The sound of silence, no more: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, who as folk duo Simon & Garfunkel were one of the most popular American musical acts of the 20th century, recently reunited after years without speaking.

La jeune artiste de 20 ans domine les palmarès radio depuis trois semaines.

L’ex-maire, qui a passé cette année le cap des cinq ans depuis son diagnostic, continue de s’impliquer pour sensibiliser les hommes à ce fléau.

Un «faucon» anti-Chine à la diplomatie, une gouverneure «tueuse de chiens» à la sécurité intérieure.

À 34 ans, la boxeuse estime que «de belles opportunités» l’attendent.

Un mois après la mystérieuse disparition d’un comptable sans histoire de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, le corps de l’homme de 68 ans a été retrouvé.

Le corps ligoté en état de décomposition retrouvé le 30 octobre dans l’un des parcs les plus achalandés de Montréal est celui de Kevin Mirshahi.

Laurence Jalbert a dû tout arrêter pendant deux mois

Le jury au procès du père accusé d’avoir décimé sa famille a eu droit à une véritable incursion dans la scène de crime.

Florence et Marianne seront finalement au concert de leur idole, vendredi, à Toronto, mais elles ont eu toute une frousse.

Ce n’est pas mon opinion, mais celle d’endocrinologues, qui sont les plus crédibles dans ce débat.

Donald Trump va nommer la représentante Elise Stefanik, républicaine du nord de l’État de New York, ambassadrice des États-Unis à l’ONU.

Le Parti Québécois misera sur sa présidente, Catherine Gentilcore, pour tenter de ravir la circonscription de Terrebonne à la CAQ.

Le chanteur Zach Bryan aurait demandé à son ex-copine Brianna LaPaglia de ne pas parler de leur relation en lui offrant 12 millions de dollars.

Gros succès en France, le drame biographique est présenté samedi au Festival Cinemania.

La majorité des billets encore offerts en ligne pour aller voir Taylor Swift à Toronto sont des arnaques, constate un expert en cybersécurité.

Chris Martin a intrigué les badauds lundi en embrassant le tarmac de l’aéroport de Sydney.

La découverte d’un circuit cérébral impliqué dans l’effet antidouleur des placebos pourrait permettre le développement de traitements analgésiques.

Une découverte biochimique intrigante pourrait permettre d’identifier rapidement les patients à haut risque.

Indian and multinational pharma companies are leading the charge by investing in digital transformation and aligning Indian operations with global standards. Essentially, pharmaceutical water systems are

An inter─ministerial committee formed by the Union health ministry has recommended amendments to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and regulations on nutraceuticals and health supplements, to shift regulation of

Researchers at Rice University have developed a magnetoelectric material that converts a magnetic field into an electric field. The material can be formulated such that it can be injected into the body, near a neuron, and then an alternating magnetic field can be applied to the area from outside the body. Magnetic fields are very […]

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 […]

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.
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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 »

<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>

By Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch, CEO of Vigil Neuroscience, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC In the last decade, our industry has made great strides in combating cancer by harnessing the body’s own immune system. As it was

The post Neuro-Immunology: The Promise Of A Differentiated Approach To Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on LifeSciVC.

Neuralink’s visual prosthesis Blindsight has been designated a breakthrough device by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which potentially sets the technology on a fast track to approval.

In confirming the news, an FDA spokesperson emphasized that the designation does not mean that Blindsight is yet considered safe or effective. Technologies in the program have potential to improve the current standard of care and are novel compared to what’s available on the market, but the devices still have to go through full clinical trials before seeking FDA approval.

Still, the announcement is a sign that Neuralink is moving closer to testing Blindsight in human patients. The company is recruiting people with vision loss for studies in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Visual prostheses work by capturing visual information with a video camera, typically attached to glasses or a headset. Then a processor converts the data to an electrical signal that can be relayed to the nervous system. Retinal implants have been a common approach, with electrodes feeding the signal to nerves in the retina, at the back of the eye, from where it travels on to the brain. But Blindsight uses a brain implant to send the signal directly to neurons in the visual cortex.

In recent years, other companies developing artificial vision prosthetics have reached clinical research trials or beyond, only to struggle financially, leaving patients without support. Some of these technologies live on with new backing: Second Sight’s Orion cortical implant project is now in a clinical trial with Cortigent, and Pixium Vision’s Prima system is now owned by Science, with ex-Neuralink founder Max Hodak at the helm. No company has yet commercialized a visual prosthetic that uses a brain implant.

Elon Musk’s Claims About Blindsight

Very little information about Blindsight is publicly available. As of this writing, there is no official Blindsight page on the Neuralink website, and Neuralink did not respond to requests for comment. It’s also unclear how exactly Blindsight relates to a brain-computer interface that Neuralink has already implanted in two people with paralysis, who use their devices to control computer cursors.

Experts who spoke with IEEE Spectrum felt that, if judged against the strong claims made by Neuralink’s billionaire co-founder Elon Musk, Blindsight will almost certainly disappoint. However, some were still open to the possibility that Neuralink could successfully bring a device to market that can help people with vision loss, albeit with less dramatic effects on their sense of sight. While Musk’s personal fortune could help Blindsight weather difficulties that would end other projects, experts did not feel it was a guarantee of success.

After Neuralink announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Blindsight had received the breakthrough device designation, Musk wrote:

The Blindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see.

Provided the visual cortex is intact, it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time.

To set expectations correctly, the vision will be at first be [sic] low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential be [sic] better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge.

Musk included a picture of La Forge, a character from the science-fiction franchise Star Trek who wears a vision-enhancing visor.

Experts Puncture the Blindsight Hype

“[Musk] will build the best cortical implant we can build with current technology. It will not produce anything like normal vision. [Yet] it might produce vision that can transform the lives of blind people,” said Ione Fine, a computational neuroscientist at the University of Washington, who has written about the potential limitations of cortical implants, given the complexity of the human visual system. Fine previously worked for the company Second Sight.

A successful visual prosthetic might more realistically be thought of as assistive technology than a cure for blindness. “At best, we’re talking about something that’s augmentative to a cane and a guide dog; not something that replaces a cane and a guide dog,” said Philip Troyk, a biomedical engineer at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Restoring natural vision is beyond the reach of today’s technology. But among Musks recent claims, Troyk says that a form of infrared sensing is plausible and has already been tested with one of his patients, who used it for help locating people within a room. That patient has a 400-electrode device implanted in the visual cortex as part of a collaborative research effort called the Intracortical Visual Prosthesis Project (ICVP). By comparison, Blindsight may have more than 1,000 electrodes, if it’s a similar device to Neuralink’s brain-computer interface.

Experts say they’d like more information about Neuralink’s visual prosthetic. “I’m leery about the fact that they are very superficial in their description of the devices,” said Gislin Dagnelie, a vision scientist at Johns Hopkins University who has been involved in multiple clinical trials for vision prosthetics, including a Second Sight retinal implant, and who is currently collaborating on the ICVP. “There’s no clear evaluation or pre-clinical work that has been published,” says Dagnelie. “It’s all based on: ‘Trust us, we’re Neuralink.’”

In the short term, too much hype could mislead clinical trial participants. It could also degrade interest in small but meaningful advancements in visual prosthetics. “Some of the [Neuralink] technology is exciting, and has potential,” said Troyk. “The way the messaging is being done detracts from that, potentially.”

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.

Modern innovation typically occurs one step-improvement at a time. Some clients initially question whether their new application of an existing technology is patentable. Usually, the answer is ‘yes.’ Under U.S. law (and most other jurisdictions), an innovation to an existing technology is patentable so long as at least one claim limitation is novel and non-obvious....… Continue Reading

After four years of negotiations, European lawmakers agreed on June 15 on a new EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR). The MDR is the equivalent to the FDA’s CDRH regulations in the United States and essentially specifies the applicable rules when importing medical devices into Europe, which is the world’s second-largest device market. Rules relate, for...… Continue Reading

Life can sometimes feel like a never-ending cycle of stress and decisions. That's usually my weekdays in a nutshell: chasing deadlines, making tough calls, and hopping between meetings. When your brain feels like it's on overdrive, it's time to hit pause. Engaging in some therapeutic activities can give your mind the breather it desperately needs. The good news? They don't have to be complicated or time-consuming. Here are some that can work wonders for your mental clarity and overall well-being. Step outside for a walk Walking is one of the simplest ways to clear your mind. It's amazing what a little fresh air at your nearby PCN can do. Just stepping outside and getting those legs moving can shift your perspective in a matter of minutes — and burn a few calories too! Disconnect from your phone and enjoy the sights and sounds of the great outdoors. I find that a 30-min walk and a change of environment works wonders for me, helping me rationally dissect my worries, such as my crushing feelings of inadequacy at work.

Dec 15, 2023

Mariana Budjeryn writes: War never stops at the border, especially on a continent like Europe. The European Union absorbed millions of Ukrainian war refugees and poured billions of euros into Ukraine's defenses and economic survival. The war permanently reshaped Europe: its demographics, political economy, and energy architecture are shifting in ways that will have irreversible long-term consequences. All of this is because in a very real sense Ukraine already is inextricably woven into the fabric of Europe: Ukraine’s pain is Europe’s pain and Ukraine’s gain will inevitably be Europe's gain, too.

Feb 20, 2024

Mariana Budjeryn reflects on the tenth anniversary of her native Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity.

Revelation contained in Kissinger-era documents obtained by WikiLeaks

As many as 3.32 crore voters will cast their votes in 37,809 polling stations across State

Oct 26, 2015

"African leaders would like to escape the colonial trap of being viewed simply as raw material exporters. But their efforts to add value to the materials continue to be frustrated by existing EU policies."

Mar 14, 2024

The non-Soviet members of the Warsaw Pact contributed to the end of the Cold War along with the superpowers. These Eastern European states recognized that their relationship with the Soviet Union would impede their success in the post–Cold War world, so they ended the Pact.

Mar 15, 2024

Europe after the Russo-Ukrainian War must develop a new security structure to defend against any Russian aggression. The safest option is a non-offensive, confidence-building defense. This option includes proposals such as the “spider in the web” strategy and the “porcupine” strategy to provide for European security in a region threatened by Russian expansion—without relying on the threat of nuclear war.

Apr 9, 2024

This paper delves into the evolution and future prospects of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), with a particular focus on the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS) and Europe's Galileo. As GPS celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is a timely moment to assess its historical trajectory, current status, and future directions, especially considering the emergence of new competitors like China's BeiDou. Based on interviews with two GNSS experts from the European Commission, this study aims to analyze the potential for cooperation between GPS and Galileo, exploring avenues for collaboration and mutual learning.

Apr 22, 2024

On March 05, 2024, the European Commission unveiled its first-ever European Defense Industry Strategy (EDIS). This announcement comes at an unprecedented moment in history.  In Ukraine, the situation remains a dire tactical stalemate, while belligerent Russia seems more threatening than ever to the European bloc. In the US, despite the efforts of the Biden administration, aid to Ukraine stalled for months and remains a contentious issue in Congress. Across Europe, EU Member States are trying to fill the gap in aid, but are struggling to supply Ukraine with the defense systems it urgently needs. On February 10, at a rally in South Carolina, former President and presidential candidate Donald Trump cast doubt on whether he would defend or surrender to Russia any European country that would fail to achieve NATO’s 2%-of-GDP target for defense spending.