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Embryology

Ive got 150 kids by having sex as a sperm donor, my last customer had her partner wait at the bedroom door – The Sun

HEADING to a house in west London two nights ago, 49-year-old Joe Donor banged on the door - knowing what was going to happen.

Opening it to Joe was a lesbian couple hed never met before.

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Their only wish was to have a baby together - and Joe, who they had tracked down on his personal Facebook page advertising his sperm donor services, was their best bet.

So, he took one of the women upstairs and, despite never having met before (and her partner being mere metres away), they had full sex on the bed.

He then left with his trademark comment: Good luck and I hope you have good news in two weeks.

It was PI, he told Fabulous.

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By that he means partial intercourse - sex without kissing or cuddling.

He also has NI, natural intercourse, and AI, artificial intercourse.

Natural intercourse is really full sex, like you might have on a first date, Joe said. So no bedroom gymnastics, but kissing and cuddling. Artificial intercourse is when you use a turkey baster.

He added a lot of people wanted to be inseminated the old-fashioned way - but he only has STI checks once a year (although more frequently if asked).

And he admitted he doesnt do background checks on the people he is potentially impregnating, adding: I think having a baby makes people more mature. I dont do any checks on them though.

Asked when he last had sex (two nights ago), he was surprisingly coy about how many people he had made love to.

Its more than the average person but there are people who have more. Theres some sultans out there who have more.

Its fewer than 200, he laughed. Im not a rockstar and Im very respectful.

Single Joe, who uses a pseudonym, revealed he had 150 kids worldwide and had impregnated a further five women during lockdown.

Its more than the average person but there are people who have more. Theres some sultans out there who have more, he said.

His name is on a few, not many birth certificates and he wouldnt mind if the children called him daddy but he doesnt really see many of them often. They have my DNA, of course, he said. But I leave it up to the mothers. If they want to send me pictures, great. If they block me as soon as Ive done the deed, thats okay too.

Joe, who anonymously donates his sperm by concealing his real name, said he wasnt paid for his actions but did it to help.

He set up his business 12 years ago after realising he wanted to benefit people - but shockingly his parents dont know although are aware I have a few kids.

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He denied it was about ego, explaining: "I have about 150 kids worldwide but there's currently five women pregnant with my children and one already born.

I enjoy seeing more of my children running around.

I dont think there is an inordinate amount of ego associated with it.

Some of them call me daddy, some dont.

Ive met about 50 of them, Ive seen some of them when they were born, but not since.

He wasnt slowed down by the pandemic, despite being stuck in Argentina - instead opting to sow his seed there.

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"I feel busier than ever, he said. "I love seeing photos of the babies when they're born as a lot of them do look like me.

"I don't financially gain from providing my sperm to women, I just enjoy helping people.

"Luckily I run a few online businesses so I'm always available and can provide sperm whenever they're ovulating.

"I had travelled to Argentina to provide sperm to a few women who had contacted me online but I ended up getting stuck there until international flights resumed a few weeks ago.

"I'm now in the UK for a few weeks and hope to help as many people as possible fall pregnant."

Unfortunately, the nature of his work has meant he hasnt managed to maintain his own long-term relationship with his last ending in November last year.

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That was with a woman in her 20s when I was living in Australia, he explained. We were going out for about six months but its ended. When we were in the relationship I didnt have sex with other women, but it was difficult.

He admitted sometimes his impregnation sessions could lead into longer relationships, but they almost always ended when people wanted something more stable.

I dont have a girlfriend in the typical sense, he said. But I do develop friendships and sometimes romantic relationships with the women I impregnate, he added.

With five women currently pregnant with Joe unborn children and one woman already giving birth this summer, Joe is on target to impregnate 10 women this year.

However, it is not all plain-sailing with some women lying to their men about meeting Joe, he said.

Hes been caught out trying to impregnate women behind their partners back.

I think having a baby makes people more mature. I dont do any checks on them though.

He denies any wrongdoing in relation to this.

I dont pry into peoples personal matters, he said. Im not the one cheating or lying in the relationship. Its themHe told of one incident where he went to impregnate a woman only to learn her husband didnt want one.

So basically she had arranged an orgy because she didnt want him to know the truth - that it was just her and me and she was planning to get pregnant, he said.

But when the husband found out the truth he started waving a gun about - and Joe only just managed to escape.

Joe has travelled across America, Argentina, Italy, Singapore, The Philippines and the UK donating his sperm.

He added: "I have babies all over the world and although people always worry over incestual issues but that has never happened.

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"I started donating sperm in 2008 and have fathered on average 10 children per year.

"I have always said I wouldn't father more than 2500 but that would technically be impossible unless I live until the age of 250.

"I aim to donate my sperm for as long as it works which could be until I'm in my 90s."

Talking about safe sex, Joe opts to have yearly medical checks.

He adds: "I have a health check at least annually but if a woman requests more frequent testing, I will have another check on demand.

"There's always a risk as what I'm doing isn't regulated but women have checks during pregnancy too so they'd soon find out if they'd contracted a sexually transmitted disease, which has never happened."

Joe is hoping to head back to his hometown of America after his UK trip but says he's happy to travel anywhere in the world to donate his sperm.

He added: "I'm contacted by women all over the world via Facebook or email.

"I don't mind travelling as I can work wherever I need to in the world.

"I'm hoping that as lockdown eases in some parts of the world again that it'll be easier to travel more frequently."

HOW DOES SPERM DONATION WORK IN THE UK?

In the UK, donation in exchange for payment is prohibited by law.

If you donate your sperm through a fertility clinic or a sperm bank, you wont have any responsibilities or rights towards a child conceived using your semen.

However, as of April 2005, children conceived through sperm donation do have the right to ask for certain information about their donor once they reach the age of 16.

You can find the clinic that is best for you through theHuman Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) licensed clinic.

Every year, around 2,000 children are conceived with the help of a donor.

Donated sperm cannot be used to create more than 10 families, with no limits on the number of children born within each family.

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Meanwhile, meet the 57-year-old sperm donor who believes he could have HUNDREDS of children.

And an entrepreneur opened up about how a DNA test revealed her dad wasnt her father and how she discovered her new family.

We also shared how a woman turned to a White Van sperm donor to have her daughter.

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Ive got 150 kids by having sex as a sperm donor, my last customer had her partner wait at the bedroom door - The Sun

Embryology

Modern families and assisted reproduction: Part 2 – Family Law

Tom Harrill, St Ives Chambers

Family law sits at the cutting edge of science. As the bounds of medicine and technology are pushed ever further the law must respond.

Part two considers assisted reproduction and the challenges of statutory interpretation under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (as amended) (HFEA), Part 2. Recent decisions of the senior courts provide a good example of how provisions of the HFEA have been read purposively in order to grant a parental without the need to make a declaration of incompatibly where the applicants did not meet one or more of the statutory criteria. It is in this context that there are renewed calls for Parliament to ensure the legislation is fit for purpose.

The full article will be published in the October issue ofFamily Law.

Find out moreorrequest a free 1-week trialofFamily Law journal. Please quote: 100482.

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Modern families and assisted reproduction: Part 2 - Family Law

Embryology

Why Personally Opposed to Abortion but Pro-Choice Doesn’t Work – Patheos

Many politicians and voters say that while they are personally opposed to abortion, they believe they should not impose their religious opinion on other people and so, as a matter of public policy, they support a womans right to abortion.

This is the position of many Catholics, including Joe Biden. But Catholic ethicists, who have a lot of experience in parsing these issues, say that this rationalization does not hold water. Nor can abortion, which targets a whole class of human beings and perpetrates violence against millions, be outweighed by other important moral considerations that are more narrowly focused and that involve fewer victims.

Again, they are explaining Catholic ethics, but since they are making their case rationally, from natural law, I dont see anything that another Christian or, indeed, a non-Christian would necessarily have problems with. Excerpt, perhaps, with their conclusion. If you believe in abortion despite their arguments, can you make as a good a case for your position that they do for yours? Or, instead of using reason, are you simply asserting your will to power?

Modern embryology has placed beyond doubt the status of the human embryo, from its very formation and earliest developmental stage, as a distinct living member of the speciesHomo sapiens: a human being. This is not a theological claim; it is a statement of scientific fact. What the Church teaches is that every member of the human family irrespective of race, sex, or creed, but also, and equally, irrespective of age, size, stage of development, location, or condition of dependence is the bearer of inherent and equal dignity and, as such, is entitled to legal protection against violent assault.. . .

The Church does not teach, as Biden would have people believe it does, that abortion may legitimately be treated by the law and the state the way they treat, say, the obligation to be grateful to benefactors or the duty to avoid dishonoring parents. For government to permit abortion, the Church teaches, is for governmentitselfto commit an injustice against its victims denying a disfavored class, the unborn, protection it affords to all others. To be responsible, or partially responsible, for the injustice of the law in exposing unborn children to legally authorized lethal violence is to be complicit in grave injustice. . . .

The reason to oppose abortion at all is also the reason to prohibit it. Psychologically, it is possible for one sincerely to wish that no one ever had an abortion while supporting its legality and even its subsidization. But support for those policies necessarily entails willing the denial of basic human rights to one category of human beings: a grave injustice no matter the victim class. And because nearly everyone believes that he himself and those others he considers worth protecting should enjoy these basic rights, support for those policies involves a violation of the Golden Rule.

So, though abortion and slavery differ in many respects, they are alike in not admitting of the option of the personally opposed, but . . . position. The reason to be against slavery its radical denial of the equal dignity of the victim and thus its grave injustice is the reason for prohibiting it. It is precisely the same with abortion.

Next time: Why Balancing Abortion against Other Issues Doesnt Work

Photo: Pro-abortion Catholics by jordanuhl7 / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) via Wikimedia Commons

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Why Personally Opposed to Abortion but Pro-Choice Doesn't Work - Patheos

Cell Biology

Cell Perturbation System Could Have Medical Applications – Technology Networks

Cell lines injected with free nucleic acid are widely used for drug discovery and disease modeling. To avoid genetically mixed cell populations, investigators use dilution techniques to select single cells that will then generate identical lines. However, the route of limiting dilutions is tedious and time consuming.

A new study by Northwestern researchers shows how Nanofountain Probe Electroporation (NFP-E), a tool that delivers molecules into single-cells, could solve that issue, and could lead to new applications for drug screening and designing patient-specific courses of treatment.

The team, led by Northwestern Engineering's Horacio Espinosa and including Joshua Leonard, demonstrates the versatility of NFP-E -- which introduces DNA or RNA into cells using electricity. It can also deliver both proteins and plasmids in a variety of animal and human cell types with dosage control. The team included John Kessler, the Ken and Ruth Davee Professor of Stem Cell Biology and professor of neurology and pharmacology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The new method can be used to study disease or for cell therapy. In the former, the genome is manipulated. In the latter, gene-editing occurs in cells such as T-cells to treat cancer with immunotherapies.

By employing single-cell electroporation, the process of introducing DNA or RNA into single cells using a pulse of electricity, which briefly open pores in the cell membrane, their work shows how NFP-E achieves fine control over the relative expression of two co-transfected plasmids. Moreover, by pairing single-cell electroporation with time-lapse fluorescent imaging, their investigation reveals characteristic times for electro-pore closure.

"We demonstrated the potential of the NFP-E technology in manipulating a variety of cell types with stoichiometric control of molecular cargo that can be used for conducting a wide range of studies in drug screening, cell therapies, and synthetic biology," said Espinosa, James N. and Nancy J. Farley Professor in Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship and professor of mechanical engineering and (by courtesy) biomedical engineering and civil and environmental engineering.

Currently, biomolecules can be delivered into cells in numerous ways: viral vectors; chemical carriers, such as cell-penetrating peptides and polymer nano-capsules; lipofectamine, and bulk electroporation.

"There exist a number of strategies for delivering biomolecules into cells, but each has its limitations," said Leonard, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence. "For instance, chemical carriers confer relatively slow delivery and can be toxic to the cell; viral vectors are often efficient but can induce adverse immune responses and insertional genotoxicity. Use of any traditional method often requires substantial effort to optimize the protocol depending on the cell type and molecule to be delivered, and, therefore, a readily generalizable biomolecule delivery strategy would offer some meaningful advantages."

The new NFP-E system enables single-cell delivery of DNA, RNA, and proteins into different immortalized cell lines as well as primary cells with more than 95 percent efficiency and more than 90 percent cell viability.

"The results indicate that the cell membrane resealing time scales non-linearly with the pulse voltage and the number of electroporation pulses, reaching a maximum at intermediate values," Espinosa said. "That means long pulsing times or high voltages appear not to be necessary for efficient molecular transport across cell membranes. That feature is important in obtaining high transport efficiency while keeping cell toxicity to a minimum."

Using single-cell electroporation technology, the researchers were able to understand transport mechanisms involved in localized electroporation-based cell sampling. One obstacle to nondestructive temporal single-cell sampling is the small amounts of cytosol -- the fluid inside cells -- that are extracted, which makes it challenging to test or detect RNA sequences or proteins.

Research showed that the scaling of membrane resealing time is a function of various electroporation parameters, providing insight into post-pulse electro-pore dynamics.

"The work addresses the need to understand ways to increase the cytosol-sampled amount, without adversely affecting cells," Espinosa said. "That can guide the research community in designing experiments aimed at electroporation-based sampling of intracellular molecules for temporal cell analysis."

This research is related to previous work that developed a minimally invasive method to sample cells that can be repeated multiple times. That earlier investigation, which used electric pulses to extract enzymes from the cytosol, assisted understanding of the kinetics of pore formation and closure.

Reference: Nathamgari SSP, Pathak N, Lemaitre V, et al.Nanofountain Probe Electroporation Enables Versatile SingleCell Intracellular Delivery and Investigation of Postpulse Electropore Dynamics. SmallBC, 2020. doi:10.1002/smll.202002616

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Cell Perturbation System Could Have Medical Applications - Technology Networks

Cell Biology

OncoHost Data on Host Immunotherapy Response to be Presented This Week – Technology Networks

OncoHost, announced on 5th October that Professor Yuval Shaked, co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor at OncoHost, and Professor of Cell Biology and Cancer Science at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, will deliver a presentation titled A Proteomics-Based Platform for Predicting Response to Immunotherapy and Personalizing Treatment Plans at the MAP 2020 Virtual Congress - ESMO this Friday, October 9th at 17:20 PM CEST.

The presentation will show how through the analysis of host response profiles (i.e. the patients reaction), oncologists may be able to harness this information to better predict clinical outcomes and suggest the ideal combination treatment with immunotherapy.

Despite major clinical success, immunotherapy treatments have demonstrated efficacy in only a small proportion of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), said Prof. Yuval Shaked. OncoHosts studies have indicated that individual host response to anti-cancer treatment can generate pro-tumorigenic activities and support tumor re-growth and spread. It is therefore vital to analyze and earlier predict host response to treatment in order to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary side effects experienced by so many patients.

Using machine learning (ML)-based analysis and algorithms to identify highly predictive cohort-based proteomic signatures in patients, personalized response prediction can be used to improve precision medicine in oncology. Personalized treatment plans can then be created through information based on cohort-based statistical analysis, personalized adaption and finally, translation to clinically relevant targets.

Prof. Shakeds presentation will include a real-life case study on whom a Host Response profile analysis was performed, and will be followed by a live Q&A.

MAP is the leading congress in precision medicine in oncology in Europe, established by key opinion leaders in the field. The name of the Congress was recently changed into Molecular Analysis for Precision Oncology to better reflect its aims of focusing on science, translational research, education and collaboration. This years event will be held virtually on October 9-10.

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OncoHost Data on Host Immunotherapy Response to be Presented This Week - Technology Networks

Cell Biology

Agendia, HiSS Diagnostics and PathoNext offer local MammaPrint and BluePrint testing for breast cancer patients in Germany – Monterey County Weekly

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Agendia Inc., a world leader in precision oncology for breast cancer, announced today the availability of local testing for its CE-marked MammaPrint BluePrint Breast Cancer Recurrence and Molecular Subtyping tests, provided by PathoNext lab in Leipzig, Germany. Breast cancer patients in Germany will now have access to state-of-the art genomic profiling in their own country.

The trend towards precision oncology ensures that more physicians than ever before are integrating genomic testing into their routine clinical practice. This essential information helps them to truly individualize how they manage their patients' treatment regimen tominimize unnecessary treatment, retain quality of life and ensure the best possible outcomes.

MammaPrint analyzes 70 genes most associated with breast cancer recurrence to provide a binary Low or High Risk of cancer recurrence result, while BluePrint analyzes 80-genes which classify a patient's breast cancer into functional molecular subtypes. These tests have historically been perfomed via microarray at Agendia's laboratory in Irvine, California, and Agendia continues to provide a centralized testing service.

However, more and more countries request local testing for reimbursement of tests. To address the specific need for testing in other countries outside of the Agendia central laboratory, the next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based MammaPrint BluePrint Breast Cancer Recurrence and Molecular Subtyping Kit has been developed. This CE-marked kit is an RNA-sequencing based version of the existing microarray-based MammaPrint and BluePrint tests. Analytical and clinical validity of the NGS-kit have been demonstrated and published in peer-reviewed journals.

PathoNext in Germany will partner with Agendia to run the tests and co-partner with HiSS, Agendia's distributor in Germany. PathoNext will leverage its existing infrastructure to run MammaPrint and BluePrint in its own labs, using NGS instruments to analyze patient samples. HiSS covers a broad range of specialties, including oncology and cell biology. Both companies will work together to offer patients in Germany access to MammaPrint and BluePrint testing.

Mark Straley, CEO of Agendia, commented,"We are very pleased to have our NGS-kit available in the German market. We are confident that PathoNext will deliver the same high-quality performance as they do with their other tests. Together, we will bring Agendia's high-quality testing to the nearly 25,000 women annually diagnosed with breast cancer in Germany."

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, affecting one in eight in Europe with 355,000 new cases per year. The quality-of-life and cost benefits of identifying women who may not have significant benefit from chemotherapy are considerable. Providing both centralized and decentralized testing options increases patient access to the MammaPrint and BluePrint tests.

Prof. Dr. Jrg Gabert, CEO of PathoNext, added,"With the growing breast cancer burden globally, and increasing incidence of diagnoses, Agendia's MammaPrint and BluePrint are a perfect complement to our molecular pathology division. We are pleased to help breast cancer patients, both in obtaining an appropriate diagnosis, and in the choice of a fully personalized treatment."

About PathoNextPathoNext GmbH is a biotechnology company which specializes in the new techniques of high throughput DNA sequencing. They are generally summarized under the term next-generation sequencing (NGS). The methods are used to identify genetic changes for the detection of relevant point mutations, insertions, deletions, translocations and microsatellite instabilities and revolutionized wide areas of pathology and oncology. Diseases can be better differentiated using NGS and the therapeutic success of medication - for example in the case of tumor diseases - can be better assessed.

In addition, PathoNext is concerned with the bioinformatic evaluation of big data and the development of special gene panels for reliable detection of genetic changes. The company is accredited according to DIN ISO 17025. For information about PathoNext please visitwww.pathonext.de.

About HiSSHiSS Diagnostics GmbH in Freiburg, Germany with 30 years of experience as a trusted supplier of diagnostics products for oncology and molecular biology and is a long-standing distribution partner of Agendia. Previously a competent advisor for German patients regarding the realization of MammaPint and BluePrint Tests, HiSS was looking for a suitable laboratory to perform the tests within Germany and found a competent partner in PathoNext. Thus, the legal requirements for reimbursement are met. HiSS Diagnostics is accredited according to ISO 13485:2016. For more information about HiSS Diagnostics please visit http://www.hiss-dx.de.

About AgendiaAgendia is a precision oncology company headquartered in Irvine, California, committed to bringing early stage breast cancer patients and their physicians the information they need to make the most effective treatment decisions. The company currently offers two commercially-available genomic profiling tests, supported by clinical and real world evidence. MammaPrint, the 70-gene breast cancer recurrence assay, and BluePrint, the 80-gene molecular subtyping assay, provide a comprehensive genomic profile and the data physicians need to make more informed decisions in the pre- and post-operative treatment settings. By developing evidence-based novel genomic tests and conducting groundbreaking research while building an arsenal of data that will help treat cancer, Agendia aims to improve patient outcomes and support the evolving clinical needs of breast cancer patients and their physicians every step of the way, from initial diagnosis to cancer-free.

For more information on Agendia's assays and ongoing trials, please visit http://www.agendia.com.

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Agendia, HiSS Diagnostics and PathoNext offer local MammaPrint and BluePrint testing for breast cancer patients in Germany - Monterey County Weekly

Cell Biology

OncoHost to Present Data on Predicting Host Response to Immunotherapy at the MAP 2020 Virtual Congress – ESMO – PRNewswire

BINYAMINA, Israel, Oct. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoHost, a global leader in host response profiling for improved personalized cancer therapy, announced today that Professor Yuval Shaked, co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor at OncoHost, and Professor of Cell Biology and Cancer Science at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, will deliver a presentation titled A Proteomics-Based Platform for Predicting Response to Immunotherapy and Personalizing Treatment Plans at the MAP 2020 Virtual Congress - ESMOthis Friday, October 9th at 17:20 PM CEST.

The presentation will show how through the analysis of host response profiles (i.e. the patient's reaction), oncologists may be able to harness this information to better predict clinical outcomes and suggest the ideal combination treatment with immunotherapy.

"Despite major clinical success, immunotherapy treatments have demonstrated efficacy in only a small proportion of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)," said Prof. Yuval Shaked. "OncoHost's studies have indicated that individual host response to anti-cancer treatment can generate pro-tumorigenic activities and support tumor re-growth and spread. It is therefore vital to analyze and earlier predict host response to treatment in order to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary side effects experienced by so many patients."

Using machine learning (ML)-based analysis and algorithms to identify highly predictive cohort-based proteomic signatures in patients, personalized response prediction can be used to improve precision medicine in oncology. Personalized treatment plans can then be created through information based on cohort-based statistical analysis, personalized adaption and finally, translation to clinically relevant targets.

Prof. Shaked's presentation willinclude a real-life case study on whom a Host Response profile analysis was performed, and will be followed by a live Q&A.

MAP is the leading congress in precision medicine in oncology in Europe, established by key opinion leaders in the field. The name of the Congress was recently changed into Molecular Analysis for Precision Oncology to better reflect its aims of focusing on science, translational research, education and collaboration. This year's event will be held virtually on October 9-10.

About OncoHost

OncoHost combines life-science research and advanced machine learning technology to develop personalized strategies to maximize the success of cancer therapy. Utilizing proprietary proteomic analysis, the company aims to understand patients' unique response to therapy and overcome one of the major obstacles in clinical oncology today resistance to therapy. OncoHost's Host Response Profiling platform (PROphet) analyzes proteomic changes in blood samples to monitor the dynamics of biological processes induced by the patient (i.e., the host) in response to a given cancer therapy. This proteomic profile is highly predictive of individual patient outcome, thus enabling personalized treatment planning. PROphet also identifies potential drug targets, advancing the development of novel therapeutic strategies as well as rationally based combination therapies.

For more information, visithttp://www.oncohost.com

Follow OncoHost onLinkedIn

OncoHost Media Contact: Ellie HansonFinn Partners [emailprotected]+1 929-222-8006

SOURCE OncoHost

https://oncohost.com/

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OncoHost to Present Data on Predicting Host Response to Immunotherapy at the MAP 2020 Virtual Congress - ESMO - PRNewswire

Cell Biology

SMART researchers receive Intra-CREATE grant for personalized medicine and cell therapy – MIT News

Researchers from Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), an interdisciplinary research group at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MITs research enterprise in Singapore, have been awarded Intra-CREATE grants from the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore to help support research on retinal biometrics for glaucoma progression and neural cell implantation therapy for spinal cord injuries. The grants are part of the NRFs initiative to bring together researchers from Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE) partner institutions, in order to achieve greater impact from collaborative research efforts.

SMART CAMP was formed in 2019 to focus on ways to produce living cells as medicine delivered to humans to treat a range of illnesses and medical conditions, including tissue degenerative diseases, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.

Singapores well-established biopharmaceutical ecosystem brings with it a thriving research ecosystem that is supported by skilled talents and strong manufacturing capabilities. We are excited to collaborate with our partners in Singapore, bringing together an interdisciplinary group of experts from MIT and Singapore, for new research areas at SMART. In addition to our existing research on our three flagship projects, we hope to develop breakthroughs in manufacturing other cell therapy platforms that will enable better medical treatments and outcomes for society, says Krystyn Van Vliet, co-lead principal investigator at SMART CAMP, professor of materials science and engineering, and associate provost at MIT.

Understanding glaucoma progression for better-targeted treatments

Hosted by SMART CAMP, the first research project, Retinal Analytics via Machine learning aiding Physics (RAMP), brings together an interdisciplinary group of ophthalmologists, data scientists, and optical scientists from SMART, Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Duke-NUS Medical School, MIT, and National University of Singapore (NUS). The team will seek to establish first principles-founded and statistically confident models of glaucoma progression in patients. Through retinal biomechanics, the models will enable rapid and reliable forecast of the rate and trajectory of glaucoma progression, leading to better-targeted treatments.

Glaucoma, an eye condition often caused by stress-induced damage over time at the optic nerve head, accounts for 5.1 million of the estimated 38 million blind in the world and 40 percent of blindness in Singapore. Currently, health practitioners face challenges forecasting glaucoma progression and its treatment strategies due to the lack of research and technology that accurately establish the relationship between its properties, such as the elasticity of the retina and optic nerve heads, blood flow, intraocular pressure and, ultimately, damage to the optic nerve head.

The research is co-led by George Barbastathis, principal investigator at SMART CAMP and professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, and Aung Tin, executive director at SERI and professor at the Department of Ophthalmology at NUS. The team includes CAMP principal investigators Nicholas Fang, also a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT; Lisa Tucker-Kellogg, assistant professor with the Cancer and Stem Biology program at Duke-NUS; and Hanry Yu, professor of physiology with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS and CAMPs co-lead principal investigator.

We look forward to leveraging the ideas fostered in SMART CAMP to build data analytics and optical imaging capabilities for this pressing medical challenge of glaucoma prediction, says Barbastathis.

Cell transplantation to treat irreparable spinal cord injury

Engineering Scaffold-Mediated Neural Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment (ScaNCellS), the second research project, gathers an interdisciplinary group of engineers, cell biologists, and clinician scientists from SMART, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), NUS, IMCB A*STAR, A*STAR, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the University of Cambridge, and MIT. The team will seek to design a combined scaffold and neural cell implantation therapy for spinal cord injury treatment that is safe, efficacious, and reproducible, paving the way forward for similar neural cell therapies for other neurological disorders. The project, an intersection of engineering and health, will achieve its goals through an enhanced biological understanding of the regeneration process of nerve tissue and optimized engineering methods to prepare cells and biomaterials for treatment.

Spinal cord injury (SCI), affecting between 250,000 and 500,000 people yearly, is expected to incur higher societal costs as compared to other common conditions such as dementia, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy. SCI can lead to temporary or permanent changes in spinal cord function, including numbness or paralysis. Currently, even with the best possible treatment, the injury generally results in some incurable impairment.

The research is co-led by Chew Sing Yian, principal investigator at SMART CAMP and associate professor of the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at NTU, and Laurent David, professor at University of Lyon (France) and leader of the Polymers for Life Sciences group at CNRS Polymer Engineering Laboratory. The team includes CAMP principal investigators Ai Ye from Singapore University of Technology and Design; Jongyoon Han and Zhao Xuanhe, both professors at MIT; as well as Shi-Yan Ng and Jonathan Loh from Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR.

Chew says, Our earlier SMART and NTU scientific collaborations on progenitor cells in the central nervous system are now being extended to cell therapy translation. This helps us address SCI in a new way, and connect to the methods of quality analysis for cells developed in SMART CAMP.

Cell therapy, one of the fastest-growing areas of research, will provide patients with access to more options that will prevent and treat illnesses, some of which are currently incurable. Glaucoma and spinal cord injuries affect many. Our research will seek to plug current gaps and deliver valuable impact to cell therapy research and medical treatments for both conditions. With a good foundation to work on, we will be able to pave the way for future exciting research for further breakthroughs that will benefit the health-care industry and society, says Hanry Yu, co-lead principal investigator at SMART CAMP, professor of physiology with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS, and group leader of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at A*STAR.

The grants for both projects will commence on Oct. 1, with RAMP expected to run until Sept. 30, 2022, and ScaNCellS expected to run until Sept. 30, 2023.

SMART was. established by the MIT in partnership with the NRF in 2007. SMART is the first entity in the CREATE developed by NRF. SMART serves as an intellectual and innovation hub for research interactions between MIT and Singapore, undertaking cutting-edge research projects in areas of interest to both Singapore and MIT. SMART currently comprises an Innovation Centre and five interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs): Antimicrobial Resistance, CAMP, Disruptive and Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision, Future Urban Mobility, and Low Energy Electronic Systems.

CAMP is a SMART IRG launched in June 2019. It focuses on better ways to produce living cells as medicine, or cellular therapies, to provide more patients access to promising and approved therapies. The investigators at CAMP address two key bottlenecks facing the production of a range of potential cell therapies: critical quality attributes (CQA) and process analytic technologies (PAT). Leveraging deep collaborations within Singapore and MIT in the United States, CAMP invents and demonstrates CQA/PAT capabilities from stem to immune cells. Its work addresses ailments ranging from cancer to tissue degeneration, targeting adherent and suspended cells, with and without genetic engineering.

CAMP is the R&D core of a comprehensive national effort on cell therapy manufacturing in Singapore.

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SMART researchers receive Intra-CREATE grant for personalized medicine and cell therapy - MIT News

Cell Biology

Live Cell Imaging Market By Applications, Types, New Technology Opportunity Analysis And Forecast: 2020 2028 – Amazing Facts

The global Live Cell Imaging Market study offers a compilation of the current, historical, and future outlook of the industry as well as the factors responsible for market growth. With a SWOT analysis, the business study highlights the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats of each Live Cell Imaging Market player in a comprehensive way.

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Considering COVID-19, this report offers a complete and exhaustive analysis on how the epidemic has pushed transformation and reform in the industry. The market study can help understand the market expansion and strategies for business accordingly. In the strategy analysis, it gives insights from market positioning marketing channel to potential growth strategies, thereby providing an in-depth analysis for new entrants or existing competitors in the Live Cell Imaging industry.

Key Players: Becton, Dickinson and Company, Carl Zeiss, and Leica Microsystems..

The market analysis on the Live Cell Imaging offers a birds eye view of the current proceeding within the Live Cell Imaging Market. The market analysis report has incorporated an analysis of various factors that augment the markets growth. It constitutes restraints, trends, and drivers that transform the market in either a negative orpositive manner.

Live Cell Imaging Market

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This market analysis also offers the scope of different segments and applications that can actually impact the market in the future. The thorough information is based on present trends and historic milestones. The market analysis mentions the volume of sales by region from 2015 to 2026. A thorough evaluation of the limitations included in the market analysis portrays the drivers and gives room for strategic planning.

Global Live Cell Imaging Market: Segment Analysis

Each type offers information about return sover the forecast period of 2018 to 2028. The sales method segment also offers revenue by volume and sales over the forecast period of 2018 to 2028. Understanding the segments helps in classifying the importance of various factors that support market growth.

Following are the segmentation covered by the market study: By Product (Equipment, Consumables, and Software and Services), By Application (Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Stem Cell Biology, Drug Discovery)

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The market analysis report includes a thorough study of various factors that determine regional growth such as environmental, economic, social political status, technology, and region. Market analysis has studied the data of sales, revenue, and manufacturers of each region. The market analysis provides region-wise volume and revenue for the forecast period of 2016 to 2028. This market analysis will support the market participants to understand the potential worth of investment in a particular region.

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Global Live Cell Imaging Market: Competitive Landscape

This market analysis report classifies numerous key manufacturers of the industry. It supports the reader in understanding the policies and collaborations that the industry participants are focusing on in order to combat competition in the industry. The comprehensive market analysis offers a note worthy microscopic look at the industry. The market analysis can classify the footprints of the manufacturers by giving the global revenue of manufacturers and sales by manufacturers, and the global price of manufacturers over the forecast period of 2018 to 2028.

Major Aspects covered in the Report are

Further, the report provides niche insights for a decision about every possible segment, helping in the strategic decision-making process and market size estimation of the Live Cell Imaging Market on a regional and global basis. Unique research designed for market size estimation and forecast is used for the identification of major companies operating in the market with related developments. The report has an exhaustive scope to cover all the possible segments, helping every stakeholder in the Live Cell Imaging Market.

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Live Cell Imaging Market By Applications, Types, New Technology Opportunity Analysis And Forecast: 2020 2028 - Amazing Facts

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: People Actually Liked Owen Until He ‘Became the Very Thing He Hated’ – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Greys Anatomy is one of televisions longest-running primetime shows of all time, and although it has been on the air for over a decade, fans still love the characters and the stories represented in the series.

The show is full of heart, comedy, romance, and drama, and in spite of the fact that the main cast has undergone some serious shakeups over the years, viewers faithfully return for each successive season.

Still, fans have had issues with certain characters, and recently, they took to Reddit to discuss Owen Hunt, played by Kevin McKidd, and some of his problematic tendencies.

Greys Anatomy premiered in 2005, changing the way that people everywhere looked at television medical dramas. Set in Seattle, the series follows the exploits of Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, and her team of friends and coworkers at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

At the beginning of the series, Meredith was a resident just starting out, and over the years, viewers have watched her become an experienced surgeon.

Not only has Greys Anatomy made Ellen Pompeo a star, but it has created massive fanbases for actors such as Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, and Kate Walsh. Critics as well as fans have commended the series on its commitment to medical accuracy, and showrunners have walked away with numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award.

The series has also scored dozens of nominations for other awards over the years. Just like every other television series, Greys Anatomy has experienced ups and downs but fans have ultimately always returned to the show for updates on all of their favorite characters.

RELATED: Greys Anatomy: Behind-the-Scenes Photo Has Fans Angry at Nico All Over Again

In 2008, a character named Owen Hunt joined Greys Anatomy. Played by Kevin McKidd, Owen became part of the regular cast in season five and has been a mainstay on the show ever since.

As Cristina Yangs love interest, Owen is often torn between his personal and professional obligations and has been shown to suffer from PTSD due to his time spent as a U.S. Army trauma surgeon.

Kevin McKidd has received praise from fans for his work on the show and his chemistry with Sandra Oh is undeniable. Still, there are some viewers who have an issue with Owens personality quirks, and recently, some of those fans took to Reddit to break down the ways that he has changed over the years.

In the beginning, many fans loved Owen and his relationship with Cristina. Still, those same viewers have seen a big change in him in recent seasons, and not a welcome one.

His first season he was great. Then the writers decided to make him into the biggest asshole they could find, one fan posted on Reddit.

Another one stated that the problem for me is that his writing gets really inconsistent in later seasons, which just turns him into someone horrible.

One viewer pointed out that Owen has undergone a major personality change: I liked him best when he was acting too quickly in the trauma bay and asked for advice from the other doctors when they had issues with the way he operated. And when he chastised everyone for being too involved in their own drama to be good doctors. Then he became the very thing he hated. Drama king.

Owen Hunts future on Greys Anatomy is unclear but if fans have their way, he could definitely be facing the prospect of reduced screen time on the series.

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'Grey's Anatomy': People Actually Liked Owen Until He 'Became the Very Thing He Hated' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet