Alcohol more dangerous than cocaine or heroin
By Dr. Matthew Watson
GENEVIEVE CARBERY
Tue, Nov 02, 2010
A new study found alcohol was the most dangerous of 20 legal and illegal drugs when the two criteria of harm to the user and harm to others were combined ALCOHOL IS more dangerous than crack cocaine and heroin when damage to users themselves and to wider society are combined, a study has found. The research, published yesterday in theLanc et medical journal, rated alcohol almost three times as harmful as cocaine or tobacco and some eight times as harmful as ecstasy. Alcohol was found to be the most harmful of 20 legal and illegal drugs examined when the two criteria of harm to the user and harm to others were combined. The study was conducted by a group of scientists including Britain’s Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs and an expert adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Read more...
Cardiofy Heart Care Supplement
Woman finds cancer cure in dairy-free diet based on anti-cancer plants
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Eminent geologist Jane Plant is now promoting a dietary program for the treatment of cancer, saying that going dairy-free and eating cancer-protective foods helped cure her breast cancer where conventional Western medicine had failed.
Plant was first diagnosed with cancer at age 42. Over the next five years, the cancer recurred four times "despite a radical mastectomy, three further operations, 35 radiotherapy treatments, several chemotherapy treatments and irradiation of my ovaries to induce the menopause," she writes in her book Your Life in Your Hands.
After the discovery of a cancerous lump in her neck, Plant came across statistics detailing the low rates of breast and prostate cancer in China. Since dairy is almost never consumed in China, she cut it out of her diet entirely and limited her intake of foods containing high levels of chemicals and hormones. She built her diet around foods that have been shown to protect against cancer.
The idea of a connection between diet and cancer is not new.
"The American Cancer Society estimates that of the 500,000 cancer deaths that occur in the United States, about one-third can be attributed to dietary factors, with another third being caused by cigarette smoking," writes Phyllis A. Balch in her book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition. Read more...
Cardiofy Heart Care Supplement
The downfall of science and the rise of intellectual tyranny
By Dr. Matthew Watson
The very reputation of so-called "science" has been irreparably damaged by the invocation of the term "science" by GMO lackeys, pesticide pushers, mercury advocates and fluoride poisoners who all claim to have science on their side. It seems that every toxin, contamination and chemical disaster that now infects our planet has been evangelized in the name of "science."
Where "science" used to be highly regarded in the 1950's, today the term is largely exploited by pharmaceutical companies, biotech giants and chemical companies to push their own for-profit agendas. Actual science has little to do with the schemes now being pushed under the veil of science.
To make matters even worse for the sciences, many so-called "science bloggers" have been revealed to have financial ties to the very same companies whose profits are shored up by their activities (http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/08/the-new-york-times-exposes-scienceblogs.html).
Rather than defending any sort of scientific truth, science bloggers have become the internet whores of Big Pharma, Monsanto, pesticide manufacturers, chemical companies and toxic mercury factories. There's hardly a dangerous chemical in widespread use today that the science bloggers haven't venomously defended as safe and effective. Many are just blatantly paid off by corporate entities to run around the internet pushing GMOs, chemicals and vaccines. Read more...
Immunice for Immune Support
Ottawa rejects stronger export regulations for genetically modified crops – Globe and Mail
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() Globe and Mail | Ottawa rejects stronger export regulations for genetically modified crops Globe and Mail Food policy experts the world over – even in fields that are traditional enemies of genetic engineering – have turned their attention to the tricky ... Smith misses the mark with students: One student's reaction to Jeffrey Smith's ...Concordiensis |
Angel Biotechnology Signs Five Year Pricing Agreement With Materia Medica – RTT News
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() Proactive Investors UK | Angel Biotechnology Signs Five Year Pricing Agreement With Materia Medica RTT News (RTTNews) - Angel Biotechnology Holdings Plc (ABH.L: News ) Friday said it has signed a five year pricing agreement with Materia Medica Holding, ... Angel will open base in NewcastleHerald Scotland Angel shares soar by 13 as firm unveils deals worth £45mScotsman Angel will wing its way back to Northumberlandnebusiness.co.uk Proactive Investors UK -Growthcompany.co.uk (subscription) all 8 news articles » |
Aradigm to Present at the 13th Annual Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO … – Business Wire (press release)
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() Woodlands Online, LLC | Aradigm to Present at the 13th Annual Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO ... Business Wire (press release) HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aradigm Corporation (OTCBB:ARDM) (the "Company") today announced that President and Chief Executive Officer, Igor Gonda, ... Spherix to Present at the 13th Annual BIO CEO & Investor ConferencePR Newswire (press release) MEDIA ADVISORY - Oncolytics Biotech® Inc. to Present at 13th Annual BIO CEO ...CNW Group (press release) Spectrum Pharmaceuticals to Present at the BIO CEO Investor ConferenceTrading Markets (press release) GlobeNewsWire (press release) all 516 news articles » |
Hedge fund objects DuPont’s $5.8 bln bid for Danisco: report – International Business Times
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() New York Times | Hedge fund objects DuPont's $5.8 bln bid for Danisco: report International Business Times DuPont said the combination would create a world leader in industrial biotechnology. The offer represented a 25 percent premium to Danisco's closing share ... Dupont eyeing HubBoston Herald Danisco Board Accepts DuPont OfferFood Ingredients First (press release) Hedge fund joins opposition to DuPont's Danisco bidBaltimore Sun |
Alumni Scholars Club accepting nominations of inspiring professors for UCLA’s … – Daily Bruin
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() Daily Bruin | Alumni Scholars Club accepting nominations of inspiring professors for UCLA's ... Daily Bruin Students chose Dasgupta, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, by popular vote, and he gave his speech at UCLA a few months after ... |
Cell Therapies: Commercializing a New Class of Biopharmaceuticals
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Over the past six months I have been honored and pleased to have seen and been part of an increasing focus and attention being paid to the unique manufacturing and bioproduction issues related to cell therapy.
- Educate the bioprocess and cell therapy market (suppliers and end-users) on the similarities and differences between the two processes;
- Educate and encourage the investor community to keep increasing their interest and investment;
- Expedite the commercialization process.
- BPI's 30,010 qualified readers;
- Delegates attending ISCT's 2011 Annual Meeting (included in all delegate bags)
- Delegates attending ESACT 2011 (Chair drop at the Cell Therapy Plenary Session)
- INTERPHEX 2011 Cell Therapy Roundtable (VIP Invitations, 200 attendees, produced by BPI)
- BIO 2011 International Convention (BioProcess Theatre - Cell Therapy track)
New Salmonella strain delivers gene-based therapy to fight virus in mice
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Most people do their best to avoid contact with Salmonella . This bacteria genus, which often lives on poultry and can find its way into other food products , causes hundreds of thousands of illnesses--and hundreds of deaths--in the U.S. each year. But new research demonstrates that this common food pathogen could be disarmed and reconfigured as a vehicle for gene-based antiviral treatments. [More]
Personalizing cancer medicine
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Over 1.5 million new cancer cases were identified in the United States in 2010, and despite continued advances in cancer treatment, approximately 500,000 cancer-related deaths occurred in the same year (1). For a long time, cancer therapies were a one-size-fits-all, depending on the cancer type. In recent years however, the need has emerged to develop a more enlightened paradigm in which treatments are better tailored towards the individual uniqueness of the cancer (2).
Personalized Medicine is a catch phrase that reflects the current understanding that no two patients are alike. The primary goal of personalized medicine is to develop patient-specific treatments that can hopefully reduce unnecessary side effects as well as the overall cost of cancer care by using therapies that are most likely to be effective in the population that is most likely to benefit (3).
AstraZeneca Announce Real-World Evidence Data Collaboration
By Dr. Matthew Watson
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP (NYSE: AZN) and HealthCore, Inc., the health outcomes research subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), announced a collaborative agreement to conduct real-world studies designed to determine how to most effectively and economically treat disease
Unlike controlled clinical trials, real-world evidence studies use observational data such as electronic medical records, claims information and patient surveys. By examining data associated with the delivery of care, real-world analyses can assess treatment impact on hospital length of stay, readmissions, overall health status, cost of care and other key evidence-based outcomes.
A leader in health outcomes research, HealthCore maintains the largest data environment in the nation. HealthCore’s near real-time, fully-integrated data environment combines medical, pharmacy, laboratory results and other information drawn from 36 million enrollees in local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plans with concentrated populations in 16 states.
How to improve R&D productivity: the pharmaceutical industry’s grand challenge
By Dr. Matthew Watson
To Read More: How to improve R&D productivity: the pharmaceutical industry’s grand challengeInternational Stem Cell Corporation: A Multitude Of Potential Products From Its Parthenogenesis Technology by Jason Chew
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Most commonly, these cell lines are created from unwanted embryos stored at IVF clinics. To distinguish the two methods, stem cell lines created through parthenogenesis are called hpSC; those created from fertilized eggs are called “embryonic” or hESC. Both have the potential to create any cell in the human body, but only hpSC lines do not involve the use or destruction of a fertilized human egg.
ISCO has formed several business units to advance its hpSC technology. The Lifeline Skin Care unit has created a stem cell based anti-aging cream. The Lifeline Cell Technologies division encompasses both the sale of growth media and human cells used in stem cell and other research. UniStemCell® was established to create a stem cell bank. And most recently, a business unit call Cytovis® was formed to further the company’s stem cell derived corneal and retinal tissue programs.
The Company launched its skin care products, consisting of a Day and a Night conditioning crème, in December through a joint marketing venture with noted Internet financial and economic advisor, John Mauldin. The initial launch involved only a limited number of targeted customers and was intended to analyze acceptance rates and refine the company’s customer service and delivery systems. The Company has stated that, although the data base needs to be expanded by an additional offering scheduled in January before meaningful statistics can be generated, early customer responses indicate that users of the crèmes are getting favorable results from the product, which confirms the Company’s own pre-market test results.
The market for skin care products is large; according to Mintel market research, total US sales in 2009 was $4.35 billion. By individual brand, the best selling anti-aging creams in 2008 range in market share from 3% for Olay Regenerist, to 1.3% for L’Oreal RevitaLift. Applied to the 2009 sales total, this translates to roughly $130 million and $57 million, respectively. These are likely upper bounds for sales of any new product.
Without the ability to run a large marketing campaign, ISCO is smart to offer its product first to its shareholders and followers. On the surface, its partnership with entrepreneur and newsletter writer John Mauldin seems a bit odd, it will be interesting to see how his marketing skills will be used to convert his 1.5 million readers into Lifeline Skin Care buyers.
ISCO sells reagents and human cells for research through its Lifeline Cell Technology unit. Stem cell research is a fast-growing field requiring specialized, high quality products. Lifeline Cell Technology has signed distribution agreements with such powerhouses as American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and Millipore for its products, as well as regional distributorships in Europe, Japan and elsewhere. These products generate revenue for the company while providing a source of quality reagents for in-house research.
Other business units under the ISCO umbrella are still in the early stages of development. The unit that may best leverage the hpSC technology may be the UniStemCell cell bank.
One of the major promises in stem cell research is in the field of regenerative medicine. Embryonic and parthenogenetic stem cells can be turned into any human cell type; in theory, these cells can then be used to treat diseases such as diabetes, degenerative brain diseases, cardiac arrest, spinal cord injury, all by aiding in the re-growth of damaged tissue.
A major problem in the use of hESC in regenerative medicine is the ability to find proper matches for the recipient. As with any transplant, strategies must be used to prevent rejection of the donor tissue. By their nature, hESC cell lines express a highly variable set of antigens involved in graft rejection. These antigens are part of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC).
The high variability causes difficulty in finding matches between hESC lines and recipients. On the other hand, hpSC technology produces cell lines with a much more uniform set of MHC molecules. Through proper selection, a single hpSC cell line can provide fairly good histocompatibility match for a large segment of the US population. Additional cell lines can provide matches for additional subgroups so that, in time, a match may be possible for almost all potential transplant candidates.
Through the cell bank, ISCO is providing material for outside groups to conduct cutting edge research and develop therapies based on hpSC technology. The potential is great, but revenue in the form of royalties is far off and uncertain.
Further along in development is the company’s stem cell derived corneal and retinal tissue therapy program. ISCO has partnered with Absorption Systems in the US, Sankara Nethralaya in India, and Automation Partnership in the UK to develop the technology, now under the Cytovis® brand- CytoCor ®for corneal tissue and CytoRet® for retinal tissue.
The Cytovis® technology is in pre-clinical testing and has many potential therapeutic applications including: age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and the repair of traumatic eye injuries.
The company is also actively testing its CytoCor® tissue for use as an alternative to live animals and animal eyes in drug and consumer products testing. ISCO estimates this to be a $500 million dollar market. Recent laboratory results have shown the CytoCor® corneal tissue to have optical properties. It was also observed to have drug absorption properties similar to real cornea.
The large number of business units is unusual for a company this size. A lack of focus is always a concern, but at the same time, it speaks to the considerable potential of the company’s stem cell technology.
Mercury-Caused Endocrine Conditions Causing Widespread Adverse Health Effects
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Mercury-Caused Endocrine Conditions Causing Widespread Adverse Health Effects, Cognitive Effects, and Fertility Effects B.Windham(Ed.)http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/endohg.html
Introduction.
As will be documented in this paper, the majority of the population receives significant mercury exposures and significant adverse health effects are common. Mercury has been found to be an endocrine system disrupting chemical in animals and people, disrupting function of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, adrenal gland, enzyme production processes, and affecting many hormonal functions at very low levels of exposure . The main factors determining whether chronic conditions are induced by metals appear to be exposure and genetic susceptibility, which determines individuals immune sensitivity and ability to detoxify metals(405). Very low levels of exposure have been found to seriously affect large groups of individuals who are immune sensitive to toxic metals, or have an inability to detoxify metals due to such as deficient sulfoxidation or metallothionein function or other inhibited enzymatic processes related to detoxification or excretion of metals. Read more...
Ayurtox for Body Detoxification
GM alfalfa: House struggles with biotechnology – Southwest Farm Press
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() Change.org (blog) | GM alfalfa: House struggles with biotechnology Southwest Farm Press Ultimately and hopefully, advocates of GM crops may prove correct and biotechnology will be the world's savior. But before that can happen some sticky ... Vilsack maps out USDA's biotechnology issuesTruth about Trade & Technology GMO Alfalfa: Republicans Want Deregulation NowJustmeans Congressional Agriculture Committee Meets on GM AlfalfaOrganic Authority (blog) Western Farm Press -Stock Journal -DesMoinesRegister.com all 48 news articles » |
Amgen to Acquire BioVex, a Privately Held Biotechnology Company Headquartered … – PR Newswire (press release)
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() Genetic Engineering News | Amgen to Acquire BioVex, a Privately Held Biotechnology Company Headquartered ... PR Newswire (press release) A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe, effective medicines from lab ... Amgen to acquire BioVex Group Inc for up to $1 billiondomain-B Boost for Europe venture capital after BioVex dealFinancial Times Amgen 4Q profit rises, buys cancer drug makerThe Associated Press BusinessWeek -Bloomberg -AltAssets all 243 news articles » |
How to Fix the Obesity Crisis (preview)
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Obesity is a national health crisis--that much we know. If current trends continue, it will soon surpass smoking in the U.S. as the biggest single factor in early death, reduced quality of life and added health care costs. A third of adults in the U.S. are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and another third are overweight, with Americans getting fatter every year. Obesity is responsible for more than 160,000 “excess” deaths a year, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association . The average obese person costs society more than $7,000 a year in lost productivity and added medical treatment, say researchers at George Washington University. Lifetime added medical costs alone for a person 70 pounds or more overweight amount to as much as $30,000, depending on race and gender.
All this lends urgency to the question: Why are extra pounds so difficult to shed and keep off? It doesn’t seem as though it should be so hard. The basic formula for weight loss is simple and widely known: consume fewer calories than you expend. And yet if it really were easy, obesity would not be the nation’s number-one lifestyle-related health concern. For a species that evolved to consume energy-dense foods in an environment where famine was a constant threat, losing weight and staying trimmer in a modern world of plenty fueled by marketing messages and cheap empty calories is, in fact, terrifically difficult. Almost everybody who tries to diet seems to fail in the long run--a review in 2007 by the American Psychological Association of 31 diet studies found that as many as two thirds of dieters end up two years later weighing more than they did before their diet.
International Stem Cell’s Scientists in Collaboration with World Leading Stem Cell Experts Extend Understanding of Human Parthenogenetic Stem Cells…
By Dr. Matthew Watson
International Stem Cell's Scientists in Collaboration with World Leading Stem Cell Experts Extend Understanding of Human Parthenogenetic Stem Cells in Peer-Reviewed Publications International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), http://www.internationalstemcell.com, in collaboration with leading stem cell scientists, announces findings that human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC) and human embryonic stem cells (hESC) are similar in their undifferentiated state, and are capable of differentiating into neural lineages such as functional retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells that have potential to treat retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. ISCO's CEO Andrey Semechkin, Ph.D., said: "These data are extremely important as they demonstrate that parthenogenetic stem cells have therapeutic potential like conventional embryonic stem cells; however, parthenogenetic stem cells have the additional benefit of superior immune-matching capabilities." This evidence is presented in a recently published paper entitled: "Equivalence of conventionally-derived and parthenote-derived human embryonic stem cells" published in PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science). Hans Keirstead, Ph.D., Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology and Neurological Surgery at the University of California, Irvine and the senior author of the paper, said: "This work is the first wide-ranging comparison between these two important pluripotent stem cell types and demonstrates that human parthenogenetic stem cells are capable of differentiation along retinal lineages." According to Nikolay Turovets, Ph.D., ISCO's Director of Research and Therapeutic Development and co-author of the paper, "Derivation of RPE from hpSC is the next logical step on the way to developing patient-specific therapies to treat eye degenerative disorders. If studies using RPE derived from hESC demonstrate utility in treating such diseases, it may become necessary to address problems associated with immune rejection. RPE derived from hpSC can be better immune-matched to the patient, thus reducing the chance of immune rejection." This work forms part of ISCO's ophthalmology program developed in collaboration with the team of scientists at the University of California, Irvine led by Dr. H. Keirstead. One of the principal aims of the program is to create three-dimensional retinal tissue for transplantation that may be used to rescue the vision of individuals with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of inherited disorders characterized by progressive vision loss. ISCO has established collaborations with other leading stem cell researchers to exploit the unique qualities of hpSCs. In addition to the collaboration with Keirstead, ISCO scientists co-authored a publication with Jeanne Loring, Ph.D., the Director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, entitled "Dynamic changes in the copy number of pluripotency and cell proliferation genes in human ESCs and iPSCs during reprogramming and time in culture" published in Cell Stem Cell in January, 2011. Ruslan Semechkin, Ph.D., Vice President of ISCO and co-author on this paper, said: "We are excited about being involved in Dr. Loring's work, which compares molecular characteristics of hundreds of different human pluripotent cell lines." Dr. Loring added: "hpSCs are intriguing because they are pluripotent like hESCs, but have differences in imprinting, the process in embryonic development in which certain genes are inactivated. This makes hpSCs tremendously valuable for understanding the molecular basis of the imprinting process in humans." ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB): International Stem Cell Corporation is a California-based biotechnology company focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. This offers the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell™, while avoiding the ethical issue of using fertilized eggs. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology and cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care. More information is available at ISCO's website, http://www.internationalstemcell.com. To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements pertaining to anticipated technological developments and therapeutic applications, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Key Words: Stem Cells, Biotechnology, Parthenogenesis International Stem Cell Corporation |
Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, an Emblematic Scientific … – Radio Cadena Agramonet
By Dr. Matthew Watson
![]() Radio Cadena Agramonet | Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, an Emblematic Scientific ... Radio Cadena Agramonet The abovementioned results are simply a brushstroke of the gains of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) in Camaguey over the last 22 ... |