Human Behavior

‘Boys State’ Reflects Boyish Nature of American Politics – The Emory Wheel

What could go wrong when one thousand Texan high schoolers participate in a government stimulation? Boys State, the latest documentary produced by A24, chronicles the journey of Texan students as they participate in a week-long, mock political government program. In the documentary, filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine follow a diverse group of charismatic, hard-core and entertaining high school participants who lead the gubernatorial campaigns for the 2018 American Legion Boys State annual leadership program. Following these contestants over the course of nearly two hours is not only wildly entertaining but also a politically powerful experience.

The central objective of the Boys State program is to create a new political party with a corresponding political agenda, and then successfully run an election campaign for the coveted position of the governor of Boys State. The attendees are divided into two parties based on historical political parties Nationalists and Federalists and are tasked with voting for a party chair, creating their own agenda and nominating a candidate for the gubernatorial election.

The film finds its rhythm at the onset of the preliminary campaign speeches as the student candidates introduce their platform and themselves to the conference. Instances such as these speeches make it clear that despite their serious and mature proclamations, these are high schoolers. The distinction between serious ideology and comedic performance is sometimes difficult to distinguish.

One of the most thrilling characters to watch in Boys State is Steven Garza, the calm, quiet and collected son of an immigrant. Unlike many of the Boys State attendees, Garza is a self-proclaimed Bernie Sanders supporter and participant in Black Lives Matter protests. Despite these odds, Garza skillfully employs patriotic rhetoric to appeal to core American values shared by most Boys State attendees. Garza lauds hard work and respect for veterans as he queries in his first speech, I want to know what is on your mind. Will we show the world what patriots are made of?

Other key figures in the film include students Ben Feinstein and Rene Otero, who serve as the district chairs for their respective parties. Feinstein is a Ronald Reagan-loving philosophical conservative who exemplifies the realpolitik mindset. Otero, my favorite attendee, joins Garza as a shining beacon of diversity in thought and race: as a leftist and Black man in a sea of white conservative Texans, Otero stands out with his charismatic confidence and razor-sharp rhetoric. As one of the few Black men at Boys State, he tactfully handles racial discrimination and bigotry against him and his campaign.

Although the movie itself does not have a protagonist or antagonist, certain people like Feinstein and gubernatorial candidate Robert MacDougal are depicted as manipulative and even malicious in their political schemings. At one point in the film, Otero moderates a debate session and prevents his opponent from speaking out of turn. Feinstein, a true Machiavellian, pounces and accuses Garza and Otero of biased and unfair moderation; Feinstein continues to bring up this event throughout the rest of the campaign period, much to the chagrin of Garzas campaign.

Robert MacDougal and Steven Garza discuss campaign tactic before delivering a speech in Boys State./Courtesy of Apple

In a Zoom interview with college media outlets, Feinstein admitted he had expected the film to simply portray the fun times he had at Boys State and the success of his campaign. He was surprised by how stressed and controversial his peers appeared in the final cut, and upon reflection, he disapproved of some of his own decisions. Feinsteins reflection here adds an important layer to how this film reflects real political behavior he felt as if he was doing well for both himself and his party, and having fun. However, the documentary paints a more grim picture of self-interest, mudslinging and power dynamics.

Although the program is a mere political simulation, the high schoolers in the film were willing to go against their own morals and beliefs for the sake of attaining political power, and look back at unethical betrayals fondly and wistfully. Unadulterated absurdity and duplicity of American politics are on full display for the masses to witness and gawk at. The expectation that these students should be kinder, more compassionate and more understanding of each others positions because they are young is habitually subverted by their behavior, representing a grand reflection on human behavior as a whole.

MacDougal said he went into this with a cynical mindset, thinking that the whole room would be very red [Garza] showed that you could run on what you believe and have those important conversations with those around you.

MacDougal learned that, regardless of our political differences, coming together and having respectful, productive dialogues is still within reach. But Boys State also reveals the core political assumptions, insidious manipulation and racism that ground the United States more generally. With the election a month away, Boys State is a necessary and critical experience for everyone living in this country.

Most importantly, Boys State underscores the gravity of voting. Make sure to cast a ballot in the 2020 election lest we wish to allow the Machiavellian politics of Boys State to dominate America.

Grade: A

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'Boys State' Reflects Boyish Nature of American Politics - The Emory Wheel

Immunology

Occupied with immunology and cancer, Merck KGaA hands off osteoarthritis drug to Novartis for 50M cash – Endpoints News

By the time Merck KGaA published promising Phase II data for sprifermin once tapped as a big prospect for the ailing R&D group late last year, the German drugmaker made clear it was looking for a partner to take over its whole osteoarthritis pipeline. While sprifermin is still sitting in the portfolio, its managed to find a buyer for another drug.

Novartis is paying 50 million upfront to license M6495, a Phase II-ready compound that targets an enzyme known as ADAMTS5, with promises of 400 million in milestones.

The deal comes more than three years after Merck KGaA grabbed the Nanobody from Ablynx since acquired by Sanofi with a 15 million payment to reward the preclinical proof-of-concept package. Then known as ALX-1141, the candidate was one of two to emerge from a collaboration dating back to 2011 to tackle osteoarthritis.

Since then Luciano Rossettis team has completed two Phase I studies for M6495, one in healthy volunteers and another in OA patients. With signs that the drug could cut down ARGS (a neoepitope from cleaved aggrecan, found in the synovial fluid and serum of OA patients) levels, the drug had potential in many different types of OA, he said.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to show it can protect against cartilage damage and reduce joint pain. But its now Novartis job to devise the trials needed to prove it.

With this deal we have found the right solution for this asset designed to present an innovative mechanism of action for the potential treatment of osteoarthritis, as we prioritize our pipeline to deliver the greatest impact for patients across our internal areas of expertise, Rossetti, head of global biopharma R&D, said in a statement.

Under Beln Garijo, whos stepping up as Merck KGaAs CEO, the priorities will likely revolve heavily around oncology, immunology and the intersection of the two.

For Novartis, OA falls under its focus on immunology, hepatology and dermatology. Its website lists two early-stage programs dedicated to the disease, one being an ANGPTL3 agonist designed to help regenerate cartilage. The Phase I study was completed in 2018 and a second trial is slate to wrap in 2022.

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Occupied with immunology and cancer, Merck KGaA hands off osteoarthritis drug to Novartis for 50M cash - Endpoints News

Immunology

Every COVID-19 case seems different. These scientists want to know why. – Newswise

Newswise LA JOLLAAs scientists around the world develop life-saving COVID-19 vaccines and therapies, many are still wondering exactly why the disease proves deadly in some people and mild in others.

To solve this puzzle, scientists need an in-depth understanding of how the bodys many types of immune cells respond to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

A new international study led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), The University of Liverpool and the University of Southampton is the first to give a detailed snapshot of how the body's CD4+ T cells respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Among the findings, their work suggests that early in the illness, patients hospitalized with severe cases of COVID-19 develop a novel T cell subset that can potentially kill B cells and reduce antibody production.

The study, published on October 6, 2020, in Cell, provides a crucial foundation for further detailed analysisand shows the power of a cutting-edge technique called single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).

Zooming in on individual cells

This study employs single-cell RNA-seq to analyze RNA molecules expressed by CD4+ T cells that specifically recognize SARS-CoV-2 says LJI Associate Professor Pandurangan Vijayanand, M.D., Ph.D., who led the study with long-time collaborator Christian H Ottensmeier, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, professor at the University of Liverpool and adjunct professor at LJI. This lets us show, for the first time, the complete nature of the cells that respond to this virus.

This is the beginning, says Ottensmeier, a physician scientist who co-led the study. We needed to have a reference to look back at for further studies, and this work is novel, timely, detailed, innovativeand open.

Vijayanand and his colleagues at LJI have pioneered the use of single-cell RNA-seq in immunology. RNA-seq gives researchers a new window into the gene expression patterns that can make each person's immune response to a virus different. For the new study, the researchers focused on CD4+ T cells, which play many critical roles in fighting infection.

"CD4+ T cells play a central role in orchestrating the immune response," says study co-first author Benjamin Meckiff, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at LJI. "They are a heterogeneous population of immune cells carrying out a wide range of functions, and we have been able to specifically analyze their response to SARS-CoV-2."

Vijayanand and Ottensmeier had planned to use single-cell RNA-seq to analyze CD4+ T cells from patients hospitalized for influenza this year. When the pandemic hit, the researchers applied in early March for approval to use samples from COVID-19 patients as well.

We were collecting appropriate samples very early on in the pandemic, says Vijayanand.

The researchers studied samples from 40 COVID-19 patients in two groups. The hospitalized group included 22 patients (with nine treated in the ICU). The non-hospitalized group had 18 patients who had experienced milder COVID-19 symptoms.

The scientists used single-cell RNA-seq to analyze the types of CD4+ T cells that respond to SARS-COV-2 in these patients. Each type of T cell has a role in fighting viruses: some (the "helper" CD4+ T cells) alert the body to infection and recruit other immune cells, while others (TFH cells) signal B cells to make antibodies. Finally, some (Tregs) do the important job of inhibiting other T cells, keeping the immune system from damaging the body's own tissues.

There are multiple flavors of T cells that respond to this virus, says Vijayanand.

The researchers caution that human studies are only correlative and cannot conclude that certain T cell populations are driving disease severity. They do believe some findings warrant a closer look.

For example, the scientists found that hospitalized patients have higher levels of "cytotoxic" TFH cells, which could potentially make an infection worse. Instead of doing their job and helping B cells make antibodies, the cytotoxic TFH cells seen in this study were very similar to cells that have been seen killing B cells in previous studies. The researchers then examined SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody concentrations in patients. Those with dysfunctional TFH cells also had fewer antibodies.

"The TFH cells in hospitalized patients displayed gene signatures that suggest they are dysfunctional and aren't giving the help to B cells that we would expect," says Meckiff.

A baseline for future investigations

Overall, the study gives the scientific community a starting place to explore CD4+ T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2, and the work establishes a baseline for comparing responses in people over time or with different disease severities. To support these efforts, the researchers made their data immediately available online, just two months after the project began.

We had to be quick, says study co-first author Ciro Ramrez-Sustegui, a bioinformatics specialist at LJI. Having the data available for everyone is essential.

Theres definitely more to explore, adds study co-author Vicente Fajardo, an LJI research technician who spearheaded the bioinformatics analysis alongside Ramrez-Sustegui.

In fact, the data and the research method could be important for more than infectious disease research. Ottensmeier explains that a better understanding of how the body responds to viruses can also guide future research into cancer immunotherapies, which would use the bodys own immune system to target and kill cancer cells.

With this study, we levied our long-standing collaboration for a new human health puzzle, says Ottensmeier. Going forward, we can extend this understanding of whats going on in the blood in response to new viruses to understanding what goes on in the tissue when our immune system deals with cancer.

Ottensmeier and Vijayanand are working on further analysis of COVID-19 patients and also plan to expand their collaboration with the wider University of Liverpool community.

The study, titled, "Imbalance of regulatory and cytotoxic SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4+ T cells in COVID-19," was supported the National Institutes of Health (grants U19AI14274, U19AI142742-0S1, U19AI118626, R01HL114093, R35-GM128938, S10RR027366, S10OD025052), the William K. Bowes Jr Foundation, the Whittaker Foundation, the Wessex Clinical Research Network and the National Institute of Health Research UK.

Additional study authors include co-first author Serena J. Chee, Anthony Kusnadi, Hayley Simon, Simon Eschweiler, Alba Grifoni, Emanuela Pelosi, Daniela Weiskopf, Alessandro Sette, Ferhat Ay and Grgory Seumois.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.001

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About La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The La Jolla Institute for Immunology is dedicated to understanding the intricacies and power of the immune system so that we may apply that knowledge to promote human health and prevent a wide range of diseases. Since its founding in 1988 as an independent, nonprofit research organization, the Institute has made numerous advances leading toward its goal: life without disease.

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Every COVID-19 case seems different. These scientists want to know why. - Newswise

Immunology

IL-21 protein is a major part of immune response to chronic infections in the central nervous system – News-Medical.Net

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Oct 6 2020

Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine now better understand the role of a protein, interleukin-21 (IL-21), in the immune system response to infections in the nervous system.

The results of their recent study support further investigation into using IL-21 as a therapeutic agent for persistent central nervous system infections.

CD4 T cells in the immune system produce IL-21, which is critical for the development of CD8 tissue-resident-memory (TRM) cells during persistent viral infections of the central nervous system with polyomavirus.

Dr. Aron Lukacher, professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, said the results, published in Science Immunology , demonstrate that IL-21 is an important factor in the development of effective immune responses to chronic infections in the central nervous system including neurodegenerative HIV-AIDS and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a fatal brain infection caused by JC polyomavirus.

PML starts with symptoms including clumsiness, weakness or difficulty speaking or thinking. As it progresses, patients may develop dementia, have vision problems and become unable to speak.

Lukacher's lab created an animal model of JC polyomavirus in mice, called mouse polyomavirus (MuPyV). Their research focuses on strategies to reduce the harmful effects of MuPyV, with the goal of developing translational approaches to improving outcomes for patients with PML and other immunocompromising conditions.

Prior research demonstrated that IL-21 is a key part of immune responses in the body, but the present study investigated the specific mechanisms and role IL-21 plays in the immune response to infection with MuPyV.

The research team, including medical scientist training program student Heather Ren, studied mice that were unable to produce sufficient CD4 T-cells and had similar defects in gene expression related to the development of CD8 TRM cells. They found that injecting IL-21 into cerebrospinal fluid reduced those deficiencies.

The use of IL-21 as a therapeutic agent for persistent central nervous system infections needs further investigation. Whether it needs to be administered directly into the central nervous system or given peripherally, such as intravenous infusion, will require further testing in our model."

Dr. Aron Lukacher, Researcher and Professor, Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Penn State College of Medicine

Lukacher said future studies will examine whether giving IL-21 to mice with persistent MuPyV infection, both under immunocompetent and CD4 T-cell-deficient conditions, may bolster protective antiviral CD8 T cell responses and keep the viral infection in check.

Source:

Journal reference:

Ren, H. M., et al. (2020) IL-21 from high-affinity CD4 T cells drives differentiation of brain-resident CD8 T cells during persistent viral infection. Science Immunology. doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.abb5590.

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IL-21 protein is a major part of immune response to chronic infections in the central nervous system - News-Medical.Net

Immunology

Risk of Severe COVID May Depend on Your Type of Asthma, Experts Say – HealthDay News

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Everyone agrees about the good news -- folks whose asthma is spurred on by allergies don't appear to have an increased risk of life-threatening illness if they contract COVID-19.

"Asthma has not risen as one of the top comorbid diseases for worse COVID-19 outcomes," said Dr. Sandhya Khurana, director of the Mary Parkes Center for Asthma, Allergy and Pulmonary Care at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center. "We always worry with asthma and viral infections, because they seem to trigger asthma exacerbation unreasonably. But what we've seen so far is reassuring."

But debate continues to swirl regarding the potential severity of COVID infection in people with non-allergic asthma.

Some studies have suggested that people who have asthma caused by something other than allergies -- exercise, stress, air pollution, weather conditions -- might have an increased risk of severe COVID-19.

For example, Harvard researchers found that having non-allergic asthma increased the risk of severe COVID-19 by as much as 48%. That conclusion was based on data from 65,000 asthma sufferers presented in the June issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

"For those people, I think being more cautious would be good for them," said senior researcher Liming Liang, an associate professor of statistical genetics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "I think the next wave is coming. We've got to be more cautious."

But other experts note that the data involving COVID and non-allergic asthma sufferers is very limited, and any conclusions that these folks are at higher risk of severe infection could be flawed.

Their asthma could be caused by other lung ailments that are associated with more serious cases of COVID, for instance, said Dr. Mitchell Grayson, chief of allergy and immunology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

"There have been several studies that have shown that COPD does increase your risk of more severe disease," he said. "I don't think these studies have done a good job of excluding COPD in these patients."

Grayson agrees with Khurana that in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was much concern that asthma could be a risk factor -- a reasonable suspicion, given that the coronavirus attacks the lungs.

But everything that came out of the initial epidemic in China suggested that asthma was not a risk factor for life-threatening COVID, Grayson said, and the data continued to confirm that as the coronavirus spread across the globe.

"It's not there in the data. If it is there, it's extremely small risk. It's nothing I can see," he said.

Researchers have speculated that people with allergy-driven asthma might have some protection against COVID, due to the way the coronavirus infects the body.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 enters lung cells by engaging with a type of protein on their surface called an ACE2 receptor, Khurana said.

"In the setting of an allergic type of inflammation, the expression of the ACE2 receptor appears to be downregulated. It appears to be lower. There's not as much receptor," she said.

Because there aren't as many ACE2 receptors available, people with allergic asthma might not be as vulnerable to severe infection, Khurana said. This theory also could help explain why other chronic diseases appear to increase COVID risk, she added.

"Patients in conditions like diabetes or hypertension, this receptor expression is increased," Khurana said. "That's a possible reason why those comorbid diseases are at especially high risk for this infection."

But that only explains why allergic asthma isn't a major risk factor for severe COVID, Grayson said. It doesn't explain why some studies are finding increased risk among people with non-allergic asthma.

Grayson suspects that the purported link between non-allergic asthma and COVID found in these studies is actually a link between a COVID and a host of different lung ailments, especially COPD.

"There are studies showing that COPD increases your risk of more severe COVID, not markedly but a little bit, not to the extent of things like hypertension and diabetes and [being] elderly," he said. "I'm concerned that what they're calling non-allergic asthma actually is COPD, which would skew their data."

In Khurana's view, more study is needed, particularly prospective studies that track people with different types of asthma prior to COVID infection.

"So far, we just don't know enough to make any conclusions. I think we're still scratching the surface here and still have a lot to learn," she said.

In the meantime, it would pay for everyone to protect themselves, Khurana added.

"It's good practice to observe the recommended guidance on hand hygiene and social distancing and masking and avoiding any situation where you could be exposed, even though it's obviously welcome to see that allergic asthma is not as high-risk as some of the other comorbid diseases," Khurana said.

More information

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has more about COVID-19 myths.

SOURCES: Sandhya Khurana, M.D., director, Mary Parkes Center for Asthma, Allergy and Pulmonary Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, N.Y.; Liming Liang, Ph.D., associate professor, statistical genetics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston; Mitchell Grayson, M.D., director, allergy and immunology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

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Risk of Severe COVID May Depend on Your Type of Asthma, Experts Say - HealthDay News

Immunology

Vanderbilt researchers develop publicly available COVID-19 animal susceptibility prediction tool; suggests increased risk to horses – Vanderbilt…

A Vanderbilt team of experts in virology, genetics, structural biology, chemistry, physiology, medicine, immunology and pharmacology have together developed technology to understand and predict animal susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the scientific name for the strain of coronavirus causing COVID-19. providing evidence that horses and camels may be at increased risk of the virus. The group has also released a publicly available tool to enable people to understand the likelihood of other animals susceptibility.

The article, Predicting susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection based on structural differences in ACE2 across species, was published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal on Oct. 5.

The investigators applied a combination of sophisticated genetic sequence alignment and structural analysis of ACE2, the receptor protein for SARS-CoV-2, to a variety of known susceptible and non-susceptible species. Through the analysis they identified five particular amino acid sites within the protein that distinguish virus susceptibility or resistance, and using these sites developed an algorithm to predict susceptibility of unknown species. The algorithm has been made public on a website where people can upload the aligned ACE2 sequence of animals with unknown susceptibility to generate a COVID-19 susceptibility score.

Jacquelyn Brown, a staff scientist at the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, initiated the project. When I first learned that COVID-19 had crossed the species barrier into cats and dogs, I became worried about other animals that might act as reservoirs for the disease or be at risk, explained Brown, an avid equestrian who practices medieval mounted archery. Since MERS infects camels, I was concerned about what would happen if my horse could get it?! Horses have massive lungs and a sensitive respiratory system, and we humans often touch their noses and mouths.

206,000 horses live on horse farms and properties in Tennessee and 3.2 million of the states 10 million farm acres are devoted to the horse industry. Brown proposed a collaborative research project on the topic to Gordon A. Cain University Professor John Wikswo, who holds appointments in physics, biomedical engineering, and molecular physiology and biophysics.

As the director of VIIBRE, an institute established to foster and enhance interdisciplinary research in the biophysical sciences, bioengineering and medicine at Vanderbilt, Wikswo immediately assembled a trans-institutional team spanning Vanderbilt schools and colleges and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. I speak each disciplines language well enough to make the necessary connections, Wikswo said. This proved to be an outstanding group brought together by their interests and skills that produced an important result in very short order.

The project gave meaning to each researcher, at a time when we all were searching for ways to contribute to fighting COVID-19, noted Wenbiao Chen.

The work could not have been achieved without the collaboration of many researchers. The multidisciplinary approach revealed how much information can be wrung from the same basic information, noted Wenbiao Chen, the papers co-corresponding author and associate professor of molecular physiology and biophysics. We found potential targets by sequence comparison but wouldnt have been able to interpret our findings without structural information. The project gave meaning to each researcher, at a time when we all were searching for ways to contribute to fighting COVID-19.

Understanding the animals we should more closely scrutinize based on their susceptibility to COVID-19 can help us protect people, pets, wildlife, livestock and our food sources, said Matthew Alexander, assistant professor of medicine. The algorithm the team developed is particular to SARS-CoV-2 because it focuses on its particular receptor binding protein ACE2, but the approach is broadly applicable to predicting susceptibility to other viruses or during future outbreaks.

There is also the opportunity to investigate if the identified five sites on ACE2 that most distinguish susceptible from non-susceptible species can be used as targets to develop drugs that inhibit these sites specifically. I hope that our results will inspire future research on both rational drug design and closer examination of at-risk species, said Meena Madhur, the papers co-corresponding author, associate professor of medicine and associate director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation at VUMC.

Of note, the work and collaboration were conducted remotely, with an analysis of publicly available data. This experimental approach of using extensive and rapidly accumulating publicly available data in new ways allowed us to efficiently answer a timely question without having to generate new datasets. The collaboration was fun and rewarding, and we were able to answer an important question that none of us could have solved alone, Alexander, the papers co-first author said. Wikswo pointed out that while the source data was public, the project required massive calculations of how different versions of the virus would bind to each animals ACE2.

Members of the collaborative project also include Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry Jens Meiler, Clara Schoeder, co-first author and postdoctoral scholar, , Charles Duncan Smart, graduate student in molecular physiology and biophysics, Chris Moth, computational chemist in the biological sciences department, and Tony Capra, research associate professor of biological sciences.

The work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants F32HL144048-01, DK117147, UH3TR002097 and U01TR002383, U19AI117905, U01AI150739, and R01AI141661, R35GM127087, and DP2HL137166 and American Heart Association grants 20PRE35080177 and EIA34480023

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Vanderbilt researchers develop publicly available COVID-19 animal susceptibility prediction tool; suggests increased risk to horses - Vanderbilt...

Immunology

Contract Research Organizations (CROs) Market Worth $64.4 Billion by 2027- Exclusive Report Covering Pre and Post COVID-19 Market Analysis by…

London, Oct. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new market research report titled Contract Research Organizations Market by Services (Clinical Research [Phase II, Phase III], Pre-Clinical [Pharmacokinetics, Toxicology], Laboratory Services, and others), Therapeutic Area (Oncology, Immunology), End User (Pharma and Biotech, Medical Device), and Geography - Forecast to 2027 published by Meticulous Research, the contract research organizations market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $64.4 billion by 2027.

DownloadFree Sample Report Now @ https://www.meticulousresearch.com/download-sample-report/cp_id=5129

A contract research organization (CRO), also known as a clinical research organization, is a service provider organization, which supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for drug development and medical device companies by providing outsourcing services. Also, CROs assist in conducting clinical trials, with services ranging from site selection and patient enrollment to the final regulatory approvals from the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. Growing demand for biopharmaceuticals, an increasing number of clinical trials, and rising government support for biopharmaceutical manufacturing are the key factors driving the steady growth of the overall contract research organizations market. Also, significant opportunities from emerging markets, increasing demand for biosimilars, and continuous advancements in bioprocessing techniques further support the growth of this market.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the past five years, the approval of biopharmaceuticals has increased, accounting for more than 25% of total drug approvals. As per the estimations, the number of biologics approved has almost tripled from 6 in 2012 to 17 in 2017. Frequent outbreaks of pandemics such as COVID-19, Ebola, and other infectious diseases burden the healthcare sector, ultimately boosting the demand for biopharmaceuticals and resulting in increased contract-based R&D and clinical trial activities. Similarly, according to Pharmaprojects (a drug development database), the count of drugs entering the pipeline increased to 16,181 in 2019 compared to 10,452 drugs in 2012. The number of companies with active pipelines increased from 2,705 in 2012 to 4,323 in 2019. Due to this increase in numbers, pharmaceutical production has increased globally, boosting the number of clinical trials. As per clinicaltrials.gov (a clinical trial database), in 2012, 137,502 studies were recorded, which increased to 325,846 by 2019. However, the clinical trial data during 2019-2020 showed a drastic fall due to disruptions in the activities as a reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic and are estimated to hinder the market growth to an extent.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Overall CROs Market

The outbreak of COVID-19 has changed various healthcare market functions. With the analysis of the clinical trials database and considering the operations of key players functioning in the CROs market, it has been observed that, during 2019-2020, the CROs market experienced hindrances in its growth. This crisis has imposed a huge burden on the pharmaceutical industry to develop vaccines, diagnostic assays, and breakthrough drugs. The pandemic has affected 208 countries with 2,000-5,000 new cases per day and shifted the healthcare industrys focus only on the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

As a result of which, the previously planned and on-going research & development and clinical trial studies were put on hold or disrupted, and the number of clinical trials declined in the past few months. According to the Clinical Trials Online Magazine, the number of clinical trials was 1,210 in June 2020, which has decreased to 1,180 in August 2020. The majority of the investors are focusing on research and development of treatments and diagnosis for COVID-19, and the planned or on-going contract-based R&D and clinical trial activities are lagging due to the suspension of enrolments, slow enrolment process, delayed initializations, and shortage of funding for non-COVID-19 drugs.

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The global contract research organizations market study presents historical market data in terms of values (2018 and 2019), estimated current data (2020), and forecasts for 2027 - by services (clinical research [phase II and phase III], pre-clinical [pharmacokinetics and toxicology], laboratory services, and others), therapeutic area (oncology and immunology), end user (pharma & biotech and medical device), and geography. The study also evaluates industry competitors and analyzes their market shares at the global and regional levels.

Based on service type, the clinical research services segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the overall contract research organizations market in 2020. The large share of this segment is mainly attributed to an increase in the number of clinical trials globally, growth in outsourcing activities to conduct clinical trials at low costs, and growth in collaborations between key players and clinical service providers to reduce failures.

Based on therapeutic area, the oncology segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the overall contract research organizations market in 2020. The large share of this segment is mainly attributed to an increase in the number of oncology clinical trials globally, growth in government investments for the development of personalized medicines for oncology, and high demand for biosimilars for cancer.

Quick Buy CRO Market Research Report: https://www.meticulousresearch.com/buy_now.php?pformat=433&vformat=1285

Based on end user, the pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the overall contract research organizations market in 2020. The major share of this segment is primarily attributed to an increase in R&D investments for drug development, growing collaborations of pharmaceutical companies with CROs to conduct clinical trials, and government initiatives to support the growth of pharmaceutical companies.

The report also includes an extensive assessment of the key strategic developments by leading market participants in the industry over the past four years (2016-2020). The contract research organizations market has witnessed several agreements, collaborations, partnerships, and alliances in recent years. For instance, in March 2020, IQVIAHoldings Inc. (U.S.) and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)collaborated to develop a novel assay for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) tests. Similarly, in March 2020, Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (U.S.) and Deciphex (Ireland)partnered to co-develop deep learning-enabled tools to support accelerated pathology analytics in drug discovery and development.

The contract research organizations market is a highly consolidated market with the presence of major players, such as IQVIA Holdings Inc. (U.S.), Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (U.S.), Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (U.S.), Wuxi Apptec Co., Ltd. (China), Medpace Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), PRA Health Sciences, Inc. (U.S.), Syneos Health, Inc. (U.S.), PARAXEL International Corporation (U.S.), Envigo RMS LLC (U.S.), ICON plc (Ireland), PPD, Inc. (U.S.), and SGS S.A. (Switzerland) among others.

To gain more insights into the market with a detailed table of content and figures, click here:https://www.meticulousresearch.com/product/CRO-market-5129/

Scope of the Report:

Contract Research Organizations Market, by Service

Contract Research Organizations Market, by Application

(Note: Other therapeutic areas include hepatology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, respiratory diseases, dermatology, and muscular disorders)

Contract Research Organizations Market, by End User

Contract Research Organizations Market, by Geography

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Contract Research Organizations (CROs) Market Worth $64.4 Billion by 2027- Exclusive Report Covering Pre and Post COVID-19 Market Analysis by...

Embryology

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next time: Why Balancing Abortion against Other Issues Doesnt Work

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

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

Embryology

Modern families and assisted reproduction: Part 2 – Family Law

Tom Harrill, St Ives Chambers

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

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

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

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

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Modern families and assisted reproduction: Part 2 - Family Law

Embryology

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was PI, he told Fabulous.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I enjoy seeing more of my children running around.

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

Some of them call me daddy, some dont.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He denies any wrongdoing in relation to this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOW DOES SPERM DONATION WORK IN THE UK?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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