the freeze thaw chambers market as these chambers are required for research applications which require very low freezing temperature. Biopharmaceutical companies is another growing segment of the freeze thaw chambers market. Freeze thaw chambers maximize productivity and reduce production cost by providing flexibility to drug substances.
In terms of region, the global freeze thaw chambers market can be categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Lain America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the leading market for freeze thaw chambers in the world due to extensive funding support from the government for research activities in the region. Europe is another leading market for freeze thaw chambers market owing to extensive research in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology in the region. The freeze thaw chambers market in Asia Pacific is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period due to rise in awareness in the region regarding medical applications involving cryopreservation process, such as, umbilical cord, stem cell, and blood sample.
Key players operating in the global freeze thaw chambers market are Darwin Chambers, Newtronic Lifecare Equipments Pvt. Ltd., Caron Products and Services, Inc, BIONICS SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGIES (P) LTD., Santorius, Feutron Klimasimulation GmBH., LR Environmental Equipment Co.Inc., and Dycometal.
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Freeze Thaw Chambers Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace by 2026 - Market Research Sheets
Global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market 2019 Industry Key Players, Trends, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2025…
By daniellenierenberg
Global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market 2019 by key players, regions, type, and application, forecast to 2025. The Report contains a forecast of 2019 and ending 2025 with a host of metrics like supply-demand ratio, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market frequency, dominant players of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market, driving factors, restraints, and challenges. The report also contains market revenue, sales, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) production and manufacturing cost that could help you get a better view of the market. The report focuses on the key global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market competition landscape, market share, SWOT analysis and development plans in future years.
The report provides information on trends and developments and focuses on market capacities, technologies, and the changing structure of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market. The new entrants in the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market are finding it hard to compete with the international dealer based on quality and reliability.
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Major Players included in this report are as follows Regen Biopharma IncChina Cord Blood CorpCBR Systems IncEscape Therapeutics IncCryo-Save AGLonza Group LtdPluristem Therapeutics IncViaCord I
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market can be segmented into Product Types as AllogeneicAutologous
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market can be segmented into Applications as Peripheral Blood Stem Cells Transplant (PBSCT)Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT)Cord Blood Transplant (CBT)
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market: Regional analysis includes:Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia)Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.)North America (United States, Mexico, and Canada.)South America (Brazil etc.)The Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries and Egypt.)
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Influence of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market report: Comprehensive assessment of all opportunities and risk in the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market. The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market recent innovations and major events. A detailed study of business strategies for growth of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market-leading players. Conclusive study about the growth plot of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market for forthcoming years. In-depth understanding of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market-particular drivers, constraints and major micro markets. Favourable impression inside vital technological and market latest trends striking the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market.
Objective of Studies: 1. To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market. 2. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyse the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porte five force analysis etc. 3. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Rest of the World. 4. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. 5. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by application, product type and sub-segments. 6. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. 7. To track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market.
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The huge assortment of tables, graphs, diagrams, and charts obtained in this market research report generates a strong niche for an in-depth analysis of the ongoing trends in the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market. Further, the report revises the market share held by the key players and forecast their development in the upcoming years. The report also looks at the latest developments and advancement among the key players in the market such as mergers, partnerships, and achievements.
In short, the Global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market report offers a one-stop solution to all the key players covering various aspects of the industry like growth statistics, development history, industry share, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) market presence, potential buyers, consumption forecast, data sources, and beneficial conclusion.
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Gene Therapy Market 2019-2027 / Trends, Growth, Opportunities And Top Key – Market Research Sheets
By daniellenierenberg
The report covers the forecast and analysis of the gene therapy market on a global and regional level. The study provides historical data from 2015 to 2018 along with a forecast from 2019 to 2027 based on revenue (USD Million). The study includes drivers and restraints of the gene therapy market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the gene therapy market on a global level.
In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view of the gene therapy market, we have included a competitive landscape and an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the market. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein all the segments are bench marked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.
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The report provides company market share analysis to give a broader overview of the key players in the market. In addition, the report also covers key strategic developments of the market including acquisitions & mergers, new service launches, agreements, partnerships, collaborations & joint ventures, research & development, and regional expansion of major participants involved in the market on a global and regional basis.
The study provides a decisive view of the gene therapy market by segmenting the market based on the type, vector type, therapy area, and regions. All the segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2019 to 2027. The regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.
Gene therapy is utilized for treating neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and spinal muscular atrophy. Gene therapy is one of the key treatment kinds that will propel the market growth over the forecast period. Moreover, gene therapy also finds lucrative applications in precision medicine. In addition to this, a rise in the occurrence of cancer is prompting the demand to treat the disease through gene therapy.
Based on the type, the market can be segregated into Germ Line Gene Therapy and Somatic Gene Therapy. In terms of vector type, the gene therapy industry can be divided into Viral Vectors, Non-Viral Vectors, and Human Artificial Chromosome. On the basis of therapy area, the market for gene therapy can be classified into Cancer, Neurological Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Genetic Disorders, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Others.
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The key players included in this market are Advanced Cell & Gene Therapy, Audentes Therapeutics, Benitec Biopharma, Biogen, Blubird Bio, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, CHIESI Farmaceutici SPA, Eurofins Scientific, Geneta Science, Genzyme Corporation, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Human Stem Cells institute, Novartis AG, Orchard Therapeutics, Pfizer Inc., Sangamo therapeutics, Spark therapeutics, and Voyager Therapeutics.
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Gene Therapy Market 2019-2027 / Trends, Growth, Opportunities And Top Key - Market Research Sheets
3 innovative research projects coming out of the University of Houston – InnovationMap
By daniellenierenberg
University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business has received its second largest donation to benefit its entrepreneurship program.
The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, which was recently ranked the top undergraduate entrepreneurship program in the country, received the $13 million gift from its namesake foundation The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Family Foundation and the state of Texas is expected to match an additional $2 million, bringing the total impact to $15 million.
"Our family is deeply committed to the ideals of entrepreneurship," says Cyvia Wolff in a news release. "Our business personified everything that it means to be an entrepreneur. The skills, the thinking, the mindset are fundamental to success for business leaders today and in the future. On behalf of my late husband, we are truly honored to ensure the entrepreneurial legacy not only endures but remains accessible for students. We are truly honored to be part of this program and university."
The money will be used to create three endowments for the program. The Dave Cook Leadership Endowment, named for the center's director, Dave Cook, will be created and funded with $7 million of the donation to support leadership within the organization. For $4 million, the center will create the Wolff Legacy Endowment, which aims to increase students involved in the center, as well as the companies coming out of the program. The last $2 million will be used to create the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Endowed Chair(s)/Professorship(s) in Entrepreneurship. This initiative will support research and community outreach.
"We are passionate about entrepreneurship and how it can forever change students' lives," says Bauer Dean Paul A. Pavlou in the release. "We seek to further promote entrepreneurship as a university-wide, even citywide effort, by collaborating within and across the university in a multitude of areas, such as technology, health care, arts and sports."
The program was created in the mid '90s and was later renamed after Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff in 2007, and has seen great success over the past decade. In that time, Wolff students have created 1,270 businesses, with identified funding of just over $268 million. According to the release, the program has been ranked in the top two spots of the Princeton Review's top undergraduate entrepreneurship programs for nine of the past 12 years.
"Entrepreneurship is crucial for the future of our country, as well as our city and state," says UH President Renu Khator in the release. "We are proud to be at the forefront of work around entrepreneurial training and research. The uniqueness of our program has and continues to make it the model program. This extraordinary gift ensures our leadership in this space will continue and will support the creation of businesses, change communities and impact our students' lives."
At UH, 2,500 students take at least one entrepreneurship course a year, and more than 700 students complete certificate programs.
"What we are doing is transformative in the lives of students, mentors and stakeholders in a way that elevates everyone towards excellence," Cook, who was named the director of the program in 2017, says in the release. "The impact of this gift allows us to remain the leader and to move forward with confidence, purpose and permanence."
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3 innovative research projects coming out of the University of Houston - InnovationMap
Stem Cell Assay Market Predicted to Accelerate the Growth by 2017-2025 – News Cast Report
By daniellenierenberg
Stem Cell Assay Market: Snapshot
Stem cell assay refers to the procedure of measuring the potency of antineoplastic drugs, on the basis of their capability of retarding the growth of human tumor cells. The assay consists of qualitative or quantitative analysis or testing of affected tissues and tumors, wherein their toxicity, impurity, and other aspects are studied.
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With the growing number of successful stem cell therapy treatment cases, the global market for stem cell assays will gain substantial momentum. A number of research and development projects are lending a hand to the growth of the market. For instance, the University of Washingtons Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) has attempted to manipulate stem cells to heal eye, kidney, and heart injuries. A number of diseases such as Alzheimers, spinal cord injury, Parkinsons, diabetes, stroke, retinal disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and neurological diseases can be successfully treated via stem cell therapy. Therefore, stem cell assays will exhibit growing demand.
Another key development in the stem cell assay market is the development of innovative stem cell therapies. In April 2017, for instance, the first participant in an innovative clinical trial at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health was successfully treated with stem cell therapy. CardiAMP, the investigational therapy, has been designed to direct a large dose of the patients own bone-marrow cells to the point of cardiac injury, stimulating the natural healing response of the body.
Newer areas of application in medicine are being explored constantly. Consequently, stem cell assays are likely to play a key role in the formulation of treatments of a number of diseases.
Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Overview
The increasing investment in research and development of novel therapeutics owing to the rising incidence of chronic diseases has led to immense growth in the global stem cell assay market. In the next couple of years, the market is expected to spawn into a multi-billion dollar industry as healthcare sector and governments around the world increase their research spending.
The report analyzes the prevalent opportunities for the markets growth and those that companies should capitalize in the near future to strengthen their position in the market. It presents insights into the growth drivers and lists down the major restraints. Additionally, the report gauges the effect of Porters five forces on the overall stem cell assay market.
Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Key Market Segments
For the purpose of the study, the report segments the global stem cell assay market based on various parameters. For instance, in terms of assay type, the market can be segmented into isolation and purification, viability, cell identification, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and function. By kit, the market can be bifurcated into human embryonic stem cell kits and adult stem cell kits. Based on instruments, flow cytometer, cell imaging systems, automated cell counter, and micro electrode arrays could be the key market segments.
In terms of application, the market can be segmented into drug discovery and development, clinical research, and regenerative medicine and therapy. The growth witnessed across the aforementioned application segments will be influenced by the increasing incidence of chronic ailments which will translate into the rising demand for regenerative medicines. Finally, based on end users, research institutes and industry research constitute the key market segments.
The report includes a detailed assessment of the various factors influencing the markets expansion across its key segments. The ones holding the most lucrative prospects are analyzed, and the factors restraining its trajectory across key segments are also discussed at length.
Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Regional Analysis
Regionally, the market is expected to witness heightened demand in the developed countries across Europe and North America. The increasing incidence of chronic ailments and the subsequently expanding patient population are the chief drivers of the stem cell assay market in North America. Besides this, the market is also expected to witness lucrative opportunities in Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.
Global Stem Cell Assay Market: Vendor Landscape
A major inclusion in the report is the detailed assessment of the markets vendor landscape. For the purpose of the study the report therefore profiles some of the leading players having influence on the overall market dynamics. It also conducts SWOT analysis to study the strengths and weaknesses of the companies profiled and identify threats and opportunities that these enterprises are forecast to witness over the course of the reports forecast period.
Some of the most prominent enterprises operating in the global stem cell assay market are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.), GE Healthcare (U.K.), Hemogenix Inc. (U.S.), Promega Corporation (U.S.), Bio-Techne Corporation (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), STEMCELL Technologies Inc. (CA), Cell Biolabs, Inc. (U.S.), and Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (U.S.).
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TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.
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Stem Cell Assay Market Predicted to Accelerate the Growth by 2017-2025 - News Cast Report
Face tools to get perfect winter glow – The Statesman
By daniellenierenberg
Incorporating a facial massage tool into your daily beauty routine might just be the fast-track way to get flawless skin and now, you dont need to be a professional to own one. The following beauty tools for hair, skin, and foot are the perfect winter season must-haves for that product lover who wants flawless, uplifted and natural glow in their skin.
Roller
This elegant tool provides gentle yet effective massages for the eye, face, neck and body areas. It is naturally cool to touch, immediately soothing your skin and depuffing areas prone to water retention like the under-eye area. With regular and continued use, your skin will glow and look younger every time. The gentle rolling motion eases tension knots in your facial muscles and anxieties away.
Derma Roller for hair growth
Just like the skin on our face, the scalp also loses collagen as we age, resulting in slow hair growth and dormant hair follicles. Derma Roller brings blood flow and nutrients to the scalp and induces new stem cells that support hair growth. Derma Roller is a safe and promising tool in hair stimulation and also is useful to treat hair loss.
Paraffin Socks for crack heels
A special, intensive and easy-to-use foot treatment mask that features a sock type design that envelopes the whole foot. The innovative rejuvenating formula guarantees deep and intensive regeneration and hydration of dry patches on hands, feet, and heels. It intensively smoothens out and firms the skin, lubricates and gently warms up, as well as improve the condition of the skin.
Face massager
A Face Massager through micro-vibration gives your facial muscles the right amount of stimulation in order to get a firming effect to improve the skin. It can also reduce wrinkles around eyes, lips, forehead, and neck, and instantly reshape the face contour to reveal your youthful look and energy! It can beautify your skin, only using it for 2 3 minutes per day.
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Face tools to get perfect winter glow - The Statesman
The Art of Origami is Now A Key Tool That Helps Doctors Save Lives – Nature World News
By daniellenierenberg
Dec 23, 2019 05:03 AM EST
Origami's new role in the field of science and technology has definitely taken a turn for the better in the recent decade. Better known as origami engineering, the practice is used to reduce structures or maximize space and function.
Origami engineering has made great strides in the medical field in particular. The same principles used in origami, when applied to medical devices, allows implants to be folded to minuscule sizes and then unfolded to its actual size. The reverse is also applicable, where like toothpaste tubes, can be fully de-compressed.
Folding techniques could transform flat objects with wrinkles to increase resilience, shock-absorbance, strength, or rigidity. Origami provides a unique insight into how single pieces could sustainably be packaged without cutting, welding, or riveting, allowing for cheaper manufacturing costs and easier assembly.
The utility of origami engineering has captured the attention of people such as Rebecca Taylor, assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Mechanical Engineering. Taylor specializes in microfabrication and biomechanics, a study that has helped her fabricate microscale sensors to reliably assess cardiomyocytes derived from stem cells. A natural inclination to similar practice, Dr. Taylor has developed an origami-based DNA synthetic cardiac contractile protein, which allowed her to observe merging mechanics in multiprotein, acto-myosinc contractile systems.
As a professor, Taylor expands on the utilization of DNA origami in medicine. This technique (also referred to by Dr. Taylor as "bottom-up manufacturing"), allows improvement in nanomanufacturing and nanomechanics of multiprotein systems, paving the way for heart stents that could unfold in a very precise location.
The problem, however, is on how to deploy these structures in a 100% fault-free way. To illustrate this, a common problem that impedes the creation of pop-up tents that could self-assemble at the press of the button is when the folds of the tent get stuck during the folding process on occasion.
Understandably, this raises some concern among those who are keen to use self-folding nanomachines in medicine.
So this is where origami comes in.
According to University of Chicago scientists, the limits of self-folding structures could be intrinsic in that so-called "sticking points" seem to be unavoidable.
Previously thought possible to engineer around, the researchers observed the capacity of foldable structures by creating mathematical models. During the experiment, the team had designed structures capable of self-folding, such as paper origami and nanobots, and creating creases in them beforehand. The result was that when more pre-creases were added to the folds, the more branches in the next folding process could form and the more likely the self-folding mechanism is to get stuck.
Origami engineering is a relatively new innovation. Its application is vast and can be of use to not only technology but to medicine as well. The development of the field itself, then, needs to pick up at a faster pace in order to cater to the intelligent design of foldable structures and materials. But while there are creases in the field that needs to be smoothed out, the greater promise of origami engineering has brought about several research papers in its wake.
RELATED ARTICLE: Swallowed a Battery? Ingestible Origami Robot Made from Pig Gut Can Remove It,Stop Stomach Bleeding
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The Art of Origami is Now A Key Tool That Helps Doctors Save Lives - Nature World News
The Next Generation of Biologic Pacemakers? New Discovery in Stem Cells from Fat Creates Another Alternative Treatment – DocWire News
By daniellenierenberg
A research team from the University of Houston has found a way to use the stem cells found in fat and guide it to become a pacemaker-like cell, according to a new study.
We are reprogramming the cardiac progenitor cell and guiding it to become a conducting cell of the heart to conduct electrical current, said study co-author Bradley McConnell, associate professor of pharmacology, in a press release
The team, publishing the study in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, worked on converting adipogenic mesenchymal stem cells, which reside within fat cells, into cardia progenitor cells. The ensuing cardiac progenitor cells can be programmed to aid heartbeats as a sinoatrial node (SAN), which is part of the electrical cardiac conduction system.
The researchers used what they called a standard screening strategy to test for reprogramming factors for converting human cardiac progenitor cells into pacemaker-like cells. According to their study results, the authors observed expressions of many pacemaker-specific genes, including CX30.2, KCNN4, HCN4, HCN3, HCN1, and SCN3b. The authors wrote that SHOX2, HCN2, and TBX5 (SHT5) combinations of transcription factors were much better candidate(s) in driving cardiac progenitor cells into pacemaker-like cells than other combinations and single transcription factors.
Results of this study show that the SHT5 combination of transcription factors can reprogram CPCs into Pacemaker-like cells, they wrote in their conclusion. SHT5 may be used as a potential stem cell therapy for sick sinus syndrome (SSS) and for other cardiac conduction diseases.
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The Next Generation of Biologic Pacemakers? New Discovery in Stem Cells from Fat Creates Another Alternative Treatment - DocWire News
Local firm adds a new wrinkle to anti-aging products – Williamson Daily News
By daniellenierenberg
HUNTINGTON Serucell Corporation, a cosmeceutical company based in Huntington, has developed the worlds only dual-cell technology to create and produce anti-aging skincare products, and they did it in Huntington.
Serucell KFS Cellular Protein Complex Serum is made start to finish at Serucells laboratory on the south side of Huntington.
This has been one of the best kept secrets in West Virginia, said Cortland Bohacek, executive chairman and a co-founder of Serucell Corporation.
The company soft launch was in September 2018 at The Greenbrier Spas. The Official online launch was April 2019 and is getting exposure with some well known sellers like Neiman Marcus, local dermatologist and plastic surgeons offices and several other retail locations from New York to California. It is also sold online at serucell.com.
One person that has tried the product is Jennifer Wheeler, who is also a Huntington City Council member.
As a consumer I have an appreciation of the quality of the product and the results Ive seen using it, she said. It has been transformative for my skin and seems like its success will be transformative for our city as well.
She said Serucell and the people behind it are impressive on every level.
In my role on council, Im especially grateful for the companys conscious effort to stay and grow in our city, Wheeler said.
A one-ounce bottle of the serum costs $225. The recommended usage is twice per day and it will last on average of about six weeks.
Serucells active ingredient is called KFS (Keratinocyte Fibroblast Serum), which is made up of more than 1,500 naturally derived super proteins, collagens, peptides and signaling factors that support optimal communication within the cellular makeup of your skin.
This is the first and only dual-cell technology that optimizes hydration and harnesses the power of both keratinocytes and fibroblasts, two essential contributors to maintaining healthy skin by supporting natural rejuvenation of aging skin from the inside out, said Jennifer Hessel, president and CEO of the company.
When applied to the skin, KFS helps boost the skins natural ability to support new collagen and elastin, strengthen the connection and layer of support between the upper and lower layers of your skin. The result, over time is firmer, plumper and smoother skin, according to Hessel.
Why it works so naturally with your skin is because it is natural, Hessel said. These proteins play an important role in strengthening the bond between the layers of your skin, and thats where the re-boot happens.
KFS is the creation of Dr. Walter Neto, Serucells chief science officer and co-founder of the company. Neto is both a physician and a research scientist, specializing in the field of regenerative medicine with an emphasis on skin healing and repair.
Neto said Serucells technology unlocks the key to how our cells communicate and harnesses the signaling power actions to produce the thousands of bioactive proteins necessary to support the skins natural rejuvenation.
Originally from Brazil, Neto studied at Saint Matthews University and completed his clinical training in England. His clinical research on stem-cell cancer therapies, bone and tissue engineering and wound and burn healing led to his discovery in cell-to-cell communication, and ultimately the creation of Serucells KFS Cellular Protein Complex Serum.
Neto received multiple patents for the production method of Serucell KFS Serum.
Neto lives in Huntington with his wife and four golden retrievers.
Neto works alongside his longtime friend, Dr. Brett Jarrell.
I have known Brett since I was 18 years old, Neto said.
Jarrell practices emergency medicine in Ashland, Kentucky, and oversees all aspects of quality control for Serucell. He received his bachelors degree in biology from Wittenberg University, his masters degree in biology from Marshall University and his medical degree from the Marshall University School of Medicine. Jarrell completed his residency at West Virginia University and is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
Jarrell has served as a clinical instructor of emergency medicine at the Marshall School of Medicine, president of the West Virginia chapter of the American College of Emergency Medicine and he has published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles on stroke research.
Jarrell also lives in Huntington.
Another co-founder of the company is Dr. Tom McClellan.
McClellan is Serucells chief medical officer and director of research and is a well-respected plastic and reconstructive surgeon with a private practice, McClellan Plastic Surgery, in Morgantown.
McClellan completed his plastic and reconstructive surgery training at the world-renowned Lahey Clinic Foundation, a Harvard Medical School and Tufts Medical School affiliate in Boston, Massachusetts. While in Boston, he worked at Lahey Medical Center, Brigham and Womens Hospital, as well as at the Boston Childrens Hospital. McClellan is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
In addition to his practice and role at Serucell, McClellan utilizes his surgical skills through pro bono work with InterplastWV, a non-profit group that provides comprehensive reconstructive surgery to the developing world. He has participated in surgical missions to Haiti, Peru and the Bahamas.
McClellan lives in Morgantown with his family.
All three doctors here have strong connections to West Virginia and we didnt want to leave, Neto said. We all want to give back to West Virginia, so that is the main reason we have our business here in Huntington.
We are building a company we believe can make a difference in the community, Hessel added. Our goal is to grow Serucell and build our brand right here in Huntington. There is a pool of untapped talent here in Huntington. When we expand our business here, we can provide another reason for young people to be able to stay and grow their careers, whether it is in science, operations or manufacturing. The team is a pretty excited to make an impact in the community where it all started.
Hessel decline to give sales numbers, but said the business has been growing each year since the product was introduced. She also declined to give the number of employees at the facility, but did say it has sales representatives across the country.
For more information, visit serucell.com.
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Local firm adds a new wrinkle to anti-aging products - Williamson Daily News
Sickle cell patient is pain free after geneediting trial altered her DNA – The Times
By daniellenierenberg
Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition in which red blood cells, which should be circular, adopt a crescent shape and are sticky and rigidALAMY
The first patients to receive gene-editing treatments for inherited blood diseases will enter the new year free of agonising symptoms.
The experiments suggest that altering DNA could treat sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta thalassemia, conditions both caused by faulty genes that hamper the bloods ability to carry oxygen.
The companies behind the trials said that a patient in the US with SCD had been well since July. A thalassemia patient in Germany had been free of symptoms for nine months. Previously she had 16 blood transfusions a year.
British patients could be offered similar experimental therapies next year. The treatment for both conditions involved a high-precision gene-editing tool called Crispr-Cas9. It was used to alter the DNA of some of the cells of Victoria
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Sickle cell patient is pain free after geneediting trial altered her DNA - The Times
How reindeer might help deliver the gift of scar-free healing to humans – The Globe and Mail
By daniellenierenberg
Almost 30 reindeer live on pastureland on the outskirts of Calgary where Jeff Biernaskie is among the researchers trying to determine if their unique healing abilities can be applied to human skin.
Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Kyle Hynes is 27. He likes kayaking, fishing and hiking with his dogs around the Rocky Mountains. He is a project manager at a helicopter company and talks with his hands when he gets excited.
He believes reindeer may hold the secret to making his life even better.
When Mr. Hynes was 5, he survived a house fire that left him with scars over 80 per cent of his body and forced him to endure years of surgeries.
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I do love my scars now, he said. But if I could get rid of my scars, I would be the happiest guy alive.
Mammals scar when serious skin wounds heal. Reindeer, however, are among the few exceptions to the rule, with the velvet on their antlers, specifically, healing flawlessly. Scientists at the University of Calgary believe human skin has the potential to heal with the same reindeer magic.
Almost 30 of the creatures live on pastureland on the outskirts of Calgary. Jeff Biernaskie is among the researchers experimenting on the animals. He is a cell biologist and neurobiologist by training focused on tissue regeneration. His team is trying to figure out how to make human skin respond to injury the way reindeer velvet does. The research has the potential restore both the appearance and function of skin for people such as Mr. Hynes.
Jeff Biernaskie is a cell biologist researching how reindeer velvet heals.
Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Reindeer sport velvet on their antlers for three to four months a year. The oily brown fuzz protects the antlers as they grow back each year. Reindeer both male and female depend on antlers for scrounging up food under the snow and for protection from predators. Males also show off their racks in mating season.
Dr. Biernaskie originally wanted to isolate the cells that might be responsible for antler growth, long thought to be stem cells that reside in two bony structures, called pedicles, on either side of the skull. Using anesthetic, his team removed small pieces of skin in order to access the pedicle and noticed that the wounds healed without scarring. Then they made more purposeful wounds and found the velvet regenerated seamlessly. By way of comparison, the scientists inflicted identical wounds elsewhere on the reindeers bodies and noted that the animals scarred at those sample sites.
When mammals are wounded, skin cells around the injury and the immune system rush to seal the site as quickly as possible to prevent infection. The natural response to injury, Dr. Biernaskie believes, is regenerative, but those signals are overwhelmed by scar-forming ones in the race to close the wound.
This, however, does not apply to embryonic cells, which are strictly regenerative. Fetal humans, Dr. Biernaskie says, heal perfectly. He says the cells that make up reindeer velvet exhibit genetic properties similar to those in embryonic cells. So if his team can activate regenerative genes and suppress those that form scars, humans may be able to regrow damaged tissue without flaws.
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It is almost like a circuit breaker," Dr. Biernaskie said. You have some that need to be turned on and others that need to be turned off.
Drugs, administered topically or intravenously, may be able to flip the switch, and Dr. Biernaskies lab is experimenting on mice.
His team has been working on the reindeer project for about five years and expects to reveal its findings next year. (The animals are known as caribou in North America and reindeer in Europe. The Calgary herd comes from European stock, so Dr. Biernaskie is sticking with reindeer in casual conversation. Also, its Christmas.)
Scars can be psychologically and physically disabling. Scars on joints, for example, limit mobility.
That becomes a massive burden on our economy, on our health-care system, but also on their quality of life, Dr. Biernaskie said.
Five years ago, the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society donated $1-million its largest single charitable contribution to support Dr. Biernaskies work. It put up another $1-million this year after his teams progress exceeded expectations.
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Mr. Hynes recognizes that science moves slowly but remains optimistic that he may benefit from Calgarys reindeer.
I live life to the fullest, but when I see this research come out, I get really excited to know that [there is] a possibility it could work for me, he said. [And] for other children who do get burns, theres something there that might cure them.
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How reindeer might help deliver the gift of scar-free healing to humans - The Globe and Mail
Donor Will gives the gift of life at Christmas – London News Online
By daniellenierenberg
Last Christmas a student received what he says was the best Christmas present ever the chance to save a strangers life with a stem cell donation.
This Christmas, the student found out the patient who received his donation was successful, and that the patient was recovering well.
In December last year, Will Briant, 23, from Kennington, received an email that informed him he had come up as a potential match for a blood cancer patient in desperate need of a stem cell transplant.
Will said: Just a week before Christmas, I got the best Christmas present ever. I was told that I was the best match for the patient, and I would be donating early in the new year.
I was so excited. When you sign up you know that its such a tiny chance that youll be found as the best match for someone, so to actually be chosen felt really exciting.
Also, because it was just before Christmas, it felt quite exciting to know that the patient would find out that they had a match just in time for Christmas.
At the beginning of this year Will donated his stem cells at The London Clinic.
Will said: For four days before the donation I had a course of G-CSF injections to increase the number of stem cells I was producing.
This caused mild flu-like symptoms. I just felt a bit tired and achy really.
The whole way through I kept thinking about the recipient and how in this context I was absolutely delighted to have mild flu-like symptoms.
It was quite strange to be doing it for real, after talking to so many potential donors when I volunteered with Marrow at university.
Will initially joined the Anthony Nolan stem cell register in 2014.
His girlfriend, who volunteered with Edinburgh Universitys Blood, Bone Marrow and Transplant Society, which is part of blood cancer charity Anthony Nolans student volunteer network, called Marrow, suggested that he sign up.
Will said: My girlfriend, Libby, told me this amazing statistic that a quarter of all stem cell donors sign up through Marrow at university, so I couldnt not join.
If it wasnt for Marrow and for Libby, I wouldnt have become a donor and given someone hope of a second chance of life just before Christmas.
Following his donation Will then went back to his studies and his job, barely giving a second thought to what hed just done.
Will recently received a letter from the hospital to say that the donation had been successful and the donor recipient was recovering well.
Will said: It was honestly the best letter Ive ever received. It was especially powerful because it really hit home that not only had I given him a second chance of life, but also I had given his wife, his children, his grandchildren and his friends more precious time with him.
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Donor Will gives the gift of life at Christmas - London News Online