Emulate Signs Collaborative Agreement with the FDA to Apply Lung-Chip to Evaluate Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines and Protective Immunity Against…

November 1, 2020 medical

Oct. 29, 2020 11:00 UTC

Agency-wide CRADA agreement also includes studies with Brain-Chip in Alzheimers disease, Intestine-Chip in microbiome health, and Liver-Chip in individualized toxicity responses

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Emulate, Inc.. announced today that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enable multiple studies across FDA offices in priority research areas, including programs to evaluate COVID-19 vaccines and understand human immune response against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Under the CRADA, the FDA will use a range of Organ-Chips from Emulate to study the safety, efficacy, and mechanisms of drugs regulated by the FDA. The initial studies use Organ-Chipswhich are able to recreate the natural physiology of specific human tissues and organsin areas where conventional cell culture and animal-based testing methods have limitations in reflecting human biology and disease mechanisms that are not yet understood, such as Alzheimers disease and COVID-19. This new CRADA agreement follows the successful completion of the first Emulate CRADA with the FDA initiated in 2017 that focused on toxicity studies using the Liver-Chip.

We are excited to continue our relationship and collaborative work with the FDA, combining Emulates expertise with leading researchers at the FDA to explore how our Organ-Chips can lead to new ways to improve standards, understand disease and drug mechanisms, and better evaluate the safety and efficacy of products for human use, said Jim Corbett, Chief Executive Officer of Emulate. The FDA is a valued stakeholder and strategic collaborator as our Human Emulation System continues to be adopted for the evaluation of pharmaceuticals and other products that are reviewed and approved by regulatory authorities to protect and improve human health.

The FDA has a long history of supporting efforts to develop new regulatory tools that have the potential to refine, reduce, or replace animal testing, said FDA Chief Scientist, Rear Admiral Denise Hinton. Our deep engagement in research collaborations like this one is crucial to advancing technologies like Organ-Chips that may help identify toxicity, efficacy, and disease susceptibility earlier in product development. A robust commitment to science is at the core of our public health mission and helping to facilitate advancements in regulatory science reflects our dedication to fostering the development of critical medical products to address public health threats like COVID-19.

COVID-19 Lung-Chip study to advance understanding of protective immunity and vaccine safety

The Lung-Chip study, which will be led by the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), aims to address one of the most important questions regarding protective immunity against SARSCoV-2: why individuals experience a wide spectrum of disease severity and what constitutes a real protection against future infection. The Emulate human Lung-Chip offers the unique functionality of mechanical strain and dynamic fluid flow to recreate the microenvironment found in the human lung. Highlights of the study objectives include:

We are enthusiastic to collaborate with essential regulatory partners like the FDA to apply our unique Organ-on-Chips platform to advance the understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and to do our part in bringing safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to the world, Lorna Ewart, PhD, Executive Vice President, Scientific Liaison of Emulate. There is a time-sensitive need to contribute our technology and expertise to support the FDA with their COVID-19 response, and over time, there will continue to be a need to understand longer-term protective immunity and vaccine safety.

Studies with multiple Organ-Chips support areas of emerging disease biology and drug mechanisms

The CRADA is led by the FDAs Office of the Chief Scientist, allowing for studies across FDA offices with Organ-Chips from Emulate. Through the CRADA, multiple installations of the Human Emulation System will be established in several FDA laboratories.

In addition to the COVID-19 study, other projects that will be initiated under the CRADA include:

More information about how Emulate is enabling COVID-19 research can be found in the companys latest blog post.

About Emulate, Inc.

Emulate Inc. is a privately held company that creates living products for understanding how diseases, medicines, chemicals, and foods affect human health. Our lab-ready Human Emulation System includes three components: Zo Culture Module, Organ-Chips, and analytical software applications. The platform provides a window into the inner workings of human biology and diseaseoffering researchers a new technology designed to predict human response with greater precision and detail than conventional cell culture or animal-based experimental testing. Each of Emulates proprietary Organ-Chipsincluding the liver, intestine, and kidneycontains tiny hollow channels lined with tens of thousands of living human cells and tissues and is approximately the size of an AA battery. An Organ-Chip is a living, microengineered environment that recreates the natural physiology and mechanical forces that cells experience within the human body. Our founding team pioneered the Organs-on-Chips technology at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. Emulate holds the worldwide exclusive license from Harvard University to a robust and broad intellectual property portfolio for the Organs-on-Chips technology and related systems. For more information, please visit http://www.emulatebio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201029005207/en/

Go here to read the rest:
Emulate Signs Collaborative Agreement with the FDA to Apply Lung-Chip to Evaluate Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines and Protective Immunity Against...

Physiology

Bates announces five 202021 faculty promotions, including tenure awards – Bates News

November 1, 2020 medical

Bates has announced five faculty promotions, including tenure awards, effective for the 202021 academic year.

Promoted from assistant to associate professor with tenure are Brett Huggett of the Department of Biology and Genevive Robert of the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences.

Promoted from associate to full professor are Meredith Greer of the Department of Mathematics, Ther Pickens of the Department of English, and Sonja Pieck of the Program in Environmental Studies.

The promotions were recommended by the facultys Committee on Personnel and approved by the Bates College Board of Trustees.

The words shared by each of these five superb scholars tell a collectively compelling story of full and intense engagement with the world, with their students, and with the life of the mind, all underscored by great devotion to our college community, says Malcolm Hill, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. The cycle of their creativity teaching energized by scholarship, and scholarship energized by teaching is displayed in their myriad contributions to Bates College.

Meet the five newly promoted faculty members, and learn a bit about what being a Bates professor means to them.

Appointment year: 2014Doctoral institution: Harvard UniversityFields of research: Physiological and morphological adaptations and/or responses among tree species to stress, plant physiology, plant water relations, carbon allocation, xylem structure and function.

What it means to me to be a Bates professor:

From my early years as a jazz musician, to a naturalist for Massachusetts Audubon Society, and now as a Bates professor, I have always found immense joy in teaching and inspiring curiosity in others.

In the community of faculty, staff, and students at Bates, I have found an incredible place to incorporate my passion for plant biology into teaching and research. Working closely with the talented students at Bates in the classroom, lab, and field I am continually inspired to innovate my teaching and to pursue new questions in biology. The natural surroundings of Bates have allowed me to center many of my courses in field-based learning. When not in the classroom or lab, you will find me out and about in the beautiful woods of Maine.

Appointment year: 2014Doctoral institution: University of MissouriFields of research: Rheology, viscosity, silicate melts, experimental petrology, volcanology.

What it means to me be a Bates professor:

Its about empowering students to view themselves as scientists. Its about learning from my colleagues. And its about working towards a common goal.

I love that students come to class with an open mind, ready for a challenge. Working with Bates students in the classroom and the lab has made me a better teacher and mentor, and I am constantly challenged, surprised, and impressed by them. Bates students have helped me build my experimental petrology research program every step of the way. Together, weve assembled and calibrated specialized instruments. Weve synthesized lava at 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Weve measured how fast lava can flow and have co-authored papers. I could not do what I do without Bates students, and I feel lucky to be a part of their journey.

Im lucky to work alongside and learn from brilliant colleagues in my own academic unit, through research collaborations, and in every single committee Ive been a member of. There is such a strong culture of support, of sharing resources and expertise, and of community at Bates. And what Ive learned from day one is that staff make this place possible for all of us. Im grateful everyday for their expertise, help, and support.

Appointment year: 2002Doctoral institution: Vanderbilt UniversityFields of research: Applied mathematics, mathematical biology, mathematical ecology, mathematical epidemiology.

What it means to me be a Bates professor:

It has always been about the people. I chose to work at Bates because of the people I met when interviewing here every single one was friendly, intellectually curious, helpful, and excited about what we could learn together. That has stayed true throughout.

Students regularly go above and beyond the call. On projects, they bring in experiences, coursework, and interests that form combinations only they could have developed. When challenged by new math topics, they inspire me by their engagement, time invested, willingness to try new study strategies, and overall devotion to learning. They build communities and support each other, in the classroom and beyond.

Faculty and staff here are also amazing. There are so many examples of dedication to excellence, solving complicated issues, and taking care of each other. Being surrounded by such enthusiasm and commitment helps my teaching every day. It really is all about the people.

Appointment year: 2011Doctoral institution: University of California, Los AngelesFields of research: 20th- and 21st-century African American / Arab American literature, African American literature and cultural studies, Arab American literature and cultural studies, Black feminism, cognitive impairment, disability, disability studies, gender studies, literary theory, mental health, physical impairment, spectacular fiction.

What it means to me to be a Bates professor:

In the scholarly community, we often wrongly pit research and teaching against each other. I firmly believe that the two are synergistic. In my career, I find that being an engaged scholar allows me to be a better teacher.

In the years between receiving tenure, in 2016, and promotion to full professor, I wrote a book called Black Madness :: Mad Blackness (Duke University Press, 2019); edited a collection, Arab American Aesthetics (Routledge, 2018); edited a special issue of African American Review, Blackness & Disability (2017); wrote five articles; and gave dozens of presentations at academic conferences and at colleges and universities the world over. All of that work centering the theories, ideas, and creative endeavors of Black people, Arab Americans, disabled people pressed me and others to think more explicitly about how to make a just world.

In doing this work and listening to people in various settings, I became even more convinced that the study of literature, and the humanities writ large, is vitally necessary to our world. These are lessons that we need desperately as we seek to tell better stories about, and do better work in, our current global situation and for what lies ahead.

Appointment year: 2007Doctoral institution: Clark UniversityFields of research: Biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, environmental history, environmental movements, environmental politics, human geography, international development, memory studies.

What it means to me to be a Bates professor:

The interdisciplinary spaces of the liberal arts are deeply appealing to me because I love drawing connections between different perspectives, theories, scales, places, interests, groups, and species. I believe environmental problems at their core derive from uneven power relations among humans but also between human and non-human communities and we need multifaceted and synergistic approaches to understand them and develop effective solutions.

And my students make some of the most interesting and creative connections of all. They bring curiosity and compassion to the classroom, along with a desire to do good in the world. It is an honor to partner with them in class and on thesis projects and help them become more informed, critically engaged people.

As an interdisciplinary scholar, Ive long been interested in international and transnational environmental politics. Ive worked in Latin America exploring environmental activism, especially in Peru and Ecuador, where I spent formative years of my life, and am now focusing my research on Germany, my country of origin. Throughout, Ive felt supported in my work by the college and by smart, kind, and generous colleagues.

Bates continues to be an energizing and inspiring community of students, staff, and faculty.

Read the rest here:
Bates announces five 202021 faculty promotions, including tenure awards - Bates News

Physiology

THE HAWK EYE’S PREP ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Danville-New London’s Addison Parrott – Burlington Hawk Eye

November 1, 2020 medical

Matt Levins|The Hawk Eye

DANVILLE Addison Parrott has more than paid her dues for the Danville-New London high school girls cross country team.

Parrott is the latest in a long line of great distance runners for the Bears.

Parrott, a senior, is making her fourth trip to the state tournament. The Class 2A girls race is slated for 10:30 a.m. todayat Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

Parrott, who finished 48th as a freshman, 10th as a sophomore and sixth last year, comes into the meet ranked second in 2A behind Mid-Prairie freshman Danielle Hostetler.

Parrott, who took the reigns from Lexi Brown last year as the leader of the pack, has one last chance to bring home the elusive state championship before she hands over the leadership of the program to the next in line.

Whatever happens, Parrott will do what she always does give it everything she has and leave it all on the course.

The Hawk Eye recently caught up with Parrott, The Hawk Eye's Prep Athlete of the Week, and asked her a series of questions.

What is your favorite sport besides cross country?

Soccer.

What is it that you like about cross country?

The people who have become my best friends and created memories that I'll cherish forever.

What are the three reasons you like being part of a team sport?

We can depend on each other, relate to any struggles experienced, and always know that were there to support and love each other no matter what.

What is the best part about competing?

Its a chance to push yourself to where youre uncomfortable. The adrenaline rush as the gun goes off is such an indescribable feeling, and every race is a new opportunity to improve.

How do you and your teammates make practice fun?

We are always creating new routes to run, doing moves from TikTok, or having spitting competitions.

Who is your biggest role model and why?

My mom because of her tender heart and compassionate love to others. She is always supporting, loving, and selfless in every situation.

What is your favorite subject in school and why?

Probably science (human anatomy and physiology) because you get to explore areas of the body and understand their functions.

What is your favorite meal?

Steak.

What is your favorite TV show?

"The Office."

What do you enjoy doing in your free time and why?

Spending time with friends and family, youth groups, riding bikes and other outdoor activities, and growing plants.

What is your favorite motivational slogan or quote?

Count it all joy when you meet various trials. James 1:2. This verse reminds me that amidst the struggles and failures I encounter, there is still always good that can be taken out of it that will help me prosper in the future.

What is your best memory in cross country?

When Ethan Julian carried a shelf for three miles.

What are your future plans for college and career?

Im undecided about a college and career choice at the moment, but am leaning towards a profession in the field of medicine.

Name something about yourself that would surprise people.

I won the hula hoop champion in fourth grade.

View original post here:
THE HAWK EYE'S PREP ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Danville-New London's Addison Parrott - Burlington Hawk Eye

Physiology

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor wins $4.5 million for breast cancer research and therapy – News-Medical.Net

November 1, 2020 medical

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Oct 30 2020

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology Erik Nelson has won a $4.5M Era of Hope Scholar Award from the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). This prestigious award supports individuals early in their careers who have demonstrated significant potential to effect meaningful change in breast cancer research. Recipients of the Era of Hope Scholar Award are leaders and visionaries in their respective field who go beyond conventional thinking to change the current landscape of breast cancer research and therapy.

Approximately 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime as it continues to be the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women in the United States. The DoD, in collaboration with several experts, has identified several areas of current shortcomings in the areas of breast cancer management, diagnosis, and therapy. Nelson will spearhead a collaborative and interdisciplinary research team to address several of these key areas.

The American Institute for Cancer Research has previously funded our work on tumor dormancy and the funding from that source allowed us to develop the data necessary to move on to the next step and secure this award. What we plan on working on is multi-fold but one of the big things is determining why and how breast cancer cells can lay dormant for years and then suddenly re-emerge. The other aspect of that is we're trying to eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer, which accounts for more than 90% of all breast cancer-associated deaths."

Erik Nelson, Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Nelson's two-fold approach involves leveraging cholesterol homeostasis to design better treatments for metastatic disease and to prevent metastatic recurrence. Previous work by Nelson's group found that cholesterol was important for regulation of cancer and immune cells, providing the basis for why recurrence develops sooner in patients with high cholesterol levels. In subsequent work, they found that a metabolite of cholesterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-HC), was in fact the causal link.

"With cancer cells, 27-HC seems to be able to activate the estrogen receptor, which for 60-70% of breast cancer patients, drives proliferation," said Nelson. "We also found that it acted on a type of immune cell called a myeloid immune cell. This led to a highly immune-suppressive environment that prevented immune cells from mounting an effective response against cancer."

One aspect of the project includes a collaboration with Professor of Chemistry Paul Hergenrother to develop strategies in inhibiting the synthesis of 27-HC as well as developing drugs that target key biological regulators of cholesterol metabolism. Other collaborators include Professor of Biochemistry David Kranz, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Stephen Boppart, Professor of Computer Science Saurabh Sinha, Professor of Bioengineering Wawrzyniec Dobrucki, Professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition William Helferich, and Professor and Chief of Clinical Breast Radiotherapy Service Wendy Woodward (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center).

"We are working with bioengineers because we found that various metabolites can induce the secretion of cancer cell extracellular vesicles, but we don't know how to regulate or drug them," said Nelson. "We are also working with William Helferich to determine if the cooking process of high-cholesterol foods contributes to the promotion of breast cancer metastasis. Cholesterol is amenable to lifestyle interventions and so we want to develop ways to change the diet by looking at cooking style."

Nelson's project also involves cancer research advocates, who are typically cancer survivors or caregivers of someone with cancer. Advocates provide unique perspectives to researchers and help inform patient-centered research. Here at Illinois, Nelson co-leads a Cancer Research Advocacy Group along with Professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition Zeynep Madak-Erdogan, working with advocates Sarah Adams, Lea Ann Carson, and Rena Strawbridge. Outside of Illinois, Nelson has also recruited Jamie Holloway from a cancer research advocacy group in Georgetown.

"Current therapies for metastatic disease are not very effective and our goal is to change that," said Nelson. "I look forward to asking some big questions and starting to translate our studies into meaningful change for breast cancer patients."

Nelson is a member of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The views expressed in this article/news release are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

View post:
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor wins $4.5 million for breast cancer research and therapy - News-Medical.Net

Physiology

Commentary: Why sleep experts say it’s time to ditch daylight saving time – pressherald.com

November 1, 2020 medical

For most of the U.S., the clock goes back one hour on Sunday morning, Nov. 1, the fall back for daylight saving time. Many of us appreciate the extra hour of sleep.But for millions, that gain wont counter the inadequate sleep they get the rest of the year. About 40% of adults 50 to 70 million Americans get less than the recommended minimum seven hours per night.Some researchers are concerned about how the twice-a-year switch impacts our bodys physiology. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the largest scientific organization that studies sleep, now wants to replace daylight saving time with a move to a year-round fixed time. That way, our internal circadian clocks would not be misaligned for half the year. And it would eliminate the safety risk from sleep loss when transitioning to daylight savings time.I am a neurologist at the University of Florida. Ive studied how a lack of sleep can impair the brain. In the 1940s, most American adults averaged 7.9 hours of sleep a night. Today, its only 6.9 hours. To put it another way: In 1942, 84% of us got the recommended seven to nine hours; in 2013, it was 59%. To break it down further, a January 2018 study from Fitbit reported that men got even less sleep per night than women, about 6.5 hours.The case for sleepProblems from sleep shortage go beyond simply being tired. Compared to those who got enough sleep, adults who are short sleepers those getting less than seven hours per day were more likely to report 10 chronic health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma and depression.Children, who need more sleep than adults, face even more challenges. To promote optimal health, six- to 12-year-olds should sleep nine to 12 hours a day; teens from 13 to 18, eight to 10 hours. But a Sleep Foundation poll of parents says children are getting at least one hour less than that. And researchers have found that sleep deprivation of even a single hour can harm a childs developing brain, affecting memory encoding and attentiveness in school.Sleep impacts every one of our biological systems. Serious consequences can result with poor sleep quality. Heres a short list: Blood pressure may increase. Risk of coronary heart disease could go up. Our endocrine system releases more cortisol, a stress hormone. We become more aroused by fight or flight syndrome. Theres a reduction of growth hormone and muscle maintenance. Theres a higher chance of increased appetite and weight gain. The body has less glucose tolerance and greater insulin resistance; in the long term, that means an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes.Sleep deprivation is associated with increased inflammation and a decreased number of antibodies to fight infections. It may also cause a decrease in pain tolerance, reaction times and memory. Occupational studies show sleep loss can cause poor work performance, including more days missed and more car accidents.Recent research suggests the bodys waste removal process relies on sleep to get rid of harmful proteins from the brain, particularly abnormal variants of amyloid. These are the same proteins that are elevated in Alzheimers patients. Studies show that older adults who sleep less have greater accumulation of these proteins in their brains.On the other hand, getting enough sleep helps the body in many ways by protecting against some of these damaging effects and by boosting the immune system.The problem with DSTMost of the risk associated with daylight saving time occurs in the spring, when we turn the clock forward and lose one hour of sleep. The idea of a national permanent year-round time has support, but disagreements exist on whether the fixed time should be standard time or daylight savings time.States advocating for permanent daylight saving time are typically those that rely on tourism. Environmentalists, favoring less energy consumption from morning heating and evening air conditioning, often support permanent standard time. Religious groups, whose prayer times are linked to sundown and sunrise, also tend to prefer permanent standard time. So do many educators, opposed to transporting children to school during mornings when its still dark.As you ponder what system is best for a national year-round standard, consider this: The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended we go with permanent standard time a better way to align with our natural circadian clock and minimize health and safety risks.And just think: If we change to permanent standard time, then for the first time in decades, you wont lose an hour of sleep every spring.The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Study sheds new light on cell division fidelity, can impact future regenerative medicine – News-Medical.Net

November 1, 2020 medical

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Oct 29 2020

Researchers discover that a specialized part of the chromosomes, essential for a correct cell division, is smaller and weaker in stem cells, when compared to the ones of differentiated cells. The study published in Open Biology unravels important data for a better understanding of the process of division in stem cells and for the development of safer ways to use them in medicine.

Stem cells are considered one of the most promising tools in the field of regenerative medicine because they are a cell type that can give rise to all the cells in our bodies and that has the potential to be used to treat tissue loss due to damage or disease.

Stem cells that are similar to the ones of embryonic origin can be generated in the laboratory and they are known as induced stem cells (which can obtained from skin cells, for example).

Their induction relies on the reprograming of their gene expression and originates a stem cell from differentiated one, a finding that earned the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012.

Despite their potential, little is known about the mechanisms that govern the division of stem cells, which have propensity to accumulate chromosome segregation errors during this process.

Stem cells can duplicate almost indefinitely and one of the elements necessary for a successful cell division (or mitosis) is the centromere. This is the binding place of the protein complexes that ensure that the genetic material, when duplicated and condensed in chromosomes, is distributed equally between the two daughter-cells.

Driven by the curiosity to understand the mechanisms that govern chromosome segregation in stem cells, the team of researchers from the IGC, led by Raquel Oliveira and Lars Jansen, designed a fundamental biology project with eyes set on centromeres and the protein complexes associated to them.

The study allowed "a precise definition of the composition and size of the centromeres of stem cells and revealed that their chromosomes have weaker centromeres when compared to the ones of differentiated cells. Moreover, these structures become weaker as a consequence of acquiring the identity of stem cell itself", explains Ins Milagre, main author of the study.

This 'weakness' in a structure of such importance for the correct distribution of chromosomes between daughter-cells might explain why these cells make more mistakes when they divide."

Lars Jansen, Principal Investigator, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia

Jansen is also a principal investigator of the university of Oxford.

The high tendency for errors during cell division, which originates chromosomal anomalies, is currently one of the biggest limitations to the usage of these cells.

"To overcome this limitation we must understand why such mistakes occur. Beyond the important discovery of this study, we are now looking at other structures that are important for cell division in order to have a more holistic vision of all the mitotic machinery of stem cells, so that we can revert their tendency for erroneous divisions", reveals Raquel Oliveira, principal investigator at IGC.

This study brings new perspectives to the understanding of cell division fidelity and points our possible causes for the presence of anomalies, which can greatly impact the therapies developed in the field of regenerative medicine.

Source:

Journal reference:

Milagre, I., et al. (2020) Reprogramming of human cells to pluripotency induces CENP-A chromatin depletion. Open Biology. doi.org/10.1098/rsob.200227.

Read the original here:
Study sheds new light on cell division fidelity, can impact future regenerative medicine - News-Medical.Net

Physiology

"Be A Hero – Wear A Mask" Justice League In DC Comics This Week – Bleeding Cool News

November 1, 2020 medical

As seen in today's DC Comics monthly titles, a new DC Comics public service announcement, with all their characters wearing facemasks. Now, I am not entirely sure if Kryptonian physiology, Amazonian physiology, Cyborg physiology. Atlantean physiology, Flash metabolism or a Green Lantern ring would allow any of them to actually get the coronavirus, let alone spread it. But Batman is bound to get it, given the bodily fluids he ends up spattered all over him, so maybe they are just wearing masks to support Batman's struggle, to show solidarity. It's what the Justice League would do. Or something like that.

Oh and look, Superman's lost his red pants again, though thankfully no one is wearing any of those silly collars. You know, if they were Spider-Man, Deadpool or Black Panther, they'd already be covered, no further mask-age necessary. But it is a step up on some of the odder social distancing posters DC Comics have been issuing.

I also noticed today's Batgirl #50, though it takes place in a land without coronavirus, still has similar messaging to make

Oh look, Virus wears a facemask. How very on-the-nose as it were. Also something written and drawn after lockdown, so reflecting certain fears and realities at a thematic level at least.

I bought my DC Comics this week from Piranha Comics in Kingston-Upon-Thames.Piranha Comics is a small south London comic storechain with a small south-east store in Kingston-Upon Thames's market centre, which runsMagic The Gathering nights on Fridays, and a larger south-west store in Bromley, whichalso runs Magic nightsand hasan extensive back issue collection and online store. If you are in the neighbourhood, check them out.

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.

twitter facebook square instagram globe

Original post:
"Be A Hero - Wear A Mask" Justice League In DC Comics This Week - Bleeding Cool News

Cell Biology

‘Relatively simple’ therapy could help cure blindness – Newstalk

November 1, 2020 medical

A new therapy being developed to help restore vision to people who are blind could be used within years.

The treatment involves a "relatively simple" injection into the eye and is a "relatively straightforward surgery".

That's according to John Flannery, a Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Berkeley and a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board for Fighting Blindness Ireland.

He told Futureproof with Johnathan McCrea how blindness develops in some people and how his research will attempt to remove the disease from patients.

His startup company has recently been bought by Novartis and they will partner to develop the treatment.

Professor Flannery said "the hope is for some patients, they'll get a significant increase in their vision".

He added that "manufacturing enough of the treatment is not doing to be that difficult".

In explaining how blindness develops in some people, Professor Flannery said "almost all the inherited blindnesses occur over time".

He said: "The gene defect you have when you're born, and depending on what you inherit, it can manifest as a small child or sometimes not until you're a teenager and some conditions, likemacular degeneration, not until you're 50 or 60."

Professor Flannery said technology is been tested to get the eye to see something when there's no biological retina, but that its success is a long time away.

He said: "There have been some attempts to connect a video camera to the patient's brain in patients that are completely blind.

"That's been incredibly challenging because we know quite a bit about how the retina works but we don't know much about it encodes the signal.

"That will be quite a bit off until we have an electronic prosthetic.

"Nobody, in my knowledge, has been able to interpret the signals coming out of the eye and understanding what the picture is."

Professor Flannery said his research on how to develop therapies for blind patients starts out on testing with animals such as mice.

He said that the current treatments available to patients are for those who have recessive conditions, meaning they got the gene from both of their parents, which continues much of his work.

Professor Flannery explained how the therapy aimed to cure blindness would work.

He said: "The progress in the field has been to use the shell of the virus, the outside coat of the virus.

"We use a very different virus for the eye that's never been shown to cause disease, we put in a copy of the gene that the patient has a defect in.

"We use the virus shell to carry the DNA and protect it and that virus will carry the DNA into the retinal shells and that's a one time only repair."

He said that the virus contains a "zip-code" which controls which cells have the therapeutic gene.

Professor Flannery added: "It's a question of scale, a normal human has 150 million photoreceptors, which are the ones that are affected in these conditions.

"You can inject with a very small volume many hundreds of million virus particles."

Professor Flannery said that an experiment showed that blind mice were able to move around and explore as much as other mice.

He said: "In a couple of the therapies that are currently in the clinic, the patients have to be treated as quickly as possible because their photoreceptor cells are dying and if you get to the stage where theirphotoreceptors have died, the gene in the cell is gone.

"The therapy that we're trying to develop, which is called optogenetics, is for patients at the very late stages of blindness.

"What we're doing is capitalising on the knowledge that the photoreceptors talk to other cells in the retina that aren't light-sensitive

"Our gene therapy is designed to add light sensitively to the third cell in this chain between the damaged photo and the brain.

"Since it's in the middle, if you can make that cell light-sensitive, that's a new opportunity for restoring vision in the blind.

Professor Flannery said this treatment is "particularly appealing because you could treat someone at any age or any stage".

He said: "Because unlike the other therapies where you have to identify the exact genetic defect in the patient and put that exact gene back, this is putting a light-sensitive function in a different cell.

"It doesn't require you to know what the defect is in the patients."

partnering with Novartis to bring the therapy to the clinic

Professor Flannery said they would begin to start testing the therapy in small groups of patients shortly after successful trials in dogs.

The rest is here:
'Relatively simple' therapy could help cure blindness - Newstalk

Human Behavior

To Build It Back Better, Rethink Human Nature – NationSwell

November 1, 2020 medical

For #BuildItBackBetter, NationSwell asked some of our nations most celebrated purpose-driven leaders how theyd build a society that is more equitable and resilient than the one we had before COVID-19. We have compiled and lightly edited their answers.

This article is part of the #BuildItBackBetter track The Relational Era: Building a Culture of Connection, Bridging and Belonging presented in partnership withEinhorn Collaborative.

Because people suck.

Thats the campaign slogan of Oliver, a Massachusetts goldendoodle who is running a long-shot bid for the White House against two more well-known human opponents: President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Anyone who has been following American politics for the past four years really, anyone who has even glanced at cable news or their social media feed might be inclined to agree with Olivers campaign. Racism, xenophobia, greed, and polarization all seem to be the norm, peppered with casual violence and hateful speech. Its enough to make you downgrade your views of humanity and cast your lot with (if not your ballot for) a goldendoodle.

But that would be a serious mistake, especially for workplace and educational leaders. Because while its easy to feel discouraged these days, things will get even worse if we succumb to the notion that people suck and that our species and our country is beyond redemption.

Thats because our assumptions and expectations about human nature actually seem to dictate human behavior. For instance, a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison published recently found that having a more optimistic view of human nature actually influences more positive behavior in real life. But the opposite seems to be true as well: When children believe that aggressive, antisocial behavior is the norm, theyre more likely to behave badly as they get older.

This means we need to guard against the assumption that people are born bad. It also means we can encourage better behavior by designing our institutions, from our schools to our workplaces, to spread more positive messages about humanity.

To build a culture that values honesty and cooperation over, say, back-biting and divisiveness research offers a few important lessons and strategies.

1. Language matters. The words we use to describe our world actually influence how we behave in the world. When we convey that we expect people to cooperate and look out for each other, we increase the odds that theyll actually do so.

In one study, for instance, Stanford University researchers had people play a game where they could either work together to achieve a common goal or compete with their partner. When people were told they were playing the Community Game, they were more than twice as likely to cooperate with their partner than when they were playing the Wall Street Gameeven though it was actually the same game.

2. Images matter. In case you had any doubt about the power of images, consider this study: Toddlers were shown a series of pictures, then encountered an adult who needed help with a task. When they saw images that had dolls facing each other in the background of each image, the kids were three times more likely to help the adult than after seeing single dolls, or dolls facing away from each other, in the image backgrounds.

In other words, humans are so primed for connection that even just the mere hint of affiliation between people is enough to dramatically change our behavior for the better. The dynamics in an office or a classroom can be transformed, then, when we recognize this human drive for kindness and connectionand surround ourselves with images that evoke it.

3. Actions matter. We typically associate copycat behavior with crimes. But evidence suggests people, especially kids, emulate the good as well as the bad. A study in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, for example, found that kids as young as two years old are much more like to help people in need when they see other people do so first.

So dont assume humans are inexorably immoral, and nothing you do matters. Theres no telling how your own good behavior might inspire others to follow suit. In fact, a study published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that when one person behaves generously, it inspires observers to behave generously later, toward different people. In fact, the researchers found that kindness could spread by three degrees across a social network. As a result, they write, each person in a network can influence dozens or even hundreds of people, some of whom he or she does not know and has not met.

None of this is to suggest that the violence and conflict we see around us is an illusion; but it does mean that its not inevitable. By changing the story we tell about human nature, and designing our institutions around the deep human potential for goodness, we can build a world that makes us proud.

Jason Marsh is the Executive Director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and the founding editor-in-chief of the centers online magazine, Greater Good.

Original post:
To Build It Back Better, Rethink Human Nature - NationSwell

Human Behavior

What can we learn from failed attempts to change people’s behavior? – Trading U

November 1, 2020 medical

By Layal Liverpool

Failed behavioral interventions often share common characteristics

cienpies

A study of interventions to modify human behavior suggests that those who fail share common characteristics.

Identifying these traits could help predict possible avenues in which future interventions could fail and provide an opportunity to prevent it from happening, says Magda Osman of Queen Mary University of London.

Osman and her colleagues analyzed 65 articles published between 2008 and 2019 that identified failed behavioral interventions, including nudges subtle suggestions for influencing people's behavior.

They found that behavioral interventions based on social comparisons and social norms, such as encouraging people to adopt a behavior by pointing out that it is general or normal behavior in society, made up the majority 40 percent of the failed interventions examined.

Other strategies that emerged among the failed interventions were those that sent messages through letters or texts (24 percent) or by labeling products (12 percent), and those that relied on default settings, such as opt-in or opt -Out strategies (15 percent).

The researchers also categorized different ways in which interventions failed, such as by having no effect at all or by backfiring and causing an undesirable side effect. Considering both the type of behavioral intervention and the possible ways in which interventions might fail beforehand could help in designing more successful interventions, says Osman.

Osman and her team develop models that, based on their analysis of failed interventions, can predict how a particular behavioral intervention could play out. "You can simulate different outcomes before doing a behavioral intervention that might fail," which could save time and money, she says.

Journal reference: Trends in Cognitive Sciences, DOI: 10.1016 / j.tics.2020.09.009