Heres latest informative report on the worldwide Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market 2019-2025 which has been added to our humongous database. The Canine Stem Cell Therapy market research report will help you to shape the future of your businesses by developing well-informed business-oriented decisions. Furthermore, the report on Canine Stem Cell Therapy market provides a comprehensive analysis of several industrial aspects such as size, recent technological techniques, new innovations, market shares, and global Canine Stem Cell Therapy market trends.

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This study highlights numerous top key players in order to get better insights into universal businesses. It also provides a brief description of the top-level companies which are operating in the different regions of the world. The study report on Canine Stem Cell Therapy market includes significant data regarding the enterprise overview, contact details, and other crucial strategies followed by the competitive Canine Stem Cell Therapy market vendors. The global Canine Stem Cell Therapy market report is the systematic and accurate documentation of several business perspectives including major geographies, opportunities, restraints, challenges, and drivers. The Canine Stem Cell Therapy market report has been aggregated as per the several market segments as well as sub-segments associated with the worldwide industry.

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Region-wise analysis of the Canine Stem Cell Therapy market as follows:

Geographically, the worldwide Canine Stem Cell Therapy market has been studied in several regions such as Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, India, the Middle East, and Africa. Reportedly, the global Canine Stem Cell Therapy region is dominating this industry in the forthcoming year.

Major Canine Stem Cell Therapy market players included in this market are:

VETSTEM BIOPHARMACell Therapy SciencesRegeneusAratana TherapeuticsMedivet BiologicsOkyanosVetbiologicsVetMatrixMagellan Stem CellsANIMAL CELL THERAPIESStemcellvet

Global Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market segmentation: By Product Type Analysis

Allogeneic Stem CellsAutologous Stem cells

Global Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market segmentation: By Application

Veterinary HospitalsVeterinary ClinicsVeterinary Research Institutes

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The study figures out how certain account threats and challenges can act as a problematic factor for the business. The evaluation of the Canine Stem Cell Therapy market covers various aspects related to the social, economical, technological and political environment that adds flexibility to the overall research. In addition to this, the Canine Stem Cell Therapy market study generates real-time statistics on vital components such as gross margin, growth prospects, sales and profits to displays substantial business growth in upcoming years.

Apart from exploring the company profiles of key market leaders, the research study on Canine Stem Cell Therapy market collects and meanwhile, analyzes raw information on the import/export status, supply chain management, regulatory framework, and cost structure that is anticipated to articulate the trajectory of the Canine Stem Cell Therapy industry landscape. In this research, the analysts have used the market-leading assessment tools to explain the growing level of competition, product launches, new participants, recent acquisition and mergers.

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Global Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market 2019-2025 Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis by VETSTEM BIOPHARMA, Cell Therapy Sciences, Regeneus,...

Many of us look for ways to give back during the holidays as a chance to demonstrate gratitude for what we have by helping others who might not be so fortunate. Northwest Arkansas is chock full of wonderful nonprofit organizations that can always use a helping hand, but if you're looking for a way to kick your giving up a notch, consider these three organizations for a chance to -- literally -- give a piece of yourself to save someone else's life.

Community Blood Center of the Ozarks

3503 S. Thompson, Springdale, (479) 927-1200

1400 SE Walton Blvd., Bentonville, (479) 464-2506

"There are 12 hospitals in Northwest Arkansas that use blood that comes from our center and nowhere else," says Community Blood Center of the Ozarks Marketing Manager Chris Pilgrim. "And over 40 hospitals from southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas, combined."

Donating blood is one of the easiest ways to save someone's life, says Pilgrim, but only a small percentage of the population actively participates. Out of the 37% of Americans who are eligible, only 10% actually give.

"You would think that a fear of needles would be the No. 1 reason people don't give blood -- and while that's pretty significant, it's not the biggest reason," he says. "The biggest is just that people have never been asked. It's kind of something that goes on in the background. It takes a conscious decision for 200 people a day to donate blood and keep things going here."

If aversion to needles is your issue, fear not, says Pilgrim.

"If you're scared of needles, it doesn't hurt very much -- it's a slight sting, and the needle is in your arm for maybe 10 minutes," he says. "When you're finished with your donation, you walk out. It's that easy. It doesn't take much time or any money, but it has a real impact on someone's life. That's the biggest gift you can give, when you save lives."

And each donation, says Pilgrim, saves multiple lives.

"We used to say that one donation could save three lives, because we divided it up into red blood cells, platelets and plasma, but your blood donation could get divided up and go with lots of people -- the more you give, the more you multiply."

While all blood donations are valued in order to keep the area hospitals fully stocked, Pilgrim says that some blood types are a lot more in demand than others.

"There are a couple of specific blood products that we look for," says Pilgrim. "First of all, when you're talking about red blood cells, O Negative is a universal type. Even though only 6% of the population is Type O Negative, it's used more than its fair share in trauma cases when you can't readily type a victim. The other universal is AB plasma -- it can be given to anybody."

You can give blood at any of the center's locations -- there are also two Missouri locations -- and it's suggested that you first make an appointment online to expedite your visit. Pilgrim says the bulk of the donations, however, are collected at blood drives.

"The vast majority of the blood we collect comes from places where we take our show on the road -- churches, schools, businesses," he explains. "If you have a business that wants to hold a blood drive, please give us a call. We can take you through the steps and help make it as painless and rewarding as possible."

Project Zero

theprojectzero.org

Tiphanie Gurwell, Northwest Arkansas outreach coordinator for the nonprofit organization Project Zero, says there are hundreds of children in Arkansas who are waiting to be adopted -- and it's her organization's goal to find each and every one of those children a home. Project Zero, according to its mission statement, will "diligently and enthusiastically promote adoption through the foster care system with the ultimate goal of finding a forever family for every child that is waiting."

Project Zero works specifically with a group of children who might be harder to place, says Gurwell.

"A lot of these kids are part of a sibling group, or they have special needs, or they're teenagers," she says. "So they're what we would consider the harder-to-place kids. When most people go into adoption, they want younger kids; that number doesn't take into consideration the kids that are having their parental rights terminated but are getting adopted quickly. We generally don't advocate for a child under the age of 5 unless they're in a sibling group or have a special need."

Gurwell says one of the ways the organization seeks to connect potential adoptive parents with children are its private events where children and adults mix and mingle and get to know each other, like the one coming up in Little Rock.

"Seventy-nine percent of the kids [in state care] will attend this event," says Gurwell. "They'll come and get Christmas presents and play fun games, all while interacting with families who are looking to adopt. They may connect in a way they don't just by looking at a photo on the internet. It's kind of a game changer, because you get that one opportunity, and it's no longer just a picture or a number -- you get to meet with and talk to the child."

Even one visit to the organization's website is enough to personalize its mission: It maintains a "Heart Gallery," a collection of pictures, biographies and, sometimes, videos of the children for whom they're advocating. The photos show smiling, hopeful faces, and the biographies are heartbreakingly forthright about the trauma the child might have endured and the special needs that resulted. But they also give insight into each child's particular personality and their hopes and dreams for their futures.

"I really didn't have a family in my past, and I would like to start over and build a new life in a new family that loves me, and I love them, and that cares about me and loves me and understands what I've been going through," says Andreka, a teenager, in a short video. Though the teenagers in the Heart Gallery may be aging out of the system soon, their need for a permanent placement is still great, says Gurwell.

"Typically, the kids that age out of foster care don't end up doing the best," explains Gurwell. "If you grew up your whole life, and no one ever taught you how to budget, how to pay a bill, how to apply for a loan, how to apply for college -- what ends up happening is that, at the age of 18 or 21, they age out with very little knowledge. [The Division of Children and Family Services] does the best they can do, given their resources, but when you get out in the real world, and you're working a minimum wage job, you're trying to go to college and there's no one to ask for help? The statistics show they're likely to end up in the same situation that they were removed from. A lot of them will end up in jail or homeless.

"I think it's important for people to get these kind of negative stereotypes out of their head -- like, they're going to come into my house angry, or they don't want to be adopted. There are a million different excuses people have when talking about teens, but I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of our teens, and they do want to be adopted. They want to be loved. Even if it's a short period -- let's say you adopt at 16 or 17 years old. Those two years can be a game changer. They've got someone to come home to. It may be a minimum time in your home, but it's a lifetime commitment to that child."

Gurwell says there's no one profile of a family that would make good adoptive parents.

"Every child has a different story," she says. "Some kids need a single mother because of their trauma. Some kids need a two-parent family or need to be the only child or youngest child in the home. Each case is so unique. I would say the only thing we wish for in our families is, obviously, that they be able to support the child financially without government assistance. From our organization's perspective, we want families who are open-minded, we want families who aren't going to come in and say, 'I want a kid 5 and under.' We want families who say, 'We are called to do this, but we don't know what it looks like, so let's just roll with it and see what happens.' I think sometimes when we put barriers up of what we don't want, it limits the connections you might make with someone you might not even think about looking at -- but then you meet a child, and it's a game changer."

For those interested in exploring the possibilities of adoption, the Project Zero website is a great place to start and can explain what the next steps in the process would be.

Be the Match

Bethematch.org

(800) MARROW-2

When Bill Brashear got the news that his son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, it was a shock: His son was a healthy young man in the prime of his life who had never experienced previous health issues.

"It was gut wrenching," he says. "It was horrible. But the wonderful thing that came out of it was [our knowledge of] Be the Match."

Early on in his treatment, Brashear's son needed a blood stem cell transplant; fortunately, a match was found within his family. But when he needed another one later on, the family turned to the international donor database Be the Match.

"They did a search for [my son's] DNA makeup and didn't find a match in anyone in the United States but found a young man in Germany," says Brashear. "They harvested this person's blood cells in Germany, a courier was there, got the blood cells that he had donated, flew back to the United States, and the next day, they were infused in [my son]."

Clifford Ackerman now works with the organization as a patient and lead liaison, but his first introduction to Be the Match was as a patient when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"I had two sisters and a fraternal twin, and nobody matched me," he says. "I found a match through Be the Match, and now I have a blood brother who saved my life by joining the registry eight years before to help someone in his community. We just celebrated Thanksgiving -- if you want to show how thankful you are for what you have, this is a wonderful way."

Be the Match collects donations in three areas: peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC), marrow and umbilical cord blood. These donations can be used to help treat 70 different blood diseases and cancers. Be the Match facilitated nearly 6,200 transplants in 2018. But with nearly 70 percent of patients requiring transplants outside their friends and family group, new donors are always needed.

"It's very similar to donating plasma platelets," Ackerman explains of the outpatient process, which is open to donors ages 18 to 44. "Nothing is completely painless -- there's always a small discomfort to save a life. With this process, it's either a bit of achiness before or after the process. It's not like what you see on Grey's Anatomy or ER or House -- you don't feel pain or discomfort during, but maybe some achiness afterward."

Most matches are found by people who match the patient's ethnic background, and the likelihood of a patient finding a match in the system ranges from 77% for white patients, 57% for American Indian and Alaska Native patients, 46% for Hispanic or Latino patients, 41% for Asian or Pacific Islander patients and 23% for African-American patients.

The entire process, from the initial medical exam to determine eligibility through the donation procedure, usually takes around 30 hours, says Ackerman, and is entirely free for the donor -- it's either paid for by the patient's insurance or by Be the Match.

"We pay for the travel, the meals and even for one companion," says Ackerman. "Even tolls, mileage, day care -- even pet care. If they come up to us and say, 'Hey, I started a new job or ran out of paid time off', we'll even cover their wages."

Ackerman says a young man named Blee, a 2014 graduate from Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, is currently looking for a matching donor to help treat his aplastic anemia. To start the process to see if you're a match for Belee -- or another patient currently waiting on a donor -- scan the QR code pictured with this story or text NWADG4aCure to 61474. Ackerman says the initial screening is simple and fast, and a swab kit can be mailed to your home address quickly.

"Be the Match is such a big deal," says Brashear. "It saved [my son's] life, and it's saved other people's lives, but we don't hear enough about it. That's why I'm shouting from the rooftops and ringing the bells and whatever else to get the word out -- because it might save somebody's life, for sure."

Courtesy Photo The Heart Gallery on the Project Zero website is a great place to find out more information about the children in the foster care system who are seeking permanent homes in Arkansas -- like Jawaun.

Courtesy Photo The Heart Gallery on the Project Zero website is a great place to find out more information about the children in the foster care system who are seeking permanent homes in Arkansas -- like Jawaun.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CHARLIE KAIJO Community Blood Center of the Ozarks' Chris Pilgrim says the majority of the blood donations the organization collects come from community-organized blood drives like this one at Rogers High School in November. Contact the CBCO if or your organization would like to host a blood drive.

NAN Our Town on 12/05/2019

Link:
Next level giving: A piece of your heart can literally save lives - NWAOnline

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 3, 2019--

The "Biochips - Technologies, Markets & Companies" report from Jain PharmaBiotech has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report is an analysis of biochip/microarray markets based on technologies and applications. The report starts with a description of technologies as a basis for the estimation of markets.

Technologies include array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), copy number variation (CNV), DNA methylation, ChIP-Chip, RNA splice variants, and microRNA. Separate chapters are devoted to protein biochips/microarrays, microfluidics and nanobiotechnology-based nano-arrays.

Various applications of biochips and microarrays are described throughout the report. Areas of application such as point-of-care, genetic screening, cancer, and diagnosis of infections are included. Separate chapters are devoted to applications in drug discovery and development as well as personalized medicine

The report provides current share of each segment: market size in 2018 and projected value for the years 2023 and 2028. Gene expression has the largest share and is an established market. Share of microarray technologies in other areas will grow with the maximum growth in RNA splice variants followed by epigenetics.

The growth in protein microarrays is somewhat less, partly because it is more mature than the other submarkets and has already shown considerable growth in the past. The impact of next generation sequencing on segments of microarray markets is identified. Customer requirements and unmet needs are described. Markets are also analyzed according to geographical areas.

Brief profiles of companies involved in biochip/microarray technologies are provided. Currently selected 94 companies are included along with a listing of 121 collaborations between companies. The text is supplemented by 21 tables, 11 figures and 140 references to literature.

Key Topics Covered:

0. Executive Summary

1. Introduction

Definitions of biochips/microarray

Terms used for biochips

Historical aspects of biochip/microarray technology

Relation of microarrays to other technologies

Applications of biochips/microarrays

Advantages of biochips/microarrays

2. Biochip and Microarray Technologies

Introduction

Nucleic acid amplification and microarrays

PCR on a chip

Fast PCR biochip

Multiplex microarray-enhanced PCR for DNA analysis

Universal DNA microarray combining PCR and ligase detection reaction

NASBA combined with microarray

Rolling circle amplification on microarrays

LiquiChip-RCAT

Multiplexed Molecular Profiling

Genomewide association scans

Whole genome microarrays

GeneChip Human Genome Arrays

Arrayit's H25K

Transposon insertion site profiling chip

Standardizing the microarrays

Optical Mapping

Imaging technologies used for detection in biochips/microarray

Fluorescence and chemiluminescence

MALDI-MS imaging and tissue microarrays

Surface plasmon resonance technology for microarrays

Microarray imaging systems

Vidia Microarray Imaging Systems

GenePix 4100A Microarray Scanner

Tecan LS Reloaded

Microarrays based on detection by physico-chemical methods

Electrical biochips

Photoelectrochemical synthesis of DNA microarrays

Microchip capillary electrophoresis

Strand displacement amplification on a biochip

Biosensor technologies for biochips

DNA-based biosensors

Arrayed Imaging Reflectometry

Digital electronic biosensor chips

Phototransistor biochip biosensor

Applications of biosensor biochips

Biosensors in food safety

Cholesterol biosensor

Glucose biosensors

Biochips and microarrays for cytogenetics

Chromosomal microarrays

Comparative genomic hybridization

Array-based CGH

NimbleGen CGH arrays

Single-cell array CGH

Regulatory requirements for array CGH

Combination of FISH and gene chips

Combination of CGH and SNP microarray platforms

Fish-on-chip

SignatureChip

Tissue microarrays

Pathology tissue-ChIP

Carbohydrate microarrays

RNA profiling

RNA splice variants

RIP-Chip

miRNAs

Microarrays for miRNAs

Microarrays vs qPCR for measuring miRNAs

Quantitative analysis of miRNAs in tissue microarrays by ISH

Exon microarrays

Microarrays & DNA sequencing

Microarray-based emerging DNA sequencing technologies

Exome sequencing for study of human variation

High-throughput array-based resequencing

Sequencing by hybridization

SOLiD-System based ChIP-Sequencing

Next generation sequencing vs microarrays for expression profiling

Microarrays for synthetic biology

Arrayit microarray platform for synthetic biology

Microarray-based gene synthesis

Magnetophoretic array-based cell sorting for further studies

3. Microfluidics-based Biochips and Microarrays

Introduction

Use of technologies from other industries in microfluidics

Digital dispensing

Lab-on-a-chip

Amplification of fluorescence signal from lab-on-a-chip

Use of glass in microfluidics

LabChip

LabCD

Lab-on-a-brain

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Biochips Technologies, Companies, Applications & Markets, 2028 - 94 Companies are Included Along with a Listing of 121 Collaborations Between...

Persistence Market Research (PMR) has published a new research report on canine stem cell therapy. The report has been titled, Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market: Global Industry Analysis 2016 and Forecast 20172026.Veterinary research has been used in regenerative and adult stem cell therapy andhas gained significant traction over the last decade. Canine stem cell therapy products are identified to have gained prominence over the past five years, and according to the aforementioned research report, the market for canine stem cell therapy will expand at a moderate pace over the next few years.

Though all animal stem cells are not approved by FDA, veterinary stem-cell manufacturers and university researchers have been adopting various strategies in order to meet regulatory approvals, and streamline and expedite the review-and-approval process. The vendors in the market are incessantly concentrating on research and development to come up with advanced therapy, in addition to acquiring patents.

In September 2017, VetStem Biopharma, Inc. received European patent granted to the University of Pittsburgh and VetStem received full license of the patent then. This patent will eventually provide the coverage for the ongoing commercial and product development programs of VetStem and might be also available for licensing to other companies who are rather interested in this field. The other companies operating in the global market for canine stem cell therapy are VETherapy Corporation, Aratana Therapeutics, Inc., Regeneus Ltd, Magellan Stem Cells, Animal Cell Therapies, Inc., and Medrego, among others.

According to the Persistence Market Research report, the globalcanine stem cell therapy marketis expected to witness a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period 2017-2026. In 2017, the market was valued at US$ 151.4 Mn and is expected to rise to a valuation of US$ 218.2 Mn by the end of 2026.

Burgeoning Prevalence of Chronic Diseases in Dogs to Benefit Market

Adipose Stem Cells (ASCs) are the most prevalent and in-demand adult stem cells owing to their safety profile, ease of harvest, and use and the ability to distinguish into multiple cell lineages. Most early clinical research is focused on adipose stem cells to treat various chronic diseases such as arthritis, tendonitis, lameness, and atopic dermatitis in dogs. A large area of focus in veterinary medicine is treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs, which becomes more prevalent with age. Globally, more than 20% dogs are suffering from arthritis, which is a common form of canine joint and musculoskeletal disease. Out of those 20%, merely 5% seem to receive the treatment. However, elbow dysplasia in canine registered a prevalence rate of 64%, converting it into an alarming disease condition to be treated on priority. Thereby, with the growing chronic disorders in canine, the demand for stem cell therapy is increasing at a significant pace.

Expensive Nature of Therapy to Obstruct Growth Trajectory

Expensive nature and limited access to canine stem cell therapy has demonstrated to be a chief hindrance forestalling its widespread adoption. The average tier II and tier III veterinary hospitals lack the facilities and expertise to perform stem cell procedures, which necessitates the referral to a specialty vet hospital with expertise veterinarians. A trained veterinary physician charges high treatment cost associated with stem cell therapy for dogs. Generally, dog owners have pet insurance that typically covers maximum cost associated with steam cell therapy to treat the initial injury but for the succeeding measures in case of retreatment, the costs are not covered under the pet insurance. The stem cell therapy is thus cost-prohibitive for a large number of pet owners, which highlights a major restraint to the market growth. Stem cell therapy is still in its developmental stage and a positive growth outcome for the market cannot be confirmed yet.

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Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market is Anticipated to Register Highest CAGR of 4.2% Throughout the Forecast Quantity 2017-2026 - Statsflash

HE PUT A camera in a carcass and waited for the wolves to come.

That, says Whitney Johnson, director of visuals and immersive experiences, is the kind of effort that makes for a standout National Geographic photo.

How does she choose 100 photos from 106 photographers, 121 stories, and more than two million images taken over the course of a year?

I count on my great photo editors, says Johnson.

One of her favourite images is the lead photo of the Mona Lisa because it reflects what Johnson calls the magic of what makes photography hardshowing something familiar in a new way. It also speaks to what happens behind the scenesthe photo editor getting access while the museum was closedand behind the lens, that charmed combination of luck, accident, and a photographer really seeing the moment.

There are many such moments here, from military exercises in a warming Arctic and Rwandan schoolgirls flexing their muscles to Alex Honnold climbing El Capitans sheer face without ropes. Johnson calls that particular photo run a whole stretch of strength across space and time.

With Californias Yosemite Valley far beneath him, Alex Honnold free soloswhich means climbing without ropes or safety gearup a crack on the 914-metre southwest face of El Capitan. Before he accomplished the feat on June 3, 2017, Honnold spent nearly a decade thinking about the climb and more than a year and a half planning and training for it.PHOTOGRAPH BY JIMMY CHIN

Time is reflected in other ways too. Theres the frozen body of Susan Potter, a woman determined to donate her body to medical education, a story carefully shepherded for 17 years by photo editor Kurt Mutchler. And theres the heartbreaking photo of Sudan, the last male northern white rhinoceros, as he lay dying.

But there is also so much joy: captive songbirds released to the sky and Japans obsession with all things kawaii (cute and cuddly). And so much strangeness.

The image that speaks most to me is that of an orphaned young giraffe, its long neck draped over its human caregiver in what looks to be a loving hug. The giraffe now runs free with a wild herd. When exploring these pictures, we all might hear from our own internal photo editor, the voice inside us that tells us to pause, asking us to take a closer look.

An orphaned giraffe nuzzles a caregiver at Sarara Camp in northern Kenya. Samburu cattle herders found the abandoned calf and alerted Sararaknown for raising orphaned mammals and returning them to their habitat. The young giraffe now lives with a wild herd.PHOTOGRAPH BY AMI VITALE

Petronella Chigumbura, a member of the Akashingaa nonprofit, all-female anti-poaching unitpractices reconnaissance techniques in the Zimbabwean bush.PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENT STIRTON

A male elephant grabs an evening snack in Mozambiques Gorongosa National Park. Most of the parks elephants were killed for their ivory, used to buy weapons during the nations 15-year civil war, which ended in 1992. With poaching controlled, the population is recovering.PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

Issa Diakite, 50, built both his barbell and his home, one of dozens of chabolas clustered near an Andalusian agricultural region in Spain. Originally from Mali, he settled in as a regular fieldworker and now helps other migrants build shacks.PHOTOGRAPH BY AITOR LARA

Cynthia Ikirezi (centre) beams with her fellow prefects, student leaders, at Gashora Girls Academy in Rwanda. Educating girls and preparing them for leadership roles are government priorities to empower women.PHOTOGRAPH BY YAGAZIE EMEZI

Marines have to be able to carry one another if necessary. USMC Cpl. Gabrielle Green hefts a fellow marine as they ready for deployment on a Navy ship at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Of the 38,000 recruits who enter the corps each year, about 3,500 are womenor, in USMC phrasing, female marines.PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNSEY ADDARIO

Encased in polyvinyl alcohol, Susan Potters body awaits freezing after she donated her body to science. It was frozen, sawed into four blocks, sliced 27,000 times, and photographed after each cut. The result: a virtual cadaver that will speak to medical students from the grave.PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNN JOHNSON

Canadian soldiers climb on the wreckage of a plane, roughly 1600 kilometres south of the North Pole, to scout the area during an Arctic survival course on Cornwallis Island. As the Arctic warms and tensions over its future rise, the Canadian and U.S. militaries have stepped up operations in the region.PHOTOGRAPH BY LOUIE PALUPHOTOGRAPHY FOR THIS ARTICLE WAS SUPPORTED BY GRANTS FROM THE JOHN SIMON GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION AND THE PULITZER CENTER.

Some 400 U.S. soldiers practice parachute jumps near Alaskas Fort Greely. The multinational exercise, which includes Canadian forces, prepares troops for the rigors of large, coordinated operations in extreme cold conditions.PHOTOGRAPH BY LOUIE PALUPHOTOGRAPHY FOR THIS ARTICLE WAS SUPPORTED BY GRANTS FROM THE JOHN SIMON GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION AND THE PULITZER CENTER.

Canadian soldiers build an igloo during the high Arctic phase of their training to become Arctic operations advisers. In this part of the program, they learn to travel, survive, and build shelters when they reach the high Arctic.PHOTOGRAPH BY LOUIE PALUPHOTOGRAPHY FOR THIS ARTICLE WAS SUPPORTED BY GRANTS FROM THE JOHN SIMON GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION AND THE PULITZER CENTER.

Buyers choose animals at the livestock market and send them to this slaughterhouse in Agadez, Niger, where camels, goats, sheep, and other animals are killed and then sent to butchers who sell the meat.PHOTOGRAPH BY PASCAL MAITRE

In Agadez, Niger, an Izala school educates about 1,300 students. Izala is a back-to-basics Islamic reformist movement that adheres to conservative practices, such as women covering their faces, but also prizes education.PHOTOGRAPH BY PASCAL MAITRE

A teenager is dusted with sand from toiling in a mine. He is one of many Nigeriens who joined the rush for gold in the north, the last hope for jobless men after tourism plunged, uranium mining declined, and a law made transporting migrants a crime.PHOTOGRAPH BY PASCAL MAITRE

Stuck in the desert beyond Agadez, Niger, after their truck broke down, these migrants who are hoping to make it to Libya burn a tire to keep warm.PHOTOGRAPH BY PASCAL MAITRE

Kurdish fighters surround a surrendering woman as ISIS abandons the town of Baghouz, Syria in March. Women who joined or were forced into ISIS need guidance away from an oppressive version of Islam, a Kurdish female fighter says. They understand the religion in the wrong way.PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNSEY ADDARIO

Knight Mai (left) and Florence Stima (right), who are South Sudanese, work at a salon in Uganda's Bidibidi refugee camp. Each makes less than five dollars a week. Small businesses have filled out market areas, but few private companies have tapped into the labour potential of the camp.PHOTOGRAPH BY NORA LOREK

In Tinun, Mexico, Beatriz, 18, combs her son Andrs hair after a bath. Beatriz is a beekeeper and learned the craft from her grandfather Anastacio Balan Osalde, who passed away two days earlier.PHOTOGRAPH BY NADIA SHIRA COHEN

Feeling dizzy and weak six months after giving birth, Zamzam Yousuf, 35, came into a clinic in the village of Habasweyn in Somaliland run by the Edna Adan University Hospital. Her blood pressure was extremely high. Yousuf was treated by student midwife Farduus Mubarak, 22, under the watchful eye of the hospitals founder, Edna Adan Ismail, 81.PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNSEY ADDARIO

Aisha Barka and her daughter, Mariam, hadnt eaten in days when they arrived in an Eritrean refugee camp in 2008, driven from their home by drought, which killed all their animals. After the Eritrean military began abducting young men, people fled for safety across the border into Ethiopia.PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN STANMEYER

Children nap at a kindergarten in Mongolias Bayanzurkh District. Each room is equipped with an air purifier, in an attempt to lower the level of indoor air pollution. Children are especially vulnerable to poor air quality.PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHIEU PALEY

Pedestrians, shoppers, and people-watchers stroll on Chuo-dori in Ginza, one of Tokyos busiest destinations. Cars travel on the street during weekdays, but on weekend afternoons a one-mile strip is closed to traffic and becomes a promenade. Cafs, high-end boutiques, and street performers attract local residents and visitors.PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID GUTTENFELDER

Young men from Niger and elsewhere wait in a migrant ghetto in Agadez, Niger, for a caravan to Libya. With low life expectancy, limited educational opportunities, and a high poverty rate, Niger ranks at the bottom of the UNs Human Development Index.PHOTOGRAPH BY PASCAL MAITRE

Sal Thegal dressed like a hot dog at the Minnesota State Fair on Friday, August 23, 2019.PHOTOGRAPH BY ACKERMAN + GRUBER

Jorge Castellon, an employee at the Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs, California, poses with a fan (used for dancing) in May 2019. When not working at the Saguaro, Castellon is a professional dancer and dance instructor. Palm Springs is like a paradiseits heaven on earth, says Castellon. The people who come here are unique and visit with a purpose, to have fun. Were just here to play!PHOTOGRAPH BY JENNIFER EMERLING

Patricia Frazier carries the flag of Benin, the modern nation once ruled by the king of Dahomey, who sold 110 captives to the captain of the Clotildathe last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to American shores. If they find that ship, I think it will make people more aware of our history, says Frazier before the vessel was found. Sometimes you need something tangible to spur those memories.PHOTOGRAPH BY ELIAS WILLIAMS

Malaysia, 40, poses for a story about the Stonewall riots of 1969 that sparked riots and 50 years of a national LGBTQ civil rights movement. In life things tend to show you not your wants but your needs. And, transitioning into Malaysia ... has opened up a world of acceptance for me. Because now I am comfortable, and I've never been this comfortable in my life.PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN HAMMOND

Joseph Wachira, a keeper at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, says goodbye to Sudan, the last male northern white rhinoceros. Sudan died in 2018. Two females of the subspecies remain.PHOTOGRAPH BY AMI VITALE

A hunter from a village in Indonesia says he delivers pangolins to the city of Surabaya on a weekly basis. Pangolins are protected by national laws in the countries where theyre found, and international commercial trade in them is banned. Even so, poaching and trafficking are major threats to pangolins survival.PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENT STIRTON

A Temmincks ground pangolin named Tamuda searches for a meal of ants or termites at a rehabilitation center in Zimbabwe. He was rescued from illegal wildlife traders, who likely would have smuggled his scales to Asia for use in traditional remedies.PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENT STIRTON

Late in the dry season, a remnant pool in the Mussicadzi River channel attracts a mob of hungry birds, including storks, egrets, and hammerkops, along with a couple of thirsty waterbuck in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park. Gorongosas avian richness swells further in the wet season, when nomads arrive to feed.PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

A crocodile rests in Mozambiques Gorongosa National Park, where wildlifes future depends on humans livelihoods.PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

Once or twice a month during Costa Ricas rainy season, female olive ridley sea turtles come ashore by the tens of thousands and lay eggs in a mass nesting event known as an arribada. Hatchlings begin emerging about 45 days later.PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS P. PESCHAK

Wolves in the Canadian Arctic pick at the remains of a muskox. To get this image, photographer Ronan Donovan placed a camera trap inside the carcass. The pack returned to feed on and off for a month.PHOTOGRAPH BY RONAN DONOVAN

All clear? A New York City rat peeks out from a stormwater catch basin.PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

Two rats at India's Karni Mata Temple box to determine which is dominant. Rats are social animals that take good care of their offspring. Studies show they will free a fellow rat from a small cageeven if it means giving up a treat. This suggests to some researchers that rats feel empathy.PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

Behind netting, a polar bear dances at the Circus on Ice in Kazan, Russia. Performing polar bears are extremely rare. The shows four bears wear metal muzzles, and their trainer, Yulia Denisenko, carries a metal rod. Between tricks, the bears lie down and rub themselves on the ice.PHOTOGRAPH BY KIRSTEN LUCE

Confiscated songbirds that were seized from illegal owners are released after weeks in a rehab aviary where they strengthened their wings and learned to fly again.PHOTOGRAPH BY KARINE AIGNER

Inmates at the San Francisco Gotera prison who have renounced their gang ties pray together. Prison-based evangelical churches in El Salvador are growing.PHOTOGRAPH BY MOISES SAMAN

Thousands of migratory songbirds are caught around Florida each year to supply a thriving illegal market. Before seized birds are released back into the wild by law enforcement, they are put in an aviary for several weeks where they learn how to fly again as well as how to find new food.PHOTOGRAPH BY KARINE AIGNER

Clay, Daniel, and Enzo, three of 39 tigers rescued from an animal park in Oklahoma, gather at a pool at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado. These cats will live out their lives here, with proper nutrition and vet care.PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVE WINTER

Nine of 24 lions are darted and flown from Tembe and Mkuze game reserves in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, to Mozambique in June 2018. The wild lions will be released into the Zambeze Delta there. The move is the largest conservation transport of wild lions across an international boundary in history. A hundred years ago, there were over 200,000 wild lions living in Africa.PHOTOGRAPH BY AMI VITALE

Lions that were released and collared in a remote region of the 4,500-square-kilometer Zambeze Delta area of Mozambique lounge in the early morning mist. Mozambiques wildlife was decimated by the countrys civil war and subsequent poaching in the past 20 years. Today, leading researchers estimate Africa's lion population to be 20,000 or less, with lions now extinct in 26 African countries. Mozambique's ecosystem has made a remarkable recoveryexcept for its lions.PHOTOGRAPH BY AMI VITALE

Shadows form over the Deser-est Motor Lodge in Ely, Nevada. Before it was known as the Loneliest Road in America, Route 50 was a thruway during the 1850s gold rush.PHOTOGRAPH BY MATHIAS SVOLD

In northwestern Colombia, hunters have long employed their own form of camouflage: masks made of broad, sturdy leaves known as hojancha. These masks are used in order to sneak up on turtles and other game animals such as wading and migratory birds. Hunting is still a vital activity for subsistence farmers in the region.PHOTOGRAPH BY GENA STEFFENS

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The Best Photos Of 2019 | Australia | National Geographic - National Geographic Australia

The mother of a cancer survivor has released a heartbreaking photograph to show the reality of the disease.

Sophia Soto, from Florida, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma at just 14 months old after unusual bruises developed around her eyes.

READ MORE:Girl with neuroblastoma declared cancer-free after pioneering treatment

With doctors dismissing it as just a fall, an eye specialist eventually found tumours behind her eyes were to blame.

The toddler endured 60 rounds of chemo, 20 of radiotherapy and a stem cell transplant over six months. She was snapped just before having treatment.

Sophia, now six, has been in remission for five years and medication-free for the past 24 months.

Now six, Sophia has been off medication for the past two years. [Photo: Caters]

Speaking of her daughters condition, Sophias mother Rosie Soto, 40, said: The picture of Sophia upset really does hone in on the reality of childhood cancer.

She was having a lead put on her chest for her treatment, which she didn't want, hence why Sophia was so upset.

I look back at the picture now and wonder how I did it. It was so hard watching my little girl so ill.

Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer that mainly affects babies and young children,according to the NHS.

READ MORE:Childhood Cancer Survivors Are Twice as Likely to Have This Condition

Around 95 youngsters in the UK are diagnosed every year, making up 6% of all childhood-cancer cases,Children with Cancer UK statistics show.

In the US, around 800 are diagnosed annually, also accounting for 6% of all cases,according to the American Cancer Society.

Neuroblastoma develops in specialised nerve cells called neuroblasts, which get left behind during a babys development in the womb.

The disease tends to start in one of the adrenal glands above the kidneys or nerve tissue next to the spinal cord, before spreading.

Sophia's parents Javier and Rosie Soto watched her battle the disease. [Photo: Caters]

Mrs Soto became concerned when her daughter develop bruises around her eyes, with no obvious cause.

I kept taking her to the doctors because the bruising wasn't going away, but they just said it must have been from a bump or something, she said.

Sophia wasn't referred for a scan or biopsy until I went to an eye specialist, who knew straight away it was caused by a tumour.

She was sent for an MRI, where black spots appeared on the scans confirmed the tumours behind her eyes.

[A] biopsy found tumours on one of her kidneys as well, which led to her stage four neuroblastoma diagnosis.

Sophia discovered she had the disease in March 2014, aged just 14 months.

After extensive treatment, the youngster has been in remission since that November, but still has check-ups every six months.

The tumours behind her eyes cannot be removed, however, doctors believe they are now benign.

READ MORE: Mom beats breast cancer and then books 'dream' trip

Doctors are reluctant to remove the tumours Sophia has behind her eyes as they've said it would be likely the surgery [would] disfigure her face, Mrs Soto said.

Whilst they are tumours, doctors are reasonably confident they are not cancerous so we have decided to not have the surgery right now, but it may be something she has when she's older.

Over the worst, Sophia loves dancing and dreams of one day becoming a vet.

No one can imagine what she went through looking at her now, she just looks like a normal regular child, Mrs Soto said.

Sophia has her moments when she asks about when she was sick and has questions about her treatment scars, but overall she's a pretty happy girl.

If I was to say anything to other parents with children battling cancer, I'd say to not give up, stay positive.

It's really important not to compare your child's process to anyone else as everyone battles illnesses differently.

We're over the moon Sophia is now doing so well. We're really blessed she's such a fighter.

Originally posted here:
Heartbreaking photograph shows the reality of childhood cancer - Yahoo Lifestyle

The current Stem Cells Cryopreservation Equipments market research report has demonstrated all the vital market growth factors and economic fluctuations mentioned owing to the vast attention gained in recent years.

The Stem Cell Cartilage Regeneration market report provides a meticulous picture of the sector by summary of data, production, and method of study originated from various sources.

The high numbers of specialized veterinarians and veterinary clinics in these regions also contribute to the promising growth opportunities held by the canine stem cell therapy market in these regions. The market is growing with technological innovation, competition and M&A activities in the industry are offering specific application products for varied end-users.

The report is a thorough analysis of the Autologous Stem Cell and Non-Stem Cell Based Therapies Market.

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. In-depth analysis of numerous components has been studied in the report including supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue, gross margins, current geographical zones, technology, demand-supply and consumption. Comprising an in-depth analysis of the various factors boosting and inhibiting the growth of the market, this report is a key to making profitable decisions by investing in the correct segment and sub-segment, which is anticipated to make the most progress in the future.

The report analyzes the prevalent opportunities for the market's growth and those that companies should capitalize in the near future to strengthen their position in the market.

Common sense to rest Man United seniors for Astana trip: SolskjaerA statement released by the club In February said "everybody looks forward to seeing him wear the red shirt again". Their last outing against Sheffield United ended in 3-3 draw and they surely don't repeat that feat this time.

Global Market portal aims to provide reports like these in order to draw the attention of numerous clients wanting to extrapolate some of the vital details of the Stem Cells Cryopreservation Equipments market on a global scale. The report provides an extensive evaluation of each market segment considering its demand, production, sales revenue, and potential growth. The solid research on the Animal Stem Cell Therapy Market is prepared with the aim to meet the requirements of the customer in terms of the availability of data, analytics, statistics, and an accurate forecast market.The market report also presents the landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major players operating in the market. The ones holding the most lucrative prospects are analyzed, and the factors restraining its trajectory across key segments are also discussed at length. USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia, South America, South Africa, Others. By kit, the market can be bifurcated into human embryonic stem cell kits and adult stem cell kits.

- Which Trending factors influencing the market shares of the top regions across the globe?

- Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the global Animal Stem Cell Therapy market? Moreover, studies showing the excellent level of safety granted by allogeneic stem cell therapy are also rising in numbers, leading to increased confidence among pet owners as well as veterinarians regarding canine stem cell therapy.

- What industrial trends, drivers and challenges are manipulating its growth?

- What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global Animal Stem Cell Therapy market? The clients and other readers can have all the global Stem Cells Cryopreservation Equipments market highlights provided in this very report. 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 report's forecast period. 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. The report has all the vital information regarding supply and demand, market development enhancers, market share, sales distributors, and more advocated in a very formal pattern.

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Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market Value Projected to Expand by 2026 - The Hilltop Monitor

27 Nov 2019

Twenty years ago, researchers took fibroblasts from the skin of eight Alzheimers patients, engineered them to produce nerve-growth factor, and slid them into each volunteers basal forebrain. They hoped the neurotrophin would halt or slow the neurodegeneration that robbed them of their memories, indeed their lives. The gamble failed and since then, scientists have shown little zest for gene therapy in neurodegenerative disorders. That is changing. As evident at this years Society for Neuroscience conference, held October 1923 in Chicago, gene therapy is back. Buoyed by success in treating spinal muscular atrophy in infants, scientists are flush with new ideasand funding.

What was once considered risky, expensive, and unlikely to succeed is now seen by many as risky, expensiveand quite likely to succeed. A growing number of scientists think gene-based therapies may have the best chance of slowing, or even preventing, neurodegeneration, especially for disorders caused by mutations in a single gene. SfN hosted a press briefing on gene therapy, plus many projects are active throughout the field beyond those showcased at the conference. There was no breaking clinical trial news at the annual meeting, but the scope and challenges of such therapies were outlined at the briefing moderated by Rush University s Jeff Kordower, Chicago, as well as a translational roundtable moderated by Asa Abeliovich, Columbia University, New York. Abeliovich recently co-founded Prevail Therapeutics, New York.

Going viral. Researchers are tweaking the capsid of adeno-associated viruses to optimize gene therapies for a multitude of disease. Shown here, AAV2.

From Zolgensma to Alzheimers? If the failure of the nerve growth factor therapy tempered enthusiasm for gene therapy (Mar 2018 news), then the success of AVXS-101, aka Zolgensma, reignited it. Developed by scientists at Nationwide Childrens Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, and AveXis, Bannockburn, Illinois, AVXS-101 uses an adeno-associated virus to deliver billions of copies of the survival motor neuron 1 gene to the brain. A small pilot trial tested the therapy in babies with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1, the severest form of this neurodevelopmental disease. Lacking functional SMN1, these infants face progressive muscle weakness. Most die before their second birthday; those who live need a ventilator to breathe.

In Phase 1, AVXS-101 dramatically improved motor function of 15 treated infants; all were living 20 months later when historical data predicted only one would survive. Twelve babies who received the highest dose grew stronger within months, most sitting independently and rolling over. They hit the highest score on a scale of motor function, whereas untreated babies deteriorated. By 20 months, two of the treated babies had begun to walk (Mendell et al., 2017). The Food and Drug Administration approved zolgensma in May 2019. At SfN in Chicago, Petra Kaufmann, AveXis, played videos of the first patients treated with AVXS-101. Some four years later, they are walking, running, and appear to be playing almost normally. A video of a little girl walking downstairs with nary a hint of having SMA Type I visibly moved the audience.

Scientists say its a game-changer. It is really the tremendous success with SMA that has renewed interest in gene therapy, said Clive Svendsen, Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, Los Angeles. Speaking with Alzforum before SfN, Bart De Strooper, Dementia Research Institute, London, said the same. The success in SMA patients of both gene therapy and antisense therapy has revived interest in the whole area, De Strooper said. Nowadays, researchers tend to lump gene therapy and antisense therapy under one moniker, i.e., gene-based therapy. The SMA antisense therapy nusinersen also works in babies with SMA Type 1 and is FDA-approved (Nov 2016 news; May 2018 conference news). Unlike gene therapy, antisense therapy needs to be delivered indefinitely.

How About Neurodegenerative Disease?At SfN, scientists outlined strategies for treating adults who face years of decline due to Alzheimers, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Huntingtons (HD) and Parkinsons diseases (PD), or other synucleinopathies. Some are being tested in clinical trials, others are in preclinical development. Some target specific losses or gains of function, others aim to rescue dying neurons more broadly. Scientists also believe that working on rare childhood diseases of lysosomal storage may give them an opening to treat this common phenotype in age-related neurodegeneration, as well.

Just this October, an ApoE gene therapy trial started enrolling. Led by Ronald Crystal at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, it will inject adeno-associated virus carrying the gene for ApoE2 into patients with early to late-stage AD who inherited two copies of ApoE4. The idea is to flood their brains with the protective allele of this apolipoprotein to try to counteract the effects of the risk allele. AAV-rh10-APOE2 will be injected directly into the subarachnoid cisternae of participants brains. The Phase 1 trialwill recruit 15 patients with biomarker-confirmed AD. Beverly Davidson, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, has a similar ApoE2 gene therapy in preclinical development.

At SfN, Abeliovich detailed Prevails programs for forms of PD and for frontotemporal dementias that are caused by risk alleles. A trial has begun for a glucocerebrosidase-based gene therapy. The enzyme GCase is essential for lysosomes to function properly. People who have loss-of-function mutations in both copies of the GBA1 gene develop Gauchers, a lysosomal storage disease. The severest form starts in babies, most of whom die before age 2. Milder forms cause later-onset Gauchers, while heterozygous mutations in GBA1 increase risk for Parkinsons, making restoration of GCase an obvious strategy for PD. Some researchers are trying to develop ways to boost activity of the mutated enzyme (e.g., Oct 2019 news), whereas Abeliovich and colleagues have constructed AAV-9 vectors to deliver normal GBA1 into the brain to restore GCase production.

In preclinical studies, the AAV9-GBA1 construct PR001 rescued both lysosomal and brain function in models of GCase deficiency and of Parkinsons, Abeliovich said. In mice fed the GCase inhibitor conduritol epoxide (CBE), PR001 injected into the brain ventricles beefed up GCase activity and reduced glycolipid accumulation, which is a sign that lysosomes are functional. A single dose worked for at least six months. Similar results were seen in a commonly used model of Gauchers that expresses the V394L GBA mutation and only weakly expresses prosaposin and saposins, lysosomal proteins that metabolize lipids. In these 4L/PS-NA mice, PR001 made increased levels of active GCase, fewer lipids accumulated, and the mice were more mobile on a balance beam. 4L/PS-NA mice also accumulate -synuclein, the major component of Lewy bodies in PD and other synucleinopathies. In these mice, and also in A53T -synuclein mice made worse with CBE, PR001 halved the amount of insoluble -synuclein, Abeliovich reported at SfN.

In search of the right dose for humans, the scientists next turned to nonhuman primates. They injected PR001 into the cisterna magna in hopes AAV9 would broadly distribute throughout the brain. At the highest dose, 8 x 1010 capsids per gram of brain weight, exposure in the brain was similar to that seen in the mice. The virus permeated the spinal cord, frontal cortex, hippocampus, midbrain, and putamen.

Also in October, Prevail scientists began recruiting for a Phase 1/2 double-blind, sham-controlled trial to test this gene therapy in 16 people with moderate to severe PD, who have mutations in one or both copies of their GBA1 genes. Six patients each will receive a low or high dose of PR001A. Blood and CSF biomarkers to be analyzed at three and 12 months, and at follow-up, include GCase, lipids, -synuclein, and neurofilament light chain. Participants will also undergo cognitive, executive, and motor-function tests and brain imaging. A Phase 1/2 trial of PR001 in neuronopathic Gauchers, which affects the brain and spinal cord, will start soon, Abeliovich said.

Other groups are boosting dopamine production in Parkinsons by way of gene therapy. VY-AADC,developed by Voyager Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, packages the gene for L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), which converts L-dopa into dopamine, in an AAV-2 vector that is delivered into the brain. Two Phase 1 open-label trials are testing safety and efficacy. Both the PD-1101 and PD-1102 trials use MRI to guide injections of the vector bilaterally into the putamina of 15 or 16 patients, respectively. According to preliminary results presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology this past May, the virus penetrated half of the putamen and AADC activity, as judged by 18F-DOPA PET, increased by 85 percent in the latter study. Seven of eight treated patients reported improvement after a year, along with longer on time on L-DOPA, and shorter off time. Off time is the period when L-DOPA effects wear off and patients experience loss of motor control. RESTORE-1, a Phase 2 study of 42 patients, started in 2018 and will run to the end of 2020.

Long-Lived Gene Therapy. When a Parkinsons disease patient died eight years after neurturin gene therapy, the trophin was still being expressed in their putamen (top left) and substantia nigra (bottom left), where it corresponded with tyrosine hydroxylase activity (right). [Courtesy of Jeff Kordower.]

Also in PD, Kordower and colleagues plan to re-evaluate neurturin-based gene therapy. Previously, the gene for this neurotrophin was delivered in an AAV2 vector into the brains of Parkinson patients in Phase 1 and 2 trials. This did not improve motor function. Even so, in Chicago Kordower showed that in two patients who died eight and 10 years later, the inserted gene was still expressing neurturin and that dopamine levels were higher on the injected than the contralateral side of the substantia nigra/putamen. This shows us that long-term gene expression can be achieved in the human brain, said Kordower (see image above). He believes that by focusing delivery with ultrasound, or tweaking the capsid itself, he may be able to generate enough gene expression to improve function.

Separately, AAV-GAD, a gene therapy for PD that showed promise in Phase 2 (Mar 2011 news) was acquired by MeiraGTx, New York, which will continue to develop it in the U.S. and Europe, according to founder Samuel Waksal (Nov 2018 news).

For its part, Prevail has a gene transfer construct for frontotemporal dementia in the pipeline, as well. Called PR006, it carries GRN, the gene encoding progranulin, on an AAV9 vector. GRN mutations cause familial FTD and, much like GBA mutations, do their dirty work via lysosomal dysfunction. In Chicago, Abeliovich reported that PR006 boosted progranulin release from neurons derived from FTD-GRN patients, nearly doubling their levels of mature Cathepsin D, the lysosomal protease that chops progranulin into granulins and indicates healthy lysosomes. In progranulin knockout mice, PR006 restored brain GRN expression and progranulin secretion into the CSF. Abeliovich said he expects a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in FTD patients to start in early 2020.

The biotech company Passage Bio, Philadelphia, is planning for clinical trials early next year with its AAV-GRN vector. MeiraGTx, New York, is banking on a different approach for FTD. They have developed an AAV carrying UPF1, which encodes regulator of nonsense transcripts 1. This protein helps clear out aberrant RNAs through a process call nonsense-mediated decay. MeiraGTx hopes this will restore homeostasis to RNA processing. AAV-UPF1 will be trialed for FTD and all forms of ALS bar those caused by mutations in SOD1. For SOD ALS, Novartis, Basel, Switzerland, and REGENXBIO, Rockville, Maryland, have a vector in preclinical testing.

For his part, Svendsen is taking a different approach. His lab tackles ALS with ex vivo gene therapy. The idea is to engineer clinical-grade human stem cells to produce glial-derived growth factor, and inject them into the spinal cord, much like the early NGF studies did in AD. Svendsen hopes the cells will churn out enough of the neurotrophin to protect spinal cord motor neurons. In a Phase 1/2a trial, 18 ALS patients have received these cells into one side of their spinal cords, such that each person serves as his or her own control. If this works, they would regain mobility only on the injected side. The trial finished in October; Svendsen expects results to come out in a few months. In a follow-up study, the scientists are trying to do the same with induced pluripotent stem cells. This would allow them to transplant autologous cells into patients, avoiding immune rejection

Other groups are deploying gene therapy as a way to improve immunotherapy, shield neurons from stress, or even generate neurons from astrocytes to make up for those lost to neurodegeneration.Tom Fagan

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Time to Try Again: Gene-Based Therapy for Neurodegeneration - Alzforum

November is Alzheimers Awareness Month. Its a fitting time to look at the latest Israeli advances in preventing, diagnosing and treating the progressive and incurable brain disorder.

Alzheimers disease (AD) is the most common cause of the 9.9 million new cases of dementia diagnosed each year worldwide. The disease primarily strikes the elderly population, affecting 30 percent of those over age of 85.

AD impacts memory, thinking and language skills, and even the ability to carry out simple tasks.

The disease occurs when a protein called amyloid beta aggregates in brain tissues. These protein clumps kill nerve cells, leading to damage in the brain-function mechanisms.

Here are 10 examples of promising Israeli approaches reported within the past two years alone.

PREVENTION

Various genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors can put a person at risk for AD. Among them are diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, depression, cognitive inactivity or low education, and physical inactivity.

Preventing the onset of AD is the focus of these approaches:

Eitan Okun, Alzheimers disease researcher at Bar-Ilan University. Photo: courtesy

Most vaccines work by mounting an immune response toward a weakened pathogen to boost the immune systems ability to fight the real pathogen.

Okuns approach primes the body to attack amyloid beta protein clumps in the brain, the signature sign of AD.

Following experiments on mice, Okun is preparing for human trials on people at known risk of developing the disease in their 50s or younger: those genetically inclined toward Alzheimers and people with Down syndrome.

These critical trials will determine whether the vaccine actually works in humans, said Okun. Depending on the success rate and side effects from [human] testing, we will be able to know how much more time is needed to make the vaccine available on a global scale.

Okun also is investigating new ways to diagnose AD earlier and more accurately using advanced MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) technologies to detect initial signs of amyloid protein aggregation in the brain.

BGU Prof. Alon Friedman has invented a new treatment to prevent neurological diseases. Photo courtesy of Dr. Merav Shamir

Introduced by BGN Technologies of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the novel therapy hinges on the fact that a malfunctioning BBB allows neurotoxic blood products to enter the brain and cause damage leading to neurological diseases.

The lab of Prof. Alon Friedman discovered that treating the BBB at early stages can protect the brain and prevent disease development.

Their proposed treatment would combine Memantine and Losartan, which have been shown in preclinical studies to protect the integrity of the BBB when administered together. Partners are being sought to continue development.

Prof. Ester Segal of the Technion. Photo: courtesy

They reported on this advance in a recent cover story of the journal Small.

Nanoscale silicon chips invented in Prof. Ester Segals lab allow for the direct insertion of neural growth factor protein into the brain and its gradual release into the target tissue, bypassing the BBB (see above). Afterward delivering all the therapeutic protein loaded onto them, the chips safely dissolve.

In a series of experiments, we showed in mice that the two ways of delivering the platform into the brain led to the desired result, said Technion doctoral student Michal Rosenberg.

Our technology has also been tested in a cellular model of Alzheimers disease and indeed, the protein release has led to rescuing the nerve cells.

DIAGNOSIS

PET scans and spinal taps are now the gold standard for diagnosing AD. Theyre both expensive and carry risks.

Cheaper, noninvasive tests being developed in Israel also could be critical in providing a much earlier diagnosis, when treatment would be most effective.

Thats because the same beta-amyloid proteins that clump in the brain of AD patients appear in the retina of the eyes up to 15 years before the onset of AD symptoms.

RetiSpec developed the retinal scanner at the Ontario Brain Institute in Canada. Clinical studies are ongoing in Israel and Canada.

In October, RetiSpec received the Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundations Diagnostics Accelerator Award to fund continued development of its hyperspectral imaging technology.

This could allow doctors to compare brain scans taken over time from the same patient, and to differentiate between healthy and diseased brain tissue, without resorting to invasive or dangerous procedures such as brain tissue biopsies, explained lead researcher Dr. Aviv Mezer.

Clara is based on a relatively recent understanding that AD affects the brains orientation system before it affects memory.

The overlap between how the self is oriented to the world and the brain mechanisms that are disturbed by Alzheimers disease is astonishing, Arzy told ISRAEL21c.

Clara asks patients questions about themselves and their relationships to people, places and events. It then compares that information to a baseline and generates a computer-based test tailored for the individual that can diagnose very early Alzheimers.

The team from Dr. Shahar Arzys computational neuropsychiatry lab at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem. Photo: courtesy

According to a study Arzys team published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and in the American Psychological Associations journal Neuropsychology, Clara is 95 percent accurate.

Clara is now in the midst of a five-year test at Harvard to compare data generated by the system with data from AD markers taken via amyloid PET scan, quantitative and functional MRI and other neuropsychological tests.

Jaul and Oded Meiron (a cognitive neuroscientist who heads the Electrophysiology and Neuro-cognition Lab in Herzogs Clinical Research Center for Brain Sciences) published an articlein the Journal of Alzheimers Disease outlining their discovery of the link between the two conditions.

The reason is that the abnormal changes in the brain that lead to dementia are happening in other parts of the body, including the skin. Skin tissue and brain tissue derive from the same embryonic stem cells.

Jaul and Meiron are working with an American company to develop a test to identify a biomarker for abnormal cell density in the skin of dementia patients. They hope that this skin test could pinpoint an individuals type and stage of dementia. The biomarkers show the most promise in identifying AD, they say.

TREATMENT

A variety of approved medications for AD including Exelon, developed in Israel cannot cure or stop the progression of the disease. They only relieve or delay AD symptoms, such as memory loss and confusion.

A few Israeli pharmaceuticals under development aim to improve Alzheimer treatment options.

Breathing in pure oxygen in a pressurized room or chamber stimulates the release of growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.

This revolutionary treatment for Alzheimers disease uses a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which has been shown in the past to be extremely effective in treating wounds that were slow to heal, said lead researcher Prof. Uri Ashery.

Asherys group tested the therapy on a mouse model of Alzheimers disease. The treatment was found to reduce behavioral deficiencies compared to control mice.

Remarkably, the treatment also reduced plaque pathology and neuroinflammation in the test mice by about 40 percent.

Further research will investigate the underlying mechanisms of the therapy and evaluate its beneficial effects in Alzheimer patients.

Yotam Nisemblat, CEO of ProteKt Therapeutics. Photo: courtesy

Incubated at FutuRx in Ness Ziona, ProteKt was spun out of PKR kinase inhibitor research by University of Haifa Prof. Kobi Rosenblum. Inhibition of the enzyme PKR is a unique idea for improving memory consolidation.

Protein aggregation tends to increase with age and can lead to neurodegeneration because proteins can adopt an erroneous configuration, where theyre misfolded, explains Prof. Martin Kupiec.

The paper he and his colleagues published in Molecular Cell describes how removing glucose from a particular aggregated protein made the blob dissolve.

If the results can be replicated in more complex proteins, scientists will have a new research avenue toward treatments that could reverse the neurodegenerative effect of protein aggregates, Kupiec says.

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10 promising developments that can help Alzheimer's patients - ISRAEL21c

I have a four-foot-tall robot in my house that plays with my kids. Its name is Jethro.

Both my daughters, aged 5 and 9, are so enamored with Jethro that they have each asked to marry it. For fun, my wife and I put on mock weddings. Despite the robot being mainly for entertainment, its very basic artificial intelligence can perform thousands of functions, including dance and teach karate, which my kids love.

The most important thing Jethro has taught my kids is that its totally normal to have a walking, talking machine around the house that you can hang out with whenever you want to.

Given my daughters semi-regular use of smartphones and tablets, I have to wonder how this will affect them in the future. Will they have any fear of technologies like driverless cars? Will they take it for granted that machine intelligences and avatars on computers can be their best friends, or even their bosses?

Will marrying a super-intelligent robot in 20 years be a natural decision? Even though I love technology, Im not sure how I would feel about having a robot-in-law. But my kids might think nothing of it.

This is my story of transhumanism.

Courtesy of Zoltan Istvan

My transhumanism journey began in 2003 when I was reporting a story for National Geographic in Vietnams demilitarized zone and I almost stepped on a landmine.

I remember my guide roughly shoving me aside and pointing to the metal object half sticking out of the ground in front of me.

I stared at the device that would have completely blown my legs off had my boot tripped the mine. I had just turned 30. The experience left me shaken. And it kept haunting me.

That night as I lay tense and awake in my hotel room, I had the epiphany that has helped define the rest of my life: I decided that the most important thing in my existence was to fight for survival. To put it another way: My goal was to never die.

Because I was not religious, I immediately turned to the thing that gave meaning to my world: science and technology. I took a leap of faith and made a wager that day. I later called this (and even later, dedicated a book to it) the transhumanist wager.

The life extension business of transhumanism will be a $600 billion industry by 2025.

My idea for an immortality wager came from Pascals Wager, the famous bet that caught on in the 17th century that loosely argued it was better to believe in God than not to, because you would be granted an afterlife if there was indeed a God. My transhumanist wager was based in my belief that its better to dedicate our resources to science and technology to overcome death while were still aliveso we dont ever have to find out whether there is an afterlife or not. It turns out I wasnt alone in my passion to live indefinitely through science. A small social movement, mostly of academics and researchers, were tackling similar issues, starting organizations, and funding research.

Some of them called themselves transhumanists.

Fast-forward 16 years from my landmine incident, and transhumanism has grown way beyond its main mission of just overcoming death with science.

Now the movement is the de facto philosophy (maybe even the religion) of Silicon Valley. It encapsulates numerous futurist fields: singularitarianism, cyborgism, cryonics, genetic editing, robotics, AI, biohacking, and others.

Biohacking in particular has taken offthe practice of physically hacking ones body with science, changing and augmenting our physiology the same way computer hackers would infiltrate a mainframe.

Its pretty obvious why it has emerged as such a big trend: It attracts the youth.

Not surprisingly, worrying about death is something that older people usually do (and, apparently, those younger people who almost step on landmines). Most young people feel invincible. But tell young people they can take brain drugs called nootropics that make them super smart, or give them special eye drops that let them see in the dark, or give them a chip implant that enhances human ability (like the one I have), and a lot of young people will go for it.

In 2016, I ran for the US presidency as the Transhumanist Party nominee. To get support from younger biohackers, my team and I journeyed on the Immortality Busmy 38-foot coffin-shaped campaign busto Grindfest, the major annual biohacking meet-up in Tehachapi, California. In an old dentists chair in a garage, biohackers injected me with a horse syringe containing a small radio-frequency-identification implant that uses near-field communication technologythe same wireless frequency used in most smartphones. The tiny deviceits about the size of a grain of ricewas placed just under the skin in my hand. With my chip, I could start a car, pay with bitcoin, and open my front door with a lock reader.

Four years later, I still have the implant and use it almost every day. For surfers or joggers like myself, for example, its great because I dont have to carry keys around.

One thing I do have to navigate is how some religious people view me once they understand I have one. Evangelical Christians have told me that an implant is the mark of the beast, as in from the Bibles Book of Revelations.

Even though Im tagged by conspiracy theorists as a potential contender for the Antichrist, I cant think of any negatives in my own experiences to having a chip implant. But as my work in transhumanism has reached from the US Military to the World Bank to many of the worlds most well-known universities, my chip implant only exasperates this conspiracy.

While people often want to know what other things Ive done to my body, in reality becoming a cyborg is a lot less futuristic and drastic than people think.

For me and for the thousands of people around the world who have implants, its all about functionality. An implant simply makes our lives easier and more efficient. Mine also sends out pre-written text messages when peoples phones come within a few feet of me, which is a fun party trick.

But frankly, a lot of the most transformative technology is still being developed, and if youre healthy like me, theres really not much benefit in doing a lot of biohacking today.

I take nootropics for better brain memory, but theres no conclusive research I know of that it actually works yet. Ive done some brainwave therapy, sometimes called direct neurofeedback, or biofeedback, but I didnt see any lasting changes. I fly drones for fun, and of course I also have Jethro, our family robot.

For the most part, members of the disabled community are the ones who are truly benefiting from transhumanist technologies today. If you have an arm shot off in a war, its cyborg science that gives you a robot arm controlled by your neural system that allows you to grab a beer, play the piano, or shake someones hand again.

But much more dramatic technology is soon to come. And the hope is that it will be availableand accessibleto everyone.

I asked to be added to a volunteer list for an experiment that will place implants in peoples brains that would allow us to communicate telepathically, using AI. (Biohacking trials like this are secretive because they are coming under more intense legal scrutiny.)Im also looking into getting a facial recognition security system for my home. I might even get a pet dog robot; these have become incredibly sophisticated, have fur softer than the real thing (that doesnt shed all over your couch or trigger allergies) and can even act as security systems.

Beyond that, people are using stem cells to grow new teeth, genetic editing to create designer babies, and exoskeleton technology that will likely allow a human to run on water in the near future.

Most people generally focus on one aspect of transhumanism, like just biohacking, or just AI, or just brainwave-tech devices. But I like to try it all, embrace it all, and support it all. Whatever new transhumanist direction technology takes, I try to take it all in and embrace the innovation.

This multi-faceted approach has worked well in helping me build a bridge connecting the various industries and factions of the transhumanist movement. Its what inspired me to launch presidential and California gubernatorial campaigns on a transhumanist platform. Now Im embarking on a new campaign in 2020 for US president as a Republican, hoping to get conservatives to become more open-minded about the future.

The amount of money flowing into transhumanist projects is growing into many billions of dollars. The life extension business of transhumanism will be a $600 billion industry by 2025, according to Bank of America. This is no time for transhumanism to break apart into many different divisions, and its no time to butt heads. We need to unite in our aim to truly change the human being forever.

Transhumanistsit doesnt matter what kind you arebelieve they can be more than just human. The word natural is not in our vocabulary. Theres only what transhumanists can do with the tools of science and technology they create. That is our great calling: to evolve the human being into something better than it is.

Because transhumanism has grown so broadly by now, not all transhumanists agree with me on substantially changing the human being. Some believe we should only use technology to eliminate suffering in our lives. Religious transhumanists believe we should use brain implants and virtual reality to improves our morality and religious behavior. Others tell me politics and transhumanism should never mix, and we must always keep science out of the hands of the government.

We need unity of some significant sort because as we grow at such a fast rate there are a lot of challenges ahead. For example, the conservative Christian Right wants to enact moratoriums against transhumanism. The anarcho-primativists, led by people like the primitivist philosopher and author John Zerzan (who I debated once at Stanford University), want to eliminate much technology and go back to a hunting-gathering lifestyle which they believe is more in tune with Earths original ecology. And finally, we must be careful that the so-called one percent doesnt take transhumanist technology and leave us all in the dust, by becoming gods themselves with radical tech and not sharing the benefits with humanity.

I personally believe the largest danger of the transhumanist era is the fact that within a few decades, we will have created super-intelligent AI. What if this new entity simply decides it doesnt like humans? If something is more sophisticated, powerful, intelligent, and resilient than humans, we will have a hard time stopping it if it wants to harm or eliminate us.

Whatever happens in the future, we must take greater care than we ever have before as our species enters the transhumanist age. For the first time, we are on the verge of transforming the physical structure of our bodies and our brains. And we are inventing machines that could end up being more intelligent and powerful than we are. This type of change requires that not only governments act together, but also cultures, religions, and humanity as a whole.

In the end, I believe that a lot more people will be on board with transhumanism than admit it. Nearly all of us want to eliminate disease, protect our families from death, and create a better path and purpose for science and technology.

But I also realize that this must be done ever so delicately, so as not to prematurely push our species into crisis with our unbridled arrogance. One day, we humans may look back and revel in how far our species has evolvedinto undying mammals, cyborgs, robots, and even pure living data. And the most important part will be to be able to look back and know we didnt destroy ourselves to get there.

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What it means to be a cyborg in 2019 - Quartz