DUDERSTADT, Germany, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Prof. Hans Georg Nader’s youngest daughter, Georgia, will in future be representing the family on Ottobock’s supervisory board, which is currently being formed. Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, based in the German state of Lower Saxony, is undergoing the conversion to an SE & Co. KGaA. Georgia Nader will therefore also be enlisted to the executive board of Otto Bock Holding GmbH & Co. KG.
Following nearly three decades in his role as CEO at Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, Prof. Hans Georg Nader (56) will be assuming the leadership of the supervisory board of the future Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA as chairman of the board. Dr Oliver Scheel (49) will take over the role of CEO on 15 January 2018.
The appointment of Dr Scheel, a long-time partner and managing director at consulting company A.T. Kearney and head of their pharma, medical technology and healthcare department who possesses extensive expertise in the subject of transformation management, represents the first time in Ottobock’s history that a manager from outside the family has taken the helm of the German-based “hidden champion” and global market leader in the field of technical orthopaedics.
Longstanding CFO Harry Wertz (60) will exclusively continue his role as CEO with the Otto Bock Holding GmbH & CoKG.
The head of the Nader Family Office, Stefan Hirsch (45), was also enlisted to the executive board of Otto Bock Holding GmbH & Co. KG as part of the developments within the company.
Head of Investor Relations / Corporate Communications Mark C. Schneider Phone: +49(0)30-398-206-222 / mobile: +49(0)151-146-591-35 Email: MarkC.Schneider@ottobock.de
BOSTON and ZURICH, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — For millions of suffering people, a dream has finally come true: to be able to sleep without snoring. The unconventional innovation of successful Swiss Therapist, Alex Suarez (50), has solved the problem once and for all, and out of 9,000 nominations it has been selected to be awarded the “Ig Nobel Prize” at Harvard University. The Ig Nobel Prize, sometimes referred to as the Anti-Nobel Prize, is a satirical award, which honors scientific achievements “that first make people laugh, and then make them think” (Wikipedia). The Prize is announced in the Cambridge publication “Annals of Improbable Research”. In recent years, this award has enjoyed a high level of recognization amongst scientists.
Using the breathing techniques and training method developed by Alex Suarez called “Silent Sleep”, the troublesome problem of snoring can be solved naturally, easily, and in a playful way. The method used to strengthen and tighten the throat musculature and the connective tissue was developed by the Swiss relaxation coach over the course of 15 years. The idea for the Asate Method came to him during his own struggle with heavy snoring and sleep apnoea. Since conventional treatments were not providing him with any relief, the former dojo owner and instructor of Asian martial arts techniques, wanted to apply his knowledge of the yin and yang principle, biorhythms, tension and relaxation, as well as the careful consumption of resources, to create his very own therapy. Inspired by the Australian aboriginal didgeridoo, Suarez developed his own medicinal didgeridoo that is designed to strengthen, massage, and stimulate the connective tissue and musculature in the neck and mouth using targeted exercises.
This gentle alternative to medical devices or surgical intervention has achieved astonishing results that have been confirmed in international studies carried out by pulmonologists, sleep-researchers, and universities. The result of these studies show that in over 80% of cases, a marked improvement in sleeping without snoring can be achieved after only a few weeks using Silent Sleep training. The rapid success amongst the study participants has led to various stages of innovation involving the medical didgeridoo and has resulted in a device that is optimized for use in a therapeutic setting: the “Snadoo”. The significantly smaller instrument, which is made of plastic, can and should provide the user with additional amusement as they recover from their condition because how it is used and the corresponding mobile app are designed to be playful and fun.
The next generation molecular diagnostics platform introduces novel connectivity solution designed to bring testing closer to the patient
ROCKVILLE, Maryland, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Tetracore today announced that the T-COR 8 portable real-time PCR thermocycler has achieved CE-IVD status under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices.
The T-COR 8, and proprietary software delivers healthcare providers with a simple, flexible, and accessible molecular diagnostics platform. This unique, and easy to use point-of-care (POC) diagnostic system enables real-time molecular testing in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, and field applications.
Healthcare providers rely on molecular testing to produce accurate identification of infectious agents to aid in selecting targeted therapies quickly. Advances in access to molecular testing support global clinical efforts to improve antibiotic stewardship. Most importantly, near patient diagnostics permits appropriate treatment to begin immediately. Designed for the point of care, the T-COR 8 brings molecular infectious disease testing closer to the patient.
“We are focused on delivering testing to where it is most needed, regardless of the setting,” explains Dr. Bill Nelson MD, CEO of Tetracore. “The T-COR 8 empowers more healthcare providers to perform critical tests where it is needed most.” Tetracore is developing several diagnostic tests for the system targeting respiratory viruses, hospital acquired infections, and gastrointestinal infectious disease panels. Along with the proprietary content under development, the T-COR 8 is capable of performing molecular tests in an “open” mode, allowing researchers and developers to create new tests on the next generation instrument using the built-in custom protocol creator.
The T-COR 8 Features Include:
“Cloud” ready and networkable (WiFi/ethernet) for remote access and data download
8 independently programmable wells
Random access instrument, allowing multiple protocols simultaneously
10.4″ (26.4cm) touch screen w/virtual keyboard
Can be plugged in or run on the built-in battery (up to 4 hours of continuous testing)
Integrated barcode scanner
Download report via network or USB thumb drive
About Tetracore, Inc. Tetracore is a biotechnology company specializing in the development and manufacture of diagnostic devices and assays for the detection of infectious diseases. Located in the Biotechnology Corridor in Rockville, Maryland. Tetracore was founded in 1998 by former United Nations Special Commission biological weapons inspectors and scientists of the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. For more information visit www.tetracore.com or contact us at jkelly@tetracore.com.
Dr. Marisa López-Teijón, director of Institut Marquès, Dr. Àlex García-Faura, scientific director of the center, and Lluís Pallarés, creator of the Babypod, accept their IG Nobel award.
Their work, published in the prestigious scientific magazine Ultrasound, has discovered how fetal hearing works, showing that fetuses hear from week 16 (when they measure 11 cm / 4 inches), as long as the sound comes to them from the mother’s vagina.
Dr. Marisa López-Teijón, director of Institut Marquès, Dr. Àlex García-Faura, scientific director of the center, and Lluís Pallarés, creator of the Babypod vaginal device, explained the conclusions of the study at MIT. Dr. Alberto Prats, Professor of Anatomy and Human Embryology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, is also part of the research team.
This session at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is part of the Ig Nobel Awards Ceremony, which recognize the most surprising and innovative scientific researches of the year.
Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine
Dr. Marisa López-Teijón has been awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine, the first one in Obstetrics in the 27-year history of the award.
The Ig Nobel ceremony is held at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hosting prestigious scientists from around the world to present their studies to the public in a fun and enjoyable way.
At the ceremony, Dr. Marisa López-Teijón explained: “Institut Marquès is carrying out state-of-the-art research on how music impacts embryonic and fetal development.
We have improved in vitro fertilization by applying musical vibrations inside the incubators in all our fertility clinics.
By inserting a speaker in the vagina of thousands of patients for the first time we have been able to communicate with the fetus. To achieve this we have created the Babypod. This is an FDA approved vaginal speaker that connects to the mobile phone.
Thanks to the Babypod, we have discovered how fetal hearing works: fetuses can barely hear noise outside the womb. The fetal ability to hear starts when the fetus only measures 4 inches or 11cm. Until now medical literature could only confirm that fetuses heard from week 26 onwards.Fetuses responds just like babies, with speech and movements because they are learning to communicate. The myth of talking to your belly is over.”
According to Institut Marquès’ studies, we can now communicate with the fetus and neurologically stimulate it. Any kind of sensory stimulation is good,-and the earlier the better.
Music stimulates language learning. And as we see, learning can begin in the womb.
The Ig Nobel Prize represents a recognition by these prestigious universities for the research of Institut Marquès to improve assisted reproduction treatments.
-The Opening Ceremony of the Fourth World Nobel Prize Laureate Summit
GUIYANG, China, Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — On September 14th, the three-day Fourth World Nobel Prize Laureate Summit 2017 was kicked off at the Guiyang International Eco-conference Center. Five Nobel Prize laureates, more than ten academicians from China and the United States, over 2,000 prestigious experts, as well as domestic and overseas pioneering enterprises and senior investors in the biomedical industry all gathered in Guiyang to discuss issues concerning the innovations in China’s medical science and technology with a focus on the theme – “Science: Fact and Fiction”.
The Opening Ceremony of the 4th WNPLS (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)
5 Nobel Prize laureates in Summit Dialogue: “Science: Fact and Fiction” (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)
With the strong support from Guizhou provincial government and Guiyang municipal government, the Summit was jointly held by China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM), China High-tech Industrialization Association (CHIA), China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange (CCISTE), China Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA), and International Society of Scientific Communications for Nobel Prize Laureates (ISSCNL), in a bid to build a platform for in-depth dialogues among top medical experts from home and abroad in the era of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation”, foster innovative ways of thinking, and provide more solutions for cooperation and challenges in the medical science field.
The Summit is, without doubt, the highest-level meeting in the bio-science sector, which has brought together the world’s most eminent scientists, including five Nobel Prize recipients (Richard J. Roberts, Steven Chu, Barry J. Marshall, Robert C. Merton, and Aaron Ciechanover), more than ten academicians, and a hundred medical experts, to examine the facts about the globally neglected big issues concerning the climate change and genetically modified organisms. They would also harvest collective wisdom and support to brainstorm the wisest ideas, and conduct in-depth discussions and exchanges on such topics as integration of Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) and western medicine, precision medicine, and industrial upgrading driven by innovations. The epoch-making dialogues among these experts and scientists during the meeting have attracted dozens of leading media from home and abroad to cover the whole event, including CCTV, People’s Daily, Reuters, Phoenix TV and Xinhua news agency.
Congratulation from Guizhou province government (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)
The secretary of provincial party committee of Guizhou province Sun Zhigang and the acting governor of Guizhou province Chen Yiqin sent a congratulations, the vice director of National health and family planning commission issued a written address, raising the Summit’s stimulation of communication between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, urging the Summit to continue to contribute to creative transformation and innovative development.
The Summit set up four key forums and multiple project investment sessions: Chinese Medicine Industry Innovation Development Forum to encourage academic discussions and industrial development; International Precision Medicine Summit Forum; World Youth Innovation Forum to inspire new thinking; and International Bio-medicine Industry Forum to promote capital investment and practical operations. Besides, it introduced many more activities, such as innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, and exhibitions for innovative products and technologies.
Keynote speaker: 1997 Nobel prize laureate in physics Steven Chu (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)
As the highlight of this year’s summit, the world youth innovation forum brought today’s top Scientific leaders and tomorrow’sstars together. The “dream team”, consisting of 1997 Nobel prize laureate in physics Steven Chu, 1993 Nobel prize laureate in physiology or medicine Richard J. Roberts, 2005 Nobel prize laureate in physiology or medicine Barry J. Marshall, 1997 Nobel Prize laureate in economics Robert C. Merton, with young Chinese scientists and students, they had a deep and interesting exchange and discussion of the issues onglobal climate change, the truth of GMOs, etc. Young people cherished such a rare and valuable opportunity of contact with the Nobel laureates. The role model effects, technology celebrity guide effects and inspirational effects greatly aroused the enthusiasm for innovative and creative thinking, promoting positive values guide. On the forum, the excellent keynote speech of Chinese young scientists has also delivered the voice of Chinese youth to the world. We see the enthusiasm of China’s young people who are actively concerned about the issue of global development, and the goal of global sustainable development has attracted the attention of Chinese youth and even the world’s young people.
Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, director of Peking University Medicine Center Zhan Qimin in Precision Medicine Forum (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)
Recently, the necessity and significance of precision medicine has been attached with great importance to it by the healthcare industry and governments of different countries; and it has become one of the world’s hottest topics and has triggered the burgeoning growth of the healthcare market. Focusing on the development direction and strategy of precision medicine in China, the cross-field and interdisciplinary cooperation modes in precision medicine projects, and the future project implementation in different cities and provinces, the Precision Medicine Forum has summoned a number of renowned medical experts, scientists, policy-makers, and industrial leaders to study the field thoroughly from various dimensions, and has achieved remarkable results. Mr. Zhan Qimin, director of the PKU Health Science Center, said that precision is not only the ultimate goal of medical scientists, but the inexorable process of medicine development, during which the fundamental rule is innovations in scientific research. To this end, we should not just put emphasis on individual demands or simply regard it as part of genomics and big data. In fact, precision medicine is a diagnosis and treatment concept that focuses more on integration of different disciplines and takes proper consideration into the patients’ physical and mental conditions.
The future precision medicine should involve multiple disciplines – big data, genomics, molecular images, and molecular pathology, and make personalized and customized treatment plans based on patients’ conditions, living environment and lifestyle. In face of the historic opportunity of precision medicine – an area in which Chinese medicine may take the lead, this Forum explored the way of thinking across different disciplines and dimensions, and exhibited a new and comprehensive picture of precision medicine to the industry and the public.
Written address from Chinese medicine master Zhang Daning (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)
In recent years, the “Preventive Treatment of Disease” concept of traditional Chinese medicine and its strengths in preventing and curing modern diseases have been recognized by more and more countries and medical scientists, particularly after the State Council issued the Outline of the Strategic Plan on Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2016-2030) in 2016, which regards the development of Chinese medicines as a “national strategy” and opens a landmark chapter for the revival of traditional Chinese medicine in a great effort to rejuvenate the Chinese nation as a whole. In this sense, accelerating the development of traditional Chinese medicine has become a strategic issue concerning national confidence, national security and international competition. To meet the trend, Chinese Medicine Industry Innovation Development Forum, which is based in Guiyang– a city well-known for its leadership in the “Chinese medicine industry”, has solicited opinions and strategies from the participants on various issues including the development of Chinese medicine culture and healthcare services, inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine and folk medicines of ethnic minorities, new services of traditional Chinese medicine, and overseas development of traditional Chinese medicines (folk medicines and medical treatment of Miao minority in particular) from the global point of view and on the national strategic level. During the meeting, TCM master Mr. Zhang Daning, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Mr. Wu Yiling, along with other representatives from political and business circles, have reviewed and analyzed from various angles the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine and the challenges it is now facing.
They have strived to encourage the combination of traditional Chinese medicine’s philosophical thinking and modern technologies so as to yield original and innovative results. In addition, they have made significant achievements in reviving traditional medicines worldwide, promoting the standard establishment, property intellectual rights, and future market of traditional Chinese medicine, and guiding the advances of life sciences – achievements that not only enhance the industrial development of traditional Chinese medicine itself, but make it a vehicle to carry forward China’s splendid culture across the world and effectively improve the cultural exchange and mutual learning among different countries.
Scientific and technologic development needs to be applied to practice – with this aim, in the International Bio-pharmaceutical forum, scientists, business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs, led by three Nobel Prize laureates, have conducted effective discussions from various dimensions on the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine, particularly trending issues regarding the development of Chinese medicine industry after China joined the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), the vigorous investment and mergers & acquisitions in the medicine sector worldwide, and the “last mile” of technological innovation and industrialization, triggering the “brainstorming” of the participants. Relying on the platform of Nobel Prize International Innovation Center, communication meetings between governments and enterprises, and closed-door business discussions were successfully held to promote the cooperation on numerous international cutting-edge technologies and products in China.
The platform is also designed to create many business incubators in China and other countries (e.g. the United States, Israel, European countries, and Japan) by borrowing the experiences from the United States’ Silicon Valley and China’s Beijing Zhongguancun Life Science Park, in an effort to capitalize the energies from the “brainstorming” and the intellectual accomplishments through profound academic exchanges. The Forum made accurate forecasts of the development trends in the medicine industry and gave an impetus to the resources integration of different regions and around the world as well as the cultivation, exchange and reserve of talented experts – a move that will make active contributions to China’s healthcare causes and provoke tremendous responses from the industry and all walks of life.
The “Nobel Prize Star Award” will also be granted during this Summit. The previous Star Award winners who have completed their studies in a workshop established by some renowned Nobel Prize laureates will come back to the opening ceremony to share with us their learning experiences.
Meanwhile, a rich series of activities will also be conducted on the sideline of the Summit in the next three days, including the “Nobel Laureates’ China Tour” to various science parks, research institutes, hospitals, medical universities, enterprises, middle and primary schools in Guiyang.
The World Nobel Prize Laureate Summit (WNPLS) is a high-profile annual event hosted by the International Society of Scientific Communications for Nobel Prize Laureates (ISSCNL). The Summit was first initiated in 2014 and it was held in Beijing, Tianjin and Chengdu for the past three years. From the capital of China to the deep inland, from Nobel Prize winners, academic elites to prominent scientists from home and abroad, to a new generation of young students and scholars, the Summit has brought together the world’s most advanced medical and technological achievements and has received globally broad support and cooperation from the medical industry.
The vision of the meeting is to carry forward the heritage of the medical world and spread the knowledge among all countries. We expect that this year’s Summit will bring more excitement to the entire medical industry and the Chinese people.
-China’s oldest TCM brand to sponsor rising fashion star in unprecedented collaboration with tech giant Tencent
— Oldest TCM brand in China, with a history of nearly 500 years
— Guo Jiaxue, Chairman of the Board of GuangYuYuan: “Very few companies in the world boast a heritage as long as ours. For GuangYuYuan, the preservation of traditional culture and encouraging innovation are two of the pillars our company is built on.”
BEIJING, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The oldest of the “Big 4” Traditional Chinese Medicine brands, GuangYuYuan, will be making its global debut at Paris Fashion Week on 1 October 2017.
Chinese designer Big-King sketches a GuangYuYuan inspired design for his Paris Fashion Week Debut
At an event organized by tech giant Tencent, during the finale of the biannual international “Big 4” fashion weeks, GuangYuYuan will sponsor an innovative runway show by up-and-coming Chinese designer Liu Qing, also known as Big-King, in what will be his first Paris runway show.
Guo Jiaxue, Chairman of the Board of GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd. explained the motivation behind this unique collaboration: “Very few companies in the world boast a heritage as long as ours. For GuangYuYuan, the preservation of traditional culture and encouraging innovation are two of the pillars our company is built on. We are excited to see how Big-King is able to incorporate distinctly Chinese elements into his designs, as well as some elements that reflect our own history of nearly 500 years.”
The GuangYuYuan-sponsored show received special permission to be held in the magnificent Musee Jacquemart-Andre, the first runway Paris Fashion Week show ever held in the museum. GuangYuYuan will also have highlights from its brand culture and design aesthetics on display during its Paris debut.
About GuangYuYuan
GuangYuYuan was founded in 1541. In 2003 it was acquired by a leading Chinese pharmaceutical conglomerate, Xi’an Dongsheng Group, and is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under the name GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co. Ltd., stock number 600771. In 2006, GuangYuYuan was honored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, receiving its “Time-Honored Brand” appellation. Two of GuangYuYuan’s oldest products, GuilingJi and Dingkun Dan, have been declared to be part of China’s intangible cultural heritage and their formulas have been named national secrets.
Sizes range from 50-liter to 2,000-liter manufacturing scale
Industry-leading design offers flexibility, scalability and ease-of-use
Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that Celonic AG, a Swiss contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), is upgrading its manufacturing facility with five of Merck’s Mobius® single-use bioreactors.
Celonic, which produces biosimilars and also offers a cell line development platform, will add 50-, 200- and 2,000-liter bioreactors to its development and manufacturing facility in Basel, Switzerland. The upgrade will expand Celonic’s upstream capabilities, improving flexibility and scalability.
“Our extensive portfolio of single-use technologies allows us to support CDMO customers like Celonic as they adopt new technologies and expand their capabilities,” said Andrew Bulpin, Head of the Process Solutions business unit, Life Science at Merck. “Our new Mobius® single-use bioreactors will help Celonic streamline its processes and expand its capacity to better serve clients.”
“For our biotech customers, each step towards market authorization boosts the valuation of their assets, and that’s where Celonic’s breadth of services has been instrumental in creating tremendous value for our partners,” said Konstantin Matentzoglu, CEO, Celonic. “Merck’s Mobius® single-use bioreactors offer a flexible, scalable system that addresses our needs and those of our clients. With the addition of the 2,000-liter bioreactor, we are moving a step closer to our objective of serving customers with commercial manufacturing needs.”
Single-use, disposable equipment and systems have increased in popularity in the biopharmaceutical industry, as they offer many advantages over conventional stainless steel systems, such as improved batch success rates, less cross-contamination risk, decreased water and waste water requirements, shortened project duration and reduced project costs.
At the same time, biopharmaceutical manufacturers are moving toward end-to-end solutions — from process development and scale-up through to manufacturing for pre-clinical, clinical and commercial supply — as they seek to cut costs while increasing quality and efficiency.
Merck’s portfolio of 3- to 2,000-liter Mobius® single-use bioreactors delivers greater flexibility and continuity for scale-up, reducing the need for retraining operators. These are some of the multiple reasons that CDMOs such as Celonic have become early adopters of Merck’s technologies.
Merck is a premier supplier of process development and clinical-stage manufacturing solutions, materials and services needed for the production of biopharmaceutical drugs. The company is committed to delivering superior bioreactor technology to manufacturers, several of which are already collaborating with the company in that space in North America, Europe and Asia.
About Celonic Celonic AG is a privately owned CDMO based in Basel, Switzerland. Celonic offers include comprehensive GMP development and manufacturing services for New Biological Entities (NBEs) and Biosimilars worldwide. Applying empathy, efficiency and excellence, Celonic goes one step beyond expectations in all business aspects in order to help its clients attain their goals more efficiently and reliably. Celonic’s services include the development of cell lines, production processes, as well as the GMP and non-GMP manufacturing of biopharmaceutical drug substances. In addition, Celonic licenses its proprietary CHOvolution™ cell line technology to clients, drug developer and service provider. Visit www.celonic.com to learn more.
All Merck news releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the Merck website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.
About Merck Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of €15 billion in 66 countries.
Founded in 1668, Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the “Merck” name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — In 2016, the World Health Organization issued a report recognizing psoriasis as a chronic, disfiguring, disabling, non-communicable disease that deserves global attention. Yet, the report noted, knowledge regarding the global burden of psoriasis is limited. Psoriasis affects approximately 125 million people worldwide; however, little is known regarding prevalence or incidence of the disease in regions outside of the U.S. and Europe.
Paper authors (Back Left to Right) Luigi Naldi, Chris Griffiths, Carsten Flohr, Darren Ashcroft, (Front) Matthias Augustin, and Tamar Nijsten at the conclusion of the symposium, “The Epidemiology of Psoriasis: Towards a Global Psoriasis Atlas,” held during the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) meeting in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
A new scientific report, entitled “Global State of Psoriasis Epidemiology: A Workshop Report,” recently published in the British Journal of Dermatology, chronicles the global health challenges in psoriasis epidemiology and highlights the ambitious plan for a web-based Global Psoriasis Atlas (GPA) database that will document the prevalence and incidence of psoriasis worldwide.
This report resulted from a workshop held by the International Psoriasis Council (IPC), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization composed of psoriasis experts from around the world, which examined the current state of psoriasis epidemiology and introduced the vision and development of the GPA. Professor Christopher Griffiths of the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, corresponding and first author of the report, IPC immediate past-president and GPA director, led a panel of key experts who identified the challenges associated with assessing psoriasis epidemiology and described resources (eg, registries, country-specific databases) that can be used to understand trends and patterns of psoriasis epidemiology.
The panel discussed the need to view the overall health burden of psoriasis at the patient level and beyond the level of the skin. In this approach, the increased risk of inflammatory conditions, including psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, depression, metabolic syndrome, and liver disease, can be recognized and treated. The structure and development of the GPA were introduced as a rigorous and standardized approach and as a leading resource for estimating the true burden of disease in all countries.
“The data collected by the GPA will demonstrate to health care providers and policymakers around the world that psoriasis is not an inconsequential condition,” Griffiths said. “The GPA will be a resource that will help improve treatment and patients’ access to care worldwide and to recognize psoriasis as a health care priority.”
The IPC has joined with two other global organizations – the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) and the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA) – to develop the atlas. The project’s first phase, which will begin this year, will be to comprehensively review current psoriasis literature and gather data on psoriasis from as many countries as possible. Once the database is established, the project’s second phase will be to establish a core set of rigorous methods for collecting data throughout the world.
Ultimately, the GPA is expected to spur improvement in, and equality of, health care planning for psoriasis in every country.
About IPC: Founded in 2004, the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) is a dermatology-led, voluntary, global nonprofit organization dedicated to innovation across the full spectrum of psoriasis through research, education and patient care.
Global Psoriasis Leadership: With more than one hundred board members and councilors from thirty countries, IPC embodies the global expertise of multi-specialty psoriasis key opinion leaders. These leaders include representatives from dermatology, basic science, translational research, genetics, epidemiology, cardiology, psychology, international clinical trials, and direct patient care.
Mission: IPC’s mission is to advance the care of people with psoriasis worldwide, through education, research and advocacy.
Breakthrough research will lead to new photopharmacology applications to help treat and prevent chronic illnesses
HAYWARD, Calif., Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Research published today in Scientific Reports shows that light from RayVio’s 293nm ultraviolet (UV) LED is more efficient than sunlight at producing vitamin D3 in skin samples. Tyler Kalajian and his research team, led by Dr. Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., and supported by Boston University School of Medicine and a Boston University Ignition Award, found that skin samples exposed to RayVio’s UV LED for just 0.52 minutes produced more than twice as much vitamin D3 as samples exposed to 32.5 minutes of sunlight.
“We tested ultraviolet LEDs from different sources and at different wavelengths. RayVio’s 293nm LED showed the most significant potential for vitamin D3 production in the shortest amount of time,” said Dr. Holick, a Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, and endocrinologist at Boston Medical Center. “This study will lead to a new generation of technology that can be labeled as photopharmacology in which the use of LEDs with targeted wavelengths can cause specific biologic effects in human skin to help treat and prevent chronic illnesses.”
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with osteoporosis, rickets and other metabolic bone diseases and is more prevalent in northern and southern latitudes where sunlight is limited for a significant part of the year. This device for making vitamin D is ideally suited for patients with fat malabsorption syndromes including inflammatory bowel disease and gastric bypass surgery. The research shows that RayVio’s UV LEDs could be used for treating patients that are vitamin D deficient.
A vitamin D3 producing UV LED device could be used on skin areas that experience less exposure to sunlight such as upper legs and arms and abdomen and back thus minimizing risk for developing non-melanoma skin cancer. The UV LED device also emits a much narrower band of UVB light and thereby decreasing likelihood of skin damage that can occur when the skin is exposed to higher wavelengths of UV radiation.
“The potential of digital UV technology for phototherapy is enormous,” said Dr. Robert C. Walker, RayVio’s CEO. “Dr. Holick’s research with our UVB LEDs demonstrates the potential for new applications that can potentially improve and save hundreds of thousands of lives. In the U.S. alone, seventy-five percent of teens and adults are vitamin D deficient. Thanks to the work of the research team and the pioneering work of the Boston University Photonics Center on UV LEDs, we may soon see innovative treatment options like simple integration with a wearable device could aid millions of people.”
About Vitamin D3 Two forms of vitamin D are important to humans: vitamin D2 produced by plants, yeast and mushrooms, and vitamin D3 produced by skin when exposed to sunlight or the appropriate wavelength of ultraviolet light.
Co-authors on the paper, all from Boston University, are T.A. Kalajian, A. Aldoukhi, A.J. Veronikis, K. Persons, and M.F. Holick.
About Boston University School of Medicine Originally established in 1848 as the New England Female Medical College, and incorporated into Boston University in 1873, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) today is a leading academic medical center with an enrollment of more than 700 medical students and 950 students pursuing degrees in graduate medical sciences. BUSM faculty contribute to more than 950 active grants and contracts, with total anticipated awards valued at more than $693 million in amyloidosis, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious diseases, pulmonary disease and dermatology, among other areas. The School’s teaching affiliates include Boston Medical Center, its primary teaching hospital, the Boston VA Healthcare System, Kaiser Permanente in northern California, as well as Boston HealthNet, a network of 15 community health centers. For more information, please visit http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/
About RayVio Corp. RayVio Corp. is an advanced health and hygiene company that delivers clean water and environments. RayVio helps protect billions from germs and creates new markets and revenue streams by enabling a new class of products. Its powerful and efficient UV LED technology can be integrated into a variety of applications, powering versatile on-demand solutions that give consumers control over health without chemicals or costly consumables. To learn more, please visit www.rayvio.com.
A first of its kind trial is aiming to recruit children aged between 7 and 12 with a pre-existing formal Autism diagnosis, living in Victoria, Australia.
The recruitment drive will help researchers assess whether participation in the community-based dance program, AllPlay Dance, results in significant improvements in motor functioning among autistic children, compared to a treatment-as-usual waitlist control condition, from pre- to post-intervention.
Bringing together industry partners and philanthropists, AllPlay Dance – the Monash University-led initiative – is community-based, and focused on enabling children with developmental conditions to experience dance.
AllPlay Dance was co-created by Professor Nicole Rinehart, a clinical psychologist from the School of Psychological Sciences, and an international leader in neurodevelopmental disorders, and Dr Olivia Millard, senior lecturer in Dance from the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University.
The unique trial will be conducted at Monash’s state-of-the-art Brain Park facility and Deakin University dance studios.
Professor Rinehart said this new approach to improving developmental outcomes for autistic children aims to break the expensive and time-consuming clinical model and create a radically new model of community-based intervention where children can go to an innovative dance program to improve developmental outcomes, make friends, and be part of a community.
“Autistic children have social and communication challenges, but few know that up to 80 per cent of children will also have significant movement problems. Simple things like catching and throwing a ball and balancing that children don’t need to think about are barriers to participation for a child with autism,” said Professor Rinehart.
“The idea that we can not only improve motor outcomes, but in a context that is relational with friends, has a net benefit of developing a skill and also having the confidence to use it in everyday life.”
The trial’s secondary aim is to determine whether participation in AllPlay Dance leads to statistically significant changes in cognitive, social, emotional/behavioural, and parental stress outcomes.
Additionally, the research team will assess the acceptability and feasibility of the AllPlay Dance program post-intervention for families and buddies (dance teachers), as well as whether families continue participating in community-based dance programs and how they describe their experiences at follow-up.
Dr Millard said this AllPlay Dance research project will comprise a series of classes for children with autism, supported by their dance ‘buddies’ who will undertake an internship on the project.
“We will address interlinked aims of measuring the benefits of dance for children with autism; creating capacity in the community for dance teachers to conduct inclusive classes; and continuing to adapt and develop our approach to teaching dance for children with disability. Our research is centred around our commitment to learning from our engagement with the community we serve,” Dr Millard said.
Community-based dance programs may offer multiple benefits for Autistic children, including improvements in motor, social and cognitive functioning. Professor Rinehart said rigorous empirical research, particularly randomised controlled trials, is required to evaluate these.
“AllPlay is built on a 10-year funding model involving industry, government and philanthropic partners. We are committed to a sustainable program wrapped in research, that we can move from the clinic to the community,” Professor Rinehart said. “The program has been in lock step with the NDIS roll out over the last 10 years to ensure that children with disabilities can ‘live an ordinary’ life in our community.
“From an economics perspective this is a huge win for everyone – parents don’t have to leave work to take their children to appointments, so we are increasing productivity in society, children don’t have to leave school, they get to do what every other child does, go to a dance class after school, it is a win win from every angle.”
