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PRWEB: Absorption Systems Expands In Vivo Drug and Medical Device Testing Capabilities

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:56:02 +0000

Preclinical contract research organization renovates facility, adding state-of-the-art technology and upgrading ocular testing services.

Exton, PA (PRWEB) January 31, 2012

Absorption Systems announces the latest in a series of milestones in the continuing expansion of its AAALAC-accredited and GLP-compliant facility in San Diego, CA. The facility is undergoing extensive renovations to upgrade and expand the company’s in vivo testing capabilities for drugs and medical devices, including the construction of a dedicated ocular testing laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, including a Heidelberg Spectralis® optical coherence tomography (OCT) unit. This instrument produces detailed digital images of the retina, enabling precise monitoring of the efficacy and toxicity of drugs and medical devices. Absorption Systems’ San Diego facility, in the midst of a major expansion of staff, equipment, and capabilities in the specialized area of preclinical ocular drug and device testing, continues to see significant growth year-over-year early in 2012.

Glenwood Gum, M.S., Ph.D., who joined Absorption Systems in 2011 as Associate Director, Preclinical Studies, commented, “This OCT technology gives a huge boost to our ocular testing capabilities, which will immediately benefit our rapidly expanding client base.” Dr. Gum is an expert in preclinical ocular studies, having developed or co-developed many of the preclinical models of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinoblastoma, uveitis, and diabetic retinopathy that are used all over the world for drug testing. His expertise, along with dedicated staff and the addition of state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, are key to Absorption Systems’ strategy to aggressively pursue new business opportunities in the preclinical ocular testing arena.

Dr. Gum will be a featured speaker on Preclinical Glaucoma and CNV Models at the 4th Ocular Diseases and Drug Discovery conference in Las Vegas, NV February 27-28, 2012.

Patrick Dentinger, President and CEO of Absorption Systems, said, “For Absorption Systems, being a market leader in whatever endeavor we pursue is a cornerstone of our business philosophy. This requires scientific expertise, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, and access to emerging technologies. These factors, combined with Absorption Systems’ customer-centric approach, make our commitment to being a top-tier ocular service provider a reality in 2012.”

Absorption Systems’ preclinical ocular test portfolio includes in vivo ocular pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety in multiple species, as well as in vitro ocular permeability and metabolism. For example, the human corneal orb is a unique in vitro permeability model available as a service platform only through Absorption Systems. The corneal orb, cultured from human pluripotent stem cells, was developed by Lifeline Cell Technology, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Stem Cell Corporation, and has been validated by Absorption Systems as an in vitro corneal permeability test system.

About Absorption Systems
Absorption Systems, founded in 1996, assists pharmaceutical and medical device companies in identifying and overcoming ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity) barriers in the development of drugs and medical devices. The company’s mission is to continually develop innovative research tools that can be used to accurately predict human outcomes or to explain unanticipated human outcomes when they occur. The CellPort Technologies® platform, a suite of human cell-based test systems for drug transporter characterization, exemplifies Absorption Systems’ commitment to innovation and is soon to be an industry assay standard for in vitro drug interaction assessment. Absorption Systems has facilities near Philadelphia, PA, and San Diego, CA, and serves customers throughout the world. For information on the company’s comprehensive contract services and applied research programs, please visit http://www.absorption.com.

SOURCE: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/1/prweb9153045.htm

Source:
http://intlstemcell.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Cloned brain cells could help MS, Parkinsons, depression patients

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:56:01 +0000

From the birthplace of Dolly the sheep comes another advancement in cloning, as scientists at Scotland’s University of Edinburgh have reportedly created brain tissue from patients suffering from mental illnesses.

According to NewsCore reports, researchers at the university’s Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) have developed a method of taking a patient’s skin sample, turning it into stem cells, and then directing them to grow into brain cells. They then study those man-made brain cells hoping to learn more about patients suffering from ailments such as bipolar depression and schizophrenia.

“A patient’s neurons can tell us a great deal about the psychological conditions that affect them, but you cannot stick a needle in someone’s brain and take out its cells,” CRM Director Charles ffrench-Constant told Robin McKie of The Guardian on Saturday…. [Read More]

Source:
http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/3071/

Skin transformed into brain cells

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:58 +0000

Skin cells have been converted directly into cells which develop into the main components of the brain, by researchers studying mice in California.

The experiment, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, skipped the middle "stem cell" stage in the process.

The researchers said they were "thrilled" at the potential medical uses.

Far more tests are needed before the technique could be used on human skin…. [Read More]

Source:
http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/3071/

Chaos in the cell’s command center

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:54 +0000

Researchers have determined the critical role one enzyme, lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), plays as mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) differentiate. This research may provide targets for developing drugs to push cells with dysfunctional gene expression programs back to a more normal, healthier state.Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/health_medicine/stem_cells.xml

Skin cells turned into neural precusors, bypassing stem-cell stage

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:53 +0000

Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers. The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group showing that mouse and human skin cells can be directly converted into functional neurons.Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/health_medicine/stem_cells.xml

Encouraging results with stem cell transplant for brain injury

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:53 +0000

Experiments in brain-injured rats show that stem cells injected via the carotid artery travel directly to the brain, where they greatly enhance functional recovery.Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/health_medicine/stem_cells.xml

Stem cells could drive hepatitis research forward

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:53 +0000

Researchers have produced liver-like cells from induced pluripotent stem cells. By creating liver-like cells, scientists can study why people respond differently to Hepatitis C.Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/health_medicine/stem_cells.xml

Need muscle for a tough spot? Turn to fat stem cells

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:52 +0000

Stem cells derived from fat have a surprising trick up their sleeves: Encouraged to develop on a stiff surface, they undergo a remarkable transformation toward becoming mature muscle cells. The new cells remain intact and fused together even when transferred to an extremely stiff, bone-like surface, which has bioengineers intrigued. These cells, they suggest, could hint at new therapeutic possibilities for muscular dystrophy.Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/health_medicine/stem_cells.xml

Analysis looks at cost effectiveness of simultaneously confronting several diseases

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:51 +0000

The great paradox of global health efforts is that regions of the world most plagued by poverty, poor infrastructure and rampant disease are often the most difficult to support. Now, scientists have demonstrated that confronting several diseases at once can make the most of thinly-stretched donor dollars and national health care budgets, to help to save lives.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Weight loss program for African-American women in a church may become more successful

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:51 +0000

As a brand new year gets underway, people all over America are resolving to better manage their weight and have a more healthy 2012. According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Two different research groups make similar advances in AD study

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:49 +0000

Two different research groups have independently made the same important discoveries on how Alzheimer’s disease spreads in the brain, according to a February 2 New York Times story. The groups’ findings have the potential to give us a much more sophisticated understanding of what goes wrong in Alzheimer’s disease and, more importantly, what can be done to prevent or repair damage in the brain.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

New stent retriever procedure safe, effective for patients with stroke

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:49 +0000

A new way of opening blocked arteries in the brain using a removable stent system in people suffering strokes brought remarkably positive results in how those patients recovered from the strokes, according to a study presented this morning at the American Stroke Association’s annual conference in New Orleans.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Global malaria deaths twice as high as previously estimated, IHME study suggests

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:48 +0000

“Malaria is killing more people worldwide than previously thought, but the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington” published in the Lancet on Thursday, an IHME press release reports.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Future of social robotics requires meeting the expectations of human brain

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:48 +0000

After years of existing only in fiction, social robots are finally being designed that can more closely emulate how people express themselves, interact and learn – and doing so while performing jobs like teaching social behavior to children with autism or helping stroke patients with their physical rehabilitation exercises.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Road Hockey To Conquer Cancer to kick off sophomore campaign on Feb. 7

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:47 +0000

It’s an ordinary workday, and the lunch hour at Commerce Court is bustling with people. Wait a minute! What the heck is going on? Where did those hockey sticks come from? How did those nets appear? There’s a road hockey game in progress!! But what the heck is with those guys wearing jockstraps over their suits? After an extraordinary inaugural event that raised $2.4 million for cancer research at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Canadian Cancer Society, Road Hockey To Conquer Cancer will kick off its sophomore campaign with a spontaneous road hockey game on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 12:30pm in the courtyard at Commerce Court.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Study offers evidence that toxic forms of Alzheimer’s protein spread in the brain

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:47 +0000

Tau tangles are one half of the twin hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease—the half that is most closely tied to the death of neurons. A study in the February 1 PLoS One offers evidence that the toxic forms of tau that cause these tangles spread throughout the brain by moving from one neuron to the next in a pattern that tracks anatomical synaptic connections of the earliest-hit nerve cells in the brain.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Study to determine how body weight, hormones affect bone health from childhood to adulthood

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:46 +0000

Researchers from the University of Sheffield are conducting ground-breaking research to determine how body weight and hormones affect bone health from childhood to adulthood.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

WHO finds very high levels of drug-resistant TB in Russia, Moldova

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:46 +0000

“[T]he highest levels ever of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) have been found in Russia and Moldova,” the WHO reports in research published in the February edition of the WHO Bulletin, but “the agency didn’t have data from most of Africa and India, where tuberculosis rates are much higher,” the Associated Press/USA Today’s “Your Life” reports.Source:
http://www.news-medical.net/syndication.axd

Funding for Personalized Medicine Research

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:24 +0000

The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) is a partner in the 2012 Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition of Genome Canada, in collaboration with the first phase of the Personalized Medicine Signature Initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Genome Canada is leading the research competition. An excerpt from Fact Sheet: The Potential of Personalized Medicine:

Funding of $67.5M will come from Genome Canada ($40 million), CIHR ($22.5 million) and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium ($5 million). Projects will be funded for a maximum of four years. To qualify for funding, researchers must obtain matching funding that at is least equal to that provided through the competition, which will bring the total investment in this research area to close to $140 million. Matching funding is typically derived from provincial, academic, private sector or international sources.

Details about the competition are available here.

Press releases, dated January 31, 2012, about the federal government’s support for personalized medicine, are available here and here.

Source:
http://cancerstemcellnews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

“Wide-ranging applications for pluripotent stem cells”

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:55:23 +0000

Many more diseases can be targeted, says expertSource:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?ei=UTF-8&p=IPS+stem+cells+therapy&eo=UTF-8