Lifeboat Foundation

In an incredible milestone, scientists have for the first time created “universal” stem cells by using CRISPR gene-editing technology to produce pluripotent stem cells that can be transplanted into any patient without generating an immune system response.

Clockwise from top left: ‘Hammer and Silicon’ authors Daniel Satinsky, Sheila Puffer, and Daniel McCarthy (Courtesy Sheila Puffer); scientist Slava Epstein (Adam Glanzman/ Northeastern University); Vladimir Torchilin, director of pharmaceutical biotechnology and nanomedicine at Northeastern University; anti-aging researcher at Harvard, Vadim Gladyshev (YouTube screenshot).

From cancer research to designing systems powering the Eiffel Tower, the unsung scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs found in the new book ‘Hammer and Silicon’ make an impact.

I remember the #DotCom crash all too well.

The publication record of health-care start-up companies doesn’t seem to matter to investors, according to an analysis of nearly 50 biomedical ‘unicorns’ — venture-capital-backed companies valued at more than US$1 billion. The analysis, led by health-policy researcher John Ioannidis at Stanford University in California, finds no correlation between a company’s market valuation and its publication record — defined as the number of peer-reviewed papers authored directly by a firm. That’s a cause for concern, the authors say.

Firms can achieve fêted ‘unicorn’ valuations without publishing much peer-reviewed science. Health-care start-ups can reach billion-dollar valuations without publishing in peer-reviewed journals, but skipping that step can catch them out.

What is the best approach for resuscitation of a patient with septic shock? Despite considerable investigation over several decades, this important question still has no clear answer. There is agreement that resuscitation should proceed quickly, for the longer the delay, the greater the physiologic stress and end-organ injury. However, treatment options are principally intravenous fluids and vasoactive agents, which have the capacity to both help or harm the patient. Thus, these therapies must be titrated in response to markers of the adequacy of resuscitation. The 2016 Surviving Sepsis Guidelines advocate that the principal marker of the adequacy of resuscitation is serum lactate. Serum lactate level is elevated when the body relies on anaerobic metabolism. As such, an elevated serum lactate level is a reflection of tissue hypoperfusion and thus considered axiomatic of shock. However, serum lactate level can be elevated in conditions other than shock and yet may not always be elevated in some shock states. Furthermore, lactate clearance is often considered too slow to provide timely feedback to clinicians regarding the consequences of their treatment decisions. Moreover, not all patients with shock can be cared for in settings with access to rapid-turnaround serum lactate assays.

An alternative approach is to monitor compensatory physiological mechanisms. For example, in response to shock, the body will attempt to restrict blood flow to peripheral vascular beds. Thus, one of the simplest bedside clinical examination findings in shock is delayed capillary refill in the skin. The problem with delayed capillary refill, however, is that the examination can be difficult to standardize. Furthermore, there has been little empirical evaluation of resuscitation strategies based on this finding.

In this issue of JAMA, Hernández and colleagues report the results of a clinical trial in which 424 adults with early septic shock were randomized to 2 alternative 8-hour resuscitation strategies: one based on serial measurements of serum lactate levels and the other on peripheral perfusion, assessed by serial capillary refill time (CRT) examinations. The trial was conducted among patients in the intensive care unit with early septic shock, defined as patients with suspected or confirmed infection who were recognized within 4 hours to have elevated serum lactate level (2 mmol/L) and require vasopressors to maintain blood pressure despite a bolus of 20 mL/kg of intravenous crystalloids.

Going to a clinic for a vaccine shot may no longer be necessary with this technology that’s now in development.

South China Morning Post February 19, 2019.

Continue reading “Bandages with microscopic needles could be the next big thing in vaccine delivery” »

Killing ticks and inoculating people has failed, so researchers try immunizing mice via vaccine-laced food.

• By Angus Chen on January 29, 2019

Valneva SE announced final Phase 1 study data and positive initial booster data for its Lyme Disease vaccine candidate VLA15.

“The positive final Phase 1 data for VLA15 supports and validates our plans to continue developing a safe and effective preventative vaccine that can be delivered to those who are at risk of Lyme disease infection,” said Thomas Lingelbach, CEO of Valneva.

“We look forward to continuing the development process with our recently initiated Phase 2 study. We continue to fully commit ourselves to addressing the significant unmet need for a vaccine against Lyme disease.”

Continue reading “Lyme Disease Vaccine Candidate Reports Study Data” »

The bacteria is believed to be one of the culprits behind coral bleaching and has been known to cause wound infections in people. Learn more about the findings.

Despite rapid advances in targeted therapies for cancer, tumors commonly develop resistance to treatment. When resistance emerges, tumor cells continue to grow unchecked, despite all attempts to slow cancer progression. While mutations in cancer cells significantly affect drug sensitivity, it is increasingly recognized that ecological interactions between cells can also play a role.

Jacob Scott, MD, DPhil, a physician-scientist at Cleveland Clinic, is interested in learning how cancer cells develop and maintain drug resistance from an eco-evolutionary perspective. He studies the evolutionary strategies that cells employ to survive even in the harshest of conditions. One area of focus of his laboratory is to examine the dynamics of sensitive versus resistant cancer cells and how they affect one another’s growth under the selective pressure of anti-cancer therapies.

“Rather than searching for a ‘silver bullet’ to wipe out all resistant cells, which is unlikely, we are focused on preventing the resistant cells from taking over—from ‘winning’ every time,” Dr. Scott said. “If we can achieve this goal, we can effectively make cancer a chronic condition.”

Continue reading “Advancing therapy” »