tor Ex-senator bids for leadership By www.theaustralian.com.au Published On :: Wed, 11 Jan 2017 13:00:00 GMT Former Liberal senator Sean Edwards has continued to fuel speculation he is set to make a bid to enter state politics. Full Article
tor PSEB seeks qualified candidates for post of managing director at KAPL By www.pharmabiz.com Published On :: Thursday, November 7, 2024 08:00 IST Public Sector Enterprises Selection Board (PSEB) is seeking qualified candidates for the post of managing director at the Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Limited (KAPL) in Bengaluru. The candidate will be Full Article
tor SEC recommends approval for MSN Laboratories' sleep disorder drug By www.pharmabiz.com Published On :: Saturday, November 9, 2024 08:00 IST The Subject Expert Committee (SEC), which advises the national drug regulator on matters related to approval of new drugs and medical devices and clinical trials, has recommended grant of market authorisation for Full Article
tor Karnataka Ayush sector upbeat on recent amendment to renew manufacturing & loan licenses to perpetuity By www.pharmabiz.com Published On :: Monday, November 11, 2024 08:00 IST The recent amendments brought by the Union Ministry of Ayush to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 are significant, as they introduce new regulatory requirements for the manufacturing and sale of traditional Full Article
tor Qsight Prospector: boosting sales efficiency By www.medicalplasticsnews.com Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:30:00 -0000 In this episode you can hear Olivia Friett, editor of Medical Plastics News talk to Erik Haines, managing director at Guidepoint Qsight where we will discuss Qsight Prospector, a data-driven sales intelligence programme. Full Article
tor Placon announces new stock medical line of pouches and tip protectors By www.medicalplasticsnews.com Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:30:00 -0000 Placon, an innovator in the medical packaging market, announced the release of a new stock line of BargerGard TPU pouches and tip protectors. Full Article
tor Editors letter: current regulatory landscape By www.medicalplasticsnews.com Published On :: Mon, 04 Nov 2024 16:00:00 -0000 Olivia Friett, editor of Medical Plastics News takes a look at the current regulatory landscape. Full Article
tor LFH Regulatory to attend MEDICA to provide guidance on navigating markets By www.medicalplasticsnews.com Published On :: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:30:00 -0000 Regulatory experts LFH Regulatory have announced their attendance at MEDICA 2024 to provide insights and support to healthcare innovators facing the complexities of the UK and EU markets. Full Article
tor Trump Victory Is a ‘Gut Punch’ to U.S. Climate Action By www.scientificamerican.com Published On :: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 16:30:00 +0000 President-elect Trump vowed to promote fossil fuels, weaken pollution regulations and reverse Biden administration climate efforts Full Article
tor We Need Scientific Brainstorming about Shared Global Dangers By www.scientificamerican.com Published On :: Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000 It is difficult to disentangle Russian and Chinese scientists from international science cooperation. That is a good thing Full Article
tor A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech By www.medgadget.com Published On :: Tue, 07 Nov 2023 20:46:05 +0000 Charco Neurotech, a medtech company based in the United Kingdom, has developed CUE1, a non-invasive wearable that is intended to assist those with Parkinson’s disease to manage their motor symptoms. The device is typically affixed to the sternum, and provides vibratory action in a focused region of the body. The technology is based on the […] Full Article Exclusive Neurology Rehab CharcoLtd parkinson's
tor Available for Preorder: The 2024-25 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors By feeds.feedblitz.com Published On :: Tue, 17 Sep 2024 10:30:00 +0000 On October 8, 2024, Drug Channels Institute will release our 2024-25 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors. This report—our fifteenth edition—remains the most comprehensive, fact-based tool for understanding and analyzing the large and growing U.S. pharmaceutical distribution industry. 9 chapters, 350+ pages, 178 exhibits, 750+ endnotes: There is nothing else available that comes close to this valuable resource. We are providing you with the opportunity to preorder this thoroughly updated, revised, and expanded 2024-25 edition at special discounted prices. This means that you can be among the first to access our new report. Those who preorder will receive a download link before October 8. Review pricing/license options and place a preorder Download a free pre-publication report overview (including key industry trends, What's New in this edition, the Table of Contents, and a List of Exhibits) You can pay online with all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) or via PayPal. Click here to contact us if you would like to pay by corporate check or ACH. Special preorder and launch pricing discounts will be valid through October 23, 2024. Read on for more details. Read more » Full Article Biosimilars Buy-and-Bill Channel Management Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) Industry Trends Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Physicians Specialty Drugs Wholesalers
tor Drug Channels News Roundup, September 2024: Inside JNJ’s Gross-to-Net Bubble, Optum Rx’s Private Label Biosimilars, Where Biosimilars Boom, Accumulators vs. Patients, and Steve Collis Retires By feeds.feedblitz.com Published On :: Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:30:00 +0000 Autumn is here! Curl up with your favorite pumpkin-spiced blog and savor these acorns that we’ve squirrelled away for you: Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicines gives a peek inside its $43 billion gross-to-net bubble Optum Rx joins the private label biosimilar bandwagon Biosimilars boom for provider-administered drugs Fresh evidence of how copay accumulators hurt patients Plus, words of wisdom from Cencora's soon-to-be-former CEO Steve Collis. P.S. Join my more than 58,000 LinkedIn followers for daily links to neat stuff along with thoughtful and provocative commentary from the DCI community. There’s still time to request an invite to the inaugural Drug Channels Leadership Forum. Attendance will be highly limited. We have already begun extending invitations, so apply now to be considered. Click here to view the full agenda. Read more » Full Article Benefit Design Biosimilars Buy-and-Bill Copay Accumulator Adjustment Gross-to-Net Bubble PBMs Specialty Drugs Wholesalers
tor NOW AVAILABLE: 2024–25 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors By feeds.feedblitz.com Published On :: Tue, 08 Oct 2024 10:30:00 +0000 I am pleased to announce Drug Channels Institute's new 2024–25 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors, available for purchase and immediate download. Download a free report overview (including key industry trends, the Table of Contents, and a List of Exhibits) Review pricing/license options and download the full 2024-25 report We’re offering special discounted pricing if you order before October 23, 2024. 2024–25 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors—our 15th edition--remains the most comprehensive, fact-based tool for understanding and analyzing the large and growing U.S. pharmaceutical distribution industry. This 2024-25 edition includes substantial new material—outlined on page vii of the report overview. 9 chapters, 380+ pages, 178 exhibits, more than 750 endnotes: There is nothing else available that comes close to this valuable resource. You can pay online with all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) or via PayPal. Click here to contact us if you would like to pay by corporate check or ACH.Email Paula Fein (paula@drugchannels.net) if you’d like to bundle your report purchase with access to DCI’s video webinars. If you preordered the report, you should have already received an email with download instructions last week. Please contact us if you did not receive your email. Read on for some additional details. Read more » Full Article Industry Trends Wholesalers
tor How the Perfect Storm Will Impact Patient Support Programming in 2025 and Beyond By feeds.feedblitz.com Published On :: Fri, 08 Nov 2024 05:23:00 +0000 Today’s guest post comes from Chris Dowd, Senior VP of Market Development at ConnectiveRx. Chris examines three key trends that will affect patient support programs: the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), legal/regulatory battles over copay adjustment programs, and uncertainties following a national election. He then outlines three actions that should guide manufacturers' preparation. To learn more, register for ConnectiveRx’s free webinar on December 11: The Perfect Storm? Patient Support Programming in 2025 and Beyond. Read on for Chris’s insights. Read more » Full Article Guest Post Sponsored Post
tor Regulatory update for post-registration of biological products in Brazil By www.gabionline.net Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:23:29 +0000 <p>On 3<sup> </sup>June 2024, Resolution RDC No. 876 was published in Brazil in the Official Journal of the Union (DOU)[1], modifying the current regulations regarding the post-registration of biological products (RDC 413/2020).</p> Full Article
tor Medicines for Europe 23rd Regulatory Affairs Conference 2025 By www.gabionline.net Published On :: Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:04:58 +0000 <p> <b>23rd Regulatory Affairs Conference 202</b><b>5</b><br /> <b>27</b><b>‒</b><b>28 February 2025</b><br /> Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol<br />Amsterdam, The Netherlands</p> Full Article
tor Pharmacy negotiators in talks over plans to distribute COVID-19 treatments in primary care By www.pharmaceutical-journal.com Published On :: Wed, 10 Feb 2021 15:25 GMT The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee is in talks with the government over potential plans to distribute COVID-19 treatments in primary care. Full Article
tor Regulator looking at 'flexibility' that would allow overseas candidates to sit registration assessment By www.pharmaceutical-journal.com Published On :: Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:53 GMT The General Pharmaceutical Council has said it is “double, treble, quadruple-checking” for any “flexibility” that would allow all overseas candidates to sit the March 2021 registration assessment exam in their countries of residence. Full Article
tor Overseas candidates will be allowed to sit registration assessment remotely, regulator says By www.pharmaceutical-journal.com Published On :: Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:05 GMT The General Pharmaceutical Council has said most candidates living in countries with a two-hour or more time difference from the UK will be able to apply to sit the registration assessment at home. Full Article
tor Pharmacy negotiators discuss patient registration with community pharmacies By www.pharmaceutical-journal.com Published On :: Thu, 18 Feb 2021 17:07 GMT Pharmacy negotiators have discussed proposals to take “a patient registration-based approach” to the community pharmacy contractual framework. Full Article
tor Tell the UK’s research regulator to do more on clinical trial transparency By www.alltrials.net Published On :: Mon, 29 Jul 2019 13:41:09 +0000 The UK body that oversees health research is writing a new strategy on clinical trial transparency and it wants to hear opinions on it. The Health Research Authority (HRA) says its strategy aims to “make transparency easy, make compliance clear and make information public.” It has opened a public consultation on the strategy and some […] Full Article News
tor The first paid research subject in written history? By www.placebocontrol.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Nov 2016 20:31:00 +0000 On this date 349 years ago, Samuel Pepys relates in his famous diary a remarkable story about an upcoming medical experiment. As far as I can tell, this is the first written description of a paid research subject. According to his account, the man (who he describes as “a little frantic”) was to be paid to undergo a blood transfusion from a sheep. It was hypothesized that the blood of this calm and docile animal would help to calm the man. Some interesting things to note about this experiment: Equipoise. There is explicit disagreement about what effect the experimental treatment will have: according to Pepys, "some think it may have a good effect upon him as a frantic man by cooling his blood, others that it will not have any effect at all". Results published. An account of the experiment was published just two weeks later in the journal Philosophical Transactions. Medical Privacy. In this subsequent write-up, the research subject is identified as Arthur Coga, a former Cambridge divinity student. According to at least one account, being publicly identified had a bad effect on Coga, as people who had heard of him allegedly succeeded in getting him to spend his stipend on drink (though no sources are provided to confirm this story). Patient Reported Outcome. Coga was apparently chosen because, although mentally ill, he was still considered educated enough to give an accurate description of the treatment effect. Depending on your perspective, this may also be a very early account of the placebo effect, or a classic case of ignoring the patient’s experience. Because even though his report was positive, the clinicians remained skeptical. From the journal article: The Man after this operation, as well as in it, found himself very well, and hath given in his own Narrative under his own hand, enlarging more upon the benefit, he thinks, he hath received by it, than we think fit to own as yet. …and in fact, a subsequent diary entry from Pepys mentions meeting Coga, with similarly mixed impressions: “he finds himself much better since, and as a new man, but he is cracked a little in his head”. The amount Coga was paid for his participation? Twenty shillings – at the time, that was exactly one Guinea. [Image credit: Wellcome Images] Full Article benefits of clinical trials ethics Guinea Pigs PRO sample size
tor Hospitals face months of IV fluid shortages after Helene damages N.C. factory By www.npr.org Published On :: Sun, 10 Nov 2024 08:34:20 -0500 Hospitals have been forced to innovate with new ways of hydrating patients and giving them medications, after a key factory that produces IV fluid bags flooded during Hurricane Helene. (This story first aired on Morning Edition on Nov. 7, 2024.) Full Article
tor Sea Turtle Ears Inspire a New Heart Monitor Design By spectrum.ieee.org Published On :: Thu, 02 May 2024 14:14:33 +0000 This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore.Sea turtles are remarkable creatures for a number of reasons, including the way they hear underwater—not through openings in the form of ears, but by detecting vibrations directly through the skin covering their auditory system. Inspired by this ability to detect sound through skin, researchers in China have created a heart-monitoring system, which initial tests in humans suggest may be a viable for monitoring heartbeats. A key way in which doctors monitor heart health involves “listening” to the heartbeat, either using a stethoscope or more sophisticated technology, like echocardiograms. However, these approaches require a visit to a specialist, and so researchers have been keen to develop alternative, lower cost solutions that people can use at home, which could also allow for more frequent testing and monitoring. Junbin Zang, a lecturer at the North University of China, and his colleagues specialize in creating heart-monitoring technologies. Their interest was piqued when they learned about the inner workings of the sea turtle’s auditory system, which is able to detect low-frequency signals, especially in the 300- to 400-hertz range.“Heart sounds are also low-frequency signals, so the low-frequency characteristics of the sea turtle’s ear have provided us with great inspiration,” explains Zang. At a glance, it looks like turtles don’t have ears. Their auditory system instead lies under a layer of skin and fat, through which it picks up vibrations. As with humans, a small bone in the ear vibrates as sounds hit it, and as it oscillates, those pulses are converted to electrical signals that are sent to the brain for processing and interpretation. iStock But sea turtles have a unique, slender T-shaped conduit that encapsulates their ear bones, restricting the movement of the similarly T-shaped ear bones to only vibrate in a perpendicular manner. This design provides their auditory system with high sensitivity to vibrations. Zang and his colleagues set out to create a heart monitoring system with similar features. They created a T-shaped heart-sound sensor that imitates the ear bones of sea turtles using a tiny MEMS cantilever beam sensor. As sound hits the sensor, the vibrations cause deformations in its beam, and the fluctuations in the voltage resistance are then translated into electrical signals. The researchers first tested the sensor’s ability to detect sound in lab tests, and then tested the sensor’s ability to monitor heartbeats in two human volunteers in their early 20s. The results, described in a study published 1 April in IEEE Sensors Journal, show that the sensor can effectively detect the two phases of a heartbeat.“The sensor exhibits excellent vibration characteristics,” Zang says, noting that it has a higher vibration sensitivity compared to other accelerometers on the market. However, the sensor currently picks up a significant amount of background noise, which Zang says his team plans to address in future work. Ultimately, they are interested in integrating this novel bioinspired sensor into devices they have previously created—including portable handheld and wearable versions, and a relatively larger version for use in hospitals—for the simultaneous detection of electrocardiogram and phonocardiogram signals. This article appears in the July 2024 print issue as “Sea Turtles Inspire Heart-Monitor Design.” Full Article Heart monitor Biosensors Journal watch
tor Microneedle Glucose Sensors Keep Monitoring Skin-Deep By spectrum.ieee.org Published On :: Tue, 11 Jun 2024 11:00:05 +0000 For people with diabetes, glucose monitors are a valuable tool to monitor their blood sugar. The current generation of these biosensors detect glucose levels with thin, metallic filaments inserted in subcutaneous tissue, the deepest layer of the skin where most body fat is stored.Medical technology company Biolinq is developing a new type of glucose sensor that doesn’t go deeper than the dermis, the middle layer of skin that sits above the subcutaneous tissue. The company’s “intradermal” biosensors take advantage of metabolic activity in shallower layers of skin, using an array of electrochemical microsensors to measure glucose—and other chemicals in the body—just beneath the skin’s surface. Biolinq just concluded a pivotal clinical trial earlier this month, according to CEO Rich Yang, and the company plans to submit the device to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval at the end of the year. In April, Biolinq received US $58 million in funding to support the completion of its clinical trials and subsequent submission to the FDA.Biolinq’s glucose sensor is “the world’s first intradermal sensor that is completely autonomous,” Yang says. While other glucose monitors require a smartphone or other reader to collect and display the data, Biolinq’s includes an LED display to show when the user’s glucose is within a healthy range (indicated by a blue light) or above that range (yellow light). “We’re providing real-time feedback for people who otherwise could not see or feel their symptoms,” Yang says. (In addition to this real-time feedback, the user can also load long-term data onto a smartphone by placing it next to the sensor, like Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre, another glucose monitor.) More than 2,000 microsensor components are etched onto each 200-millimeter silicon wafer used to manufacture the biosensors.BiolinqBiolinq’s hope is that its approach could lead to sustainable changes in behavior on the part of the individual using the sensor. The device is intentionally placed on the upper forearm to be in plain sight, so users can receive immediate feedback without manually checking a reader. “If you drink a glass of orange juice or soda, you’ll see this go from blue to yellow,” Yang explains. That could help users better understand how their actions—such as drinking a sugary beverage—change their blood sugar and take steps to reduce that effect.Biolinq’s device consists of an array of microneedles etched onto a silicon wafer using semiconductor manufacturing. (Other glucose sensors’ filaments are inserted with an introducer needle.) Each chip has a small 2-millimeter by 2-millimeter footprint and contains seven independent microneedles, which are coated with membranes through a process similar to electroplating in jewelry making. One challenge the industry has faced is ensuring that microsensors do not break at this small scale. The key engineering insight Biolinq introduced, Yang says, was using semiconductor manufacturing to build the biosensors. Importantly, he says, silicon “is harder than titanium and steel at this scale.”Miniaturization allows for sensing closer to the surface of the skin, where there is a high level of metabolic activity. That makes the shallow depth ideal for monitoring glucose, as well as other important biomarkers, Yang says. Due to this versatility, combined with the use of a sensor array, the device in development can also monitor lactate, an important indicator of muscle fatigue. With the addition of a third data point, ketones (which are produced when the body burns fat), Biolinq aims to “essentially have a metabolic panel on one chip,” Yang says. Using an array of sensors also creates redundancy, improving the reliability of the device if one sensor fails or becomes less accurate. Glucose monitors tend to drift over the course of wear, but with multiple sensors, Yang says that drift can be better managed. One downside to the autonomous display is the drain on battery life, Yang says. The battery life limits the biosensor’s wear time to 5 days in the first-generation device. Biolinq aims to extend that to 10 days of continuous wear in its second generation, which is currently in development, by using a custom chip optimized for low-power consumption rather than off-the-shelf components.The company has collected nearly 1 million hours of human performance data, along with comparators including commercial glucose monitors and venous blood samples, Yang says. Biolinq aims to gain FDA approval first for use in people with type 2 diabetes not using insulin and later expand to other medical indications.This article appears in the August 2024 print issue as “Glucose Monitor Takes Page From Chipmaking.” Full Article Glucose sensors Diabetes Semiconductors
tor This Eyewear Offers a Buckshot Method to Monitor Health By spectrum.ieee.org Published On :: Tue, 15 Oct 2024 13:00:03 +0000 Emteq Labs wants eyewear to be the next frontier of wearable health technology.The Brighton, England-based company introduced today its emotion-sensing eyewear, Sense. The glasses contain nine optical sensors distributed across the rims that detect subtle changes in facial expression with more than 93 percent accuracy when paired with Emteq’s current software. “If your face moves, we can capture it,” says Steen Strand, whose appointment as Emteq’s new CEO was also announced today. With that detailed data, “you can really start to decode all kinds of things.” The continuous data could help people uncover patterns in their behavior and mood, similar to an activity or sleep tracker. Emteq is now aiming to take its tech out of laboratory settings with real-world applications. The company is currently producing a small number of Sense glasses, and they’ll be available to commercial partners in December. The announcement comes just weeks after Meta and Snap each unveiled augmented reality glasses that remain in development. These glasses are “far from ready,” says Strand, who led the augmented reality eyewear division while working at Snap from 2018 to 2022. “In the meantime, we can serve up lightweight eyewear that we believe can deliver some really cool health benefits.” Fly Vision VectorsWhile current augmented reality (AR) headsets have large battery packs to power the devices, glasses require a lightweight design. “Every little bit of power, every bit of weight, becomes critically important,” says Strand. The current version of Sense weighs 62 grams, slightly heavier than the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which weigh in at about 50 grams. Because of the weight constraints, Emteq couldn’t use the power-hungry cameras typically used in headsets. With cameras, motion is detected by looking at how pixels change between consecutive images. The method is effective, but captures a lot of redundant information and uses more power. The eyewear’s engineers instead opted for optical sensors that efficiently capture vectors when points on the face move due to the underlying muscles. These sensors were inspired by the efficiency of fly vision. “Flies are incredibly efficient at measuring motion,” says Emteq founder and CSO Charles Nduka. “That’s why you can’t swat the bloody things. They have a very high sample rate internally.”Sense glasses can capture data as often as 6,000 times per second. The vector-based approach also adds a third dimension to a typical camera’s 2D view of pixels in a single plane. These sensors look for activation of facial muscles, and the area around the eyes is an ideal spot. While it’s easy to suppress or force a smile, the upper half of our face tends to have more involuntary responses, explains Nduka, who also works as a plastic surgeon in the United Kingdom. However, the glasses can also collect information about the mouth by monitoring the cheek muscles that control jaw movements, conveniently located near the lower rim of a pair of glasses. The data collected is then transmitted from the glasses to pass through Emteq’s algorithms in order to translate the vector data into usable information. In addition to interpreting facial expressions, Sense can be used to track food intake, an application discovered by accident when one of Emteq’s developers was wearing the glasses while eating breakfast. By monitoring jaw movement, the glasses detect when a user chews and how quickly they eat. Meanwhile, a downward-facing camera takes a photo to log the food, and uses a large language model to determine what’s in the photo, effectively making food logging a passive activity. Currently, Emteq is using an instance of OpenAI’s GPT-4 large language model to accomplish this, but the company has plans to create their own algorithm in the future. Other applications, including monitoring physical activity and posture, are also in development. One Platform, Many UsesNduka believes Emteq’s glasses represent a “fundamental technology,” similar to how the accelerometer is used for a host of applications in smartphones, including managing screen orientation, tracking activity, and even revealing infrastructure damage. Similarly, Emteq has chosen to develop the technology as a general facial data platform for a range of uses. “If we went deep on just one, it means that all the other opportunities that can be helped—especially some of those rarer use cases—they’d all be delayed,” says Nduka. For example, Nduka is passionate about developing a tool to help those with facial paralysis. But a specialized device for those patients would have high unit costs and be unaffordable for the target user. Allowing more companies to use Emteq’s intellectual property and algorithms will bring down cost. In this buckshot approach, the general target for Sense’s potential use cases is health applications. “If you look at the history of wearables, health has been the primary driver,” says Strand. The same may be true for eyewear, and he says there’s potential for diet and emotional data to be “the next pillar of health” after sleep and physical activity. How the data is delivered is still to be determined. In some applications, it could be used to provide real-time feedback—for instance, vibrating to remind the user to slow down eating. Or, it could be used by health professionals only to collect a week’s worth of at-home data for patients with mental health conditions, which Nduka notes largely lack objective measures. (As a medical device for treatment of diagnosed conditions, Sense would have to go through a more intensive regulatory process.) While some users are hungry for more data, others may require a “much more gentle, qualitative approach,” says Strand. Emteq plans to work with expert providers to appropriately package information for users. Interpreting the data must be done with care, says Vivian Genaro Motti, an associate professor at George Mason University who leads the Human-Centric Design Lab. What expressions mean may vary based on cultural and demographic factors, and “we need to take into account that people sometimes respond to emotions in different ways,” Motti says. With little regulation of wearable devices, she says it’s also important to ensure privacy and protect user data. But Motti raises these concerns because there is a promising potential for the device. “If this is widespread, it’s important that we think carefully about the implications.” Privacy is also a concern to Edward Savonov, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Alabama, who developed a similar device for dietary tracking in his lab. Having a camera mounted on Emteq’s glasses could pose issues, both for the privacy of those around a user and a user’s own personal information. Many people eat in front of their computer or cell phone, so sensitive data may be in view. For technology like Sense to be adopted, Sazonov says questions about usability and privacy concerns must first be answered. “Eyewear-based technology has potential for a great future—if we get it right.” Full Article Wearables Smart glasses Openai Meta Health monitoring
tor Scary Stories: Establishing a Field Amid Skepticism By spectrum.ieee.org Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2024 11:00:02 +0000 In the spirit of the Halloween season, IEEE Spectrum presents a pair of stories that—although grounded in scientific truth rather than the macabre—were no less harrowing for those who lived them. In today’s installment, Robert Langer had to push back against his field’s conventional wisdom to pioneer a drug-delivery mechanism vital to modern medicine.Nicknamed the Edison of Medicine, Robert Langer is one of the world’s most-cited researchers, with over 1,600 published papers, 1,400 patents, and a top-dog role as one of MIT’s nine prestigious Institute Professors. Langer pioneered the now-ubiquitous drug delivery systems used in modern cancer treatments and vaccines, indirectly saving countless lives throughout his 50-year career.But, much like Edison and other inventors, Langer’s big ideas were initially met with skepticism from the scientific establishment. He came up in the 1970s as a chemical engineering postdoc working in the lab of Dr. Judah Folkman, a pediatric surgeon at the Boston Children’s Hospital. Langer was tasked with solving what many believed was an impossible problem—isolating angiogenesis inhibitors to halt cancer growth. Folkman’s vision of stopping tumors from forming their own self-sustaining blood vessels was compelling enough, but few believed it possible. Langer encountered both practical and social challenges before his first breakthrough. One day, a lab technician accidentally spilled six months’ worth of samples onto the floor, forcing him to repeat the painstaking process of dialyzing extracts. Those months of additional work steered Langer’s development of novel microspheres that could deliver large molecules of medicine directly to tumors. In the 1970s, Langer developed these tiny microspheres to release large molecules through solid materials, a groundbreaking proof-of-concept for drug delivery.Robert LangerLanger then submitted the discovery to prestigious journals and was invited to speak at a conference in Michigan in 1976. He practiced the 20-minute presentation for weeks, hoping for positive feedback from respected materials scientists. But when he stepped off the podium, a group approached him and said bluntly, “We don’t believe anything you just said.” They insisted that macromolecules were simply too large to pass through solid materials, and his choice of organic solvents would destroy many inputs. Conventional wisdom said so.Nature published Langer’s paper three months later, demonstrating for the first time that non-inflammatory polymers could enable the sustained release of proteins and other macromolecules. The same year, Science published his isolation mechanism to restrict tumor growth. Langer and Folkman’s research paved the way for modern drug delivery.MIT and Boston Children’s Hospital Even with impressive publications, Langer still struggled to secure funding for his work in controlling macromolecule delivery, isolating the first angiogenesis inhibitors, and testing their behavior. His first two grant proposals were rejected on the same day, a devastating blow for a young academic. The reviewers doubted his experience as “just an engineer” who knew nothing about cancer or biology. One colleague tried to cheer him up, saying, “It’s probably good those grants were rejected early in your career. Since you’re not supporting any graduate students, you don’t have to let anyone go.” Langer thought the colleague was probably right, but the rejections still stung.His patent applications, filed alongside Folkman at the Boston Children’s Hospital, were rejected five years in a row. After all, it’s difficult to prove you’ve got something good if you’re the only one doing it. Langer remembers feeling disappointed but not crushed entirely. Eventually, other scientists cited his findings and expanded upon them, giving Langer and Folkman the validation needed for intellectual property development. As of this writing, the pair’s two studies from 1976 have been cited nearly 2,000 times.As the head of MIT’s Langer Lab, he often shares these same stories of rejection with early-career students and researchers. He leads a team of over 100 undergrads, grad students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists, all finding new ways to deliver genetically engineered proteins, DNA, and RNA, among other research areas. Langer’s reputation is further bolstered by the many successful companies he co-founded or advised, like mRNA leader Moderna, which rose to prominence after developing its widely used COVID-19 vaccine.Langer sometimes thinks back to those early days—the shattered samples, the cold rejections, and the criticism from senior scientists. He maintains that “Conventional wisdom isn’t always correct, and it’s important to never give up—(almost) regardless of what others say.” Full Article Cancer treatments Drug delivery Medicine Mit Moderna
tor How Did Attendees at a Behavioral Health Conference React to Trump’s Victory? By medcitynews.com Published On :: Thu, 07 Nov 2024 04:08:38 +0000 When it comes to the effects that the upcoming Trump presidency will have on healthcare, attendees’ attitudes ranged from cautiously optimistic to fairly anxious. Some of the issues they highlighted included mental health parity, telehealth prescribing flexibilities, and the role of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The post How Did Attendees at a Behavioral Health Conference React to Trump’s Victory? appeared first on MedCity News. Full Article Health Tech Pharma Providers Behavioral Health Tech election 2024 Mental Health parity telehealth Trump Trump administration
tor Through Early Discussions About Elder Care, Doctors Can Empower Seniors to Age in Place By medcitynews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:08:00 +0000 The vast majority of older adults want to age at home. To support that goal, doctors should encourage them to consider their care options — long before they need assistance. The post Through Early Discussions About Elder Care, Doctors Can Empower Seniors to Age in Place appeared first on MedCity News. Full Article Community Daily MedCity Influencers Patient Engagement Physicians Social Determinants aging in place alzheimer's disease Caregivers elder care in-home care senior care
tor Measuring Impact in Digital Youth Mental Health: What Investors Look For By medcitynews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 Nov 2024 20:02:39 +0000 Many companies are entering the digital youth mental health space, but it’s important to know which ones are effective, according to a panel of investors at the Behavioral Health Tech conference. The post Measuring Impact in Digital Youth Mental Health: What Investors Look For appeared first on MedCity News. Full Article Health Tech SYN Top Story Behavioral Health Tech digital health outcomes youth mental health
tor Neurogene Gene Therapy Shows Signs of Efficacy in Small Study, But an Adverse Event Spooks Investors By medcitynews.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:50:12 +0000 Neurogene’s Rett syndrome gene therapy has preliminary data supporting safety and efficacy of the one-time treatment. But a late-breaking report of a serious complication in a patient who received the high dose sent shares of the biotech downward. The post Neurogene Gene Therapy Shows Signs of Efficacy in Small Study, But an Adverse Event Spooks Investors appeared first on MedCity News. Full Article BioPharma Daily biopharma nl Clinical Trials gene therapy Neurogene rare disease Rett syndrome
tor South Korean actor Song Jae-rim dies aged 39, celebrities pay tribute By www.asiaone.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 13:20:14 +0800 South Korean actor Song Jae-rim died yesterday (Nov 12) at the age of 39. The Seongdong Police Station in Seoul confirmed that he was found deceased in his apartment at around 12.30pm. According to media reports, a friend whom he was supposed to meet for lunch had visited his home and reported the death. A two-page letter was reportedly found at the scene but the cause of death has not been confirmed. A police official, however, stated that there are "no signs of foul play". His wake was held at Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital Funeral Hall at 5.30pm yesterday. His funeral will be held tomorrow at Seoul City Crematorium. Jae-rim gained popularity after starring in the 2012 drama The Moon Embracing the Sun and the 2014 reality series We Got Married. This year, he starred in two dramas — My Military Valentine and Queen Woo. Following news of his death, comedian Hong Seok-cheon and other celebrities posted tributes to Jae-rim on social media. Full Article
tor Trial starts over rape, murder of junior doctor in India's Kolkata By www.asiaone.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 09:19:12 +0800 KOLKATA — A court in the eastern state of West Bengal began the trial on Monday (Nov 11) of a police volunteer accused of raping and murdering a doctor at a government hospital in August, a case that sparked outrage over the lack of safety for women in India. The woman's body was found in a classroom at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in the state capital Kolkata on Aug 9, the federal police said. They also said they had arrested a police volunteer, Sanjay Roy, for the crime. Full Article
tor Pier Competitor: China's Power Position in Global Ports By www.belfercenter.org Published On :: May 12, 2022 May 12, 2022 Commercial international port terminals owned and operated by Chinese firms provide dual-use capabilities to the People's Liberation Army during peacetime. They enable China to project power into critical regions worldwide by providing military logistics and intelligence networks. Full Article
tor A US Ambassador Working for Cuba? Charges Against Former Diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha Spotlight Havana's Importance in the World of Spying By www.belfercenter.org Published On :: Dec 15, 2023 Dec 15, 2023 Calder Walton writes that if proved, Victor Manuel Rocha's espionage would place him among the longest-serving spies in modern times. Allowing him to operate as a spy in the senior echelons of the U.S. government for so long would represent a staggering U.S. security failure. Full Article
tor A Godson Remembers: Thammu Achaya and Indian Food History, The Telegraph By ramachandraguha.in Published On :: Sat, 07 Oct 2023 16:45:43 +0000 My first editor, Rukun Advani, once described himself as ‘a composite hybrid of the Indian and the Anglo-European’, who sought to reconcile ‘within himself those varying cultural influences which chauvinistic nationalists could only see as contradictions.’ This self-characterization I might avow as my own. One mark of the Anglo-European in me is that, unlike members [...] Full Article Politics and Current Affairs Biography Culture A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food Forest Reseach Institute Dehradun Hate and Friendship by Nandita Haksar Indian Food: A Historical Companion K T Achaya NanThe Flavours of Nationalism: Recipes for Love Presidency College Madras Rukun Advani Science Age edited by Surendr Jha The Food Industries of British India literature music nationalism
tor 114010: monitoring Pakistan's coalition support funds By www.thehindu.com Published On :: Thu, 26 May 2011 06:04:20 +0530 Pending post verification are claims that total $279 million for the March-May 2007 period. The areas of greatest concern to us include costs for helicopter operations ($83 million annually), radar maintenance ($65 million annually) and Joint Staff operations ($5 million annually). Full Article The Cables
tor Data | Unknown sources of political income spiked after electoral bond entry, BJP cornered lion’s share By www.thehindu.com Published On :: Fri, 18 Nov 2022 10:45:21 +0530 National parties’ unknown income rose from 66% to 71% in the three years before and after the scheme’s introduction Full Article Data
tor What Africa Can Learn from China about Growing its Agribusiness Sector By www.belfercenter.org Published On :: Aug 31, 2015 Aug 31, 2015 There is growing evidence that the Chinese economic miracle is a consequence of the rural entrepreneurship which started in the 1980s. This contradicts classical interpretations that focus on state-led enterprises and receptiveness to foreign direct investment....The lesson from China's experience is that development must be viewed as an expression of human potentialities, not as a product of external interventions. Full Article
tor The Electricity Sector and Climate Policy: A Discussion with Karen Palmer By www.belfercenter.org Published On :: Aug 8, 2023 Aug 8, 2023 Energy economist Karen Palmer, renowned for her research on the nation’s electric power sector, shared her insights on electricity regulation and deregulation, carbon pricing, and climate change policy in the latest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” Full Article
tor The Challenges Facing the Nation's Electricity Power Sector: A Conversation with Severin Borenstein By www.belfercenter.org Published On :: Sep 8, 2023 Sep 8, 2023 Energy economist Severin Borenstein, Professor of the Graduate School at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, discussed the many significant challenges facing the nation’s electricity power sector in the latest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Full Article
tor Private Sector Solutions for Climate Change: A Conversation with Michael Toffel By www.belfercenter.org Published On :: Oct 10, 2023 Oct 10, 2023 Michael Toffel, Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management and Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School (HBS), discusses the many ways in which business and governments can and are working together to address climate change in the latest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” The podcast is produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Full Article
tor US attorneys cast light on Venezuela oil trade By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 05 Nov 2024 18:13 GMT Full Article Crude oil US Energy policy
tor Trump nears victory in US election: Update 3 By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 06 Nov 2024 07:21 GMT Full Article Coal Crude oil Emissions Natural gas Oil products US Energy policy
tor Trump victory raises climate law questions By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 06 Nov 2024 20:18 GMT Full Article Emissions Renewables US Regulation Energy policy
tor Trump victory ushers in ag trade uncertainty By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 06 Nov 2024 22:31 GMT Full Article Corn Soybean US Politics
tor US W mining essential after Trump victory: ITIA By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 07 Nov 2024 15:35 GMT Full Article Metals Non-ferrous Tungsten US
tor Coalition collapse worries German hydrogen sector By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 08 Nov 2024 09:15 GMT Full Article Hydrogen Renewable Hydrocarbon-based Germany Fundamentals Net zero Infrastructure Investment and Financing Renewable and alternative energy Certification CO2 reduction
tor Cop: Negotiators agree on carbon credit standards By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 11 Nov 2024 21:06 GMT Full Article CO2 Voluntary carbon offset Global US