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Cell Biology

INRS researchers involved in work to create a COVID-19 vaccine – Laval News

Professors Nicolas Doucet andYves St-Pierreof the Laval-based Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) are contributing their expertise in structural and cell biology to the race for a vaccine against COVID-19.

In partnership with Glycovax Pharma, a company with operations also in Laval, the two researchers will evaluate the feasibility of a vaccine strategy targeting carbohydrate molecules located on the surface of the coronavirus Spike protein.

A fortunate coincidence

It was a fortunate coincidence that the carbohydrate molecules on which the biopharmaceutical company has been working on since 2017 are present on the Spike protein. Glycovax Pharma is one step ahead because antibody development is already ongoing, says Professor Doucet.

Even if antibodies are currently being synthesized, two key issues need to be considered. First, the antibodies must be able to reach the targeted carbohydrates on the Spike protein. Researchers also need to ensure that these carbohydrate molecules are present on the Spike protein at all times, regardless of the type of infected cells in the host.

Essential steps to follow

For instance, SARS-CoV-2 is known to attack the respiratory system, so if the lung cells do not attach the proper carbohydrates of interest to the coronavirus Spike protein after infection, the strategy may not be effective, he cautions.

These are essential steps in validating a vaccine approach. Our results will allow Glycovax Pharma to prioritize certain antibodies or to put forward other complementary approaches, he says.

The research project in partnership with Glycovax Pharma is funded by a Mitacs Accelerate grant that will support the work of postdoctoral fellow Yossef Lpez de los Santos over the next year.

An exciting project

Its exciting to be part of a talented team that is committed to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, he says. I see our goal as quite ambitious, but at the same time, its a great opportunity to use our expertise in structural biology to help address a global problem.

This partnership with INRS experts in structural and cellular biology represents an important contribution in the pursuit of our work, saysDany Valiquette, president of Glycovax. Their contribution will help us take essential steps in the development of a new vaccine to counter COVID-19.

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INRS researchers involved in work to create a COVID-19 vaccine - Laval News

Cell Biology

Synthetic Biology Market Research Revealing the Growth Rate and Business Opportunities to 2027 – Science Examiner

Synthetic Biology Market: Introduction

Transparency Market Research has published a new report titled, Synthetic Biology Market. According to the report, the globalsynthetic biology marketwas valued atUS$ 4.96 Bnin2018and is projected to expand at a CAGR of26.3%from2019to2027.

In terms of product, the core product segment accounted for major share of the global synthetic biology market in2018. The segment is anticipated to witness strong growth from2019to2027. The core product segment is further sub-segmented into synthetic DNA, synthetic genes, synthetic cells, XNA (xeno nucleic acid), and chassis organisms. The synthetic DNA sub-segment accounted for major share of the global synthetic biology market due to the increasing research & developmental activities associated to this sub-segment and increased penetration in the market.

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Based on technology, the genome engineering segment held a major share in2018in synthetic biology market, due to its ability to make alterations to the genome of the living cell, and thereby gaining attention of the scientists and key players.

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Based on application, the health care segment held a prominent share in2018in synthetic biology market due to increase in prevalence of various diseases, rise in key players, and expanding infrastructure as well as increasing focus of government in treatments and facilities in health care

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Global Synthetic biology Market: Prominent Regions

North America held the largest share of the global synthetic biology market in 2018. North America accounted for significant share of the global synthetic biology market in2018.The market in the region is likely to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period.

The U.S. is projected to dominate the synthetic biology market in the region during the forecast period, owing to early adoption of technologies. The country is anticipated to be the most attractive market for synthetic biology, with high attractiveness index.

Global Synthetic Biology Market: Key Players

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Synthetic Biology Market Research Revealing the Growth Rate and Business Opportunities to 2027 - Science Examiner

Cell Biology

Researchers look to the eye for insights about the brain – Newswise

Newswise Researchers seeking to unravel the mysteries of how our amazingly complex brains do what they do, often start with the eye. An extension of neural tissue connecting the eye and brain, the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye has long been a model for scientists to explore how the brain works.

Much of what we know about the brain comes from studies of the retina because it is far more accessible for investigation, said Santa Tumminia, Ph.D., acting director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Decades of NEI-supported research on retinal cells has led to fundamental discoveries about how one nerve cell communicates with another, how different cell types process different kinds of sensory information, and how neural tissue develops and organizes itself into circuits, she said.

Studies of the retina, optic nerve and primary visual cortex therefore are a part of the Federally led moonshot project called the BRAIN Initiative, which aims to elucidate how the brain functions in health and disease. The hope is that such knowledge will help accelerate progress in treating and preventing brain disorders such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, depression and traumatic brain injury.

Since launching six years ago, the BRAIN initiative, short for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, has funded dozens of vision-related projects. About 40% of BRAIN projects involve vision-related research or involve investigators currently or formerly funded by the NEI.

The NIH leads the public-private initiative in coordination with partners from industry, academia and other federal research agencies, including the NEI. BRAIN launched in 2014 as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. Signed into law by Congress in December 2016, the Act was designed to accelerate the development of medical innovations and therapeutic advances.

Taking inventory

The brain is a complex tissue comprising a diverse range of uncharacterized cell types. Many initial BRAIN projects are therefore aimed at figuring out how to discriminate cell types in such a complex tissue. These cell census projects aspire to create a whole-brain atlas that systematically characterizes cell diversity. Classifying cell types by their morphology, molecular and functional properties, and connectivity is seen as a starting point for understanding how the brain works.

Researchers looking to validate tools for sorting cell types in the brain start with the retina since much is already known about its various cell types, according to BRAIN Investigator, Joshua Sanes, Ph.D., professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University.

Such is the case with Drop-seq, a technique that analyzes different cell types within a complex tissue. Though its development was not funded by BRAIN, Drop-seq was first deployed on a slice of mouse retina in a BRAIN-funded project as a way of validating whether the technique would be up to the task of sorting through cell types in the brain.

Sanes and a team led by Steve McCarroll, Ph.D., professor of biomedical science and genetics at Harvard Medical School, identified 44,808 single-cell profiles in their sample of retina, from which they teased out 39 distinct cell populations according to genetic information stored in each cells RNA. Reassuringly, Drop-seq was able to confirm the identities of many mouse retinal cell types that had previously been identified. The investigators went on to generate a complete cell atlas of the mouse retina, and then used this as a foundation to generate atlases of human and other retinas.2

Most importantly, the findings confirmed Drop-seqs potential usefulness as a tool to sort through and catalogue the various cell types in the brain.3

Drop seq is a great way to quickly go through a tissue and tell what sorts of genes are expressed in the tissue by different cell types, said Thomas Greenwell, Ph.D., program director for retinal neuroscience at the NEI.

Developed in McCarrolls lab, Drop-seq quickly, inexpensively, and simultaneously profiles the gene expression of many different cell types in a complex tissue, and it does so cell by cell. The technique uses microfluidics to encapsulate single cells in droplets and microbeads covered with barcoded primers. The system allows researchers to capture and barcode a useful fraction of RNA, which labels gene expression from each cell. Future studies can then start to look how each cell type functions over time, and in health and disease.

From cells to circuits

Similarly, another project, EyeWire, began by classifying cell types in the retina as a step toward understanding how neurons form circuits. Led by Sebastian Seung, Ph.D., professor of computer science at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, EyeWire is a citizen science project that has amassed a 3D interactive online museum of retinal cell types as well as their connections with other neurons.

The project began with 3D electron microscopy scanning of a section of mouse retina. The result was millions of 2D grayscale, cross-sectional images that lack depth information. Seung and his team turned to public crowdsourcing for help translating the greyscale images into colorful 3D representations of the neurons. The online game EyeWire assigns each player a cube of microscopy images -- each cube is only a fraction of the width of a single hair. Gamers earn points by selecting and coloring the pathway of a neurons branches through their cube in collaboration with an artificial intelligence algorithm.

Since 2012, EyeWire gamers have mapped thousands of retinal neurons, including nearly 400 retinal ganglion cells, the types of cells that form the optic nerve that connects the eye and the brain.4 In addition, the project identified six new types of neurons in the retina and reconstructed previously unknown circuits.

Similarly, a recently launched BRAIN-funded project is underway to reconstruct some 100,000 neurons and their synapses in brain tissue. The Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS Explorer) program, is developing a visualization tool that features excitatory cortical neurons from mouse primary visual cortex. The dataset includes electron microscopy-based reconstructions of circuitry, along with corresponding connectivity and functional imaging data collected by a consortium of laboratories and led by NEI-funded investigators, Seung at Princeton; R Clay Reid, M.D., Ph.D., the Allen Institute for Brain Science; and Andreas Tolias, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine.

All together now: Visual processing as a model for studying brain circuitry

Vision researchers have used behaving-animal models and other techniques to develop detailed maps of how the many visual areas throughout the brain are functionally organized and interconnected. This information allows interesting questions to be addressed such as how circuits function to control eye movement, to guide the motion of our bodies and vehicles through space, to recognize complex objects such as faces, and in cognitive processes such as selective attention and visual memory.

BRAIN researcher, R Clay Reid, M.D., Ph.D., senior investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, studies brain circuitry by building on the knowledge of how neurons in the visual system respond to visual stimuli. He hopes to not only map circuits within the visual system, but capture the physiology of those circuits, how each cell functions and contributes to the circuit working properly.

Reid is using a modified virus to label ensembles of visual cortex neurons, all of which connect with a single 'target' neuron in each experiment. Once the neurons are labeled, they are using an advanced form of scanning-laser imaging to make movies of each neuron's activity in response to carefully chosen visual stimuli.

Together, these tools will allow them to probe the functional logic of wiring within three visual cortical areas. They will then examine the functional logic of connections between these areas.

The data we collect will serve as a foundation for understanding connections among cortical circuits and provide new, data-driven models of cortical function, Reid said.

Engineering vision -- without the eye

Other BRAIN investigators are attempting to artificially produce vision with a strategy that bypasses the eyes. The concept that our brains are capable of visual perception without the eyes has a long history including an observation in 1918. During brain surgery to remove bone fragments from a bullet wound, the patients brain was stimulated with a small electrical current, and he reported seeing small flashes of light in his visual field despite the absence of such light.

Numerous studies since have sought to leverage the ability to stimulate the visual cortex to produce percepts of light, called phosphenes. Biomedical engineering advances have yielded technologies to wirelessly power and control electrodes in the brain to stimulate light percepts.

Building on those advances, NEI-supported researcher Daniel Yoshor, M.D., formerly chair and professor of neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine, clinically tested a visual prosthesis system to help people with ocular causes of blindness regain at least some functional vision.

The device, called Orion, generates visual perception via an array of stimulating electrodes implanted on the surface of the visual cortex to deliver patterned electrical stimuli. A camera mounted on the patients glasses captures video images and then a computer translates those images into a series of small electrical pulses transmitted wirelessly to the electrodes implanted on the visual cortex.

Imagine that for every spot in a persons visual field, theres a corresponding set of visual cortical neurons that represents that area. The idea is to precisely stimulate someones visual cortical neurons such that we produce the perception of a spot of light corresponding to the visual world to reproduce vision, said Yoshor, who is now chair and professor of neurosurgery at the the University of Pennsylvania.

Yoshor collaborated with BRAIN investigators, Nader Pouratian M.D., Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles; Robert Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Alfred E. Mann Foundation; and Jessy Dorn, Ph.D., Second Sight Medical Products, which developed the device.

The team has had remarkable early success tuning the stimuli and training wearers of the device to achieve some moderately useful vision, said Martha Flanders, Ph.D., director of the Central Visual Processing Program at the NEI.

In a recent study, the team successfully calibrated the prosthesis system so that stimulation of the visual cortex conveyed the act of drawing of letters. Device wearers were able to reproduce letters on a touchscreen, with a striking correspondence between the predicted shape of the letters and the perceived shape of the letters.1

NEI and BRAIN funding for the projects include grants: 1U01MH105960-01 to Sanes; U19NS104648 to Seung; R01NS104949, RF1MH117820 to Reid; R01EY023336 to Yoshor; and 1UH3NS103442 to Pouratian.

1 Beauchamp, M. S. et al. Dynamic Stimulation of Visual Cortex Produces Form Vision in Sighted and Blind Humans. Cell 181, 774-783.e775, doi:10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.033 (2020).

2 Peng, Y.-R. et al. Molecular Classification and Comparative Taxonomics of Foveal and Peripheral Cells in Primate Retina. Cell 176, 1222-1237.e1222, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.01.004 (2019).

3 Macosko, EvanZ. et al. Highly Parallel Genome-wide Expression Profiling of Individual Cells Using Nanoliter Droplets. Cell 161, 1202-1214, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.05.002 (2015).

4 Bae, J. A. et al. Digital Museum of Retinal Ganglion Cells with Dense Anatomy and Physiology. Cell 173, 1293-1306.e1219, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.04.040 (2018).

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Researchers look to the eye for insights about the brain - Newswise

Cell Biology

Brilliant teen who grew up on P.E.I. eyes fast-tracking PhD – The Guardian

University sensation Vivian Xie is pursuing a PhD in biology a lofty academic goal she hopes to attain by the age of 20.

That would see her nab the highest university degree that is conferred after a course of study in Canada roughly 15 years earlier than is the average according to data from Statistics Canada.

The typical path to a PhD is a bachelors degree, followed by two-year masters, followed by four to five years for a PhD.

Xie is exploring the possibility of direct entry for a PhD after she gets her bachelor degree in biology, which is expected after her upcoming year of studying cell biology at the University of Toronto.

That fast-track to a doctor of philosophy is rare, but so is Xie.

The brilliant 15-year-old phenom from China, who grew up on Prince Edward Island, has made education look more like a sprint than a marathon.

Xie has been demonstrating mind-boggling academic superiority, but never in a boastful manner, from the moment she stepped into Grade 1 at Prince Street School after her family moved to Charlottetown.

She skipped Grade 3 and after breezing through Grade 4, she wanted to jump all the way up to Grade 7. Her elementary school principal felt there would be too much of an age gap socially.

A private school in Halifax felt otherwise after testing the young scholastic wonder. Xie was placed into Grade 8.

After completing Grade 8 and 9 at the private school, a 10-year-old Xie jumped into Grade 11 at Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown in the International Baccalaureate program for academically gifted students.

Almost two months shy of becoming a teenager, Xie started her studies at the University of Prince Edward Island as the youngest student by far to ever attend UPEI.

In September 2018, she transferred to the University of Toronto on academic merit and will be heading into her fourth year of biology in a few months with her 16th birthday coming later on Oct. 30.

Charlie Keil, principal of Innis College at U of T, says two years ago the then 13-year-old Xie was the youngest student he is aware of to enroll at the university.

Keil says Xie has a level of maturity and degree of self-confidence well beyond her years.

Its rather astounding,"he says.

The term I tend to use is self-possessed just very aware of her capacity and (her ability) to navigate the world."

Keil says he would not be surprised if Xie earned her PhD by the age of 20. He notes the star student has developed the skills to master a demandingly heavy six-course load.

Xie dismisses any suggestion that she has foregone her childhood to focus on nothing other than education.

Not at all,"she insists.

She does concede that in high school she went through a bit of a loner phase"but got over it quickly.

At U of T, she fits in with the crowd.

She did not want to be coddled because of her age, so for the most part she kept it a secret.

Sarah Grubb, a 20-year-old business student at U of T, connected with Xie right away.

She never gave thought to the fact Xie is five years younger usually a cavernous social gap between such ages.

If she never told me (her age) I would have thought she was my age or older, says Grubb.

She has a certain way of speaking and writing which is really mature for her age you could probably talk about 'Viv' all day she has so many layers of personality and creativity."

Grubb adds Xie is a down-to-earth person who is enjoying her social life as well as her academic experience.

I genuinely think that she is like all of us at university,"says Grubb.

It is just that she understands things a lot easier than the rest of us do."

Xie lives in an apartment near the campus with her mother, her grandmother and her miniature poodle named Goji.

At 15, she is not old enough to go out and drink with her friends but is quick to note she spends plenty of time socializing with her peers, notably spending a lot of time hanging out playing Minecraft a virtual open world video game where players can dig, mine, build, craft and enchant things.

In fact, Xie has collaborated with the University of Toronto to create an all-online summer Minecraft camp. She will be doing the artwork and also present as a guest speaker biologist.

Xie is also writing a book her first that she hopes to complete by summers end. She describes the work as a fun fantasy set in a P.E.I.-type setting that pits two neighbours, one a witch, against each other.

Her career goal, once she earns her PhD in dizzying fashion, is to do research in the field of genetic disorders, perhaps one day playing a role in finding a cure for cancer.

Keil is likely not alone in wanting to see what the future holds for this remarkable teenager.

Now that I met her, I am definitely keeping tabs on her,"he says.

Vivian Xie has plenty of interests outside of biology, including:

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Brilliant teen who grew up on P.E.I. eyes fast-tracking PhD - The Guardian

Immunology

Bathing Babies More Than Once a Week Ups Eczema Risk – Medscape

Bathing an infant more than once a week nearly doubles the risk for eczema, and each additional bath increases the risk for skin-barrier dysfunction, according to new research.

"More bathing results in higher transdermal water loss," said investigator Thomas Marrs, PhD, from King's College London.

Maybe we are only meant to bath weekly, he told Medscape Medical News.

Previous studies have looked at bathing frequency in infants with eczema, but this is the first time investigators have looked at bathing in a general population of infants at a time when eczema typically develops, he said.

"Different professionals advise differently. Wash less? Wash more? There's a wide range of difference in awareness of the importance of this," he said. And although this is an observational study, it "tells us there is a relationship between bathing and skin dryness."

Marrs presented results from a recent study on the link between bathing, skin-barrier dysfunction, and eczema at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2020 Digital Congress.

For their study, he and his colleagues assessed babies from England and Wales who were part of the Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study, which evaluated the early introduction of food and allergy development.

Parents completed a questionnaire when their 3-month-old infants were enrolled in EAT, and again at 12 months. They were asked about the use of moisturizer, shampoo, soap, bubble baths, bath oil, and baby wipes, bathing frequency, and their assessment of how dry the baby's skin was.

Infants were assessed at 3 months and 12 months for eczema, using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) protocol, and for transdermal water loss on the left forearm skin.

The risk for eczema at 3 months was significantly higher in babies bathed more than once weekly than in those bathed less often (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.69; P= .03).

"In the first few months of life, there's a pride in routine, in bath, story, bed," Marrs said. However, "I would caution against a daily bathing routine; once a week is enough for a young baby, particularly if they have risk factors for developing eczema."

But for babies who have eczema, bathing should perhaps be done more frequently to avoid infection. For these infants, "this is more complicated," he explained. "Eczema gets more angry when it is left to be infected. The more staph on the skin, the more inflamed. So it may be important to wash more, but we don't know where the balance lies."

At 3 months, skin-barrier dysfunction transdermal water loss of at least 15g/m per h was higher in the 317 infants (24.4%) who had eczema than in the 986 who did not (15.7 vs 12.4g/m per h; P< .001).

And each additional bath per week was independently associated to skin-barrier dysfunction after adjustment for family history of eczema, inherited filaggrin mutation, and family reporting of dry skin and use of emollients (aOR, 1.21; P< .001).

Skin-barrier dysfunction was seen in 14.6% of those bathed no more than once a week, 26.4% in those bathed two to four times a week, 30.4% of those bathed five or six times a week, and 44.0% of those bathed at least daily.

The association between bathing frequency and eczema was lost at 12 months.

"This is really an observational study showing an association in early life," Marrs said. "We need a more robust study. Bathing wasn't absolutely stable from 3 to 12 months of age."

Although less bathing improved transdermal water loss and eczema, it did not improve rates of food sensitization. I

n fact, at 12 months, food sensitization scores were better in frequent bathers.

On skin-prick tests, sensitization was reduced in frequent bathers for peanut (3mm; aOR, 0.22; P= .004) and egg (3mm; aOR, 0.43; P= .04), even after correction for the presence of eczema at 3 months.

"What struck me is that while there was a big decrease in skin sensitization, it wasn't there when we looked in the blood. We can't say there's cause and effect without a clinical trial," Marrs said. "These results were a surprise. It may be that the skin acts as a physical barrier, and if it's dry it's more permeable and more allergens can disrupt skin, which makes it more likely to get sensitization."

The strongest known risk factor of atopic dermatitis is a family history of atopic disease.

"We need to look further at this," he added. Although the study was not powered to look at this, it's "a very good thought teaser."

Around the world, eczema is on the rise, said Umit Sahiner, MD, from Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, during his presentation on causes and current treatment approaches for eczema in children.

"The strongest known risk factor of atopic dermatitis is a family history of atopic disease," he said. "If one or both of the parents have it, the risk for the child is five- or sixfold."

In urban settings, ultraviolet exposure, a dry climate, a diet high in sugars, repeat use of antibiotics, and higher education have all been associated with increased risk for eczema, he said. To date, bathing has not been considered as a risk factor.

Marrs and Sahiner have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) 2020 Digital Congress.

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Bathing Babies More Than Once a Week Ups Eczema Risk - Medscape

Embryology

Re X [2020] and the Court’s continued legal creativity in surrogacy cases – Lexology

The recent decision of Re X marks a further departure from the strict application of the legal requirements for a parental order, and a more flexible, creative interpretation of the law to fit the difficult circumstances on the facts. The further chipping away at the mandatory s54 requirements marks a further example of why a wholesale update of the law is required.

In England & Wales, Intended Parents must apply for a transfer of legal parenthood by way of a Parental Order after the baby has been born. To qualify for a Parental Order, the intended parent/parents, need to satisfy the qualifying criteria set out in section 54 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. These criteria are described fully here. It is only if those criteria are met that a Parental Order can be made. Sadly, there have been cases where it has not been possible for legal parenthood to transfer from the surrogate (and if applicable, her spouse) to the intended parent(s), because one or more of the criteria cannot be met, but the Courts are demonstrating more than ever a willingness to find a creative approach to the interpretation of the law to prevent that from being the case in all but the most difficult of circumstances. The result has been a gradual weakening of the mandatory nature of the requirements meaning that the law, as strictly written, no longer truly represents the reality on the ground.

The Section 54 criteria have been criticised by academics, practitioners and judges for as long as the law has been in force. In some cases, the Court has used its interpretative powers to bend the criteria wide enough to allow some perfectly sensible and appropriate applications, but which arguably fall outside of the strict rules. In others, the Court has found the Section 54 to be so restrictive that it was incompatible with human rights, placing the onus on Parliament to change them (which it eventually did in order to allow single applicants for example), but there is only so far the legislation can be corrected piecemeal, before it needs to be re-written.

The case of Re X focussed on the complications which arose after the Intended Father died unexpectedly before the PO application could be made.

The intended parents were Mr and Mrs Y. Their child referred to as X - was conceived via surrogacy using Mr Ys sperm and a donor egg. The surrogate was married. Therefore, upon birth, the legal parents were the surrogate and her husband. Very sadly, Mr Y died suddenly during the pregnancy.

Mrs Y applied for a Parental Order, asking that the application in fact be granted jointly not only to her, but also to her deceased husband, to create the legal relationship between he and X, even though he had died. Without a joint order, Mr Y would not be on Xs birth certificate and would not be the legal father. Even though Mr Y had died, he remains a central part of Xs identity. Further, Mrs Y was unable to qualify for a parental order as a single applicant, because she was not biologically related to the child.

The surrogate and her husband supported an application and order being made in favour of Mrs Y and her husband jointly. Due to the legal complexities, X was legally represented in the proceedings, and Xs litigation guardian also supported the order being made, the issue was how the mandatory requirements could be interpreted in way that allowed it to happen and indeed whether it was possible to do that without reaching a stage whereby the court was, in effect, simply ignoring the legal requirements.

The problems were that the Section 54 Criteria requires that:

This was an otherwise straightforward surrogacy arrangement which, for the reasons above, seemed initially to fall through the holes in the criteria, leaving Mrs Y, X and the surrogate in limbo. The Courts decision was binary: if the criteria could not be met (even within the context of the Courts creative interpretation), the Order could not be made, however much the Court may want to do so on a human level.

The Judge in this case looked at alternatives. None of them were attractive. An order that X should live with Mrs Y would give her parental responsibility until X was 18, but it would not sever the parental ties with the surrogate and her husband. Mrs Y could potentially apply for an adoption of X as a single applicant, but the parental link with Mr Y would not be protected and in any event, adoption does not reflect the truth of Xs conception and place in the family unit.

Applying some legal creativity, the Court was able to resolve the matter.

The Court considered the human rights of X and Mrs Y. It found that a failure to protect Xs connection with her father would discriminate against her right to enjoy her private and family life on the basis of her circumstances. Her status should be no different to what it would be had she been born in any other way. Arguably also, Mrs Y would have been subject to similar discrimination on the basis of being a widow. Both the right to enjoy a private and family life, and the right to do so without discrimination, are protected human rights. It was therefore resolved that the s54 criteria should be read in a way which allowed them to reflect the human rights of those involved.

So far as it is possible to do so, the Court can read and give effect to legislation in a way which is compatible with the Human Rights Act 1998. The Court felt it was able to read down the Section 54 criteria beyond its strict interpretation. That meant the Court was satisfied it could interpret the legislation as follows:

Happily, the Court granted the parental order.

This is another case in which the Court had to rely upon legal gymnastics to achieve justice after complexities arose after a surrogacy arrangement. It is fortunate for Mrs Y that it was possible on this occasion. This case still adds to the growing collection showing the limitations of the Section 54 Criteria as currently drafted and how the application of the law is slowly drifting away from the technical requirements. It should not be necessary for Intended Parents to have to go through what can be several years of complex and stressful litigation, and uncertainty, to resolve such issues when they arise and the law needs to reflect the needs of the growing numbers who now embark on surrogacy to expand their family. It is reassuring that the courts want to find a resolution to these cases, to give effect to what was intended and to avoid life-long legal complications, but many involved in surrogacy cases look forward to a situation whereby such creativity is not needed, and solutions can be more straightforward.

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Re X [2020] and the Court's continued legal creativity in surrogacy cases - Lexology

Anatomy

Anatomy of Yet Another Hate Crime False Alarm – Reason

From the New York Post (Craig McCarthy):

The three cops at the center of the NYPDmilkshake "poisoning" scandal never even got sick, and there wasn't the slightest whiff of criminality from the get-go but that didn't stop gung-ho brass from rolling out the crime scene tape and unions from dishing out empty conspiracy theories, The Post has learned.

Police sources explained it was clear that the workers couldn't have known cops had placed the orders "since it wasn't done in person" and they couldn't have dosed the drinks after the officers arrived, because they were packaged and waiting for pickup when the trio walked in.

Soon after sipping the shakes, however, the cops realized they didn't taste or smell right, so they threw the drinks in the trash and alerted a manager, who apologized and issued them vouchers for free food or drink, which they accepted, according to sources.

But when the cops told their sergeant about the incident, the supervisor called in the Emergency Service Unit to set up a crime scene at the fast-food joint for an evidence search around 9:20 p.m. nearly two hours after they first got the sour shakes.

[B]y 10:45 p.m., the Detectives Endowment Association was declaring that Finest had become "ill" after being "intentionally poisoned by one or more workers at the Shake Shack" as Police Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch made a show of visiting Bellevue while his union declared at 10:47 p.m. that police officers came "under attack" from a "toxic substance, believed to be bleach."

Both messages flurried across social media, spawning a trending #BoycottShakeShack hashtag .

I thought of referring to this as a hate crime hoax; but because it's not obvious that there was more here than just overreaction, jumping to conclusions, and broken telephone (maybe there was and maybe there wasn't), I thought I'd be cautious and label it just a false alarm. Still, of course even such false alarms can be damaging to innocent businesses (here, Shake Shack) and can lead to needless fear, hostility, and social tension.

Originally posted here:
Anatomy of Yet Another Hate Crime False Alarm - Reason

Anatomy

Anatomy of a virtual rally How the BJP is reaching the electorate amid Covid-19 – ThePrint

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New Delhi: Posters and billboards, it appears, are pass in the post-Covid political world.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been conducting virtual rallies since 7 June to connect with the people and highlight the Modi governments work, has been relying on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to aggressively push its political messaging.

But how exactly are these virtual rallies being conducted? ThePrint spoke to a number of state unit functionaries of the BJP to understand the process.

Once it is decided that a virtual rally has to be conducted in a state, the BJP unit of that particular state asks the block, district and state units to use their Facebook and Twitter accounts to publicise it. Everybody from the councillors, MLAs, MPs, party supporters and workers are involved in the process.

A BJP leader said that before the virtual rally is conducted, cameras are set up and a stage is built from where the leaders can address the rally.

At the same time, a stage is also set at the headquarters of the state and there too a few leaders share the stage while maintaining a physical distance. A few party workers are also allowed to join the leaders and a separate seating arrangement (in front of the stage) is put in place for them.

During the physical rally before the main speaker, a number of leaders used to address the crowd. One of the main differences between the physical and virtual rally is that we have to keep such speeches short and only allow 2-4 people to address the rally before the main speaker. As it is digital, people can get bored very easily so this is crucial, said a second BJP leader.

In Delhi, for instance, there are 280 blocks and we ask each and every block to publicise it. Similarly, councillors, MLAs and MPs are told to put up the information on their personal handles also along with the link of the rally which would be used on the day of the rally, . This exercise is conducted at least four days before the rally, said a senior BJP functionary. They are also told to inform their followers that through FB live and on Twitter they will stream the rally live.

Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari, have already addressed a number of rallies and many more are in the offing.

Also read: The 5 key takeaways from virtual rallies by Amit Shah, Gadkari, Rajnath and Smriti Irani

Apart from the BJP website, the rally is streamed live on the partys YouTube channel, Twitter and Facebook account too. At times many news channels and websites also carry out live telecasts depending on who is addressing the rally this also becomes a medium to reach out to more people, said the second leader.

Following this, some key points are also identified by the state units where smart television screens are put up for people to watch.

All the councillors, MLAs, MPs are told that on their Twitter and FB they use a live telecast for which the link is created and provided by the state unit, said another party functionary. At points where television screens are put up by the party functionary, it is through screen mirroring the link prepared by the state unit is used to run a live stream on the smart LED television. The sets are usually taken on rent.

In every district, a few people are identified and tasked with keeping track of all activities leading to the virtual rally. IT conveners or sanyojaks were also appointed by state units who not only provided the tech know-how but at the same time in rural areas where connectivity is a major challenge they help telecast it on television screens, said another official.

A small stage is erected in the party offices where the virtual rally takes place and some of the main leaders and party functionaries sit there while maintaining social distancing.

Due to the changed scenario due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was decided by the party that it should connect virtually with the people as well as party workers. According to a senior BJP leader, national secretaries Tarun Chugh and Satya Kumar are in-charge of executing these virtual rallies.

Also read: The BJP should dump Nitish Kumar in Bihar, sooner the better

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Anatomy of a virtual rally How the BJP is reaching the electorate amid Covid-19 - ThePrint

Anatomy

Anatomy of a COVID-19 graduation – Sherbrooke Record

For the last 15 years, Mandy Sullivan, who teaches Grade 6 at St. Francis Elementary School in Richmond, has been creating a little extra time from April to June to help prepare the schools annual graduation ceremonies. Of course, the template she and her team developed over that time has been all but discarded this year because of the COVID-19 epidemic.We normally get together early in April to start talking about the graduation exercises, Mandy Sullivan says. The two Grade 6 teachersJasmine Mason has been teaching the other Grade 6 class the last few yearsare always involved but were always joined by four or five other teachers who want to help out.One of the first things we have to do is narrow down the list of students who are candidates for awards and prizes, she explains. In all there are about 20 awards given. Some students will get a plaque, others receive a book, and this means getting plaques engraved and shopping for books.In May, she continues, we start talking to the students about graduation, and we spend time on the valedictorians address. The students are conscious that this is a moment to both look back and look ahead, at the end of one phase of their education and the beginning of another. Interested students write a short valedictory speech as an exercise in writing and in public speaking. Students and teachers are involved in selecting the student who will deliver the valedictory address at graduation. Some years we have two valedictorians, and some years theyre joined by one or two other students who will recite something.In June, as graduation grows closer, the committees job list grows longer, and more people get involved.Both the Richmond St. Patricks Society and the St. Francis College Corporation present awards and we have to get in touch with their representatives, Mandy says. We also contact Kirk Robinson, the principal at RRHS, and invite him to address our graduates as our guest speaker. Perhaps most important we begin coordinating with the Parents Participatory Organization because they are the people who are in charge of the reception that follows in the gym right after the graduation exercises.These are held in the large space that was designed in the early 1940s to serve the dual purpose of auditorium and gymnasium. It can accommodate about 250 people, Mandy points out, but its a space that fills up quite quickly. Typically, graduating students want to invite their entire families: parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles. We just dont have the room. Depending on the number of graduates we havethis year there are 40they are given three, or four, or five invitations to give to the guests they want to have there.A surprisingly large number of people put in a lot of time and effort to organize the graduation exercises and reception, an event that lasts little more than two or two and a half hours.Its a milestone, Mandy explains, and its important to underline that, to make it a memorable moment.There was no question of not doing something this year, despite the pandemic, she asserts. We didnt know what to do, or what could be done within the constraints set by public health officials, but we were determined that we would do something this year as well.Since elementary schools reopened their doors in May, adapting the school environment to follow the rules of social distancing has posed a considerable challenge, one that has been met with a variety of stratagems.Jasmine Mason and I both had a class of 20 students this year, Mandy points out. Jasmine continued teaching from home, communicating with her students via computer while I taught in the classroom where I had nine students, plus a tenth who joined us for the last week.Were adaptable and flexible and we managed, says Mandy.That same adaptability and flexibility went into the preparation of Junes graduation exercises which were staged as a drive-thru event that took place on Monday, June 22. Starting at 5 p.m. cars with parents, graduates and other family members inched along as they would at a Tim Hortons.For full story and others, subscribe now.

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Anatomy of a COVID-19 graduation - Sherbrooke Record

Anatomy

If you like Greys Anatomy, here are 7 other shows on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV – GQ India

Greys Anatomy fans are part of an elite group who have binge-watched the 300+ episodes of this gripping drama series. But, after a point, you might want something a little more refreshing. Were thinking of some shows that comprise the same drama, crime, thrill, mysterious cases, perfectly placed cliffhangers and more. These shows on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV, for more than one reason, fall in a similar category as Greys Anatomy and we think you should check them out.

The best part about giving Station 19 a shot is the number of crossovers it has had with Greys Anatomy. Every now and then the Station 19 cast makes an appearance on the show, which means you will already share a familiarity with the on-screen characters. The spin-off features a Greys sweetheart, Miranda Bailey, and focuses mainly on her husbands life as he moves from medical to firefighting.

A most-favoured recommendation for Greys Anatomy fans, The Good Doctor is a medical drama about an autistic boy (Shaun) who undertakes a job as a trainee surgeon. His special mental abilities allow him to picture the human anatomy in a way that not a lot of people can. Shaun isnt loved by his work peers, but he finds a way to attain their friendship along the course of the show.

If you like Greys Anatomy for its drama, Suits is gonna be an instant hit with you. The show is a legal drama about a law firm where Mike Ross, a college dropout, starts working with Harvey Specter, a big shot lawyer. A constant throughout the nine seasons is the relationship between Mike and Harvey and their ability to solve cases. Pick up this series for its intriguing plot twists and turns that often end up with Specter using his brilliance to solve the mystery.

House is probably the first recommendation anyone would offer to a Greys fan. This features Hugh Laurie in the lead as Dr. Gregory House, an ingenious and unsociable physician. Dr. House builds controversial hypotheses about his patients, which usually leads to clashes with fellow doctors. His incapability to follow hospital rules brings in an added twist.

Chicago Med is based on the backdrop of a fictional public hospital Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and shows a similar doctor-patient drama series like Greys Anatomy. The only difference is that this one is based in a different location, Chicago. The show, while maintaining the prime focus on events in the hospital, also features various parallel storylines of the personal and interpersonal lives of the lead.

Another mystery drama for Greys Anatomy fans is How to Get Away with Murder. The show features a law class, where the teacher guides her students on the principle of how to get away with murder a technique to start thinking like the killer. Throughout its six seasons, the show serves up some intriguing mystery stories as cases.

The Residenthas doctors and the healthcare system as its central theme.The drama series takes you through the ugly truths behind the privatized medicine and health care system in America. The lead group on the show uncovers the dark side of modern-day medicine with the help of a senior resident at the hospital. It is an engaging medical drama show and has three seasons to keep you entertained.

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If you like Greys Anatomy, here are 7 other shows on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV - GQ India