even though the American Society for Reproductive Medicine holds that infertility is due in equal measure to male and female factors.
and morphologyre useful mainly for the diagnosis of obvious cases of male infertility. The new test,
The scientific team presented their results July 8 in Science Translational Medicine, in an article entitled,
when using assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection. pon validation,
so as to reduce the stress on the couple. About 13%of couples of reproductive age experience fertility problems.
This was confirmed by their diagnosis noted the authors of the Science Translational Medicine article. According to Dr. Krawetz, the diagnostic potential of next-generation sequencing of sperm RNA indicates this method is suited"better to the task"of analyzing the male's role in infertility,
and is a step toward personalized precision reproductive medicine that may help guide the couple to their successful treatment.
Sperm RNA analysis at present is technically challenging, but it is being automated. The technique could become part of a routine examination as"we move toward personalized and precision medicine,"Dr. Krawetz asserted.
While the test is experimental it has the potential for cost savings for both the patients and the healthcare system.
#Dissolvable Microneedles May Herald New Age of Vaccine Delivery Scientists from Osaka University report that flu vaccines delivered using microneedles that dissolve in the skin can protect people against infection even better than the standard needle-delivered vaccine.
The authors of the study (linical study and stability assessment of a novel transcutaneous influenza vaccination using a dissolving microneedle patch,
say their dissolvable patch could make vaccination easier, safer, and less painful. According to the World health organization, immunization prevents an estimated 2 million deaths every year.
The continued threat of pandemics such as H1n1 swine flu and emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola makes vaccine development and mass vaccination a priority for global healthcare.
Most vaccines are injected under the skin or into the muscle using needles. While this is an effective delivery method,
it requires medical personnel with technical skills and brings the risk of needle-related diseases and injuries.
The new microneedle patch is made of dissolvable material, eliminating needle-related risks. It is also easy to use without the need for trained medical personnel,
making it ideal for use in developing countries, where healthcare resources are limited.""Our novel transcutaneous vaccination using a dissolving microneedle patch is the only application vaccination system that is readily adaptable for widespread practical use,
"said Shinsaku Nakagawa, Ph d.,one of the authors of the paper.""Because the new patch is so easy to use,
we believe it will be particularly effective in supporting vaccination in developing countries.""The new microneedle patch (Microhyala) is dissolvable in water.
The tiny needles are made of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance that cushions the joints. When the patch is applied like a plaster,
taking the vaccine with them. The researchers compared the new system to traditional needle delivery by vaccinating two groups of people against three strains of influenza:
A/H1n1, A/H3n2, and B. None of the subjects had a bad reaction to the vaccine,
showing that it is safe to use in humans. The patch was also effective: people given the vaccine using the microneedles had an immune reaction that was equal to or stronger than those given the vaccine by injection."
"We were excited to see that our new microneedle patch is just as effective as the needle-delivered flu vaccines,
and in some cases even more effective,"said Dr. Nakagawa. Previous research has evaluated the use of microneedles made of silicon or metal,
we think it could bring about a major change in the way we administer vaccines globally, "said Dr. Nakagawa a
#Cell cycle protein Reverses Metabolic Reprogramming of Cancer cells Understanding how cancers cells reprogram cellular metabolic pathways is critical toward the development of novel therapeutic compounds.
Cutting off a cancer cell ood supplyis a veritable lynchpin for the efficient removal of tumors and now researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center believe they may have found a protein that serves that very function.
and also serve to protect cells from the transformation into tumors.""We know that all cancers grow by learning how to reprogram their metabolism,
"said senior author Mong-Hong Lee, Ph d, . professor of molecular and cellular oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. ut exactly how this occurs has not been understood fully.
Our study showed that 14-3-3s opposes and reverses tumor-promoting metabolic programs.""The findings from this study were published recently in Nature Communications through an article entitled ell cycle regulator 14-3-3s opposes
and reverses cancer metabolic reprogramming. 14-3-3s is part of a family of conserved regulatory molecules that are expressed in all eukaryotic cells.
Moreover, the 14-3-3 proteins have been observed to be involved actively in regulating an array of signaling molecules such as kinases, phosphatases,
and transmembrane receptors. 14-3-3s has been shown previously to regulate cancer genes, such as p53 and suppress tumor growth,
but in this instance the investigators were able to observe the protein acting on metabolic pathways
Dr. Lee and his team showed that 14-3-3s opposed tumor-promoting metabolic programs by increasing the degradation of the transcription factor c-Myc.
Additionally, 14-3-3s demonstrated a suppressive effect on cancer glycolysis, mitochondrial biogenesis, as well as a range of other major metabolic processes of tumors."
"14-3-3s expression levels can help predict overall and recurrence-free survival rates, tumor glucose uptake,
and metabolic gene expression in breast cancer patients,"explained Dr. Lee.""These results highlight that 14-3-3s is an important regulator of tumor metabolism,
and loss of 14-3-3s expression is critical for cancer metabolic reprogramming.""The MD Anderson team is excited about the findings from this new study
and feels that it adds extended insight into the connective pathways between the cell cycle and cancer cell metabolism."
"We anticipate that pharmacologically elevating 14-3-3s's function in tumors could be a promising direction for targeted anticancer metabolism therapy development in the future,"concluded Dr. Lee r
which are linked closely to early embryonic development and to diseases such as cancer. In plants as in animals and humans, intricate molecular networks regulate important biological functions, such as development and stress responses.
The system can be likened to a massive switchboardhen the wrong switches are flipped, genes can be inappropriately turned on or off,
leading to the onset of diseases. Now, VARI scientists report that they have unraveled how a plant protein known as TOPLESS interacts with other molecules responsible for turning genes off.
and how they interact with other molecules in health and disease states.""Although the new study provides further insight into human molecular pathways,
and an earlier Science paper, both of which describe how plants respond to drought and temperature stress.
#Biopharma Demand Is Driving the Cell Culture Market The production of biologic therapies such as vaccines, blood factors,
Biopharmaceutical production is increasing not only through the introduction of novel therapeutics, but also through the introduction of biosimilars or generic biopharmaceuticals,
It will be maintained as the source of all cells used to produce the company drug through preclinical and clinical testing and then into commercial sale.
Market Drivers An important driver of the cell culture market is the production of seasonal influenza vaccines,
as well as pandemic vaccine candidates. Seasonal influenza vaccines have traditionally been produced using egg-based technology. However, this labor-intensive approach to vaccine development is currently being replaced by cell-culture systems.
Prefluce, the first cell culture-based vaccine, received European approval in March 2011 and was available for the 2011012 influenza season in the 13 participating European union countries.
On November 20 2012, the U s. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Flucelvax, which is the first U s.-licensed (trivalent inactivated) influenza vaccine manufactured using cell culture technology.
Stem cell research will also add to the robust growth of the cell culture market. The growing use
and diverse applications of stem cells are having a significant impact on the media market,
or producing designer therapeutics, and perhaps one day even non-biological polymers, point out Dr. Mankin."
#Merck-Newlink Genetics Ebola Vaccine Shows 100%Efficacy in Phase III Trial Merck & co. and Newlink Genetics said today that a single dose of their Ebola vaccine candidate rvsv
-ZEBOV showed 100%efficacy in an analysis of interim data from a Phase III ring vaccination trial in Guinea.
According to those findings, all individuals who received the vaccine were protected against Ebola virus infection within 6 to 10 days of vaccination. he results of this interim analysis indicate that rvsv-ZEBOV might be highly efficacious and safe in preventing Ebola virus disease
when delivered during an Ebola virus disease outbreak via a ring vaccination strategy, the study team concluded.
and July 20, 2015,4, 123 people were assigned randomly to immediate vaccination with rvsv-ZEBOV, while 3, 528 people were assigned randomly to delayed vaccination during the trial, named bola ça suffit, French for bola,
that enough. n the immediate vaccination group, there were no cases of Ebola virus disease with symptom onset at least 10 days after randomization,
whereas in the delayed vaccination group there were 16 cases of Ebola virus disease from seven clusters,
showing a vaccine efficacy of 100%,the researchers added. The international team carrying out the trial included researchers from the World health organization, the Norwegian Institute of Public health, the Health Ministry of Guinea,
and Médecins sans Frontières. he extraordinary efforts of the team in Guinea and other experts have yielded interim results that suggest a potential role for our rvsv-ZEBOV vaccine in the fight against Ebola disease, Roger
M. Perlmutter, M d.,Ph d, . president of Merck Research Laboratories, said a statement. Added Charles J. Link Jr.
M d.,Newlink Geneticschairman, CEO, and CSO: e hope that the interim data published today contribute to the successful registration of our vaccine candidate,
which we believe can play an important part in diminishing the threat of Ebola. The Guinea trial is one of three ongoing studies in
The Sierra leone Trial to Introduce a Vaccine against Ebola (STRIVE) Phase III study being conducted by the Sierra leone College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, Sierra leone Ministry of Health,
and Sanitation and the U s. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); The Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL) Phase II study being conducted by a Liberia-NIH partnership in Liberia.
To date, the rvsv-ZEBOV vaccine has been administered to more than 9, 000 people in Phase I, II,
and III clinical trials. Vaccinated individuals have been shown to develop antibodies against the Ebola virus, but the significance and durability of this immune response have not been determined. rvsv-ZEBOV was engineered initially with support from the Public health Agency of Canada
and licensed to Newlink Genetics. To produce the vaccine, the vesicular stomatitis virus was weakened by removing a gene
and replacing it with a single Ebola virus gene that alone cannot cause the disease. In November 2014
during the West Africa outbreak of Ebola, Merck licensed exclusive rights to rvsv-ZEBOV from Newlink Genetics.
In February, Newlink Genetics said it received $20 million from Merck for achieving a key clinical development milestone.
Newlink also said it was tiered eligible for royalties on sales of the vaccine n certain markets, subject to certain conditions.
and the Public health Agency of Canada in helping conduct the studies have been NIH and its National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases,
the Walter reed Army Institute of Research, the Canadian Immunization Research Network, and the U s army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases.
Major funding for these studies has come from sources that include the U s. Department of defense Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, the U s. Department of health and Human Service Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority,
and the Wellcome Trust. Newlink Genetics released interim results on rvsv-ZEBOV the same day it disclosed its latest quarterly results.
and research related to the Ebola vaccine candidate, but primarily due to clinical trial expenses related to its pipeline of product candidates, including its Hyperacute immunotherapy cancer programs and its IDO pathway inhibitor (indoximod) programs
#PCR Makes the Jump to Light speed The amplification of minute amounts of genetic material is the cornerstone of every molecular biology laboratory
and often include toxic lead, while polymers are lighter, more flexible, and more durable, but not very efficient.
when EL panels made from plastic are bent too sharply, fractures and a severely diminished output usually result.
"said Doctor Ing. Rainer Kling, associate professor at the Light Technology Institute of KIT. Electroluminescent panels are a very popular way to backlight a screen,
advancing efforts to create blood for surgery and treat leukaemia and other cancers. His latest work continues in this same vein,
and make the main cell types of neurological systems-the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system-in a dish that is specialized for each patient,
suggesting that they can be overpowered by the body's own system with help from a pioneering approach known as viral therapy.
but activate the body's own immune system to stave off harmful tumors. The clinical trial was conducted across 64 research centers around the world
and led by The Institute of Cancer Research in London. It saw 436 patients suffering from inoperable skin cancers treated with a modified form of herpes virus called Talimogene Laherparepvec T-VEC.
whose genetic errors give rise to weaker defences against infections. The result is engineered a genetically virus with the ability to grow in cancer cells and blow them up from the inside.
What's more, T-VEC is designed also to produce a molecule known as GM-CSF that moves the body's immune system to destroy tumors
Some of the 436 patients where treated with injections of T-VEC, while others were given a control immunotherapy.
when used in the less advanced stages of the cancer, suggesting that T-VEC could prove a valuable early treatment option for skin cancers that are unable to be removed by a surgeon.
Patients with stage III and early stage IV melanoma a condition that was shown to carry an average survival of 21.5 months
The scientists say that T-VEC is the first of such viral therapies to be proven beneficial in treating melanoma in a phase III clinical trial.
The drug has been submitted to both the US Federal Drug and Food administration and the European Medicines Agency for consideration, with the scientists hopeful of winning approval later this year.
The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology y
#Ballistic wallpaper to help protect soldiers seeking temporary shelter It sounds like an old Goon Show joke,
The fruit fly (or Drosophila) is one of the most important model organisms used in biomedical research it's easy to care for
and identification of these tiny beasts requires many monotonous human hours and anesthesia. This isn't always a good mix,
and avoiding anesthesia. Once restrained, the robot can identify the gender and physical characteristics of the fly and even prepare microdissections to analyze the brain.
Some also see potential for the portable paper power tech to create diagnostic tools for disease control in the developing world.
This involves a surgeon implanting electrical leads into the region of the brain that controls movement.
A pulse generator inserted under the skin below the collarbone provides electrical signals that create a lesion,
and not all patients qualify for the surgery. We asked if there was a way to provide the same treatment in a less invasive way that doesn't require brain surgery."
"From there, the students learned about an experimental clinical treatment called transcranial direct current stimulation, which involves low-level current being passed through electrodes on a patient's head.
Their prototype works for up to 20 minutes per day, with current delivered at a doctor-prescribed level.
with a likely additional feature being remote connectivity that allows a doctor to adjust a home patient's treatment levels from his or her office.
and areas such as rehabilitation therapy. This kind of technology also has obvious potential in industry, where constant heavy lifting is still very much a part of many working lives.
It also has knock-on effects for employers trying to retain workers, health care systems, and even the ability of countries to keep jobs from going abroad.
This unprecedentedly high graphene composition means that the oft-praised electric and mechanical properties of graphene might soon find their way into all kinds of macroscopic 3d printed creations, with important consequences for the electronics and biomedical fields (among many others.
according to the scientists involved, makes the objects printed with this ink highly flexible and safe for biomedical applications.
The ability to tune the elasticity of the material at will could prove important in manufacturing biomedical polymers that can,
paving the way for these materials to be used for biodegradable sensors and medical implants. But the applications of a highly-conductive graphene ink could be
Additionally, narcotic painkillers like Oxycontin are acquired frequently by prescription but then sold for recreational use. In the case of the Johns Hopkins dispenser, medication is added by the pharmacist via a lockable opening in the bottom the pharmacist has a key to that opening,
#Elastic, wound-healing hydrogel activated by light Hydrogels have huge potential in the field of biomedicine,
sticking to the tissue at the site of injury and creating a barrier over a wound."
and had no toxic effects on living cells in the lab. The team also discovered that mixing the gel with silica nanoparticles gave it the ability to more effectively prevent bleeding,
something that could allow better protection of a wound and stop bleeding with a single treatment.
The scientists say that more preclinical studies are required to test the gel's properties and safety before human trials will be possible.
the hardware inside is starting to show huge promise in the world of medical diagnostics,
with smartphones repurposed as blood-scanning microscopes, HIV testers and sleep apnea detectors. The latest advance in this area comes in the form of a fiber optic sensor for smartphones that monitors bodily fluids,
a tool that could be used for biomolecular tests such as pregnancy or diabetes monitoring. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a process where a stream of light is directed onto a metallic film, with most,
#Ultrasound cuts healing time of chronic wounds by 30 percent Further to the mental anguish, a lot of time in a hospital bed can bring about some agonizing physical discomfort.
This is most commonly brought about by skin ulcers and bedsores, which threaten to evolve into dangerous and potentially deadly infections if left untreated.
But a British research team has happened upon a technique that promises to cut the healing time of these
and other chronic wounds by around a third, using simple low-intensity ultrasounds. Wound healing presents a serious problem for two demographics in particular
the elderly and those with diabetes. When a young and healthy person incurs an injury to the skin,
connective tissue cells called fibroblasts migrate to the site of the wound and kickoff the healing process.
But skin defects that are typical of above groups prevent the migration of fibroblasts and make healing problematic, sometimes leading to amputation.
It found the technique reduced healing times by 30 percent in aged and diabetic mice,
The team also observed that the technique could be replicated successfully in human venous leg ulcer patients,
indicating that it could be applicable to other chronic human wounds. And because it is modelled on
#Smart capsule keeps hold of payload until reaching its target We have drugs to treat nasty conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease,
a bacterial infection that causes the body to lose microorganisms essential in fighting off infection. One method used to treat C. difficile involves transplanting feces from another person into the large intestine to provide it with the missing microorganisms.
which could be used to improve night-vision technology, biomedical imaging, and high-speed telecommunications. The team next plan to build
It may one day be used to reverse acquired blindness, alter pain thresholds and even hit the rest button on our biological clocks.
"Now, we literally can deliver drug therapy with the press of a button, "says Jordan Mccall, a graduate student at Washington University in St louis and member of the research team."
The scientists say the technology could be used to one day treat pain, epilepsy, depression and other neurological disorders.
#Laser device may soon non-invasively monitor diabetics'glucose levels In order to monitor their blood glucose levels, diabetics typically have to perform painful and inconvenient finger-prick blood tests in some cases, several times a day.
Using an implantable glucose-monitoring sensor is one alternative, although it must be installed surgically and subsequently removed for replacement.
this technology opens up the potential for people with diabetes to receive continuous readings, meaning they are alerted instantly
or readings directly to doctors, allowing them to profile how a person is managing their diabetes over time."
#Pill on a string pulls early signs of cancer As with every form of the deadly disease,
early detection of oesophageal cancer is critical to recovery. The current approach of detecting the cancer through biopsy can be a little hit and miss,
so the University of Cambridge's Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald and her team have developed what they claim to be a more accurate tool for early-diagnosis. Billed as"a pill on a string,
"the Cytosponge is designed to scrape off cells from the length of the oesophagus as it is yanked out after swallowing,
According to Fitzgerald, the five-year survival rate for oesophageal cancer is only 13 percent, a fact
which has led researchers to hunt for signs of a condition that precedes the disease, known as Barrett's oesophagus.
Between one and five of every 100 people with Barrett's oesophagus go on to develop oesophageal cancer.
Using biopsies to detect the pre-cancer condition is problematic for a couple of reasons. It requires trained scientists to pore over the samples looking for abnormalities,
which introduces a degree of subjectivity and possible human error. And although a stretch of oesophagus affected by Barrett's could measure as much as 10 cm (4 in),
the biopsy may not really reveal much at all. So Fitzgerald and her team developed a solution they say can provide more accurate results.
With a string attached and in the nurse's hand, the sponge is pulled then up through the oesophagus.
"If youe taking a biopsy, this relies on your hitting the right spot, "says Fitzgerald."
"The researchers are hopeful the Cytosponge could replace expensive and invasive endoscopies. Already more than 2, 000 patients have swallowed the device in testing,
The team's latest research into Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal cancer was published in the journal Nature Genetics.
#Mussel-inspired surgical glue shuts down bleeding wounds in 60 seconds The ability of mussels to stubbornly bind themselves to underwater surfaces has intrigued scientists for years.
A team of Korean scientists has developed now a surgical glue inspired by these natural wonders that's claimed to be cheaper,
In surgery, stitches and staples are very effective at binding body tissue together, but they can cause scarring
mussel protein-based adhesive (LAMBA) and claim to have proven its superiority to existing surgical glues.
the scientist say it was able to close bleeding wounds in less than 60 seconds and healed them without inflammation
#Age-related macular degeneration patient receives bionic eye transplant You might remember the Argus II implant from
Providing the implant works as intended, the patient will perceive patterns of light, which they can learn to interpret,
the implant received market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US, for the treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) a degenerative condition that affects the peripheries of patient vision.
The procedure was carried out at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital in the United kingdom, by Dr. Paulo Strange MD.
Though this is only the first test using the implant for AMD sufferers, those initial positive results are extremely promising.
and to have the opportunity to help a great deal more people living with blindness, "says Second sight's Executive officer, Dr. Robert Greenberg."
#Needle-sized mechanical wrist gives surgery a new angle Some of the most difficult types of surgery just got easier and more versatile.
A team of engineers and doctors at Vanderbilt University has developed a tiny mechanical wrist that can be used for millimeter-sized incisions
Many larger surgical tools with flexible ends already exist, with designs that range from 2. 4 to 15 mm (0. 1 to 0. 6 in) in diameter,
While the mechanical wrist is expected to be useful in many different kinds of precise, small-scale surgery,
the researchers believe it will be particularly handy in needlescopic surgery (also known as micro-laparoscopy). This involves making incisions so tiny that they can be sealed with surgical tape and leave no scar behind.
Like laparoscopy, but on a smaller scale, it is accomplished using tiny surgical instruments that are fed through narrow tubes into the incision,
with a similarly tiny camera providing visual guidance. It's minimally-invasive surgery taken to the extreme.
Armed with the flexible mechanical wrist, surgeons will soon be able to conduct operations on this scale through natural orifices such as the nose
and throat and through the sharp corners encountered in other areas such as the ankle and middle ear.
the researchers plan to test the wrist in transnasal surgery. This kind of surgery normally involves cutting a big hole in a patient's skull
or face so that tumors can be removed from the pituitary gland and skull base. It can also be done through the nasal cavity with an endoscope (a thin tube with a camera attached),
but the procedure is extremely difficult. The mechanical wrist, they hope, will make this less-invasive alternative and many other kinds of operations less difficult,
"We think once we give this tool to surgeons, they will find all kinds of applications we haven't thought of,
and the software interface that allows surgeons to control the mechanical wrist should be completed by the end of August.
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