Category Archives: Arizona Stem Cells

As if Jews dont have enough to worry about.

Geopolitical threats to the Jewish people may wax and wane, but theres another lethal danger particular to the Jewish people that shows no signs of disappearing anytime soon: cancer.

Specifically, Jews are at elevated risk for three types of the disease: melanoma, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The perils are particularly acute for Jewish women.

The higher prevalence of these illnesses isnt spread evenly among all Jews. The genetic mutations that result in higher incidence of cancer are concentrated among Ashkenazim Jews of European descent.

Ashkenazim are a more homogenous population from a genetic point of view, whereas the Sephardim are much more diverse, said Dr. Ephrat Levy-Lahad, director of the Medical Genetics Institute at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

But there is some hope. Susceptible populations can take certain precautions to reduce their risks. Recent medical advances have made early detection easier, significantly lowering the fatality rates from some cancers. Cheaper genetic testing is making it much easier for researchers to discover the risk factors associated with certain cancers. And scientists are working on new approaches to fight these pernicious diseases especially in Israel, where Ashkenazi Jews make up a larger proportion of the population than in any other country.

Understanding risk factors and learning about preventative measures are key to improving cancer survival rates. Heres what you need to know.

Melanoma

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer, representing some 80 percent of skin cancer deaths, and U.S. melanoma rates are on the rise. Its also one of the most common forms of cancer in younger people, especially among women.

Just a decade ago, Israel had the second-highest rate of skin cancer in the world, behind Australia. One reason is that Israel has a lot of sun. Some credit better education about the dangers of sun exposure for helping reduce Israels per capita skin cancer rate, now 18th in the world.

But the sun isnt the whole story. Jews in Israel have a higher incidence of melanoma than the countrys Arab, non-Jewish citizens.

What makes Jews more likely to get skin cancer than others?

Its a combination of genetics and behavior, according to Dr. Harriet Kluger, a cancer researcher at Yale University. On the genetics side, Ashkenazi Jews who comprise about half of Israels Jewish population are significantly more likely to have the BRCA-2 genetic mutation that some studies have linked to higher rates of melanoma.

The other factor, Israels abundant sunshine, exacerbates the problems for sun-sensitive Jews of European origin. Thats why Arabs and Israeli Orthodox Jews, whose more conservative dress leaves less skin exposed than does typical secular attire, have a lower incidence of the cancer.

There are epidemiological studies from Israel showing that secular Jews have more melanoma than Orthodox Jews, Kluger said.

So whats to be done?

Other than staying out of the sun, people should get their skin screened once a year, Kluger said. In Australia, getting your skin screened is part of the culture, like getting your teeth cleaned in America.

You can spot worrisome moles on your own using an alphabetic mnemonic device for letters A-F: See a doctor if you spot moles that exhibit Asymmetry, Border irregularities, dark or multiple Colors, have a large Diameter, are Evolving (e.g. changing), or are just plain Funny looking. Light-skinned people and redheads should be most vigilant, as well as those who live in sunny locales like Arizona, California and Florida.

If you insist on being in the sun, sunscreen can help mitigate the risk, but only up to a point.

It decreases the chances of getting melanoma, but it doesnt eliminate the chances, Kluger warned.

As with other cancers, early detection can dramatically increase survival rates.

In the meantime, scientists in Israel a world leader in melanoma research hold high hopes for immunotherapy, which corrals the bodys immune mechanisms to attack or disable cancer. At Bar-Ilan University, Dr. Cyrille Cohen is using a research grant from the Israel Cancer Research Fund to implant human melanoma cells in mice to study whether human white blood cells can be genetically modified to act as a switch that turns on the human immune systems cancerfighting properties.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is already more common in developed, Western countries than elsewhere likely because women who delay childbirth until later in life and have fewer children do not enjoy as much of the positive, cancer risk-reducing effects of the hormonal changes associated with childbirth.

Ashkenazi Jews in particular have a significantly higher risk for breast cancer: They are about three times as likely as non-Ashkenazim to carry mutations in the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes that lead to a very high chance of developing cancer. One of the BRCA-1 mutations is associated with a 65 percent chance of developing breast cancer. Based on family history, including on the fathers side, the chances could be even higher.

Every Ashkenazi Jewish woman should be tested for these mutations, said Levy-Lahad, who has done significant research work on the genetics of both breast and ovarian cancer. Iraqi Jews also have increased prevalence of one of the BRCA mutations, she said.

Levy-Lahad is collaborating on a long-term project with the University of Washingtons Dr. Mary-Claire King the breast cancer research pioneer who discovered the BCRA-1 gene mutation that causes cancer on a genome sequencing study of Israeli women with inherited breast and ovarian cancer genes. The two women are using a grant from the Israel Cancer Research Fund to apply genomic technology to study BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 mutations and their implications for breast cancer risk in non-Ashkenazi women in Israel, who are similar to populations in Europe and the United States.

In a project that is testing thousands of women for deadly cancer mutations, they are also studying how mutations in genes other than BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 impact inherited breast cancer in non-Ashkenazi Jews.

The earlier breast cancer mutations are discovered, the sooner women can decide on a course of action. Some choose to have bilateral mastectomies, which reduce the chances of breast cancer by 90-95 percent. Actress Angelina Jolie famously put a Hollywood spotlight on the issue when she wrote a 2013 op-ed in The New York Times about her decision to have the procedure.

But mastectomies are not the only option. Some women instead choose a very rigorous screening regimen, including more frequent mammograms and breast MRIs.

Early detection is the cornerstone of improving breast cancer survival rates.

Breast cancer is not nearly as deadly as it once was, Levy-Lahad said.

Ovarian cancer

Of the three Jewish cancers, ovarian cancer is the deadliest.

Linked to the two BRCA mutations common among Jews, ovarian cancer is both stubbornly difficult to detect early and has a very high late-stage mortality rate. Women should be screened for the mutations by age 30, so they know their risks.

In its early stages, ovarian cancer usually has no obvious symptoms, or appears as bloating, abdominal pain or frequent urination that can be explained away by less serious causes. By the time its discovered, ovarian cancer is usually much more advanced than most other cancers and may have spread to surrounding organs. If that has occurred, the five-year survival rate drops considerably.

Women with the BRCA mutations have about a 50 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer. The best option is usually to remove the ovaries.

We put a lot of pressure on women to have their ovaries removed because its a life-saving procedure, Levy-Lahad said.

That doesnt mean these women cant have children. The recommendation is that women wait to have the procedure until after they complete child-bearing, usually around the age of 35-40.

Much work still needs to be done on prevention, early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer, but new research shows some promise.

The exciting thing is that we live in a genomic age, and we have unprecedented abilities to understand the causes of cancer, Levy-Lahad said. Theres a whole field that, if you become affected, can look at the genetic makeup of the tumor you have.

The study of these three Jewish cancers are a major component of the work of the Israel Cancer Research Fund, which raises money in North America for cancer research in Israel. Of the $3.85 million in grants distributed in Israel last year by the fund, roughly one-quarter were focused on breast cancer, ovarian cancer or melanoma, according to Ellen T. Rubin, the ICRFs director of research grants. The organizations Rachels Society focuses specifically on supporting womens cancer awareness and research.

A significant amount of the organizations grants is focused on basic research that may be applicable to a broad spectrum of cancers. For example, the group is supporting research by Dr. Varda Rotter of the Weizmann Institute of Science into the role played by the p53 gene in ovarian cancer. P53 is a tumor suppressor that when mutated is involved in the majority of human cancers.

Likewise, Dr. Yehudit Bergman of the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School is using an ICRF grant to study how the biological mechanisms that switch genes on and off called epigenetic regulation operate in stem cells and cancer.

Only through basic research at the molecular level will cancer be conquered, said Dr. Howard Cedar of the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School.

Hopefully, one day there will be easier and better ways to detect and destroy the cancerous cells that lead to these diseases. But until those research breakthroughs, medical experts say that Jews, as members of a special high-risk category, should make sure they get genetic screenings and regular testing necessary for early detection and prevention.

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Israel Cancer Research Fund, which is committed to finding and funding breakthrough treatments and cures for all forms of cancer, leveraging the unique talent, expertise and benefits that Israel and its scientists have to offer.

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The three cancers Jews need to worry about most and how to reduce the risks - Jewish Post

A Philadelphia-based company, Bioquark, has revealed it is working on a new stem cell therapy that will attempt to revive brain-dead people. The first test is scheduled to begin this year in an undisclosed location in Latin America, the Daily Mail reported.

Ira Pastor, CEO of Bioquarkrevealed his company has developed a series of injections that are capable of rebooting the human brain. He also mentioned that the company aims to test these injections on humans this year, the report added.

Pastor further said his company does not plan to conduct thesetests on animals.

A body lies in the morgue at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Tucson, Arizona, December 9, 2014. Photo: Getty Images/ John Moore

Read:How Do You Know When Someone Is Dead? Experts Question Guidelines To Determine Death

At first, Pastor along with his co-worker Himanshu Bansal had planned to conduct this experiment in a remote part of India. For this, they had gathered 20 subjects. But, before they couldstart with their experiment,it was blocked by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) without stating a proper reason. The pair was asked to conduct their research elsewhere, after which they decided to go ahead with their research in Latin America, the report stated.

In the first phase of the experiment named First In Human Neuro-Regeneration & Neuro-Reanimation, scientists will first collect stem cells from the subjects blood or fat and then inject it back into their body.

The next step would be injecting a dose of peptides into the subjects spinal cord. A peptide is a compound consisting of two or more amino acids linked in a chain. Molecules small enough to be synthesized from the constituent amino acids are, by convention, called peptides.

According to scientists, this would speed up the growth of new neurons in clinically brain-dead patients.

The subject would then be kept under observation for a period of 15 days during which they will be subjected to nerve stimulation involving laser technology and median nerve stimulation. Nerve stimulation is the process of stimulating nerves for therapeutic purposes using electric current produced by a device.

During this simulation process, the subject will constantly be monitored using MRI scans for any signs of life.

The mission of the Project is to focus on clinical research in the state of brain death, or irreversible coma, in subjects who have recently met the Uniform Determination of Death Act criteria, but who are still on cardiopulmonary or trophic support a classification in many countries around the world known as a "living cadaver, Pastor had said last year.

However, Pastor's idea was not welcomed by all medical experts. There is no way this technique could work on someone who is brain-dead. The technique relies on there being a functional brain stem one of the structures that most motor neurons go through before connecting with the cortex proper, Dr. Ed Cooper, who has studied and authored several studies on brain stimulation, told Stat News.

If there's no functional brain stem, then it can't work, he further said.

Meanwhile, several questions related to the research have surfaced, one of them being how do researchers complete paperwork for the experiment when the subject is clinically dead? Or should families of the subjects hope for an incredibly long-shot cure? Although the answers to these questions are far off, Pastorsaid:While the complete recovery in such patients is indeed a long term vision of ours and a possibility that we foresee with continued work along this path, it is not the core focus or primary endpoint of this first protocol.

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Can We Cheat Death? US Firm Aims To Resurrect Brain-Dead People Using Stem Cells - International Business Times

At StemGenex, we are committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells, said Alexander. Specifically, we use adipose-derived adult stem cell therapy for patients battling conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, COPD, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis. We are also committed to the science of stem cell therapy and sponsor five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institute of Health (NIH) for these diseases.

What I personally witnessed before the start of StemGenex were patients who had exhausted conventional medical treatments but wanted to try alternative therapies. I was one of them, suffering from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Ihad only three options; I could seek a clinical trial, travel to outside of the U.S. to try alternative therapies such as stem cell treatment or petition the FDA for access to drugs under the agencys expanded access, or compassionate use program. Now, new state laws, built on model legislation from the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, will potentially allow doctors and patients to make their own informed decisions on treatments that have cleared the safety phase of FDA testing.

Last year, in a move that was seen by some as a response to Right to Try laws, the 21st Century Cures Act, a landmark piece of legislation focused on medical innovation and medical research, was signed into law by President Obama. This Act provides the FDA with the flexibility to accelerate how it evaluates regenerative medicine treatments, such as stem cell therapies, while maintaining its high standards of safety and efficacy.

Were on the cusp of a major change on how patients can access stem cell therapy, saidAlexander. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by a wide range of autoimmune and degenerative illnesses, she said. StemGenex Medical Group is proud to offer the highest quality of care and to potentially help those with unmet clinical needs improve their quality of life.

ABOUT StemGenex Medical Group StemGenex Medical Group is committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells. StemGenex provides stem cell therapy options for individuals suffering with inflammatory and degenerative illnesses. Committed to the science and innovation of stem cell treatment,StemGenex sponsors five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) for Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Osteoarthritis. These have been established to formally document and evaluate the quality of life changes in individuals following adipose-derived stem cell treatment.

Contact: Jamie Schubert, Director of Media & Community Relations jschubert@StemGenex.com, (858) 242-4243

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patient-centered-stem-cell-therapy-bill-passed-by-texas-legislature-300465987.html

SOURCE StemGenex Medical Group

https://stemgenex.com/

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Patient-Centered Stem Cell Therapy Bill Passed by Texas Legislature - satPRnews (press release)

Dr. Elizabeth Hutchins is a researcher at TGen and talks about her research and working in the male-dominated STEM fields. Wochit

Aakanksha Saxena in the chemistry lab at Desert Mountain High School, 12575 E Va Linda, Scottsdale, on April 13.(Photo: Mark Henle, Mark Henle/The Republic)

Think of the last time you went to get your car's engine looked at or needed help recovering files on acomputer.

Who helpedyou?

Odds are, it wasn't a woman.

Historically, men have dominated science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM,fields.

That can be problematic; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticssays STEM occupationsgrew at twice the rate of other jobs from 2009 to 2015andtend to pay more than the national average.

Women make up half of the nation's college-educated workforcebut only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce, according to2016 data from the National Science Board. Women tend to be well-represented in the social and life sciences and underrepresented in fieldssuch as engineering, where women comprise 15 percent of the workforce.

But the gender gap might continue to close as young Arizona women enterSTEM fields through school or extracurricular programs, kickstarting their STEMcareerswhile still in their teens.

TGen Chief Operating Officer Tess Burleson said there is catch-up to dobecause men tend to dominate the pool of potential employees atTranslational Genomics Research Institute, a Phoenix-based non-profit that researches genes to identify and treat diseases.

Burleson said thatto close the gender gap, women should be encouraged to pursue STEMfields from a young age, saying that oftentimes young girls who are math or science-minded aren't recognized or encouraged to do anything with it.

"If people more consciously said, 'Engineering would be a great field for you because you have great critical thinking skills,' just verbalizing those things would be really helpful," she said.

TGenstrives to be aware of the gender gap,Burleson said.

Its Helios Scholars program, a biomedical research internship that is open to Arizona high school and college students,actually has slightly more women than men.

That breakdown doesn't usually carry over into the professional world, but Burleson said TGentriesto encourage diversity.

"It's not that we're not looking, it's just that they (women) are not available sometimes," Burleson said. "It's fair to say TGen does a good job of making sure we keep the awareness of the gender gap and leadership gap. We look for opportunities to encourage women in the workforce to make their lives as happy as they can be."

Part of that means making women feel like their opinions and needsare valued at TGen.

"Women are taught that you want to play nice on the playground," Burleson said. "Sometimes you have to say, 'Speak up to get what you need to be successful.'"

Scottsdale Unified School District spokeswoman Erin Helm said getting morewomen in STEM doesn't necessarily mean offering special district programs for girls, but simply treating everyone equally.

"Hopefully that equal playing field by itself will encourage more girls (to pursue STEM)," Helm said.

She attributes the professional lag to earlier years when women weren't given as many opportunities in STEM.

"As much as we have an even playing field now, that's not to say there hasn't been some catch-up in society," Helm said. "What I hope in Scottsdale Unified School District is that they (girls) see that there is space for them to step up and be a part of STEM."

Young women across the Valley have stepped up to be part of STEM, making their mark in the field at a young age.

Meet six of them.

Aakanksha Saxena(Photo: Mark Henle/The Republic)

Aakanksha Saxena helped develop an app that syncs outdoor sprinkler systems to smartphones to save water while still caring for plants.

She has won awards formaking solar panels that are 85 percent cheaper than those currently used, built a system that calculates and recommends ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from K-12 schools, andfounded a non-profitthat sends female orphans in Indiato college.

And she's 17.

She graduated from Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale this week.

Saxena wants to be a sustainability professor so she can "make sure our future is green and efficient and spreading the message of how important STEM is to future generations."

She developed a passion for sustainabilityas a student atBasis Scottsdale, where she created an algorithm to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in schools.

"I've always been really interested in solving real-world problems," Saxena said.

Saxena credits her success in STEM to her access to education. She's taken Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes andhad extracurricular opportunities that allowed her to work with researchers at Arizona State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Saxena said there's "definitely a little more focus on boys pursuing STEM," but the gender gap is even larger in places like India,where she founded anon-profitorganization, Literacy Spree, to promote education and make STEM accessible to women.

"I've seen firsthand in India where so many girls are so intelligent and driven and are told, 'You aren't going to college, you're going to be married at 18,' " Saxena said. "We live in America, and we have access to education, but there is still a lot of room for improvement not only here, but more so in developing countries."

So far, Saxena's efforts have allowed seven Indian orphans to go to college.

Saxena was accepted into MIT, Stanford Harvard and Yale universitiesand decided to attend Stanford this fall.

Emma Eddy(Photo: Lara Wesson/Special for The Republic)

Most people wouldn't want to work around rats all day, but 19-year-old Emma Eddy is testing the cognitive and working memories of ratsto better understand the human brain and eventually find ways to eliminateAlzheimer's and dementia.

Eddy graduated from Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale in 2016 and studies physiology and anthropology at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

At the lab, Eddy observes the rats as they try to find a platform in a water main and then she sees if they still remember where the platform is if the conditions of the water main are changed.

Eddy tests three groups of rats:young, middle-aged and older.

After the experiment, Eddy said she and the other scientists study MRIs of the rats' brains, seeing how the brainneurons differ between rats that performed well and rats thatperformed poorly.

Eddy said her findings so far indicatethat "younger rats will find the platform consistently quickly over time."

Eddy always knew she wanted to go to medical school, so in high school shejoined the inaugural class of a four-year biomedical science program, eventually graduating with an Advanced Placement + Project Lead the Way credential, proving her aptitude for advanced science coursework.

Advanced Placement is a program created by the College Board, the organization also responsible for the Scholastic Assessment Test. Project Lead the Way is an organization that provides STEM curriculum to schools.

Also during high school, Eddy assessed the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels on the environment through a summer program at the UA's honors college.

Eddy said she wants to be a reproductive endocrinologist to help women who can't conceive get pregnant, but she said sometimes the career journey can be tougher for women.

"It's hard when you're a woman getting into the medical field," Eddy said. "People assume you want to start a family and do things right after college."

Eddy said there are a lot of women in her pre-lab classes but added there's still much to be done when it comes to including women in STEM.

"I have hope one day it'll balance out," Eddy said.

Nancy Twishime.(Photo: Elizabeth Chiffelle/Special for The Republic)

Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, is a neurodegenerative disease that damages nerve endings in the brain and spinal cord and affects up to 200,000 Americans at any given time.

Nancy Twishime, who just finished her junior year at Bioscience High School in the Phoenix Union High School District this week,wants to find out why.

Twishime, 17, participatedin a high school research program atBarrow Neurological Institute to understand how neurons die in the brains of thosewith ALS.

Three days each week during the school year, Twishime headedto the lab after school to analyze data obtained from pictures of stained cells. During the summer, Twishime works in the lab full-time.

Twishime said she's passionate about ALS research because there's still much to be discovered.

"There's not much known about it," shesaid. "You always hear research about cancer or other things, so I found it's worth my time to do something that can be invested in and improved, and I learn a lot too during the process."

Despite her ALS research, Twishime wants to combine her love of the brain and passion for kids by becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon.

Twishime said women are well-represented in her lab.

Twishime said she chooses not to dwell on gender disparities, saying that getting caught up in the numbers gets in the way of her progress.

"If it takes me working harder than a man does, then I'll have to do it," Twishime said. "My education and my learning and furthering my knowledge is most important to me. If that means working harder, then that's OK."

Still, Twishime said she doesn't understand why a STEM gender gap exists at all.

"When you give a woman as much opportunity as a man in STEM, there's a greater amount of opportunity to learn from each other," Twishime said."I just don't see why that's there in the first place."

Elizabeth Chiffelle(Photo: Nancy Twishime/Special for The Republic)

An interest in Greek mythology and "Star Trek" opened thedoor for 16-year-old Elizabeth Chiffelle to discover her passion for astronomy.

Chiffelle, who just completed her junior year at Bioscience High School in downtown Phoenix, researches young stellar objects, which are stars in the earliest stages of development.

It's part of a program between NASAand the Infrared Processing and Analysis Centercalled the Teacher Archive Research Project.

The program pairs teachers with a mentor astronomer to conduct research in the field and encourages teachers to involve their students in the venture as well.

Chiffelle takes data from telescopes in spaceand identifies high-quality young stellar objects for IPAC to explore.

Chiffelle and her peers presented their findings at anAmerican Astronomical Society meeting in Dallasthis year.

"That's when I realized that that's what I want to do with the rest of my life," Chiffelle said. "Going to Dallas and seeing different posters and astronomers, I was so excited, and I had so much energy finding out this new information."

Chiffelle and her teacher are doing their own independent research after coming across unusual data from the telescopes.

When looking at graphs that plotted the young stars growth, some of the plots formed a zig-zag pattern instead of a more steady, stable line thats typical as a young stellar object matures into an adult star.

Chiffelle's dream college isCalifornia Institute of Technology, but in the meanwhile, she's applied for an internship with NASA this summer.

Alyson Neaves.(Photo: Vabulous Photography/Special for The Republic)

Signing up for extra math classes isn't something a lot of high school kids willingly do, but 17-year-old Alyson Neaves did so gladly as part of the STEM Scholar Diploma program atPerry High School in Gilbert.

The program requires students to take five math and six science credits, but Neaves is taking her seventh math credit linear algebra.

The program also requires students to complete a mini-internship, which Neaves described as a two-day job shadow at the Air Products campus in Chandler, where she worked under a plant engineer and learned about industrial engineering.

"It was a good experience because I had never considered that until I started speaking to him about it," Neaves said. "It sounded like exactly what I wanted to do."

Neaves said a plant engineer's job is all about making a mechanical system cheaper, quicker and more effective.

"I like the idea of making life easier for people," Neaves said. "Having a way we can be more effective and more sustainable is really important so we can move forward as a community to work smarter and not harder, and doing what we can to improve what we already have."

Even though she's balancing science and math courses, AP classes and summer camps that are required as part of the STEM Scholar Program,Neaves graduated this week as valedictorian of her class with a 4.84 GPA.

She's been accepted into Barrett, the Honors College at ASU, as well as several universities in California and Colorado.

Neaves is staying local and attending ASU.

Dr. Elizabeth Hutchins(Photo: Translational Genomics Research Institute)

Dr. Elizabeth Hutchins, 30,is a post-doctoral fellow at TGen and is studying concussions in a project with the ASU football team.

The project seeks to identify objective biomarkers (like those found in blood, urine and saliva) that indicate when a player suffers a concussion, providing an alternative to more subjective tests in use.

Herfindings could lead to increased safety for players, whetherthrough improved protective gear or a change in the rules to avoid injuries that could cause long-term damage.

Hutchins said the findings could be applied to anyone with a head injury, from soldiers on the battlefield to people in car accident.

Hutchins' passion is exploringuncharted territory that could impact lives.

"You're looking at new things that no one has seen before and trying to make sense of them," she said. "Sometimes that's incredibly frustrating, but it's also very exciting."

Even though she loves her work, Hutchins said she has faced subtle sexism in the field.

"There was someone that worked at our lab and asked a male member of the lab about my project instead of asking me," Hutchins said. "He asked me the same question, and he didn't listen to what I said, and he asked someone that wasn't working on the project and took what they said and ignored me."

Despite that, Hutchins said for every negative experience she's had many positive ones. Sheencouraged young women pursuing STEM careers to find mentors who will encourage them.

"They'll really help you move on, and finding someone that values you and can give you advice is a really good thing," Hutchins said.

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6 Arizona young women are taking on the STEM gender gap - AZCentral.com

A group of scientists and medical professionals is sounding the alarm in the final days of the Texas legislative session about a little-noticed bill that would allow manufacturers of unproven drugs to sell their products to dying patients.

Supporters of House Bill 3236 by state Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-College Station, say it could help incentivize drugmakers to get promising, experimental drugs onto the market and into needy patients hands. Its detractors say it would allow drug companies and quack doctors to use fake medicine to take advantage of sick, vulnerable families.

After emotional pleas from state lawmakers invoking family members with terminal illness, the Texas House passed the measure earlier this month in a unanimous 142-0 vote, just minutes before a critical deadline. The bill is now waiting to be heard by the Senate State Affairs Committee.

From the House floor, Kacal whose mother died of ovarian cancer said he hoped it would help make experimental drugs "accessible to everybody."

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Asked by state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, about concerns that the proposal could have unintended consequences, Kacal said he had "vetted the bill very well."

But that has not eased the fear of some patient advocates.

Its the dirtiest, most corrupt, most transparently fraudulent bill Ive ever seen in my life, said Will Decker, a Houstonimmunologist who sits on the medical board for the advocacy group Texans for Cures. It exists for one purpose and one purpose only: to let patients pay for snake oil.

The debate this year is a new development in Texas right to try movement, which advocatesthat terminally ill patients should be allowed to try long-shot therapies that havent received final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration a process that can be lengthy.

The movement, backed by the libertarian Goldwater Institute, is gaining traction in state legislatures around the country; 35 other states havepassed similar laws. Of those, Texas is the only statethat prohibits patients from paying for experimental drugs, said Starlee Coleman, a policy adviser for the Arizona-based institute.

In an interview, Kacalsaid his bill was meant to reduce barriers for sick patients to access potentially life-saving drugs. While most drugs provided through compassionate use are donated to patients, free of charge, by large pharmaceutical companies, Kacal said smaller drug-makers need to be able to recoup some costs by charging patients.

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If [smaller drug companies] say yes, but I need a small, nominal fee, I dont think the patient or the doctor is going to argue, he said. Were going to find a way to get that product to the individual.

The FDA already has a compassionate use program to helpterminally ill peopleaccess unapproved drugs. But few patients take advantage of the program; in 2015, about 1,900 patients applied for drugs through the program, according to STAT News.

Texas right to try law, passed in 2015, applies to drugs that have passed the FDAs phase 1 clinical trial, which essentially verifies that the drug will not harm a patient but doesn'tprove a drugs effectiveness.

The 2015 law requirespharmaceutical companies to provide experimental drugs without compensation, butKacals bill would allowdrugmakers tocharge patients for the costs of, or the costs associated with, the manufacture of the investigational drug.

Federal regulations prohibit companies fromprofiting fromexperimental medicine. Michelle Wittenburg,a lobbyist and president of theKK125 Ovarian Cancer Research Foundationwho supports Kacals bill,said thereare simply not enough patients receiving drugs through the federal compassionate use program to tempt bad actors who might want to take advantage of desperate people.

Youd have to have a lot of people seeking and getting it for anyone even someone trying to be a bad actor to actually make money off of it, she said.

The measure is backed by industry players including CellTex Therapeutics, a stem cell research company known in Texas political circles because former Gov. Rick Perry used to serve on its board (the company was involved in a back surgery Perry underwent in 2011 in which he received anexperimental injection of his own stem cells, a therapy that isnt FDA approved). In 2013, after a warning from the FDA, the companymoved its treatment operations to Mexico.

Sally Temple, the president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, wrote Texas lawmakers this month to oppose the bill, saying it would allow companies to sell unsafe and ineffective therapies.

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It may sound like an appealing idea to allow seriously ill patients accelerated access to experimental therapies, she wrote. However, in the absence of full clinical testing, these bills will allow snake oil salesmen to sell unproven and scientifically dubious therapies to desperate patients.

Disclosure: CellTex Therapeutics has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors is availablehere.

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Scientists wary as Texas mulls allowing sale of unproven drugs - Texas Tribune

A group of scientists and medical professionals is sounding the alarm in the final days of the Texas legislative session about a little-noticed bill that would allow manufacturers of unproven drugs to sell their products to dying patients.

Supporters ofHouse Bill 3236by state Rep.Kyle Kacal, R-College Station, say it could help incentivize drugmakers to get promising, experimental drugs onto the market and into needy patients hands. Its detractors say it would allow drug companies and quack doctors to use fake medicine to take advantage of sick, vulnerable families.

After emotional pleas from state lawmakers invoking family members with terminal illness, the Texas House passed the measure earlier this month in a unanimous 142-0 vote, just minutes before a critical deadline. The bill is now waiting to be heard by the Senate State Affairs Committee.

From the House floor, Kacal whose mother died of ovarian cancer said he hoped it would help make experimental drugs "accessible to everybody."

Asked by state Rep.Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, about concerns that the proposal could have unintended consequences, Kacal said he had "vetted the bill very well."

But that has not eased the fear of some patient advocates.

Its the dirtiest, most corrupt, most transparently fraudulent bill Ive ever seen in my life, said Will Decker, a Houstonimmunologist who sits on the medical board for the advocacy group Texans for Cures. It exists for one purpose and one purpose only: to let patients pay for snake oil.

The debate this year is a new development in Texas right to try movement, which advocatesthat terminally ill patients should be allowed to try long-shot therapies that havent received final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration a process that can be lengthy.

The movement, backed by the libertarian Goldwater Institute, is gaining traction in state legislatures around the country; 35 other states havepassed similar laws. Of those, Texas is the only statethat prohibits patients from paying for experimental drugs, said Starlee Coleman, a policy adviser for the Arizona-based institute.

In an interview, Kacalsaid his bill was meant to reduce barriers for sick patients to access potentially life-saving drugs. While most drugs provided through compassionate use are donated to patients, free of charge, by large pharmaceutical companies, Kacal said smaller drug-makers need to be able to recoup some costs by charging patients.

If [smaller drug companies] say yes, but I need a small, nominal fee, I dont think the patient or the doctor is going to argue, he said. Were going to find a way to get that product to the individual.

The FDA already has a compassionate use program to helpterminally ill peopleaccess unapproved drugs. But few patients take advantage of the program; in 2015, about 1,900 patients applied for drugs through the program,according to STAT News.

Texas right to try law, passed in 2015, applies to drugs that have passed the FDAs phase 1 clinical trial, which essentially verifies that the drug will not harm a patient but doesn'tprove a drugs effectiveness.

The 2015 law requirespharmaceutical companies to provide experimental drugs without compensation, butKacals bill would allowdrugmakers tocharge patients for the costs of, or the costs associated with, the manufacture of the investigational drug.

Federal regulations prohibit companies fromprofiting fromexperimental medicine. Michelle Wittenburg,a lobbyist and president of theKK125 Ovarian Cancer Research Foundationwho supports Kacals bill,said thereare simply not enough patients receiving drugs through the federal compassionate use program to tempt bad actors who might want to take advantage of desperate people.

Youd have to have a lot of people seeking and getting it for anyone even someone trying to be a bad actor to actually make money off of it, she said.

The measure is backed by industry players including CellTex Therapeutics, a stem cell research company known in Texas political circles because former Gov.Rick Perryused to serve on its board (the company was involved in a back surgery Perry underwent in 2011 in which he received anexperimental injection of his own stem cells, a therapy that isnt FDA approved). In 2013, after a warning from the FDA, the companymoved its treatment operations to Mexico.

Sally Temple, the president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, wrote Texas lawmakers this month to oppose the bill, saying it would allow companies to sell unsafe and ineffective therapies.

It may sound like an appealing idea to allow seriously ill patients accelerated access to experimental therapies, she wrote. However, in the absence of full clinical testing, these bills will allow snake oil salesmen to sell unproven and scientifically dubious therapies to desperate patients.

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Scientists wary as Texas mulls allowing sale of unproven drugs - Bryan-College Station Eagle

May 17, 2017

Much of what happens inside the human body at its most basic biological level is determined by how its cells transition from one state to another.

In particular, stem cells the primal cells common to all multicellular organisms have the ability to divide and differentiate into a range of specialized kinds of cells that are essential to critical bodily systems and functions. Some cells can even change to different kinds of cells more than once. The technology used in Xiao Wangs Systems and Synthetic Biology Lab can capture images of cellular fluorescence in microfluidic devices. The images are used to illustrate in real time how engineered E. coli cells transition from one state or function to another. Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU Download Full Image

What is still unknown to a significant degree are all the factors within the bodys genetic environment that determine what kinds of specialized cells that the unspecialized stem cells will transition into.

A thorough understanding of what controls the cell differentiation process would unlock secrets to guiding cell fates, and open up the potential for developing more and better cell-based medical therapies, according to Xiao Wang.

Wang is an associate professor of biomedical engineering in Arizona State Universitys Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and directs the Systems and Synthetic Biology Lab.

HIs lab team and faculty collaborators have been trying to fill in missing pieces of the picture presented by Waddingtons epigenetic landscape, a visualization of pathways a cell might follow toward differentiation.

Scientist Conrad Hal Waddingtons illustration of a biological landscape of ridges and valleys that a cell could move along on its way to differentiation was a valuable step forward in genetics in the mid-20th century.

With the benefit of modern advances in mathematical modeling, computer science, bioengineering, physics and molecular biology, Wang and his colleagues have expanded on Waddingtons conceptualization of the determinants of cell fates.

Their conclusions have recently been published in the biomedical and life sciences research journal eLife, in the article Engineering of a synthetic quadrastable gene network to approach Waddington landscape and cell fate determination.

Biomedical engineering doctoral student Fuqing Wu conducted the experiments to test Wangs theories about the mechanisms of cell differentiation. Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU

Biomedical engineering doctoral student Fuqing Wu performed the experiments for the research project and postdoctoral research associate Ri-Qi Su developed the mathematical modeling.

Wangs chief partner on the project was Ying-Cheng Lai, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering.

The eLife journal editors write that the team has successfully charted how the environment in which cell fates are altered will change in the presence of various chemicals, and that cells transitions can be guided by introducing certain chemicals into that landscape in specifically ordered sequences.

Their work helps us understand how multiple cell fates may be achieved and how we might manipulate cell fate transitions, the editors write.

The research not only lays a theoretical foundation for how cell differentiation could be controlled, Wang explained, but also provides results of experimentation to support the theory.

The upshot is that by changing the order in which mixtures of particular chemicals and protein molecules are introduced into the environment, one kind of cell can be manipulated into turning into other specific kinds of cells.

With the ability to do that, he envisions being able to someday control the mechanisms that determine cell fates for the purposes of treating infections and diseases, and repairing body tissues and organs.

Associate Professor Xiao Wang says the most dramatic impact of learning to manipulate the cell transition process might be reducing the need for organ transplants. Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU

He sees potential uses for improving therapies and treatments for Alzheimers disease, spinal injuries and even blindness.

The most dramatic impact could be on reducing the need for transplants.

When tissues or organs are badly damaged, the only option we often have today are transplants. We have to take parts from other bodies, he said. But by turning our own cells into the kinds of cells needed to produce specific types of tissues, we might be able to generate that new tissue from our own genetic material.

Getting to that point will take much more research and experimentation, Wang says, and he plans for his lab to pursue answers to more complex questions about activating cell differentiation and how to best take of advantage of controlling the process.

We dont want to over-claim about what might be achieved, Wang said. But what we are learning, and the possibilities it raises, is very exciting.

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ASU engineers envision 'guiding' body's cells to help improve health - Arizona State University

A large, well-hydrated saguaro can weigh more than 10 tons! This native cactus is protected in Arizona by regulations restricting the harvest or sale of wild saguaros. However, seed-grown plants are readily available from commercial nurseries.

Currently starting its annual bloom season, the saguaro became the official state flower of Arizona in 1931. Although portrayed in movies and advertisements throughout the Southwest, it grows only in Southern Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico.

First, a little anatomy the exterior of the saguaro is covered with a thick, waxy skin that waterproofs the surface and restricts loss of water. Just beneath this layer is a thin layer of chlorophyll-containing cells.

Outer pleats enable the stem to expand without bursting during water uptake. Clusters of hard spines along the pleats provide shade for the surface, reducing heat load and water loss. The deeper interior consists of water storage tissue.

Water makes up 75 to 85 percent of the weight of a saguaro. The retained water helps prevent temperature extremes which are harmful to the plant. A skeleton of 12 to 20 woody ribs is in the center of the stem, running through the main stem and branching into the arms. Surprisingly, roots for this giant are rarely more than 4 inches deep, radiating horizontally from the plant as far as it is tall.

White flowers open late at night and remain open until the next mid-day, releasing an aroma much like an over-ripe melon. Pollination takes place both at night when bats feed on the nectar, and during the day when bees and white-winged doves feast.

During June, the pollinated flowers mature into 3-inch fruit containing many tiny seeds embedded in the juicy, red pulp. When the rind splits and displays the bright inner lining, the open fruit is often mistaken for red flowers.

Saguaro fruit ripens during pre-monsoon drought and is often the only moist food available for wildlife. It becomes a staple for many insects, birds and mammals. Conveniently, seed dispersal takes place just prior to the summer rainy season.

From a seed the size of a pinhead, successful sprouting takes place under the protection of another plant, referred to as the nurse plant. In 10 years the plant grows to 1.5 inches high. If it survives for 30 years, the saguaro reaches 2 feet high. By 50 years, most plants flower, produce arms, and may top out at 8 to 10 feet high.

Some saguaros may have as many as 50 arms; many will never grow any arms. Studies have shown that arm production is random. Saguaro arms grow upward. Drooping or twisted arms are caused by wilting after freeze damage.

Whether with or without arms, the saguaro is a well-engineered, statuesque, sun-loving symbol of the Southwest desert and the state of Arizona.

Mary Kidnocker is a University of Arizona Master Gardener who lives in Green Valley. Her articles are featured weekly.

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GV Gardeners: Sun-loving saguaro Southwest symbol | Sun Life ... - Sahuarita Sun (subscription)

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif Colorado senior outside linebacker Derek McCartney is one of 42 student-athletes to be named to the 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has announced.

Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

McCartney is one of 17 linebackers on the watch list. The Pac-12 Conference had the most players on the list with 10 and McCartney's is joined by fellow league members: Koron Crump, LB, Arizona State; Porter Gustin, DE, USC; Chase Hansen, S, Utah; Hercules Mata'afa, DE, Washington State; Harrison Phillips, DL, Stanford; Cameron Saffle, DE, Cal; Cameron Smith, LB, USC; Azeem Victor, LB, Washigton; Kenny Young, LB, UCLA.

On the field, McCartney ranks in the top 40 all-time at Colorado in career sacks with 9 in 27 games played and 25 starts. He was selected as a team captain for the Buffs in 2017. He is coming off a junior season that was cut short due to a knee injury. Before his injury in week three at No. 4 Michigan, he returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown to give CU a 14-0 lead over the Wolverines at the time.

Off the field, McCartney has received national recognition for his academic success and contributions to his community.

McCartney was named to the 2016 AFCA Good Works Team, one of just 12 Division I players honored last season, which recognizes and celebrates those who dedicate their time to bettering the community and the lives of others. McCartney is the only one of the 12 from last season's Good Works Team who made the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List.

In the spring of 2016 he participated in CU's "Be A Match" program that coach Mike MacIntyre started after his first year in Boulder. McCartney was a match and went through the grueling process of donating, missing the bulk of CU's spring practices in the process. Eight months later, he was informed that his blood stem cells he donated went to a male in his 50s or 60s and that he helped save that man's life.

He graduated in May 2016 after just three years with a degree in one of CU's most challenging majors Integrative Physiology with a Pre-Med course of study at Colorado. He is now enrolled in CU's graduate program for IPHY with plans to go to medical school after the conclusion of his football career.

Originally posted here:
Derek McCartney Named To Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List - KKTV 11 News

Repairing beating human hearts with living patches is the aim of Avery Therapeutics, a startup company founded on technology developed by University of Arizona researchers.

The company recently licensed a new heart-graft technology from the UA and is working to get it into human clinical trials to treat heart failure within a few years.

Avery was co-founded in 2014 by cardiologist Dr. Steve Goldman of the UAs Sarver Heart Center and Jordan Lancaster, who earned his UA doctorate in physiology while working in Goldmans lab.

Averys biologically active heart graft, dubbed MyCardia, combines commercially available living cells called fibroblasts, heart-muscle cells derived from stem cells and a biologically absorbable scaffold.

The resulting graft can be sewn onto a live heart where it can build up new muscle cells to improve heart function as it grows with the patients own tissue.

You can basically think of it as a living Band-Aid, said Lancaster, who is chief science officer of Avery.

Goldman and Lancaster began research in the area in 2009 at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, where Goldman was chief of cardiology, for a San Francisco-based company developing a heart graft using fibroblasts on a scaffold material to treat angina, or heart-related chest pain.

That project ended when studies showed little improvement with the graft, Lancaster said.

But Goldman and Lancaster extended the research at the UA, tapping Nobel Prize-winning technology developed by Japanese scientists using so-called induced pluripotent stem cells which have the ability to turn into any kind of cell to create a new kind of living heart patch.

The Avery research team already has published scientific studies showing improvement in heart function in rats treated with the heart patch.

Immersed in a nutritive medium, the companys prototype patches contract in rhythm, on their own.

Theyre waving or winking at you, every time you see them in the lab, Lancaster said.

Though much work remains to be done even to get to human clinical trials, Avery is proceeding apace to commercialize the technology with the help of Tech Launch Arizona, the UAs technology-commercialization arm.

Jen Koevary, who earned her doctorate in biomedical engineering from the UA, joined Avery as chief operating officer after helping the company as a business-development officer for TLA.

Avery also is being advised by Bruce Burgess, a TLA mentor-in-residence with more than 30 years of entrepreneurial experience in medical devices, diagnostics and drug delivery.

Though an approved product is still years away, the company has published numerous scientific papers, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in research grants and won one patent, with more in the pipeline.

In August, Avery was awarded a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant of nearly $500,000 by the National Institutes of Healths National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to develop manufacturing, cryopreservation, storage and reconstitution methods for the MyCardia patch.

Lancaster noted that Phase I SBIR contracts are generally up to $150,000, so the much larger NIH grant was significant.

The company also has won a $750,000 grant through the UA from the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission, and $60,000 in cash and prizes at Tucsons Get Started business-pitch competition in October.

The company has delivered its pitch internationally, at the Falling Walls Venture conference in Berlin in November.

Last week, Avery presented at the TechCode event space in Mountain View, California, where Silicon Valley investors learned about the company along with four other UA spinoffs.

Koevary said the company will keep pitching its technology and writing grants to raise money for further studies, likely including a bid for a larger Phase II SBIR grant.

Avery plans to present its technology at the 2017 BIO International Convention one of the biggest biotech events in the world in San Diego in June.

Scientifically, the next step is to test the patch in large-animal studies using pigs, which provide a close match to humans, she said.

Theres a lot that still needs to be done, Koevary said, noting that induced pluripotent stem cells have been tested in just one clinical trial, a Japanese effort focused on treating the eye.

We have to do a lot of work on the manufacturing side, in proving we can manufacture a quality product every time, she said.

After the animal studies the company also will have to submit a rigorous lab-practices study, which the company hopes will pave the way to start human clinical trials by 2020, Koevary said.

Koevary said the company will likely need upward of $10 million to take the heart patch to human clinical trials.

Avery is working on a private investment round among friends and family, she said, adding that the company also is establishing relationships with investor groups and looking at partnerships with established biomedical companies.

Researchers worldwide are working on regenerative tissue therapies, including a University of Minnesota group that recently published a paper on a heart graft made by 3-D printing heart-muscle stem cells and growing them in the lab.

But Lancaster said Avery named for his daughters middle name has a big advantage with Goldman and his lab, which he said offers a rare combination of clinical expertise in cell culturing, bioengineering and animal modeling.

Being able to cover that spectrum has really allowed us to move faster than others, Lancaster said. I think weve got a very good head start on a lot of people.

Tucson Tech runs Thursdays or Sundays in the Star. Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner

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Tucson Tech: University of Arizona startup advances living heart patch - Arizona Daily Star