Former Vice President Al Gore Endorses Trans-Pacific Collaboration to Promote Use of Patient Cells for Drug Discovery and Development and Cell-Based Therapies

iZumi Bio, Inc., and Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), announced a collaboration to promote the basic research, development and application of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology – a form of cellular reprogramming which originated in Japan – with the goal of advancing drug discovery and enabling cell-based therapies.

“Stem cell research holds great promise for the creation of new therapies that could revolutionize the treatment of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and muscular dystrophy. The discovery that iPS cell technology brings, that “stem cell-like” cells can be generated from a small amount of human skin rather than from embryos, opens a new door for stem cell research and its application to therapeutic discovery,” said Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States and a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. Noting that Science Magazine named cellular reprogramming the “breakthrough of the year” in 2008, Gore concluded, “The partnership between these two leading organizations is a critical step in furthering this research and turning stem cell research into therapeutic realities sooner.”

Through the collaboration, iZumi and CiRA will exchange part of their representative human iPS cell lines derived by various methods. The two organizations also will conduct comparison and characterization studies independently but will share their results to determine which methods produce the most appropriate iPS cell lines for drug screening and development, and those most suitable for cell-based therapy.

“This collaboration, which is focused on the advancement of iPS cell technology, will help us attain our goal of making drug discovery and development faster, more efficient and informed in order to create new therapeutics for unmet medical needs. Our approach is based on a paradigm shift that puts the patient at the forefront of the drug discovery process. Using patient and disease-specific cells to develop assays and screening systems has the potential to change the way drug discovery has been conducted to date by shortening the time to clinic through the selection of drug candidates with a higher probability of success,” said John P. Walker, chief executive officer of iZumi. “We will initially focus on three neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, because these conditions currently have limited therapeutic treatments, and because scientists have demonstrated the ability to differentiate the affected cell types in these disorders. Through our collaboration with The Gladstone Institute, we also are focusing on cardiovascular disorders, including calcific aortic valve disease.”

iZumi and CiRA respectively offer the capability to take skin cells from a diseased patient with known genotypic and phenotypic information and reprogram the cells to behave similarly to human embryonic stem cells. These iPS cells can then be changed into various cell types in the body using directed differentiation. The differentiated cells are then transformed into cell-based, disease-specific assays to identify small molecules, biologics or other agents for drug discovery.

“We are very pleased to collaborate with iZumi, a major biotechnology venture in the United States, on the basic research to help advance this important technology. I expect that this collaboration will contribute to establishing an evaluation method for selecting safe iPS cell lines and accelerating the development of iPS cell technology globally.” said Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, director of Center for iPS Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University. “To realize clinical applications of iPS cell technology as soon as possible, CiRA will form partnerships with research institutions both in and outside of Japan to promote global collaboration.”

In 2006, Dr. Yamanaka announced that his lab succeeded in inducing iPS cells in mouse by using four transgenes – Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc – delivered into fibroblasts via retroviral vectors, which became the world’s first report of its kind. He also reported the generation of human iPS cells the following year. iPS cell technology has the potential to avoid ethical issues and the risks of immune rejection – major obstacles for embryonic stem cell use in the clinic. Dr. Yamanaka’s seminal papers have led to an explosion of renewed interest and focus in stem cell research worldwide. Recognized as a pioneer in the field of iPS cell technology, he now conducts research activities mainly at CiRA.

Source: iZumi Bio, Inc.; Kyoto University


Scotland Announces Establishment of Nurse-Family Partnership Program

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Apr 14,2009

Scotland has announced that it is adopting the Nurse-Family Partnership(C) program. Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced the pilot program during a visit to an established project in Harlem, New York, on Friday, April 10, where she met with nurses, clients and the program’s founder, Dr. David Olds.

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is a voluntary prevention program providing nurse home visitation services to low income, first-time mothers in 28 U.S. states. Nurses begin home visits early in the mother’s pregnancy and continue visitation through the child’s second year. Nurses provide support, education and counseling on health, behavioral and self-sufficiency issues.

More than 30 years of scientific research on NFP show consistent results in transforming the lives of vulnerable young families. The non-partisan Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy recently provided a summary analysis of widely-implemented home-visitation programs and found that rigorous studies providing the highest level of confidence clearly support the effectiveness of the Nurse-Family Partnership model.

“The Nurse Family Partnership is a scheme we have been committed to introducing in Scotland. The basic idea of dedicated nurses working alongside vulnerable young mums, not just during their pregnancy but also through those first vital years of a child’s life is exactly the kind of support I want to see in time across all Scotland,” said Secretary Sturgeon. “This is no untested ideal – the evidence is there from the projects already up and running that NFP has helped deliver better prenatal health, increased employment for young mothers, fewer unintended further pregnancies and helped to reduce child neglect in the families involved. It is not without very good reason that President Obama has just announced a major funding commitment to widen the NFP in the U.S.”

Scotland will pilot the NFP program in the Lothian region, which includes Edinburgh, beginning in 2010.

“Given the Scottish Government’s longstanding commitment to public health nursing, I’m honored that the government is investing in the Nurse Family Partnership as a way to promote the health of vulnerable mothers and children,” said David Olds, NFP founder and Director, Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health, University of Colorado. “We’ve tested the program for 30 years to ensure that it actually works, so I’m particularly gratified with the government’s commitment to conducting the program with fidelity to the model we’ve tested.”

Scotland joins Australia, The Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain and Canada in implementing Nurse-Family Partnership. In the U.S., where the program was developed, Nurse-Family Partnership serves more than 16,000 families in 28 states. It’s estimated that every year there are approximately 600,000 eligible first-time mothers in the U.S. that would benefit from the program.

Nurse-Family Partnership

The Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office (www.nursefamilypartnership.org) is committed to producing enduring improvements in the health and well being of low-income, first-time parents and their children by helping communities implement and sustain an evidence-based program of home visiting by registered nurses. Nurse-Family Partnership is the most rigorously tested program of its kind. Randomized, controlled trials conducted over 30 years demonstrate multi-generational outcomes that benefit society economically and reduce long-term social service expenditures. Nurse-Family Partnership is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.


‘Hands-On’ Therapies Rated More Effective Than Traditional Medical Care

Physical therapy ranks among the top treatment choices of their readers with back pain, according to a new Consumer Reports survey of more than 14,000 Americans who experience the condition. In the survey, physical therapist treatment and other “hands on” therapies outranked treatment by medical specialists and primary care providers, a result that should prompt more patients to seek conservative options as a first line of treatment for their back pain, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Orthopaedic Section. The article also urges caution when using prescription narcotics for back pain.

“Physical therapists, who are experts at improving mobility and restoring motion in people’s lives, can successfully provide very effective, safe and comprehensive treatment for back pain in many instances,” said APTA President R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD. “In today’s challenging economic times, it is important for consumers to know that physical therapist intervention can also be a more affordable and cost effective option.”

A growing body of evidence is pointing toward the effectiveness of physical therapist treatment for low back pain. A review article published in the February 2009 Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons(1) recommended that in most cases of symptomatic lumbar degenerative disc disease, a common cause of low back pain (LBP), the most effective treatment is physical therapy combined with anti-inflammatory medications.

“For pain of a ‘mechanical’ origin such as low back pain, hands-on physical therapy to mobilize the spine and exercises designed to alleviate low back pain have been shown to be particularly effective and have long-lasting effects on patients,” said James J. Irrgang, PT, PhD, ATC, president of the APTA Orthopaedic Section. “In addition to being able to provide manual therapy treatments, physical therapists are best known for providing exercises to restore mobility and prevent recurrence of low back injuries.”

Additionally, a systematic review published in the January issue of Physical Therapy (PTJ)(2), APTA’s scientific journal, found that motor control exercises, a new form of exercise for back pain that has gained the attention of researchers and health practitioners over the past decade, can significantly reduce pain and disability when performed in conjunction with other forms of therapy, in patients with persistent low back pain.

In addition to pointing out the benefits of manual therapy, the Consumer Reports article also urges back pain sufferers to be judicious in their use of prescription medications. According to Orly Avitzur, M.D., a board certified neurologist and medical advisor to Consumers Union, who comments in the Consumer Reports piece, half of the respondents to the low-back-pain survey who were prescribed drugs for their pain received an opioid pain reliever — in spite of the fact that there is little evidence to support their use in treatment of lower back pain. And, clinical trials have shown, says Avitzur, that 50 percent of those who take them experience unpleasant side effects, including cramping, vomiting and nausea to name a few.

Avitzur mentions that 25 percent of users of opioid pain relievers suffer substance-use disorders like overuse. She goes on to say that “prescriptions of opioids among patients with spinal disorders more than doubled from 1997 to 2004″ and reports of opioid overdose have risen with the numbers of prescriptions.

“So many people are more conscious of what they eat and drink than of the medications they often use without a second thought,” said Ward. “Instead of opening up the medicine cabinet as the first instinct, patients should first consider physical therapy as a less-invasive, safer and more cost-effective approach.”

In most states patients can now go directly to their physical therapist for treatment without the need for a referral from a physician. Physical therapists can diagnose and then design an appropriate treatment plan. Visit www.moveforwardpt.com to find a physical therapist near you.

Notes:

1) Madigan L, Vaccaro, A, Spector, L, Milam RA, MD. Management of symptomatic lumbar degenerative disk disease. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2009; 17:102-111.

2) Macedo L, Maher C, Latimer J, McAuley J. Motor control exercise for persistent, nonspecific low back pain: A systematic review, Phys Ther. 2009; 89: 9-25.

Physical therapists are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility — in many cases without expensive surgery or the side effects of prescription medications. APTA represents more than 70,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. Its purpose is to improve the health and quality of life of individuals through the advancement of physical therapist practice. In most states, patients can make an appointment directly with a physical therapist, without a physician referral. Learn more about conditions physical therapists can treat and find a physical therapist in your area at www.moveforwardpt.com.

Source: American Physical Therapy Association


A Serious Problem Eye Doctors Want Fixed, WatchDog Group Reports

New Contact Lens and Case Timer Solves Widespread Problem

There are over 38 million contact lens wearers in the U.S. and children are the fastest growing segment. The contact lens industry is enjoying great success, but there is danger growing under those lenses.

Danger in the form of hard to pronounce words like fusarium keratitis and acanthamoeba keratitis. These are nasty words that are causing eye health complications from minor eye infections to blindness. Thousands of patients will visit their doctors today, unnecessarily.

And the culprit? Up to 80% of all complications are traced back to poor patient compliance. More often than not, contact lens problems are simply caused by their owners’ lack of awareness of proper care techniques. Most contact lens wearers simply don’t know the basic rules. Basic rules like throwing away lens cases frequently. A frightening reality when the end result can cause blindness.

Frightening statistics

Contact lens cases need to be replaced at least every 3 months and monthly replacement is strongly recommended. Lens cases are hotbeds for dangerous bacteria and fungi. Yet over 70% of cases are contaminated from overuse and 23% (nearly 1 in 4) of all contact lens wearers never replace their lens case. Never! Also, over 60% of contact lenses are worn past their expiration date – a recipe for disaster.

These are unacceptable statistics. Contact lenses and lens cases are medical devices not fashion accessories, yet most patients get the impression that contact lenses are non-prescriptive and lens care is irrelevant.

The chair of the American Optometric Association, Paul Klein, O.D., recently wrote to the 36,000 professional members of the AOA:

Doctor, look in the mirror. When was the last time you told a patient that it was positively not OK to stretch the discard cycle of a two-week lens to three or four weeks? … When was the last time you interrogated your patients about their exact hygiene and lens care methods? When was the last time you insisted on lens case discard on a regular basis? … Unless and until we recognize our part in the problem, we should not be surprised at the absence of a solution.

But doctors can only do so much. The typical contact lens wearer only sees their doctor once a year during their annual exam and lens care is usually quickly forgotten.

In June 2008, the FDA stepped in and held a conference with industry leaders to discuss how to reduce the risk of infection caused by contact lens products. Major recommendations included: clear labeling of discard dates, frequent replacement of contact lens cases, and better communication of basic care instructions.

So what is the solution?

Contact lens and solution manufacturers need to wake up and solve basic dangers through effective communication. It is unacceptable to sell a medical device and have customers be so in the dark about basic care. Millions can reduce their risk today by replacing their dirty contact lens case. Millions can reduce their risk today by replacing their lenses on schedule. It shouldn’t be difficult to dramatically change frightening compliance statistics.

There are new products and services available to help lens wearers with their lens care. We like the LensAlert Contact Lens & Case Timer, sold by WatchDog Group, because it not only keeps track of your contact lens replacement schedule, it also lets you know when to replace your dangerous contact lens case. Simply set the timers and when the display flashes “0″ it’s time for a change. Please visit www.lensalert.com for more information.

References

  • Castellano, O.D., Carmen. 10 Steps to Improving Contact Lens Compliance. Contact Lens Spectrum. March 2004
  • Klein, O.D., Paul. A Word from Our Chair. AOA Newsletter. February 2009
  • What You Need to Know About Contact Lens Hygiene and Compliance.  American Optometric Association
  • For additional references, please visit www.lensalert.com/about.html

Source: WatchDog Group LC


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