Embryology

Fertility Treatment and IVF in Czech Republic During the Coronavirus Pandemic – Prague Morning

Fertility problems are common; one in six heterosexual couples worldwide experiences some form of infertility problem at least once. The Czech Republic is a desirable destination for all methods of IVF treatments.

The average cost in Czech Republic for IVF is between 2,700 and 5,700, with donors eggs between 4,500 and 8,000. In comparison, the price of IVF in the UK can hit a maximum of 10,000 and 14,000 respectively.

Czech IVF clinics are also amongst the best in Europe in terms of success rates. According to a 2014 report from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the average birth rate for IVF using the patients own eggs was around 33 per cent for those under 35 years old, 25.4 per cent for patients aged 35-39 and 13.2 per cent for patients over 40.

The average birth rate for IVF treatment with donor eggs was higher, at 46.8% for all age groups. As well as the traditional IVF, theres also the option to pursue social freezing, a relatively new treatment designed to freeze eggs or sperm at the peak of your fertility.

After collection, the gametes are cryopreserved until the owner is ready to start a family. Its possible to do this for years.

The Human assisted reproduction legislation in Czech Republic is one of the most liberal ones in Europe, perhaps worldwide.

The Czech law allows for properly tested people to donate their gametes. So, from anonymous reproductive cells donation programs to advanced genetic testing, couples that have depleted every treatment possibility at home can find adequate help at centres like PFC, Prague Fertility Centre, a well-known private clinic based in Vysocany, founded 11 years ago by Dr. Sonja Lazarovska, a gynaecologist and Dr. Daniel Hlinka, an embryologist; esteemed specialists who have both made significant contributions to the field.

We have seen the market evolve for the past 25 years. We are opening a completely new floor with modern facilities and state of the art Lab in 2021. We will offer better comfort and privacy to our patients, as well as increased treatment capacity. We will be able to help twice as many couples as we do todaysaid Dr. Hlinka.

Coronavirus related restrictions have changed the way that fertility treatments are carried out. But they are still safe to do. Prague Fertility Centre has adapted to the situation by offering online consultations, which as well as talking through treatment options, provides information for donors and guidance for women self-injecting hormones at home in preparation for egg collection and fertilisation.

This process, known as hormonal stimulation, is a key part of IVF, and so women are encouraged to self-isolate when doing so, as planning a pregnancy, even when doing so naturally, already means taking extra preventive measures to avoid getting the virus.

The ever-changing Coronavirus situation has led us to require a negative covid test before starting any treatment, this is in the best interest of our patients, a healthy pregnancy, and of course, of our staff. We would like to assure all our patients that there is no evidence about IVF increasing the risk of infection. With regards to Covid-safe facilities, PFC has upped the intensity of our usual cleaning regime, implemented mask-wearing, hand sanitising, and temperature checks at reception, said Dr. Lazarovska.

We have also increased the number of online consultations to reduce the number of people visiting us. Since we opened the Centre, online consultations have always saved our patients travel time and expenses, while still provided all the necessary medical help, she adds.

When Coronavirus first hit, a lot of people felt it was not the right time to start a family, but as the world seems to have learned to live with the virus, people have decided not to postpone their family plans any longer. Meanwhile, our single clients have decided to freeze their eggs or sperm while they are healthy and fertile.ExplainedDr. Svabikova,the Centres Senior IVF physician, dedicated to helping German and English speaking patients.

When asked about Brexit and how it would affect the travel of UK citizens for IVF treatment after January 1st, 2021,Dr. Svabikovacommented: We dont foresee any complications. Except for queuing in a separate lane at border control, all our British patients will continue to receive treatment like before.

As Im guided around the PFC clinic, Im shown the rooms where the coordinators speak to their patients in one of 12 different languages. I walk past the doors to the sperm collection rooms, the egg retrieval facility and the labs where fertilisation begins.

An estimated 9 million babies have been born through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) since 1978, and the popularity of the treatment shows no sign of slowing down.

So while fertility treatments are closed off to many, a couple struggling to start a family will find endless commitment and support at PFC We will not make false promises, but we will fully commit, from day one, to help all our patients achieve a healthy babysaid Dr. Svabikova.

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Fertility Treatment and IVF in Czech Republic During the Coronavirus Pandemic - Prague Morning

Embryology

Saviour siblings: the role of the welfare principle within the law of assisted reproductive technology in England and Wales (Part 1) – Family Law

Madeleine Whelan, Fourteen

In this article, Madeleine Whelan examines and explains the law governing the use of assisted reproductive technology to create children in England & Wales contained within the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The article looks at this law within the context of 'saviour siblings', that is, a child born to provide an organ or cell transplant to a sibling who is affected by a (usually) life-threatening disease. Madeleine explores whether the existing law of childrens welfare, particularly the paramountcy principle, is appropriate for the law governing the creation (rather than continued existence) of children and how it fits in to the broader context of English law concerning the creation of children. The article looks at studies undertaken of saviour siblings and the potential impact the use of this technology may have on them and asks how the law in this area can justify a relational rather than paramountcy approach.

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

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

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Saviour siblings: the role of the welfare principle within the law of assisted reproductive technology in England and Wales (Part 1) - Family Law

Cell Biology

RNA molecules are masters of their own destiny – MIT News

At any given moment in the human body, in about 30 trillion cells, DNA is being read into molecules of messenger RNA, the intermediary step between DNA and proteins, in a process called transcription.

Scientists have a pretty good idea of how transcription gets started: Proteins called RNA polymerases are recruited to specific regions of the DNA molecules and begin skimming their way down the strand, synthesizing mRNA molecules as they go. But part of this process is less-well understood: How does the cell know when to stop transcribing?

Now, new work from the labs of Richard Young, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research member and MIT professor of biology, and Arup K. Chakraborty, professor of chemical engineering, physics, and chemistry at MIT, suggests that RNA molecules themselves are responsible for regulating their formation through a feedback loop. Too few RNA molecules, and the cell initiates transcription to create more. Then, at a certain threshold, too many RNA molecules cause transcription to draw to a halt.

The research, published in Cell on Dec. 16, 2020, represents a collaboration between biologists and physicists, and provides some insight into the potential roles of the thousands of RNAs that are not translated into any proteins, called noncoding RNAs, which are common in mammals and have mystified scientists for decades.

A question of condensates

Previous work in Youngs lab has focused on transcriptional condensates, small cellular droplets that bring together the molecules needed to transcribe DNA to RNA. Scientists in the lab discovered the transcriptional droplets in 2018, noticing that they typically formed when transcription began and dissolved a few seconds or minutes later, when the process was finished.

The researchers wondered if the force that governed the dissolution of the transcriptional condensates could be related to the chemical properties of the RNA they produced specifically, its highly negative charge. If this were the case, it would be the latest example of cellular processes being regulated via a feedback mechanism an elegant, efficient system used in the cell to control biological functions such as red blood cell production and DNA repair.

As an initial test, the researchers used an in vitro experiment to test whether the amount of RNA had an effect on condensate formation. They found that within the range of physiological levels observed in cells, low levels of RNA encouraged droplet formation and high levels of RNA discouraged it.

Thinking outside the biology box

With these results in mind, Young lab postdocs and co-first authors Ozgur Oksuz and Jon Henninger teamed up with physicist and co-first author Krishna Shrinivas, a graduate student in Arup Chakrabortys lab, to investigate what physical forces were at play.

Shrinivas proposed that the team build a computational model to study the physical and chemical interactions between actively transcribed RNA and condensates formed by transcriptional proteins. The goal of the model was not to simply reproduce existing results, but to create a platform with which to test a variety of situations.

The way most people study these kinds of problems is to take mixtures of molecules in a test tube, shake it and see what happens, Shrinivas says. That is as far away from what happens in a cell as one can imagine. Our thought was, Can we try to study this problem in its biological context, which is this out-of-equilibrium, complex process?

Studying the problem from a physics perspective allowed the researchers to take a step back from traditional biology methods. As a biologist, it's difficult to come up with new hypotheses, new approaches to understanding how things work from available data, Henninger says. You can do screens, you can identify new players, new proteins, new RNAs that may be involved in a process, but you're still limited by our classical understanding of how all these things interact. Whereas when talking with a physicist, you're in this theoretical space extending beyond what the data can currently give you. Physicists love to think about how something would behave, given certain parameters.

Once the model was complete, the researchers could ask it questions about situations that may arise in cells for instance, what happens to condensates when RNAs of different lengths are produced at different rates as time ensues? and then follow it up with an experiment at the lab bench. We ended up with a very nice convergence of model and experiment, Henninger says. To me, it's like the model helps distill the simplest features of this type of system, and then you can do more predictive experiments in cells to see if it fits that model.

The charge is in charge

Through a series of modeling and experiments at the lab bench, the researchers were able to confirm their hypothesis that the effect of RNA on transcription is due to RNAs molecules highly negative charge. Furthermore, it was predicted that initial low levels of RNA enhance and subsequent higher levels dissolve condensates formed by transcriptional proteins. Because the charge is carried by the RNAs phosphate backbone, the effective charge of a given RNA molecule is directly proportional to its length.

In order to test this finding in a living cell, the researchers engineered mouse embryonic stem cells to have glowing condensates, then treated them with a chemical to disrupt the elongation phase of transcription. Consistent with the models predictions, the resulting dearth of condensate-dissolving RNA molecules increased the size and lifetime of condensates in the cell. Conversely, when the researchers engineered cells to induce the production of extra RNAs, transcriptional condensates at these sites dissolved. These results highlight the importance of understanding how non-equilibrium feedback mechanisms regulate the functions of the biomolecular condensates present in cells, says Chakraborty.

Confirmation of this feedback mechanism might help answer a longstanding mystery of the mammalian genome: the purpose of non-coding RNAs, which make up a large portion of genetic material. While we know a lot about how proteins work, there are tens of thousands of noncoding RNA species, and we dont know the functions of most of these molecules, says Young. The finding that RNA molecules can regulate transcriptional condensates makes us wonder if many of the noncoding species just function locally to tune gene expression throughout the genome. Then this giant mystery of what all these RNAs do has a potential solution.

The researchers are optimistic that understanding this new role for RNA in the cell could inform therapies for a wide range of diseases. Some diseases are actually caused by increased or decreased expression of a single gene, says Oksuz, a co-first author. We now know that if you modulate the levels of RNA, you have a predictable effect on condensates. So you could hypothetically tune up or down the expression of a disease gene to restore the expression and possibly restore the phenotype that you want, in order to treat a disease.

Young adds that a deeper understanding of RNA behavior could inform therapeutics more generally. In the past 10 years, a variety of drugs have been developed that directly target RNA successfully. RNA is an important target, Young says. Understanding mechanistically how RNA molecules regulate gene expression bridges the gap between gene dysregulation in disease and new therapeutic approaches that target RNA.

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RNA molecules are masters of their own destiny - MIT News

Cell Biology

Champions Oncology Announces the Expansion of Lumin Bioinformatics: Now Featuring a Highly Valuable Set of Proteomic Data and Analytics – BioSpace

HACKENSACK, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2021 / Champions Oncology, Inc.. (NASDAQ:CSBR), a leading global oncology technology company that is transforming drug discovery and development through data-driven research strategies, announced today the expansion of its SaaS program, Lumin Bioinformatics. Since its launch, Champions has been adding to the data and functionality housed within Lumin, which now features 20,000+ datasets including rare and valuable quantitative phospho-proteomics. To aid in the analysis of this proteomic data, engineers at Champions have also developed a unique and sophisticated set of analysis tools that enable researchers to unlock the power of this proteomic data.

Importantly, each proteomic dataset contained within Lumin has associated data from the matching tumor, including whole exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, clinical and in vivo drug responses, phenotypic evaluations, clinical annotations of the tumor, and much more. Users of Lumin will have the ability to upload their own proteomic datasets and leverage the various tools available for processing and analysis, as well as to use the large proteomic dataset available in Lumin as a reference. This extremely valuable combination of proteomic data, analytics and visualizations will empower scientists to gain a more accurate depiction of tumor cell biology and will provide unparalleled insights into the mechanisms of cellular transformation and therapeutic resistance.

Ronnie Morris, MD, President and CEO, said "The addition of proteomics to Lumin has been an extremely exciting moment for the scientists at Champions. One of the major advantages of our dataset is the depth to which each tumor is characterized. Adding proteomics to this growing dataset will enable scientists to gain a very deep understanding of what is actually happening at the molecular level of a tumor. We will no longer need to rely on the predicted nature of protein expression or intracellular pathway activity from DNA and RNA sequencing, nor we will need to try and predict the subcellular expression level of proteins. We now have this information directly at our fingertips, and we have unleashed the power of this data through Lumin. We are truly excited at how this will transform cancer research moving forward."

"Our Lumin proteomics initiative is a game changer for cancer biologists across the world", said Michael Ritchie, PhD, MBA, Chief Commercial Officer at Champions Oncology. "Aside from the sheer magnitude of the dataset that we have made available, the tools that have been included for analysis make the use of proteomics possible to a very broad audience. Most biologists do not have the background necessary to perform the proteomic pre-processing nor the ability to build analysis tools needed to leverage this truly valuable data, so it is rarely used. Instead, sequencing of DNA and RNA is performed as a surrogate, even though our protein predictions from this data type is often inaccurate. Now that proteomic analyses are accessible with Lumin, we're excited to see researchers use this powerful data on a regular basis."

About Champions OncologyChampions Oncology is a data-driven research organization that leverages an oncology research center of excellence to develop transformative technology and accelerate oncology research and development. This technology ranges from computational-based discovery platforms, unique oncology software solutions, and innovative and proprietary experimental tools such as in vivo, ex vivo and biomarker platforms. For more information, please visit http://www.ChampionsOncology.com.

Media Contact:Rachel Bunting, MS, MBASr. Director, Head of MarketingMarketing@ChampionsOncology.com

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SOURCE: Champions Oncology

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Champions Oncology Announces the Expansion of Lumin Bioinformatics: Now Featuring a Highly Valuable Set of Proteomic Data and Analytics - BioSpace

Cell Biology

What are longevity supplements, and are they safe? – MarketWatch

Aches and pains. A growing waistline. Diminishing eyesight, hearing loss, memory lapses. These are the woes of growing older for some people, once considered inevitable. But recent, exciting discoveries in the fast-growing field of longevity science have some doctors and researchers pronouncing that these symptoms of aging may one day be treatable with pharmaceuticals, gene therapies or other yet-to-be-discovered medical technologies.

Many people havent been content to wait, though. Dozens of commercial producers are selling hundreds of so-called longevity supplements right now, and sales data suggest anawful lot of peopleare trying them. But do they work? Are they even safe?

To find out, we scoured the latest research and interviewed two top scientists in the field. What we learned suggests that you may want to hold off on ordering a supply, or at least do your research very carefully.

There is a solid handful of compounds that look very promising in the scientific quest to slow the aging process. One of the most exciting is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, which has been shown to extend both the lifespans and youthful function of yeast and animals in clinical trials. Human trials are ongoing, with only a handful published to date.

NAD (also often written as NAD+) is a substance found in every cell in your body, which controls all kinds of metabolic processes, including the regulation of sirtuins, the so-called longevity genes. As you age, your NAD+ levels decline, and scientists think it is perhapsthisdecline that leads toall sortsof other age-related declines.

Also read: Should you invest in the new longevity funds?

The working theory, then, is that if we can boost our NAD+ levels as we age, we can slow our decline tremendously. Lab studies on yeast and rodentslend strong supportto that theory. The most recent studies have primarily involved the administration of either nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which is then converted into NAD in the body.

To learn more about NAD, Next Avenue talked to Dr. Shin-Ichiro Imai, professor of developmental biology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Along with Leonard Guarente, Imai discovered the link between NAD and sirtuin control in 1999. Hes been studying the molecule ever since.

There have been 10 human clinical trials using NR, most at very high dose, with no safety issues, Imai said. Most of those trials, however, lasted for a duration of weeks or months at most.

Is it safe to take NAD-boosting supplements continuously, for years?

NMN and NR have already been available in Japan and the U.S. since 2015, and some people have been taking it since then, Imai noted. Anecdotally, I havent heard of any side effects from the taking of these supplements.

Some trials, however, have recorded mild side effects including headaches, nausea, diarrhea and skin flushing.

See: 3 aging experts tell how they decided on where to grow older

More troubling, however, is the conclusion of a 2019 study that showed a possible link between elevated levels of NAD and tumor growth in isolated cells and animals. Rugang Zhang, deputy director at the nonprofit Wistar Institute Cancer Center in Philadelphia, was the lead researcher on that study.The study, published in the UK journal Nature Cell Biology, did not find that NAD causes cancer, rather that elevated levelsappeared to accelerateoncogenesis (tumor formation) already in motion.

We dont want to oversell the results of our study, Zhang said. Lots of studies in the literature have clearly demonstrated that as normal cells age, there is lower NAD. So, supplementing NAD could be beneficial. Its possible that NAD boosters could help people live longer and healthier. Were not saying that if people take NAD boosters they will get cancer. This was a very early study on mouse models, and more study is needed.

He suggests a course of action grounded in a deep preponderance of evidence: At the end of the day, we just need more knowledge, through more research. We need the scientific community to come to a consensus. The risk to potential benefit remains to be seen.

Mucking up the risk/benefit ratio further is the fact that supplements are onlyvery lightly regulatedby the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with the testing, evaluation and labeling of such products left up to manufacturers. This presents another dilemma for those considering longevity supplements: theres no sure way of knowing exactly what youre getting.

The results of the few published human clinical trials to date unequivocally show that taking NR boosts levels of NAD in the body. But apparently, more NAD doesnt translate to more youthful function.

See: There are six types of retirees which are you?

Unfortunately, those studies have not yet shown any significant efficacy, Imai said.

And thats when the substance administered is of lab-grade purity. So what about the typical supplements available online?

There are so many products out there, Imai lamented, particularly for NMN, but Im concerned about the quality.

Indeed, a 2020meta-analysisof NAD trials surmised: it seems likely that side effects linked to interventions that target NAD metabolism more likely arise from impurities rather than the supplements themselves, since this industry generally operates without rigorous control of quality and standardization.

Imais lab has evaluated a number of commercially available NAD-boosting supplements, but found only two of lab-grade purity. Imai wouldnt disclose the names of the products (both Japanese-made), as he doesnt endorse supplements. But he did note that they are extremely expensive.

Dont miss: What is the secret to aging well?

Finally, we asked someone whod taken an NAD-booster to share her experience. Kim Oberdorfer, an air-traffic controller in Oakland, Calif., wasnt impressed.

I took [a popular NR supplement] for about two months and it just gave me these dull headaches. I was having hot flashes last February, and when I told my sister Im 47, shes 53 about how horrified I was to be having them so young, she goes, Are you sure its not just a reaction to an NAD supplement? said Oberdorfer. At the time I wasnt really working out much, but my sleep schedule was really messed up and I heard it was good for that as well. I didnt think it helped at all.

Rashelle Brownis a longtime fitness professional and freelance writer with hundreds of bylines in print and online. She is a regular contributor for NextAvenue and the Active Network, and is the author of Reboot Your Body: Unlocking the Genetic Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss (Turner Publishing). Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @RashelleBrownMN.

This article is reprinted by permission fromNextAvenue.org, 2021 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. All rights reserved.

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What are longevity supplements, and are they safe? - MarketWatch

Cell Biology

Bioniz Announces Positive End of Phase 2 Meeting with the FDA for BNZ-1 for the Treatment of Refractory Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma – Yahoo Finance

TipRanks

A new year, a new addition to the stock portfolio what can make more sense than that? The right time to buy, of course, is when stocks are priced at the bottom. Buying low and selling high may be a bit hackneyed, but its true, and truth has staying power.But the markets are up. The NASDAQ rose 43% in 2020, and the S&P 500 showed a gain of 16%. With a market environment like that, finding stocks that are caught in the doldrums is harder than it looks. That's where the Wall Street pros can lend a hand.We used TipRanks' database to pinpoint three stocks that fit a profile: a share price that has dropped over 30% in the last 12 months, but with at least double-digit upside potential, according to analysts. Not to mention each has earned a Moderate or Strong Buy consensus rating.Esperion (ESPR)We will start with Esperion, a company that specializes in therapies for the treatment of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels a major factor contributing to heart disease. The companys main product, bempedoic acid, is now available in tablet form under the brand names Nexletol and Nexlizet.In February 2020, both Nexletol and Nexlizet were approved as oral treatments to lower LDL-C. Bempedoic acid remains in clinical trials of its efficacy in risk reduction for cardiovascular disease. The trial, called CLEAR Outcomes, is a large-scale, long-term study, tracking more than 14,000 patients with top-line data expected in the second half of 2022. The study covers 1,400 locations in 32 countries around the world.Esperion shares peaked last February, after the FDA approvals, but since then, the stock has declined. Shares are down 65% since their peak. Along with the drop in share value, the company showed a fall in revenue from Q2 to Q3, with the top line collapsing from $212 million to $3.8 million. Since the Q3 report, Esperion announced pricing on a $250 million offer of senior subordinated notes, at 4%, due in 2025. The offering gives the company a boost in available capital for further work on its development pipeline and its marketing efforts for bempedoic acid.Chad Messer, covering ESPR for Needham, sees the note offering as a net positive for Esperion. We believe this cash position will be sufficient to support Esperion through 2021 and to profitability in 2022... We believe this financing should help put to rest concerns regarding Esperion's balance sheet. Despite a challenging launch for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET, product growth has continued in 3Q against the backdrop of a contracting LDL-C market. This growth trajectory suggests potential for a rapid acceleration when conditions improve," Messer wrote.To this end, Messer rates ESPR shares a Strong Buy, and his price target, at $158, suggests the stock has room for huge growth this year up to 481% from current levels. (To watch Messers track record, click here)Overall, Esperion has 6 recent reviews on record, with a breakdown of 5 Buys and 1 Hold to give the stock a Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus. The shares, trading at $27.16, have an average price target of $63.33, implying a one-year upside of 133%. (See ESPR stock analysis on TipRanks)Intercept Pharma (ICPT)Liver disease is a serious health threat, and Intercept Pharma is focused on developing treatments for some of the more dangerous chronic liver conditions, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Intercept has a research pipeline based on FXR, a regulator of bile acid pathways in the hepatic system.FXRs action affects not just the bile acid metabolism, but also the glucose and lipid metabolisms, and inflammation and fibrosis around the liver. The lead compound, obeticholic acid (OCA), is an analog of the bile acid CDCA, and as such can take a role in the FXR pathways and receptors implicated in chronic liver disease. Treating liver disease through the FXR biology has direct applications for PBC, and is showing promise treating complications from NASH.ICPT shares dropped sharply last summer, when the FDA rejected the companys application to approve OCA for treatment of NASH-related liver fibrosis. This delays the drugs potential entry to a lucrative market; there is no current treatment for NASH, and the first drug to win approval will have the lead in reaching a market estimated at $2 billion to $5 billion in potential annual sales. The effect on the stock is still felt, and ICPT remains at its 52-week low point.In reaction, in December of 2020, Intercept announced major changes in top-level management, as CEO and President Mark Pruzanski announced he's stepping down effective January 1 of this year. He is succeeded by Jerome Durso, formerly the companys COO, who will also take a post on the Board of Directors. Pruzanski will remain as an advisor, and will hold a directors position on the companys Board.Piper Sandler analyst Yasmeen Rahimi takes a deep dive into Intercepts continuing efforts to expand applications of OCA and to resubmits its New Drug Application to the FDA. She sees the leadership transition as part of these efforts, and writes, [We] believe that Dr. Pruzanski's dedication to transform the liver space is still strong, and that he will continue to guide ICPT's progress as an advisor and Board member. Additionally, we have had the pleasure of working closely with Jerry Durso and believe that he will transform the company and lead ICPT's success in growing the PBC market and the path to potential approval and commercial launch of OCA in NASH.Rahimi takes a long-term bullish stance on ICPT, giving the stock an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating and an $82 price target. This figure indicates an impressive 220% upside for the next 12 months. (To watch Rahimis track record, click here)Wall Street is somewhat more divided on the drug maker. ICPT's Moderate Buy consensus rating is based on 17 reviews, including 8 Buys and 9 Holds. Shares are priced at $25.82, and the average price target of $59.19 suggests an upside potential of 132% for the next 12 months. (See ICPT stock analysis on TipRanks)Gilead Sciences (GILD)Gilead has had a year like a firework fast up and fast down. The gains came in 1H20, when it appeared that the companys antiviral drug remdesivir would become a prime treatment for COVID-19. By November, however, even though remdesivir had been approved, the World Health Organization (WHO) was recommending against its use, and the COVID vaccines now on the market have made remdesivir irrelevant to the pandemic.This was only one of Gileads recent headwinds. The company has been working, in conjunction with Galapagos (GLPG), on development of filgotinib as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. While the drug received EU and Japanese approval in September 2020, the FDA has withheld approval and Gilead announced in December that it was suspending US development efforts on the drug.Even so, Gilead retains a diverse and active research pipeline, with over 70 research candidates at varying stages of the development and approval process for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including HIV/AIDS, inflammatory & respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and hematology/oncology.On a positive note, Gilead posted Q3 earnings above estimates, with the top line revenue, of $6.58 billion, beating the forecast by 6% and growing 17% year-over-year. The company updated its full-year 2020 guidance on product sales from $23 billion to $23.5 billion.Among the bulls is Oppenheimer analyst Hartaj Singh, who gives GILD shares an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating and $100 price target. Investors stand to pocket a 69% gain should the analysts thesis play out. (To watch Singhs track record, click here)Backing his stance, Singh writes, We continue to believe in our thesis of (1) a dependable remdesivir/other medicines business against SARS-CoV flares, (2) a base business (HIV/oncology/HCV) growing low-single digits over the next couple of years, (3) operating leverage providing greater earnings growth, and (4) a 3-4% dividend yield. What does the rest of the Street think? Looking at the consensus breakdown, opinions from other analysts are more spread out. 10 Buys, 12 Holds and 1 Sell add up to a Moderate Buy consensus. In addition, the $73.94 average price target indicates 25% upside potential from current levels. (See GILD stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for beaten-down stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Bioniz Announces Positive End of Phase 2 Meeting with the FDA for BNZ-1 for the Treatment of Refractory Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma - Yahoo Finance

Cell Biology

Your nose knows you have COVID before you do. Is a scratch-and-sniff card the best tool for mass testing? – The Colorado Sun

It may be clich, in this time of heightened stress and frenzy, to remind you to stop and smell the roses. But seriously: Stop. And. Smell. The. Roses. You might find out you have COVID-19.

Anosmia, the loss of your sense of smell, is by now a well-known symptom of a coronavirus infection. Studies have estimated its prevalence among people with COVID-19 at as much as 80%, which would make it as common of a symptom as cough or fever among symptomatic patients.

The latest from the coronavirus outbreak in Colorado:

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But unlike those other two symptoms, anosmia also occurs at high rates in people with coronavirus infections that are otherwise asymptomatic. And its also an unusual symptom there arent a lot of other illnesses that cause it. So that makes it more predictive than cough or fever, both of which can be caused by many other kinds of other illnesses.

For all these reasons, two researchers at the University of Colorado and a Yale School of Medicine professor who grew up in Boulder think theyve sniffed out a better way to conduct mass testing for coronavirus infections.

Forget the nose swabs, the temperature guns, the overwhelmed testing labs. What if the solution to conducting a comprehensive surveillance program at places like offices or college campuses was as simple as a stack of 50-cent scratch-and-sniff cards and a phone app?

If youve lost your sense of smell unexpectedly, that should be a signal to make sure the mask is on tight, said Daniel Larremore, a professor at CU who is one of the three researchers.

In a paper posted earlier this month on the preprint server medRxiv, the researchers use a mathematical model to argue that conducting sniff tests three times a week would be as effective in curtailing virus spread as conducting weekly PCR tests. The server has become a common place during the pandemic for scientists to post hot-off-the-workbench studies before they have gone through peer review.

Its not so much that the sniff tests are super-accurate. PCR tests are still considered the gold standard for accuracy in detecting coronavirus infections.

But, when it comes to mass testing, frequency is just as important as accuracy. And PCR tests are cumbersome to administer and analyze. Theyre also costly something that can add up quickly when organizations are trying to conduct testing on a large scale.

Thus, a cheaper and simpler, although less accurate, test that can be conducted more frequently can be just as valuable.

Your lack in accuracy is more than made up in frequency, said Derek Toomre, a professor of cell biology at the Yale School of Medicine who was an author on the study, along with Larremore and CU professor Roy Parker.

And thats how the u-Smell-it test (slogan: Do you smell it?) was born.

The test is part science and part elementary school arts and crafts. It involves a card with five unmarked scratch-and-sniff spots on it as well as a QR code. Test-takers use a smartphone app to scan the QR code. Then they scratch the spots and answer multiple-choice questions in the app about what they smelled mint, vanilla, strawberry or other common scents. Theres also an option to say you smelled nothing.

The whole process takes about 45 seconds, at the end of which the app will tell you if youve passed or failed.

Toomre, who grew up in Boulder and went to CU for undergrad, said a dedicated, blind sniff test for coronavirus has significant advantages over just telling people to mind their nose. The first is that people who are infected often dont realize theyve lost their sense of smell other studies have found around 45% to 50% of people infected with coronavirus report a loss of smell when surveyed, but that number rises to around 80% when people are actually administered a smell test, Larremore said.

And Toomre said its also important for the test to be blind to avoid tricks of the mind. If, for instance, you are used to sticking your nose down into your cup of coffee every morning, your brain might continue smelling that coffee even if your nose cant. So Toomre said, in order for the test to work best, people cant know in advance what they are supposed to be smelling.

Toomre has asked the federal Food and Drug Administration to approve the test, allowing it to be used for coronavirus surveillance testing. Its not meant to be a diagnostic test, Toomre said. People who fail the sniff test should follow up with a PCR test.

But it could be valuable to workplaces or college campuses looking to conduct mass testing programs, and it could also be useful for people to have around the house, especially if they think they might be coming down with other symptoms and want to know if they should go get a PCR test.

This idea, though quirky, is not exclusive to Toomre, Larremore and Parker. Researchers at Penn State University have also explored the idea.

Toomre said hes talking with manufacturers, with the hope of producing hundreds of millions of cards that can be sold for 50 cents or less, assuming it receives federal approval. He said he also plans to donate large numbers of tests to nonprofits.

Its a long way from his pre-pandemic work, which focused on cellular imaging.

I am comfortable being uncomfortable, Toomre said, which I definitely am in this area.

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Your nose knows you have COVID before you do. Is a scratch-and-sniff card the best tool for mass testing? - The Colorado Sun

Cell Biology

Research Roundup: Different Antibody Responses to COVID-19 and More – BioSpace

Every week there are numerous scientific studies published. Heres a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Antibodies Respond Differently to Severe Versus Mild COVID-19

Researchers at Stanford Medicine found that COVID-19 antibodies preferentially target different parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in mild COVID-19 cases than they do in severe cases. In addition, they fade differently based on the severity of the case. People with severe COVID-19 have low proportions of antibodies that target the spike protein. In milder cases, the antibodies seem to do a better job of binding to the spike protein. The spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor on human cells, which allows the virus to enter the cell. Once inside, the virus gets rid of its outer coat, takes over the cells protein-making machinery and churns out more viral particles that then infect other cells. Antibodies that bind to the spike protein block the ability to bind to ACE2. Antibodies that bind to other parts of the virus dont seem to prevent viral spread.

Antibody responses are not likely to be the sole determinant of someones outcome, said Scott Boyd, associate professor of pathology at Stanford. Among people with severe disease, some die and some recover. Some of these patients mount a vigorous immune response, and others have a more moderate response. So, there are a lot of other things going on. There are also other branches of the immune system involved. Its important to note that our results identify correlations but dont prove causation.

Understanding Brain Plasticity in Adults

When brains develop, they constantly grow new neuronal connectionssynapsesas they learn and remember. Important connects are nurtured and reinforced while seemingly unnecessary ones are pruned. Adult brains undergo similar treatment, but its not well understood why adult synapses are eliminated. A group of researchers at The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have found the underlying mechanism of plasticity, which could be related to neurological disorders in adult brains. The brains gray matter contains microglia and astrocytes. Microglia are a frontline immune defensethey eat pathogens and dead cells. Astrocytes are star-shaped cells that help structure the brain and maintain homeostasis with involvement in neuronal signaling. It was long thought that microglial eat synapses as part of their clean-up effort, a process called phagocytosis. But their research, using a new molecular sensor, found that it was actually the astrocytes that are constantly eliminating excessive and unnecessary adult excitatory synaptic connections.

New Class of Antibiotic Works Against Range of Bacteria

Investigators withThe Wistar Institute have identified a new class of antibiotics that have a broad range of antibacterial effects, including against microbes with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). They focused on a metabolic pathway essential for bacteria but absent in humans, called methyl-D-erythritol phosphate (MEP) or non-mevalonate pathway, which is responsible for biosynthesis of isoprenoids. Isoprenoids are required for cell survival in most pathogenic bacteria. The researchers targeted the IspH enzyme, essential in isoprenoid biosynthesis. They screened several million commercially available compounds using computer models to find ones that could bind with the enzyme and chose the most potent ones. Most IspH inhibitors cant penetrate the bacterial cell wall, so the researchers worked to identify and synthesize novel IspH inhibitors that could get inside the bacteria.

Rhesus Macaque Genome Reference Includes 85 Million Genetic Variants

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Missouri and the University of Washington created a new reference genome assembly, identifying more than 85 million genetic variants in the rhesus macaque. This makes it the largest database of genetic variation for any single nonhuman primate species. It is a big improvement over the first reference assembled in 2007, and they believe it can help analyze and answer fundamental questions in molecular genetics, cell biology and physiology, not just in rhesus macaques, but in humans and other primates and mammals.

This is a major step forward in the amount of information we have about genetic variation in the rhesus macaque, said Jeffrey Rogers, associate professor at the Human Genome Sequencing Center and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor. We have actually identified thousands of new mutations in the population of research animals. Now colleagues all over the country who are investigating various aspects of health and disease using rhesus macaques can begin to make use of that information.

Common Diabetes Drug Linked to Rare COVID-19 Complications

Although diabetes is a known risk factor for COVID-19, researchers with Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified a rare COVID-19 complication with common diabetes drugs. The side effect is called euDKA, or euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. DKA occurs when the bodys cells do not absorb enough glucose and begin metabolizing fats instead, which results in a build-up of ketones. EuDKA is marked by lower blood sugar levels, making it harder to diagnose. The researchers evaluated five unusual euDKA cases that was a significantly higher level of incidence, all seen in COVID-19 patients taking sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SLGLT2i). They believe that COVID-19 may increase the risk of euDKA by binding to cells on the pancreas that produce insulin. The three SGLT2 inhibitors approved by the FDA are Janssens Invokana (canagliflozin), AstraZenecas Farxiga (dapagliflozin) and Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheims Jardiance (empagliflozin).

Whats Going on in the International Space Station?

The Expedition 64 crew took the day off for Christmas, but immediately afterwards went back to work on a variety of biological and medical research. Two studies evaluated new treatments for joint injuries and cancerone looked at bone, cartilage and synovium in artificial gravity chambers to better understand bone loss and joint damage; the second studied protein crystals grown in space and their ability to target cancer cells. A different study on several dozen mice evaluated the vascular changes in space on eyesight functionabout 40% of people working in space have vision changes from fluid shifts and radiation. Another experiment studied genetic changes in space and their impact on the growth and deterioration of bone tissue.

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Research Roundup: Different Antibody Responses to COVID-19 and More - BioSpace

Cell Biology

Global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market Growth Graph To Demonstrate Inclination Towards Positive Axis By 2026 – The Courier

The primary aim of the globalCell And Tissue Analysis Products Marketresearch report is to evaluate, describe, and forecast the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market globally based on the various factors like organization size, region, service, application, segments, deployment mode, and verticals. The global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market research report distinctly evaluates every segment {Cell & Tissue Characterization Products, Bio specimens, Cell Separation Products}; {Drug Discovery and Development, Stem Cell Research, Cell Biology, Other Research Practices} influencing the growth factors, restraining factors for the growth, contribution to the total Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market and the future developments.

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Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The outbreak of COVID-19 was sudden and was not at all considered so dangerous when it first struck at Wuhan city of China. Although, everything in that city was closed but the coronavirus infection had wide spread in China as a wild fire. Within months it spread to the neighboring countries and then to every single country in the world. The World Health Organization announced it as a pandemic and till then it had created huge losses in several countries.

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The global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market research report gives a comprehensive data and analysis about the worldwide market. The report further gives the data that one could rely on; which comes with in-depth analysis of Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market. Different factors like in-depth description of Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market, growth factors, segmentation, regional analysis, sales, supply, demand, manufacture analysis, recent trends, and competing companies are included in the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products report. The exquisite data provided in global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market research report is explanatory in terms of quantity as well as quality.

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All the major players Danaher, Luminex, EMD Millipore Corporation, PARTEC, GE Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific, BD, Mindray, PerkinElmer, Miltenyi Biotec leading in the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market are mentioned in the report along with their regions-wise dominance.

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Global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market Growth Graph To Demonstrate Inclination Towards Positive Axis By 2026 - The Courier

Cell Biology

Groundbreaking Treatment for Severe COVID-19 Using Stem Cells It’s Like Smart Bomb Technology in the Lung – SciTechDaily

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells naturally migrate directly to the lung where they begin repair to COVID-19 damage. Credit: Dr. Camillo Ricordi

Study looked at treating severe COVID-19 with umbilical-cord derived mesenchymal stem cells.

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers led a unique and groundbreaking randomized controlled trial showing umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cell infusions safely reduce risk of death and quicken time to recovery for the severest COVID-19 patients, according to results published inSTEM CELLS Translational Medicinein January 2021.

The studys senior author, Camillo Ricordi, M.D., director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said treating COVID-19 with mesenchymal stem cells makes sense.

The paper describes findings from 24 patients hospitalized at University of Miami Tower or Jackson Memorial Hospital with COVID-19 who developed severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Each received two infusions given days apart of either mesenchymal stem cells or placebo.

It was a double-blind study. Doctors and patients didnt know what was infused, Dr. Ricordi said. Two infusions of 100 million stem cells were delivered within three days, for a total of 200 million cells in each subject in the treatment group.

Researchers found the treatment was safe, with no infusion-related serious adverse events.

Camillo Ricordi, M.D., director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Credit: University of Miami Health System

Patient survival at one month was 91% in the stem cell treated group versus 42% in the control group. Among patients younger than 85 years old, 100% of those treated with mesenchymal stem cells survived at one month.

Dr. Ricordi and colleagues also found time to recovery was faster among those in the treatment arm. More than half of patients treated with mesenchymal stem cell infusions recovered and went home from the hospital within two weeks after the last treatment. More than 80% of the treatment group recovered by day 30, versus less than 37% in the control group.

The umbilical cord contains progenitor stem cells, or mesenchymal stem cells, that can be expanded and provide therapeutic doses for over 10,000 patients from a single umbilical cord. Its a unique resource of cells that are under investigation for their possible use in cell therapy applications, anytime you have to modulate immune response or inflammatory response, he said. Weve been studying them with our collaborators in China for more than 10 years in Type 1 Diabetes, and there are currently over 260 clinical studies listed in clinicaltrials.gov for treatment of other autoimmune diseases.

Mesenchymal cells not only help correct immune and inflammatory responses that go awry, they also have antimicrobial activity and have been shown to promote tissue regeneration.

Our results confirm the powerful anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory effect of UC-MSC. These cells have clearly inhibited the cytokine storm, a hallmark of severe COVID-19, said Giacomo Lanzoni, Ph.D, lead author of the paper and assistant research professor at the Diabetes Research Institute. The results are critically important not only for COVID-19 but also for other diseases characterized by aberrant and hyperinflammatory immune responses, such as autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes.

When given intravenously, mesenchymal stem cells migrate naturally to the lungs. Thats where therapy is needed in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, a dangerous complication associated with severe inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs.

It seemed to me that these stem cells could be an ideal treatment option for severe COVID-19, said Dr. Ricordi, Stacy Joy Goodman Professor of Surgery, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and professor of biomedical engineering, microbiology and immunology. It requires only an intravenous (IV) infusion, like a blood transfusion. Its like smart bomb technology in the lung to restore normal immune response and reverse life-threatening complications.

When the pandemic emerged, Dr. Ricordi asked collaborators in China if they had studied mesenchymal stem cell treatment in COVID-19 patients. In fact, they and Israeli researchers reported great success treating COVID-19 patients with the stem cells, in many cases with 100% of treated patients surviving and recovering faster than those without stem cell treatment.

But there was widespread skepticism about these initial results, because none of the studies had been randomized, where patients randomly received treatment or a control solution (placebo), to compare results in similar groups of patients.

We approached the FDA and they approved our proposed randomized controlled trial in one week, and we started as quickly as possible, Dr. Ricordi said.

Dr. Ricordi worked with several key collaborators at the Miller School, the University of Miami Health System, Jackson Health System, and collaborated with others in the U.S. and internationally, including Arnold I. Caplan, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University, who first described mesenchymal stem cells.

The next step is to study use of the stem cells in COVID-19 patients who have not yet become severely ill but are at risk of having to be intubated, to determine if the infusions prevent disease progression.

The findings have implications for studies in other diseases, too, according to Dr. Ricordi.

Hyper-immune and hyper-inflammatory responses in autoimmune diseases might share a common thread with why some COVID-19 patients transition to severe forms of the disease and others dont.

Autoimmunity is a big challenge for healthcare, as is COVID-19. Autoimmunity affects 20% of the American population and includes over 100 disease conditions, of which Type 1 Diabetes can be considered just the tip of the iceberg. What we are learning is that there may be a common thread and risk factors that can predispose to both an autoimmune disease or to a severe reaction following viral infections, such as SARS-CoV-2, he said.

The DRI Cell Transplant Center is planning to create a large repository of mesenchymal stem cells that are ready to use and can be distributed to hospitals and centers in North America, he said.

These could be used not only for COVID-19 but also for clinical trials to treat autoimmune diseases, like Type 1 Diabetes, Dr. Ricordi said. If we could infuse these cells at the onset of Type 1 Diabetes, we might be able to block progression of autoimmunity in newly diagnosed subjects, and progression of complications in patients affected by the disease long-term. We are planning such a trial specifically for diabetes nephropathy, a kidney disease that is one of the major causes of dialysis and kidney transplantation. We are also planning to do a study on umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in combination with pancreatic islets to see if you can modulate the immune response to an islet transplant locally.

Funding by The Cure Alliance made launching the initial trial possible, while a $3 million grant from North Americas Building Trades Unions (NABTU) allowed Dr. Ricordi and colleagues to complete the clinical trial and expand research with mesenchymal stem cells.

North Americas Building Trades Unions (NABTU) has been a major supporter of the Diabetes Research Institute since 1984, when they started a campaign to fund, and build, our state-of-the-art research and treatment facility. NABTU has continued to support our work through the years, including our mesenchymal stem cell research that helped lead the way to this clinical trial, he said.

Reference: 5 January 2021, STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.

All the organizations funding the research are nonprofit entities, including the Barilla Group and Family, The Fondazione Silvio Tronchetti Provera, the Simkins Family Foundation and the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences also provided funding.

Coauthors on the NEJM paper include: Giacomo Lanzoni, Ph.D., assistant research professor, DRI; Elina Linetsky, Ph.D., DRI director of quality assurance and regulatory affairs; Diego Correa, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor (Research) Dept. of Orthopaedics and the DRI, adjunct assistant professor of biology at Case Western Reserve University; Shari Messinger Cayetano, Ph.D., associate professor of Public Health Sciences at the Miller School; Roger A. Alvarez, D.O., M.P.H., a pulmonologist with UHealth Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine; Antonio C Marttos, M.D., a UHealth general surgeon; Ana Alvarez Gil, DRI; Raffaella Poggioli, M.D., DRI; Phillip Ruiz, M.D., Ph.D., department of Surgery at the Miller School and the UHealth Anatomic Pathology department; Khemraj Hirani, M.Pharm., Ph.D., R.Ph., CCRP, CIP, RAC, M.B.A., director of regulatory affairs and quality assurance at the DRI; Crystal A. Bell, department of medicine at the Miller School; Halina Kusack, department of Medicine, Miller School; Lisa Rafkin, research assistant professor, DRI; Rodolfo Alejandro, M.D., professor of Medicine at the Miller School, co-director of the Cell Transplant Center, and director/attending physician of the Clinical Cell Transplant Program at the DRI; David Baidal, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine in the division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at the Miller School and member of the DRIs Clinical Islet Transplant Program; Andrew Pastewski, M.D., Jackson Health System; Kunal Gawri, Miller School and University of Miami Health System; Dimitrios Kouroupis, postdoctoral research fellow at the Miller School; Clarissa Leero, DRI; Alejandro M.A. Mantero, Ph.D., lead research analyst, department of Health Sciences at the Miller School; Xiaojing Wang, DRI; Luis Roque, DRI; Burlett Masters, DRI; Norma S. Kenyon, Ph.D., deputy director and the Martin Kleiman professor of Surgery, Microbiology and Immunology and Biomedical Engineering at the DRI; Enrique Ginzburg, M.D., chief of Surgery at University of Miami Hospital and Trauma Medical Director at Jackson South Community Hospital; Xiumin Xu, DRI; Jianming Tan, M.D., Ph.D., Fuzhou General Hospital, Fujian, China; Arnold I. Caplan, Ph.D., professor of Biology at Case Western Reserve University; and Marilyn Glassberg, M.D., division chief of Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

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Groundbreaking Treatment for Severe COVID-19 Using Stem Cells It's Like Smart Bomb Technology in the Lung - SciTechDaily