Podcasts about drug research

What if your skin could do more than protect you? In this thought-provoking episode of The Technology of Beauty, Dr. Grant Stevens sits down with Ryan Beal, the CEO of Dyve Biosciences, to explore how transcutaneous drug delivery is poised to reshape both the aesthetics industry and the field of oncology. With Dyve's pioneering platform, molecules once limited to injections or oral delivery are now being driven through the skin — offering a powerful new frontier in treatment possibilities.Ryan walks us through Dyve's surprising evolution from skincare applications and elite athletic performance enhancement to its most ambitious moonshots: noninvasive fat reduction and improving chemotherapy effectiveness through targeted pH modulation.This episode also takes a personal turn, as Ryan opens up about his recent battle with cancer—a diagnosis that came just months after speaking about oncology research on a previous episode. Now a survivor, Ryan shares how his company's technology played a direct role in his treatment, potentially boosting the efficacy of his own chemotherapy regimen. It's a powerful testament to the impact of innovation when professional purpose and personal experience collide.From fat-melting topicals to transdermal neurotoxins and tumor microenvironment alkalinization, Ryan Beal offers an inspiring look at how Dyve Biosciences is transforming medicine one molecule—and one patient—at a time. Don't miss this candid, cutting-edge conversation about the future of drug delivery and the deeply human stories behind biotech breakthroughs on the latest episode of The Technology of Beauty.» Apple Podcasts | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-of-beauty/id1510898426» Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/0hEIiwccpZUUHuMhlyCOAm» Recent episodes | https://www.influxmarketing.com/technology-of-beauty/» Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/thetechnologyofbeauty/» LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-technology-of-beauty/The Technology of Beauty is produced by Influx Marketing, The Digital Agency for Aesthetic Practices. https://www.influxmarketing.com/Want more aesthetic insights? Subscribe to Next Level Practices, the show where we discuss the ever-changing world of digital marketing and patient acquisition and bring you the latest ideas, strategies, and tactics to help you take your practice to the next level. https://www.influxmarketing.com/next-level-practices/

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Kairos Pharma CEO John Yu joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share major updates on the company's latest cancer research developments. A significant milestone in its academic partnership with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has been achieved, as Cedars-Sinai secured $600,000 in funding from the Department of Defense's Lung Cancer Research Program. This grant will accelerate work on an innovative therapy designed to address chemotherapy resistance and cachexia—a severe condition causing muscle loss and weight depletion in cancer patients. The funding will support efforts to develop a first-in-class treatment aimed at counteracting muscle atrophy, improving physical strength, and enhancing the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies. By targeting key biological pathways linked to cachexia, this therapy could provide much-needed support for cancer patients striving to maintain their health and resilience throughout treatment. In a further expansion of its clinical initiatives, Kairos Pharma has added the prestigious Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a new site for its ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating an advanced antibody therapy for castrate-resistant prostate cancer. This trial, backed by both Kairos Pharma and a grant from the National Cancer Institute, is assessing whether the therapy can overcome treatment resistance by targeting a key protein involved in disease relapse. With continued progress in both research and clinical trials, Kairos Pharma is reinforcing its commitment to pioneering new approaches in cancer treatment, offering hope to patients facing some of the most challenging forms of the disease. #proactiveinvestors #kairospharmalitd #nyseamerican #kapa #cancer #env105 #CancerResearch #ProstateCancer #LungCancer #ClinicalTrials #Biotech #Immunotherapy #Healthcare #PharmaInnovation #DrugDevelopment

How can 20 years of fraudulent science pass? It's complicated. It's not just vested interests but humans, desire, ego, hope and poor checks and balances. “Doctored”, the new book by investigative science journalist Charles Piller, is an arresting deep dive into how Alzheimer's disease treatment has been set back by corrupt researchers, negligent regulators, and the profit motives of companies for the past nearly 20 years. I genuinely believe it's one of the most important conversations I've hosted on the show, in a time where many have become blanket skeptics of science - while we explore this hectically fraudulent research: I asked Charles: Is there hope for us to ever believe again in the scientific method? He walks us through his investigative process after the initial tip off, how he gathered information that was robust enough to draw a conclusion, and then how, despite uncovering this research and nearly 20 years of fraudulent claims, he maintains hope and a lot of trust in the scientific method. I hope you find the show as powerful as I did and it doesn't feel too heartbreaking but rather more like we are finally now closer to knowing how we can make progress by carving a new chapter in Alzheimer's research for cause and cure. AlexxCharles Piller is an investigative journalist for Science magazine and his work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Sacramento Bee, and more. Piller has been honored with many national journalism awards, and is the author of Gene Wars, The Fail-Safe Society, and Doctored. He has reported on public health, biological warfare, infectious disease outbreaks, and other topics from the United States, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America.Check out Charle's latest book Doctored here. Thank you to this month's show partners for helping you make your low tox swaps easier: @ausclimate gives you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I've ever used and their new energy-efficient heating range. code LOWTOXLIFE https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimate@cleannectarine is giving you 20% off the beauty and personal care ranges with all orders over $99. Code LOWTOXLIFE (excluding water filters) until February 15th. Try awesome low tox brands such as 100% Pure, Kora, Weleda, Moo Goo, Mukti and more as you make your low tox beauty swaps for 2025. Be sure to join me on Instagram @lowtoxlife and tag me with your shares and AHAs of this week's episode.Want to support the Low Tox Life podcast? Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much! Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - monthly practitioner live masterclasses, a suite of low tox store discounts from around the world and the most supportive and lovely chat group on all low tox topics on the internet: Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 17th of December. The government is making moves to refocus local councils on core cervices and improve accountability for ratepayers. So what do local government leaders make of the plan? Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers is on the show. The half year economic and fiscal update is out this afternoon. What does it say about where we sit heading into the new year? Cameron Bagrie previews the update. A new drug use survey has found one in four respondents is using pharmaceuticals for recreational use. Dr Robin Van Der Sanden from Massey University's Drug Research team speaks to Andrew. Get the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us for an engaging episode where Assoc. Prof. Erinna Lee from La Trobe University delves into her research on anti-cancer drugs and the regulation of intestinal homeostasis, with implications for colitis and IBD; Dr. Lynn Nazareth from CSIRO shares her innovative work on nasal viruses and the development of complex 3D ex-vivo cell culture models to combat them; Dr. Rachel Kirby from Monash University discusses her exciting efforts in recovering and studying meteorites from the Desert Fireball Network and Australia's dense collection areas, shedding light on planetary formation and evolution; In our weekly science news segment, we explore intriguing topics such as the discovery of a the smallest dinosaur eggs and insights from a mental health study based on 70,000 brain scans. Tune in with presenters Dr. Shane, Dr. Lauren, and Dr. Scarlett for an informative and captivating episode.Program page: Einstein-A-Go-GoFacebook page: Einstein-A-Go-GoTwitter: Einstein-A-Go-Go

How do you feel about AI diagnosing critical conditions like cancer or heart disease? Would you trust AI-generated diagnoses for your health?What are the key challenges and opportunities presented by developing and adopting AI-powered tools in healthcare?How are AI-powered tools impacting the role of healthcare professionals, and what are the implications for patient care?Did you know AI tools like Notebook LM can generate entire podcast episodes from simple text?Whether you're curious about how AI is shaping the future of personalized treatments, improving patient outcomes, and driving research breakthroughs, this episode is a must-watch!Hey there, tech enthusiasts!

Meg welcomes Dr. Amy Hauck Newman, the Scientific Director and the Chief of Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch and Medicinal Chemistry Section of the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Intramural Research Program also known as “NIDA” IRP. It is one of the 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and it is dedicated to understanding the causes, consequences and treatment of substance use disorders. On today's show, Dr. Amy Hauck Newman discusses her work in developing novel medications to treat substance use disorders. She explains the lengthy process of drug development and the importance of intellectual property and partnerships. Dr. Newman also highlights the role of AI and machine learning in healthcare and drug design. Amy shares her journey into chemistry and the challenges and rewards of starting and leading her own laboratory. The use of drugs like Ozempic is touched on as well as various aspects of substance use disorder and the challenges associated with its treatment. Amy talks about the challenges in treating cocaine and methamphetamine use disorder and the emotional weight of working in this field. Finally, the conversation gets into the challenges in engaging the pharmaceutical industry when it comes to fighting substance use disorders.Further Reading: Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch at NIDA Presynaptic and Postsynaptic Mesolimbic Dopamine D3 Receptors Play Distinct Roles in Cocaine Versus Opioid Reward in MiceNIH Postbac ProgramNIH Summer Internship Program (SIP)Episode Credits: The Game-Changing Women of Healthcare is a production of The Krinsky Company. Hosted by Meg Escobosa. Produced by Meg Escobosa, Calvin Marty, Chelsea Ho, Medina Sabic, Markala Comfort, and Wendy Nielsen.Edited, engineered, and mixed by Calvin Marty. All music composed and performed by Calvin Marty. ©2024 The Krinsky Company

What if the very strategies intended to reduce harm from drug use are actually endangering the very people they aim to protect? This episode of the Drug Report promises to tackle the complexities and controversies surrounding research into harm reduction in drug policy. With significant federal funding now backing harm reduction research, we stress the critical importance of reputable science in shaping effective policies. Hear our nuanced critique on the growing influence of drug normalization in policy-making, through revealing case studies like the Greater Harlem Coalition's experience with pro-drug Yale researchers.But that's not all. We dive into the murky waters of ethical concerns surrounding drug research, spotlighting the scandal involving Lykos (formerly MAPS) and its contentious clinical trials for psychedelic drugs. The Wall Street Journal's reports on unreported suicidal ideation among trial subjects raise alarming questions about participant safety and research ethics, echoing historical parallels with the tobacco industry. Finally, don't miss out on our exciting announcement about the TDR newsletter, brimming with insightful articles and a compelling editorial piece. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we hope you find this episode as thought-provoking as we do.Follow the work of SAM and FDPS below:https://learnaboutsam.org/https://gooddrugpolicy.org/https://thedrugreport.org/On X: https://twitter.com/learnaboutsamhttps://twitter.com/GoodDrugPolicyhttps://twitter.com/KevinSabethttps://twitter.com/LukeNiforatosOn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learnaboutsam

What is the most trusted medical information source? Is semaglutide safe? What is the best treatment for obesity? How long can you be on semaglutide for weight loss? Our guest is Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, editor-in-chief of JAMA and the JAMA Network. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

In naher und ferner Zukunft wird das Gesetz zur Teillegalisierung von Cannabis als ein etwas zu zaghaft angegangener aber dennoch elementarer Pfeiler des zivilisatorischen Fortschritts gelten.  Der Weg zu dem, von Bundestag und Bundesrat verabschiedeten und am 01. April 2024 in Kraft tretenden CanG war, seiner Zeit entsprechend, gekennzeichnet von Vorwürfen, Vorurteilen und Desinformationen, denen mit Aufklärung, Diskurs und wissenschaftlich fundierten Informationen entgegen getreten werden musste. Philine Edbauer (Gründerin der MYBRAINMYCHOICE Initiative und Mitglied des Schildower Kreises) und Bernd Werse (Leiter des Centre for Drug Research an der Goethe Universität Frankfurt und Sprecher des Schilder Kreises) haben in einem viel beachteten und vielfach von Wissenschaftlerinnen, Wissenschaftlern und Fachverbänden unterzeichneten offen Brief an die Parlamentarier appelliert, diesen wichtigen Schritt in Richtung Gesundheitsschutz, Prävention und sozialer Gerechtigkeit zu machen. Ein Gespräch über Mitwirkung am demokratischen Prozess, die Debatte um Gesundheits- und Sicherheitspolitik, Gesetzgebungsprozesse im Zeitalter der Aufmerksamkeitsökonomie und was es bedeutet, 420 Briefe per Post zu verschicken. Infos & Links zur Folge ⁠⁠Homepage von My Brain My Choice ⁠⁠Homepage des Schilder Kreises ⁠⁠Der erste offene Brief (PDF) ⁠⁠Der zweite offene Brief (PDF) ⁠⁠Natürliche Ausrede zum Thema Cannabis Infos & Links zum Podcast ⁠⁠

KSQD 1-10-2024: All about the new Family Practice Residency program in Santa Cruz and the lack of primary care doctors locally and nationally; The rise in research in medical applications of psychedelic drugs, such as MDMA for PTSD; The lack of reproducibility in medical research; Conflicting meta analysis reports of Vitamin D research; Modern marijuana is more addictive because of higher THC levels

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.illusionconsensus.comHi everyone,I just recorded a bombshell 2-hour interview with Joseph Fraiman on his experiences conducting MDMA research in mice (several years ago) and being forced to present a very specific narrative on its risks and dangers, while doing the exact opposite in a study on the pharmaceutical drug citalopram (SSRI). His story captures so much of what wen…

There's a revolution in the way doctors are treating mental health, but the UK could be at risk of falling behind. Dr. Kate Devlin speaks to Dr. Matt Wall, a cognitive neuroscientist at Imperial College London and Invicro, to discuss microdosing, legal red tape and what happens when you give an octopus MDMA.  "Drug policy isn't on the agenda for any of the main UK parties. They just don't care.”  "After the trip wears off, the antidepressant effect can last for days or even months.” “Current legislation makes it incredibly difficult to research psychedelics.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Kate Devlin. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Chain, Brandon Dekosky, Associate Professor at MIT, speaks with Adrian Bot, Founding Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of R&D at Capstan Therapeutics, about his experiences in leadership roles, his scientific journey, and how he started work on immunotherapy for cancer. Bot also shares what it's like to be a “serial scientific entrepreneur” and the importance of networking to assemble a team that shares mutual interests, as well as how to motivate young scientists and researchers coming into the biotech industry. Finally, he discusses why he finds flat organizational structures with smaller teams more effective and what he does to maintain innovation. 

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Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has given a three-month timeline for the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Anti-Drug Agency (NADA) to effectively address the drug abuse problem affecting almost a million Malaysians. We speak with Professor Dr. Vicknasingam Kasinather, Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia to gets his insights on how NADA, the Police and Ministry of Health have been working to tackle the problem.Image by: Shutterstock

One mom's journey into patient advocacy started after two of her daughters were diagnosed with galactosemia, a rare disease. There's finally a potential new treatment for this condition, which families say has helped their children who have participated in the clinical trial. But they're worried their voices are being ignored.  Jodie Solari, Communications Lead for the Galactosemia Foundation shares how the diagnosis changed her life into a life of advocacy, and why she's pushing for the voices of families like hers to be considered when reviewing new treatments.  Galactosemia Foundation Webpage Glactosemia Foundation Webpage: Advocating for a Treatment Voice of the Patient Report: Galactosemia Fierce Healthcare News Article: Another PBM reform bill has been introduced in Congress. Here's what it includes Patients Rising Now Webpage: Ask Your Representative to Support the Protecting Patients from PBM Abuses Act Protecting Patients Against PBM Abuses Act Need help? The successful patient is one who can get what they need when they need it. We all know insurance slows us down, so why not take matters into your own hands? Our Navigator is an online tool that allows you to search a massive network of health-related resources using your zip code so you get local results. Get proactive and become a more successful patient right now at the Patients Rising Helpline. Have a question or comment about the show, or want to suggest a show topic or share your story as a patient correspondent? Drop us a line: podcast@patientsrising.org The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the guest(s)/ author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of Patients Rising, nor do the views and opinions stated on this show reflect the opinions of a guest's current or previous employers.

Sasha Latypova is a former pharmaceutical R&D executive with 25 years of experience in clinical trials, clinical technologies, and regulatory approvals. She owned and managed several contract research organizations and worked for more than 60 pharma companies worldwide. She interacted with the FDA as part of a scientific industry consortium on improving cardiac safety assessments in clinical trials. Follow her at https://twitter.com/sasha_latypova and read more at https://sashalatypova.substack.com 「 SPONSORED BY 」 • BIRCH GOLD - Don't let your savings lose value. You can own physical gold and silver in a tax-sheltered retirement account, and Birch Gold will help you do it. Claim your free, no obligation info kit from Birch Gold at https://birchgold.com/drew • GENUCEL - Using a proprietary base formulated by a pharmacist, Genucel has created skincare that can dramatically improve the appearance of facial redness and under-eye puffiness. Genucel uses clinical levels of botanical extracts in their cruelty-free, natural, made-in-the-USA line of products. Get 10% off with promo code DREW at https://genucel.com/drew 「 MEDICAL NOTE 」 The CDC states that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and reduce your risk of severe illness. Hundreds of millions of people have received a COVID-19 vaccine, and serious adverse reactions are uncommon. Dr. Drew is a board-certified physician and Dr. Kelly Victory is a board-certified emergency specialist. Portions of this program will examine countervailing views on important medical issues. You should always consult your personal physician before making any decisions about your health.  「 ABOUT the SHOW 」 Ask Dr. Drew is produced by Kaleb Nation (https://kalebnation.com) and Susan Pinsky (https://twitter.com/firstladyoflove). This show is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 「 WITH DR. KELLY VICTORY 」 Dr. Kelly Victory MD is a board-certified trauma and emergency specialist with over 30 years of clinical experience. She served as CMO for Whole Health Management, delivering on-site healthcare services for Fortune 500 companies. She holds a BS from Duke University and her MD from the University of North Carolina. Follow her at https://earlycovidcare.org and https://twitter.com/DrKellyVictory. 「 GEAR PROVIDED BY 」 • BLUE MICS - Find your best sound at https://drdrew.com/blue • ELGATO - See how Elgato's lights transformed Dr. Drew's set: https://drdrew.com/sponsors/elgato/ 「 ABOUT DR. DREW 」 For over 30 years, Dr. Drew has answered questions and offered guidance to millions through popular shows like Celebrity Rehab (VH1), Dr. Drew On Call (HLN), Teen Mom OG (MTV), and the iconic radio show Loveline. Now, Dr. Drew is opening his phone lines to the world by streaming LIVE from his home studio. Watch all of Dr. Drew's latest shows at https://drdrew.tv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Die Frankfurter Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen Peter Fischer, den Präsidenten von Eintracht Frankfurt, wegen des Besitzes von Drogen. Und unabhängig davon, zu welchem Ergebnis das Ermittlungsverfahren kommt, es ist ein Anlass, sich tiefer über die Droge Kokain zu beugen. Welche Bedeutung hat dieses teure weiße Pulver in unserer Leistungsgesellschaft? Welchen persönlichen Preis zahlen diejenigen, die es konsumieren? Und wie sollten wir rechtlich, medizinisch, psychologisch, gesellschaftlich damit umgehen? Das wollen wir wissen von Bernd Werse, Soziologe und Mitbegründer des Centre for Drug Research in Frankfurt, Rouven Kleinert, Psychologe und Suchttherapeut, Fritz Sörgel, Pharmakologe und Dopingexperte und hr-Gerichtsreporterin Heike Borufka.

David Harel is the Co-Founder and CEO of CytoReason, providing researchers and drug developers with a complex database and predictive computational disease models to conduct synthetic clinical trials. Their mission is to integrate all the information available on a specific disease in a particular population to support faster and more efficient drug development. David explains, "Computational disease models are the core technology that we've developed, and it is a method to incorporate all the available information, specifically omics and molecular data, that is available in one disease, in one place, in a way that is useful. But people who have been involved in the molecular data space for a while know that the integration of multiple data types and multiple data sets is very difficult, and it needs to be done in a certain context. The context in which we are incorporating the data is allowing the users to run those synthetic trials on their own or using our teams." "One of the features that we have is the ability to run synthetic basket trials. So, take one drug, assuming the drug you want to evaluate, and run it across multiple indications in these dozens of indications. To conduct that with human subjects is prohibitive for cost and ethical reasons. And the same way, when we are conducting synthetic umbrella trials, where we're taking a specific patient population, and we are evaluating the efficacy of many different compounds in a specific patient population. Again, this would be very difficult to conduct in a clinical setting with human subjects. These are things that synthetic in silico trials allow you to do that clinical endeavors would not." @CytoReason #DiseaseModels #ComputationalDiseaseModels #SyntheticClinicalTrials #ClinicalTrials #ComputationalBiology #DrugDevelopment #DrugDiscovery #AI #RareDiseases CytoReason.com Download the transcript here

David Harel is the Co-Founder and CEO of CytoReason, providing researchers and drug developers with a complex database and predictive computational disease models to conduct synthetic clinical trials. Their mission is to integrate all the information available on a specific disease in a particular population to support faster and more efficient drug development. David explains, "Computational disease models are the core technology that we've developed, and it is a method to incorporate all the available information, specifically omics and molecular data, that is available in one disease, in one place, in a way that is useful. But people who have been involved in the molecular data space for a while know that the integration of multiple data types and multiple data sets is very difficult, and it needs to be done in a certain context. The context in which we are incorporating the data is allowing the users to run those synthetic trials on their own or using our teams." "One of the features that we have is the ability to run synthetic basket trials. So, take one drug, assuming the drug you want to evaluate, and run it across multiple indications in these dozens of indications. To conduct that with human subjects is prohibitive for cost and ethical reasons. And the same way, when we are conducting synthetic umbrella trials, where we're taking a specific patient population, and we are evaluating the efficacy of many different compounds in a specific patient population. Again, this would be very difficult to conduct in a clinical setting with human subjects. These are things that synthetic in silico trials allow you to do that clinical endeavors would not." @CytoReason #DiseaseModels #ComputationalDiseaseModels #SyntheticClinicalTrials #ClinicalTrials #ComputationalBiology #DrugDevelopment #DrugDiscovery #AI #RareDiseases CytoReason.com Listen to the podcast here

Why are medications essential to survival so outrageously expensive? Why are vaccines for a global pandemic a source of huge profits and limited availability? Why does the government allow private companies to patent and monopolize drugs resulting from tax funded research? Here's my conversation with ALEXANDER ZAITCHIK about the revelations in his book, OWNING THE SUN:A People's History of Monopoly Medicine from Aspirin to COVID-19 Vaccines. You can learn more at zaitchik.com

Just as the bodies of men and women are different, so are their brains.  In this episode of BrainStorm, host Meryl Comer speaks with Dr. Larry Cahill, Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. They discuss why sex matters in neuroscience and how it influences the brain and emotional memory. Dr. Cahill's research on sex-based differences gained national media attention around the sleep medication Ambien when it showed that women were negatively affected by the prescribed dosing for men.Support the show

KSQD 9-28-2022: Anti-inflammatories vs. turmeric for pain; The use of psychedelic drugs is finally being seriously researched for a variety of conditions; Deep Mind wins the Breakthrough Prize for the AI protein folding predictor Alpha Fold; Genetically modified Herpes virus attacks cancer cells; Review of Consumer Lab website; The importance of monitoring uric acid levels; Good ventilation at home is important to reduce trapped pollution; The different types of obesity

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Professor Simon Lenton from the National Drug Research Institute to explore how Australia may go about legalising the recreational use of cannabis, learning from the commercial models seen in North America. Highs and lows of commercialising cannabis [04:31]Cannabis social clubs [07:44]The cannabis profit playbook [11:09]Reducing the risk of drug driving [13:58]Cannabis law in Australia right now [16:31]Finding the middle ground for legalisation [19:00]‘Things are wrong with the system' [21:51]Learn moreIt could take 10 years to measure the impact of legalising weedAssessing options for cannabis law reformLegalizing cannabis: Experience, lessons and scenariosConnect with our guestProfessor Simon Lenton has worked with the National Drug Research Institute since 1993 in both research and professional roles. He also works part-time as a clinical psychologist in private practice. His research interests include bridging the gap between drug policy research and drug policy practice, illicit drug use and harm reduction, and the impact of legislative options for drugs.He has published widely on drugs, health and the law and has given advice to a range of government and private organisations, both in Australia and internationally, on evidence-based drug policy and other drug issues. Web: ndri.curtin.edu.auTwitter: @NDRIauFacebook: @NDRIauLinkedIn: National Drug Research Institute (NDRI)YouTube: NDRIauJoin Curtin UniversityThis podcast is brought to you by Curtin University. Curtin is a global university known for its commitment to making positive change happen through high-impact research, strong industry partnerships and practical teaching.Work with usStudy a research degreeStart postgraduate educationGot any questions, or suggestions for future topics?Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.auSocial mediaTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeLinkedinTranscripthttps://thefutureof.simplecast.com/episodes/legalising-cannabis/transcriptBehind the scenesThis episode came to fruition thanks to the combined efforts of:Sarah Taillier, HostZoe Taylor, Researcher, Recorder and EditorAnita Shore and Jarrad Long, Executive ProducersAnnabelle Fouchard, ProducerAlexandra Eftos, Assistant ProducerAmy Hosking, Social Media.Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of Curtin University.First Nations AcknowledgementCurtin University acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which Curtin Perth is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation, and on Curtin Kalgoorlie, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields; and the First Nations peoples on all Curtin locations.MusicOKAY by 13ounce Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by Audio Library.

Professor Jacob George is a renowned hepatologist and liver research scientist who studies the causes of and mechanisms for the development of liver disease and liver cancer. Professor George's work has made significant contributions to clinical practice. His team first identified the role of interferon lambda 3 gene polymorphisms for predicting treatment response in chronic hepatitis C, and a second gene polymorphism that interacts with interferon lambda 3. These discoveries are considered major advances in the field and the finest examples of ‘personalized medicine'. Professor George was an author of the groundbreaking study of combination telaprevir, pegylated interferon, and ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C, which changed the landscape of hepatitis C treatments, heralding the era of direct-acting antivirals. His work identifying insulin resistance as the universal underlying pathophysiological abnormality in fatty liver disease underpins the majority of research on this condition and is the cornerstone of current therapy (lifestyle intervention; exercise; insulin-sensitizing agents). He also first described the association between hepatitis C and insulin resistance. Professor George is an advisor to Hepatitis Australia, the Transfusion Related AIDS and Infectious Diseases Service, and at state and national levels, on viral hepatitis. He oversees research for the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of Liver. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. Professor Jacob George MBBS, FRACP, Ph.D., FAASLD CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 00:20 Meet Prof. Jacob George 01:00 Professors In The Hospital 02:30 KPIs For Delivering Clinical Care 03:40 Research & Academic KPIs 05:00 Medical Research Method 06:10 Mice Lab Testing 08:30 How Washing Hands Saved Lives 09:40 Pathophysiology Cycle 11:40 Curing Hepatitis C 12:30 Designing Drugs 14:40 Growing Virus In The Lab 16:00 Hepatitis B Breakthroughs 18:40 Virus Reservoir Forms 20:40 Eliminating Dormant Virus 22:00 Early Phase Human Studies 24:30 Long Term Side Effects 24:50 Thalidomide Scandal 26:00 Clinical Trials 27:00 Post Marketing Research 29:05 Cost vs Benefit 29:45 Independent Experts 31:55 The Covid Vaccines 33:15 Do Masks Work? 35:30 Does Vaccine Works? 37:20 Personal Risk Factors 37:55 The Old Man's Friend 39:05 The Immune Response 41:30 The Immune System 43:05 Natural Immunity 44:30 Immune System Memory 46:15 Average Human Lifespan 47:00 Healthy Aging 48:20 Cancer Development 50:50 The Blue Zone Diet 53:35 Social Constructs On Food Behavior 55:20 The Agricultural Age 57:30 Nutritional Ecology 59:25 Child Rearing Experiment 01:02:15 Knowledge Dissemination 01:04:10 Just A Speck 01:04:35 Outro

We lead this episode off with some role playing as Fabi and I read aloud an email thread between today's guest, Christine Massey and former Pfizer, VP of Drug Research, Dr. Michael Yeadon.  If you'd like to get right to the interview itself, skip to the 17:14 mark.  Then we talk at length with Christine herself.  She walks us through why she decided to meet the challenge of the pandemic by leveraging freedom of information requests to governments all over the world in order to confirm that no country had isolated the virus.  It's an eye-opening discussion of how you can come to the proper conclusions if you're willing to do the legwork.     Christine Massey is a former biostatistician in Canada who has been collating hundreds of Freedom of Information responses over the last 2 years, to show that health and science institutions worldwide are unable to prove the existence of SARS-COV-2 or any other alleged virus. Follow us on Telegram at: https://t.me/tcrpodcast The interview portion of this podcast can be viewed as video on Rumble at: https://rumble.com/v1b78cr-tcrp-episode-57-uncovering-virology-through-foi-with-christine-massey.html Resources from this episode:   Christine Massey's website: https://www.fluoridefreepeel.ca/ Email Communications with Dr Peter McCullough and other Freedom Advocates: https://www.fluoridefreepeel.ca/peter-mccullough/ Donate to Christine Massey via Paypal at: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=DE8SRKMCL26GN&source=url  

Wer kennt es nicht: Reißerische Schlagzeilen wie Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene Konsumieren. Es wird von Trends gesprochen und vor allem auch gerne Panik in der Superlative gemacht. Sogenannten Konsum- und Drogentrends gehe ich in dieser Folge mit Dr. Bernd Werse vom Centre for Drug Research der Goethe Universität Frankfurt auf die Spur. Wir schauen uns an, ob Jugendliche wirklich mehr illegalisierte Substanzen konsumieren als legale, ob wirklich mehr gekifft wird und Lachgas ein sogenannter "Sommertrend" war. Mit dieser Folge möchte ich euch die Chance bieten, Medienüberschriften richtig einzuordnen. Viel Spaß beim Hören! _____________________________________ (unbezahlte Werbung) ACHTUNG: Ihr habt mal mit dem Rauchen aufgehört? Dann unterstützt doch Bernd in seiner Studie zum Rauchstopp! Folgt einfach diesem Link und nehmt euch dafür 5-10 min Zeit. Fragebogen | Seite 1 (uni-frankfurt.de) _____________________________________ Ihr möchtet mit mir in Kontakt treten? Kein Problem, ich freue mich über eure Fragen und Rückmeldungen! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychoaktiv.podcast/ LinkedIn: Stefanie Bötsch | LinkedIn Twitter: https://twitter.com/psychoaktivcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/psychoaktiv.podcast

How do we pick how to introduce the right molecule into the body in the right way? Well, there's a lot of things to consider. How was it absorbed into the body? Where and how is it broken down? What's the size of the molecule? What is it treating? And where do we want it to go? There's lots of different questions to determine the right formulation. So today we explore the magic of formulations. Why is it important? How do we decide from a laundry list of different medications formulations And how do we develop new formulations that haven't yet been developed?

Mel Engle,  executive and cancer survivor, has spent more than 30 years in and around the intersection of healthcare and technology. He's now the CEO of Predictive Oncology using AI and patient data to develop personalized cancer treatments. Mel discusses how research from Carnegie Mellon is being commercialized to accelerate the future of healthcare.Listen and learn...How Mel and his team have turned cancer detection and prevention into a data problem.How to use AI to figure out which tumor types can be healed by which chemical compounds to reduce the time required to develop new cancer treatments.How to mitigate the impact of bias in patient data when using AI to make high-stakes decisions.How long before AI will be more accurate at detecting cancer than human doctors.What's ahead for AI in healthcare for the next decade.References in this episode:Predictive OncologyDr. Bob Murphy from Carnegie MellonRene Morkos from ALICE Technologies on AI and the Future of Work

Welcome back to today's #FridayReview where I'll be breaking down the best of the week!   Today, I'll be sharing specifics on these topics: 1,000 Minerals & Metals Test Giveaway EquiLife Annual Holiday Sale Self-Massage Tool (product review) New Alzheimers Drug (research) Air Quality Website For all the details tune in to today's #CabralConcept 2121 – Enjoy the show and let me know what you thought!  - - -   Show Notes & Resources: http://StephenCabral.com/2121 - - - Dr. Cabral's New Book, The Rain Barrel Effect https://amzn.to/2H0W7Ge - - - Join the Community & Get Your Questions Answered: http://CabralSupportGroup.com - - - Dr. Cabral's Most Popular At-Home Lab Tests: > Complete Minerals & Metals Test (Test for mineral imbalances & heavy metal toxicity) - - - > Complete Candida, Metabolic & Vitamins Test (Test for 75 biomarkers including yeast & bacterial gut overgrowth, as well as vitamin levels) - - - > Complete Stress, Mood & Metabolism Test (Discover your complete thyroid, adrenal, hormone, vitamin D & insulin levels) - - - > Complete Stress, Sleep & Hormones Test (Run your adrenal & hormone levels) - - - > Complete Food Sensitivity Test (Find out your hidden food sensitivities) - - - > Complete Omega-3 & Inflammation Test (Discover your levels of inflammation related to your omega-6 to omega-3 levels)

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://cloudhedges.com/2021/10/27/not-only-did-faucis-niaid-harm-dogs-foster-children-also-died-during-aids-drug-research/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cloudhedges/support

Dr. Nora Volkow has headed the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which funds a majority of the world's research in the area, since the early years of George W. Bush's administration. I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed to join me for an episode of PSYCHOACTIVE since I've been highly critical of the agency's priorities and its failure to fund important domains of research for what appear to be political reasons.I pressed Dr. Volkow on a host of questions I'd long wanted to ask her: Why does NIDA devote relatively little funding to the sorts of ethnographic research that might provide important insights into the overdose epidemic? Or to researching the health effects and consequences of mass arrests and incarceration for drug law violations? Or to studying the medical benefits of marijuana and psychedelics? Or to better understanding “controlled drug use,” i.e., the ways in which people use all sorts of drugs without their drug use becoming problematic? Or to examining the potential of supervised injection facilities, heroin-assisted drug treatment and other innovative harm reduction interventions that have proven successful abroad?I also wanted to know how she's managed the political challenges of working under four different administrations as well as those presented by members of Congress who favor highly punitive approaches to illicit drug use. We discussed her frustrations with current laws that constrain what NIDA can do and how she tries to maintain the integrity of an agency that claims the scientific high ground while operating in a highly politicized context.I'm fairly sure that Dr. Volkow had never before been pressed on these issues in a public interview. I found her responses frustrating but was grateful for her willingness to have this conversation.Listen to this episode and let me know what you think. Our number is 1-833-779-2460. Our email is psychoactive@protozoa.com. Or tweet at me, @ethannadelmann. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn how scientists induced an out-of-body experience in a human without using drugs; and Earth's geological “pulse.” Scientists induced an out-of-body experience in mice and a human without using drugs by Grant Currin Scientists Say A Mind-Bending Rhythm In The Brain Can Act Like Ketamine. (2020, September 16). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/16/913565163/scientists-discover-way-to-induce-altered-state-of-mind-without-drugs  Wells, S. (2020, October 3). Scientists Can Induce Out-Of-Body Experiences Without Drugs. Freethink. https://www.freethink.com/articles/uncovering-the-cause-of-dissociative-states-in-the-mind  Stanford team pinpoints brain circuitry underlying dissociative experiences. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/sm-stp091520.php  Vesuna, S., Kauvar, I. V., Richman, E., Gore, F., Oskotsky, T., Sava-Segal, C., Luo, L., Malenka, R. C., Henderson, J. M., Nuyujukian, P., Parvizi, J., & Deisseroth, K. (2020). Deep posteromedial cortical rhythm in dissociation. Nature, 586(7827), 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2731-9  The Earth has a geological "pulse" 27.5 million years long by Briana Brownell Masters, K. (2016). How often does the Sun pass through a spiral arm in the Milky Way? (Intermediate) - Curious About Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer. Cornell.edu. http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/our-solar-system/55-our-solar-system/the-sun/the-sun-in-the-milky-way/207-how-often-does-the-sun-pass-through-a-spiral-arm-in-the-milky-way-intermediate  The Earth has a pulse -- a 27.5-million-year cycle of geological activity. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/nyu-teh061821.php  ‌Rampino, M. R., Caldeira, K., & Zhu, Y. (2021). A pulse of the Earth: A 27.5-Myr underlying cycle in coordinated geological events over the last 260 Myr. Geoscience Frontiers, 12(6), 101245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2021.101245  Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day withCody Gough andAshley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A history of the old research and the new revival of researching psychedelic drugs to treat conditions like PTSD; Are wide QRS or premature ventricular contractions a problem? Bredesen protocol discussion -- Genetics is not destiny, it is tendency; Two callers reveal personal experiences using psychedelics; Eat some protein at breakfast; The importance of CoQ10 in metabolism and why supplementation is good as we age; The differences in brain effects of SSRI drugs vs. psychedelics

A history of the old research and the new revival of researching psychedelic drugs to treat conditions like PTSD; Are wide QRS or premature ventricular contractions a problem? Bredesen protocol discussion -- Genetics is not destiny, it is tendency; Two callers reveal personal experiences using psychedelics; Eat some protein at breakfast; The importance of CoQ10 in metabolism and why supplementation is good as we age; The differences in brain effects of SSRI drugs vs. psychedelics

Could LSD or other psychedelic drugs be used to treat depression, addiction and some mental health disorders?. Associate Professor Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, from the University of Auckland's School of Pharmacy is a Neuro-Psycho-Pharmacologist and an expert in brain imaging.

Could LSD or other psychedelic drugs be used to treat depression, addiction and some mental health disorders?. Associate Professor Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, from the University of Auckland's School of Pharmacy is a Neuro-Psycho-Pharmacologist and an expert in brain imaging.

Dr. Abisheak Sharma studied pharmacy and pharmacokinetics in India before coming to the United States to research under kratom expert Dr. Bonnie Avery. He now researches kratom with Dr. Christopher McCurdy at University of Florida as part of the Translational Drug Development Core. Dr. Sharma addresses the concern with kratom and other drug interactions, improved … 45. Dr. Abisheak Sharma, Pharmacokineticist and Kratom Researcher Read More » The post 45. Dr. Abisheak Sharma, Pharmacokineticist and Kratom Researcher first appeared on Kratom Science.

Dr. David Solomon, CEO, Pharnext is deploying their innovative drug discovery platform that uses genetic data, big data and AI to determine combinations that are novel and non-obvious to find treatments for rare diseases.  With a focus on Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a rare neurologic peripheral neuropathy with no current treatments, Pharnext is seeing their drug PXT3003 stabilize patients with CMT1A, strengthen nerve transduction and also cause significant clinical improvement. @pharnext #pharnext #drugdiscovery #CMT #PXT3003 Pharnext.com Listen to the podcast here

Dr. David Solomon, CEO, Pharnext is deploying their innovative drug discovery platform that uses genetic data, big data and AI to determine combinations that are novel and non-obvious to find treatments for rare diseases.  With a focus on Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a rare neurologic peripheral neuropathy with no current treatments, Pharnext is seeing their drug PXT3003 stabilize patients with CMT1A, strengthen nerve transduction and also cause significant clinical improvement. @pharnext #pharnext #drugdiscovery #CMT #PXT3003 Pharnext.com Download the transcript here

Rick is the founder and executive director of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) ­– a non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics.In the first of our two-part discussion – Rick talks about his upbringing and education and how he was first introduced to psychedelics. Then, the moment Rick dedicated his life to the study and advancement of psychedelics – which he views as the path for mass mental health in a better world – and a fundamental right. Plus, how MAPS plays a unique role – much like a public utility – to align drug policy reform with drug research and advocate for healing and justice. Finally, Rick agrees to chat more with Ronan in part two.Show Notes: Rick discusses his entrance into the psychedelic space – and how both the holocaust and his heritage influenced his upbringing (3:05)Rick had a sense of possibility during his childhood that was coloured by immigrant stories of his family (6:00)Initially, Rick believed all the anti-psychedelic propaganda and discusses his approach to resisting the draft – including the implication of a felony conviction, mass incarnation, and the drug-war (7:20)Rick immersed in Russian language to learn about ‘the other’. It’s where his underground career first started when a book was given to him which was partially written under the influence of LSD (11:30)Palmcourt parties were psychedelic parties at college, and it was Rick’s first exposure to psychedelics – and nudist colonies. It was the first time he saw the underground in the open. (14:20)Rick’s first few times with LSD were both emotionally difficult and remarkable (15:20)Rick loves Mescaline – “the most important psychedelic not being studied” (16:40)In 1972 Rick’s guidance counselor gave him an early copy of Stan Grof’s book – which was fortunate (18:00)The moment Rick realized he wanted to work on psychedelics for the rest of his life (20:00)As an 18-year-old, Rick wrote to Stan Grof – and to his surprise – Stan wrote back! That was the genesis for Rick, and he remains his mentor to this day (22:30)Rick describes a pivotal and influential dream he had – which continues to guide him (23:41)Rick discusses some of the accomplishments of MAPS and how it can operate as a non-profit and public-benefit corporation mix. MAPS has a role to play – and part of a national health care approach around the world. It has built public value – and is leading the way in regulatory systems and a credentialing of therapists (30:00)How do we get this covered by national health care – and demonstrate cost-effectiveness? (33:40)Rick views ketamine clinics in different ways: those who offer a pharmacological treatment and those who offer treatment in conjunction with talk therapy – which is much more durable for the patient (35:30)The difference between drug policy reform and drug research – and how they can be aligned (39:00)Ronan apologizes for some public comments he previously made that were misunderstood regarding his views on underground therapy – and Rick talks about a Martin Luther King statue and quote about “those who violate an unjust law to educate others on the injustice have the most respect for the law” (43:20)Rick agrees to join Ronan for a second chat in Part #2 to talk more about the work of MAPS (48:00)

Rick is the founder and executive director of MAPS. He’s a pioneer of psychedelic research and the therapeutic advancement of psychedelics. In the second part of his conversation with Ronan, Rick discusses the origins of drug prohibition, the early days of MAPS, and some of his most impactful trips on LSD, DMT and MDMA – including one trip where Rick observed a Hitler rally and it showed him the path to truly helping others. Then, we discuss how memories can heal – even if they’re manufactured. Finally, Rick predicts how the future of humanity can feel interconnected.  Rick talks about how heartbreaking it was to see the DEA administrator criminalize the therapeutic and recreational use of MDMA as Schedule 3 – which lead to Rick's creation of MAPS in 1986. Criminalization was a highly political decision and escalation of the drug war (1:00)  The drug war was political, and not intended to reduce drug abuse – it was an effort to persecute minorities, take away the right to vote, and create a vague enemy to blame. Rick traces the origin of drug probations in the United States (3:36)  Toxicity studies of MDMA in dogs and rats as the initial studies for the FDA were performed by MAPS – while the rhetoric and hysteria of MDMA neurotoxicity escalated from some scientists and became a premise for the FDA to reject the studies (6:00)  Rick discusses how he got a spinal tap as part of initial MDMA research, where he completed his Masters and PhD from the Kennedy School of Government. He applied for the Presidential Management Internship – and got a job at the FDA to understand how it worked (11:00)  In 1992, the FDA opened the door to MDMA research, and MAPS started with a safety study, but the neurotoxicity hysteria continued to gain momentum. Since psilocybin was less controversial, research with this substance began (13:00)  MDMA research began to be rejected from IRB’s (independent review boards) – despite the compelling science and mounting evidence. Rick jokes about the one time he felt discouragement in his work, so he repainted his house, and felt productive and accomplished (18:00)  Rick describes the work that he does, and the healing of trauma, is a response to the holocaust, to people dehumanizing others, and fundamentalism (21:50)  Rick discusses some of his psychedelic experiences, and how they have been reaffirming to his work. He took a large dose of LSD to celebrate his 21st birthday, and tried to cram life into a few remaining minutes before a perceived atomic bomb. Then he noticed nature and its vibrancy – seeing the world for the first time (25:30)  The combination of LSD with the awareness of death helped Rick to have a deep appreciation of the world – and the loss of this hyperawareness as he came down has always stayed with him. Carlos Castaneda says: “be aware of death over your left shoulder” (30:00)  Psychedelics can provide experiences, but they are filtered through our own subjectivity, and should not necessarily be taken as Truth. People can recall deep memories during therapeutic trips – and they can be profoundly symbolic – even if they are more symbolic in nature rather than truthful (35:00)  Rick talks about another trip on LSD after a tough breakup and he spent 17 hours in a water flotation tank and had a personal realization about self-hatred and self-acceptance (38:00)  Rick talk about his first time smoking DMT, and how he had a sense of universal connection. He communicated with the deepest part of himself, and realized that he is part of everything, including Hitler, which was tough for him to accept. Later that day, when doing Ketamine, Rick has vision of a Hitler rally, to see "the one combining with the many, and the many combining with the one: a vibration of energy". Rick used breath work to get control of his emotions. (43:00)  The only way to get Hitler to open up was that "he needed to be willing". Rick realized Hitler was getting more out of it than any other who were giving their power to him – so Rick’s strategy is "to change the many, not the one. Help them process so they won’t give away their power." (46:00)  Before MAPS started, Rick realized that mass mental health would become the goal of MAPS, and it would need a dual track strategy for the medicalization of psychedelics and drug policy reform so people could have access to healing (47:00)  Rick’s prediction: over the next 50 years, the bulk of humanity will realize technology can help build a better world for everyone, and we can then relax enough to feel our interconnectedness (48:00)  

In this episode, Dr. Power talks about the role of artificial intelligence in today’s drug research. Machine intelligence now enables researchers and chemists to develop drugs much faster and find more effective interventions.

Lois Yellowthunder (B.A. UCLA, M.A. University of Chicago, Ph.D. University of Minnesota) has worked in many settings, academic and non-academic.  For ten years Lois worked in museums as assistant to the Curator of Anthropology (Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History), helping to establish a Department of Interpretation at the Museum of Man in San Diego, coordinating the first city-wide Native American Festival at the Field Museum in Chicago, and working for the Education Department at the Science Museum of Minnesota designing museum tours and coordinating the museum volunteers.  During this time Lois taught Introduction to Anthropology at San Diego Mesa College and  University of Chicago Extension.  Lois worked for three years at the University of Minnesota in the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Programming as Research Coordinator and Grants Manager.  She taught two graduate seminars in the Anthropology Department at the University of Minnesota on Community Studies and Alcohol and Drug Research.  Lois transitioned to government employment working as Principal Planner for Washington and Hennepin Counties for Human Services and Public Health.  She worked for Anoka, Dakota, and Ramsey Counties on county government restructuring.  Later she served as the assistant to Ramsey County Commissioner Ruby Hunt.  Currently she is working on a book on local government decision-making. Re-use of two audio excerpts from a news report titled "Bosnian Town, Residents Examined Up Close" by Sylvia Poggioli, as originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered on August 14, 1992, made possible by a generous consent agreement with National Public Radio (NPR). Music generously donated by bensound.com Additional original music composed by Mark Martinez

Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt

John Lorinc discusses his reporting about how the run on hydroxychloroquine backfired on legacy patients, exposed profound supply chain problems, and raised questions about the ethics of publishing, and then posting online, highly preliminary research results from small sample studies.

Since March, a team of researchers have developed and advanced two novel technologies which have applications during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. They're aiming to make them widely available for research and community use soon. Guests: Ishwar Puri (Dean of Engineering, Professor of Mechanical Engineering) and Rakesh Sahu (Research Associate, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering).

My guest is Dr. Darshan Singh from the Center for Drug Research at the University of Science in Malaysia. Dr. Singh studies substance abuse, addiction treatment, and harm reduction. He has conducted multiple studies of kratom consumers, and has found kratom in its pure form to be a safe and effective way to decrease substance […]

In this episode:00:52 Testing disparitiesAs testing capacities increase, it is clear that not everyone has equal access. But grassroots organisations are trying to correct this inequity. We hear about one researcher’s fight to get testing to those below the poverty line in California.09:04 The hydroxychloroquine saga continuesAs a high profile study in the Lancet is retracted, the first data from clinical trials is coming in and it is not encouraging. We discuss the murky future of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID drug.News: High-profile coronavirus retractions raise concerns about data oversight12:31 Will the Surgisphere scandal erode trust in science?A questionable dataset from a mysterious company has forced high-profile retractions and thrown doubt over drug trials and public health policies. What will the fallout be and can researchers weather the storm?23:23 Back in the labAs lockdowns ease, researchers are starting to go back to the lab. But with various restrictions in place, what does science look like in the new normal?News: Return to the lab: scientists face shiftwork, masks and distancing as coronavirus lockdowns easeCareers: Coronavirus diaries: back to the lab again See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the race to find an effective treatment for COVID-19, Artificial Intelligence may end up playing a big role because of its ability to quickly test drug combinations -- as in testing up to a trillion different combinations in a matter of weeks. Dr. Dean Ho, Director of the Institute for Digital Medicine at National University of Singapore, explains the fascinating capabilities of AI to to test and rank drug cocktails while taking safety and underlying patient conditions into account in this interview with Dr. Rishi Desai.

Fear of testing v staying healthy; musiks --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Gender Bias in Medicine and Drug Research 1. Women 51% of population, but few women in clinical research 2. Sex is based on reproductive organs and functions assigned by chromosomes - Gender is self-representation in response to socials institutions shaped by environment and experience - Action: Education, research, workforce development 3. Medical Biases against women - Heart failure – Australia: women < men to receive recommended treatment for heart failure - Alzheimer’s Disease – women perform better than men in early stages - Medical trials – women excluded - 8 Rx in US withdrawn between 1997-2001 for less safe and effective - Until early 1990’s women excluded from biomedical studies - Example: - Women: ASA reduced risk of stroke, but not MI - Men: ASA reduces risk of MI, but not stroke - CPR dummies – U of Penn (2018) women less likely to receive CPR - Endometriosis – 1/10 women wait > 7 years for diagnosis ______ Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode. Contact Us: Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html Email: info@propharmaconsultants.com Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/ Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProPharmaEducation

Alzheimer's disease is a neurological dysfunction in which the death of brain cells prompts memory loss and cognitive deterioration said by the experts of Zain Medical Center. During the disease, the symptom may seem delicate but they can become more stringent over time. Recent studies have determined that more than 6.8 million people in the U.S. are surviving from this disease. And due to this, researchers have discovered a new drug research that may protect against memory loss in Alzheimer's disease. Let's find out which type of drug research is this and how it will treat the disease with the experts of Zain Medical Center. Drug Research on Alzheimer’s disease After too much of study on drug research, researchers have been able to find the drug named BPN14770 that can defend against memory loss of Alzheimer's disease. This new drug hinders the impacts of amyloid-beta, a trademark proteid of Alzheimer's that is poisonous to nerve cells. Its benefits could also interpret to Fragile X syndrome says Sami Anwar the research director of Zain Medical Center. Drug BPN14770 Also, investigations have indicated that Alzheimer's pathogeny can be endured by the brain to some measure due to compensatory mechanisms functioning at the cellular and synaptic levels said by the experts of Zain Medical Center. Researchers have also suggested that BPN14770 may be proficient in stimulating complicated physiological mechanisms. It preserve the cerebellum from memory shortfalls, neuronal impairment, and biochemical impairments. When the drug BPN14770 was tested on mice it was found that it inhibited the action of phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D). It’s an enzyme that performs a pivotal character in consciousness, learning, neuroinflammation, and traumatic understanding hemorrhage. The enzyme named as PDE4D diminishes the cAMP - that has copious propitious roles, including enhanced retention. Also, cAMP acts as an intermediary particle that indicates physiological alterations. It includes cell division, transformation, movement and separation throughout the body, commencing to substantial modifications in the brain. BPN14770 acts by an innovative mechanism to enhance cyclic AMP signalling in the brain, which has been shown to enhance memory. According to the experts of Zain Medical Center, the collaborative project has led to clinical trials that will begin to test its effectiveness.

A major aspect of the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit, hosted by the Jordan Smelski Foundation, was a strong and necessary devotion to more drug research. I had the chance to speak with the Director, Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia, Dennis Kyle, PhD. Dr Kyle discussed the research being done, the challenges with drug discovery for Naegleria fowleri and the collaborations among researchers.

A major aspect of the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit, hosted by the Jordan Smelski Foundation, was a strong and necessary devotion to more drug research. I had the chance to speak with the Director, Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia, Dennis Kyle, PhD. Dr Kyle discussed the research being […] The post Naegleria fowleri drug research with Dennis Kyle, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today Being Meaningful Monday, We decided to understand more about the Emotions of Meaningfulness & Will, What Being Meaningful is, how to operate and bring it into our day to day Life. To have more Understanding on these aspects of Life, We have with us, one of our Aware Well-being Coach Kaustubh , former Scientist, Kaustubh has vast Experience in Understanding Human Biology and Emotions, being a scientist he has contributed to the Drug Research and Development fraternity for more than a Decade. Kaustubh is also actively involved into creating Visionary Entrepreneurs through his Learning and development Venture OBU Aware Business from last 2 Years as a Senior Business Coach. Kaustubh brings in a very Intresting, inquisitive, simple and Scientific point of view to the current situation of Women in our contemporary World.... Join in The Coversation with Ansh and Kaustubh, Love and Light Inward Revolution

On the occasion of International Women's day, We have with us, one of our Aware Well-being Coach Mr. Kaustubh Tamane, former Scientist, Kaustubh has vast Experience in Understanding Human Biology and Emotions, being a scientist he has contributed to the Drug Research and Development fraternity for more than a Decade. Kaustubh is also actively involved into creating Visionary Entrepreneurs through his Learning and development Venture OBU Aware Business from last 2 Years as a Senior Business Coach. Kaustubh brings in a very Intresting, inquisitive, simple and Scientific point of view to the current situation of Women in our contemporary World.... Here we talk about the True Meaning of Feminine... and how to bring Equilibrium between the Masculine and Feminine.... Come join the conversation !

The ability to print human tissue is changing the way drug research is conducted today and opens the possibility of one-day printing replacement organs with the technology. CellInk saw an opportunity in making bioinks and started to produce a line of lower-priced printers as well in the hopes of expanding the marketing by lowering the cost of the technology. We spoke to Erik Gatenholm, CEO and co-founder of CellInk, about the technology, how its being used today, and how he expects applications for it to evolve.

Robert Bianchi, President and Chief of Scientific and Technical Affairs at the Prescription Drug Research Center, on waking up to the value of pain medications to people in severe pain and people that are at the end of life that need to have some kind of relief~ "We have to make the drugs available to them while we prevent the abuse or misuse in a social setting where it is not necessary. So we are recognizing that, to use a term, we can't arrest our way out of this dilemma. Arresting users on the street really doesn't help solve the problem. And we're finally recognizing that this is a disease that needs to be treated, just like other diseases." Robert Bianchi - President, Prescription Drug Research Center Robert Bianchi: You can't leave it up to the government to solve this problem. Brian Wilson: The Drug Enforcement Agency is the federal law enforcement entity tasked with combatting drug trafficking. The DEA has sole responsibility for pursuing illegal drug operations in the U.S. and abroad. Bob Bianchi is the President and Chief of Scientific and Technical Affairs at the Prescription Drug Research Center. Formerly with the DEA, he brings a unique perspective to the opioid crisis in America. The Changes Over Time in Federal Government's Focus Regarding Illicit Drug Use Robert Bianchi: Prior to the formation of the DEA in 1973, there were various federal agencies that patrolled the use of illicit drugs. Prior to the 60s, drug use was not considered an acceptable behavior. Most people didn't think that drug use would be acceptable in the future. But things changed. In the 60s and 70s. We saw the advent of designer drugs like LSD, DMT, PCP, sometimes called the alphabet drugs. And the federal focus on enforcing the drug laws was really directed toward marijuana and cocaine until now, when the focus changed to heroin, stimulants, amphetamines, and depressants. So, the drug landscape was changing as time went on and has now moved into the area where the abuse of prescription drugs has become, not only acceptable but extremely popular. So, when I retired from the DEA I started working with the pharmaceutical industry to try to develop new formulations that would be more difficult to abuse. And the FDA was very much in favor of that because they realized that they needed to do something, so they provided incentives to the industry to develop these new abuse deterrent formulations. So that's how I got involved in the opioid situation that we're in today. Brian Wilson: You were in a position to see the wave of this crisis coming. It is, in many ways, a perfect storm. Is it not? The U.S. Has Only 5% of the World's Population Yet Consumes 80% of the World's Supply of Pain Killers Robert Bianchi: Well yes. A number of things have come together that have created this crisis. The United States, believe it or not, consumes 80% of the world's supply of pain killers, and we only have five percent of the total world population. So there's something peculiar about our culture. And we do not tolerate the slightest discomfort. Every single day you see ads for prescription drugs that you're being encouraged to ask your doctor about, after they read the litany of side effects, including death. We are one of two countries that allow direct consumer advertising. And I think that has contributed, in part, to our chemical dependent society. We are looking for instant gratification, solutions to all our problems. That's the society that we live in in the United States. Brian Wilson: I think maybe people look at it and they go, "How dangerous can these drugs be? I see them on TV advertised every day". Leftover Pain Killers Sit in Home Medicine Cabinet and Nobody Monitors Them Robert Bianchi: Yes. That's true. And you know, they are approved by the FDA. They're prescribed by trained physicians. Friends and family use them, so how could this stuff be bad? Unfortunately,

  Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology focus radio! I am your host – Michelle Currie – here to give you the rundown on what is happening in the life sciences sector from coast to coast. This week brought new collaborations, new cohorts, and new research. Keep listening to find out more!  +++++  As regenerative medicine grows around the world, topping a whopping $36-billion annually and only expected to rise, it comes as no surprise that more and more international collaborations are happening – especially within Canada.  CCRM and the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine (JSRM) liaise to advance the field of regenerative medicine (RM) and cell and gene therapies in Canada and Japan, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) this week at the Annual Meeting of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) in Kyoto, Japan.  Michael May, president and CEO, CCRM says that CCRM’s mission is to generate sustainable health and economic benefits through global collaboration in cell and gene therapy, and regenerative medicine. CCRM is catalyzing a global network of highly integrated commercialization centres working together to enable viable and cost-effective patient access to revolutionary new treatments. The Memorandum of Understanding with Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine, through its vast research network and industry-enabling activities, is a positive step in that direction.”  The Memorandum of Understanding has been put in place to promote academic and industry partnership in Japan, Canada and internationally to advance the field of regenerative medicine and cell and gene therapies. This will include supporting knowledge translation about technologies, policies (e.g., regulatory and health economics), legal and ethical issues.  Prof. Sawa, president of Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine.  Says that “There are many obstacles to establish a sustainable business model for regenerative medicine in Japan, as it requires a whole new value chain. Canada’s CCRM has been fostering and promoting a successful commercialization model since its launch. JSRM is proud to announce that we have entered into a partnership with CCRM to develop sound industrialization pathways, learning from CCRM’s excellent model to make regenerative medicine an available treatment worldwide.”  Regenerative medicine – that can be a bit of an umbrella term – includes cell and gene therapy, stem cells, biomaterials, molecules and genetic modification to repair, regenerate or replace diseased cells, tissues and organs. This approach is disrupting the traditional biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries with the promise of revolutionary new cures for devastating and costly conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  This sector represents so many potential untapped possibilities. Forecasted to grow to US$49.41-billion by 2021, there were 977 clinical trials in cell, gene and tissue therapy underway worldwide at the close of the second quarter of 2018. The sector achieved the first global approvals and reimbursements for major cellular immunotherapies and gene therapies in 2017, that resulted in record-breaking investment and acquisitions in the sector. This field encapsulates the phrase “the world is truly their oyster”.  +++++  The Centre for Drug Research and Development, Canada’s national life sciences venture, announces the first cohort of the CDRD Academy’s Executive Institute.  Earlier this year, CDRD and Pfizer Canada announced the launch of the Executive Institute under the umbrella of The CDRD Academy. The Institute is a 10-month, focused executive development program open to a limited number of senior-level life sciences professionals annually. It was made possible by a $1M contribution by Pfizer Canada.  After reviewing dozens of applications from across Canada, the Adjudication Committee has selected a cohort of diverse, talented, and forward-thinking individuals that is gender balanced, and represents a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. The following individuals have been accepted into the inaugural 2018-2019 class:  Naveed Aziz, Chief Administrative and Scientific Officer, CGEN – Canada’s Genomic Enterprise, Toronto, ON  Deanna Dryhurst, Chief Scientific Officer, ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd., Victoria, BC  Alexander Graves, Chief Executive Officer, Symvivo Corporation, Vancouver, BC  Allison Gaw, Senior Director, Corporate Development and Intellectual Property, Sierra Oncology, Vancouver, BC  Nataša Jovic, Senior Director, Personal Health, Microbiome Insights, Vancouver, BC  Andrew Knowles, Senior Vice President, Operations, STEMCELL Technologies, Vancouver, BC  Frédéric Leduc, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Immune Biosolutions, Sherbrooke, QC  Stephanie Michaud, President and Chief Executive Officer, BioCanRx, Ottawa, ON  Carolyn Nalder, Director of Business Operations, Tevosol, Edmonton, AB  Frederic Ors, Chief Executive Officer, IMV, Quebec City, QC  Chris Sinclair, Vice President, Global Commercial Operations, Emergent BioSolutions, Winnipeg, MB  Kimberly Stephens, Chief Financial Officer, Appili Therapeutics Inc., Halifax, NS  Carol Stiff, Senior Director, Sales and Marketing, Santen Canada, Toronto, ON  Jefferson Tea, Vice President, Medical and Scientific Affairs, Takeda Canada Inc., Oakville, ON.  Gordon C. McCauley, president and CEO of CDRD  says that “The core of any business is people and supporting and growing our pool of highly-qualified personnel is critical to drive Canada’s health sciences sector. Through the CDRD Academy’s Post-Graduate and Undergraduate Institutes, we have seen tremendous success over the past 10 years in helping high-potential scientists be more commercially minded. But, with the addition of the Executive Institute to the CDRD Academy, we are now extending our work to also help high-potential business people lead Canada’s science-based businesses of tomorrow; and ensure Canada has the management talent it needs to lead the life sciences world.”  The CDRD Executive Institute program is delivered in collaboration with the not-for-profit Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). The program has been custom-designed and aims to combine researched and proven best practices/principles with targeted industry topics to take participants on a leadership journey. It will blend in-depth assessments, workshops, simulations, challenging assignments and executive coaching.  John Helou, president, Pfizer Canada says that ‘’The CDRD Executive Institute is off to a very strong start. The first cohort of life science executives exemplifies the type of leaders needed for the industry to reach its full potential. We are pleased to help meet the development needs expressed by life sciences industry stakeholders across the country, and to be able to count on the leadership of CDRD to implement concrete measures that will increase the innovative skill level of this vital industry. We are confident that the tailored training and coaching will contribute to the success of many life science organizations in Canada, which is critical for the development of new treatments for unmet medical needs’’.  This course offers a unique opportunity that will further the life sciences community within Canada and potentially bring the sector and consequently, the economy to new heights. The first face-to-face session will happen in Vancouver September 12-13, 2018, with additional workshops to be held in Montreal and Toronto throughout the Winter and Spring 2019.  +++++  Concordia synthetic biology researchers develop a method to fight disease at a genetic level that may revolutionize patient care.  Steve Shih, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in Concordia University’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science and with a cross-appointment in biology, is also the founder of the Shih Microfluidics Laboratory.  His team created a system that integrates the automation of complex biology experiments in order to find genes that are related to cancer and kill them before they develop into a potentially fatal disease.  The system is described in a paper published last July by the journal Lab on a Chip.  Shih says that “Finding genes related to cancer is already very difficult. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack, especially with current methods. But hopefully, with this new method, we can expedite the whole process and rapidly find the culprit genes.”  However, finding the genes is one thing. Preventing them from causing cancer is another.  To do that, Shih’s team uses CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) a genetic engineering technique that uses a Cas9 protein (essentially a pair of ‘programmed genetic scissors’) to find a cancer-causing gene and essentially snip it out of the DNA and replace it with a healthier one.  Shih says that “Once both ends of the gene are snipped, it degrades to the point where we won’t have it anymore. Now that gene won’t be able to go through pathways that cause cancer. To be able to do that on a typical platform is very difficult, because we’re dealing with very static, very manual techniques.  “By doing this in an automated way, and by also miniaturizing the scale which we’re working on, we’re able to expedite the whole process. Instead of looking at this process as a matter of weeks, we can look at it in a matter of days.”  The paper’s authors — Hugo Sinha, Angela Quach, Philippe Vo and Shih, all affiliated with Concordia’s Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology — created the first digital microfluidic method that automated arrayed gene editing in mammalian cells.  This involves using tiny amounts of fluid to culture lung cancer cells for up to six days, while at the same time automating gene transfection and knockout procedures.  The whole automation and miniaturization process that they have developed has not only saved them heaps of time, but it has also slightly augmented the efficiency of the knockout procedure itself.  The mission to eradicate cancer has been a personal aspect for Shih, and he believes his work will have direct material benefits for people diagnosed with cancer.  He hopes his project will contribute to the development of personalized platforms for treatment based on their genetic makeup. That platform would be easily transferable and can be set up in any kind of lab or hospital.  In fact, Sinha started a company called DropGenie that will create gene-editing platforms that can bring this idea to realisation.  Despite CRISPR being controversial, Shih believes that only now researchers are reaping its benefits.  He adds that “There still isn’t a killer application for microfluidics, but I think we’ve found it. I think we found that we can use these miniaturized platforms for something that can really save people’s lives down the line. That’s why I say it can be a killer app because hopefully, we’ll be able to eventually kill all cancer cells.”  +++++   Researchers from the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC) at UHN suggest that the model used by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) significantly underestimates mortality in specialized heart surgery centres. The study’s findings show that CIHI’s model does not encapsulate all the medical problems that patients have when at elevated risk for surgery.  The study, looked at the outcomes of 1,635 cardiac operations performed at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre between 2013 and 2016. It compared the observed mortality within 30 days of surgery to the predicted mortality rates estimated with either the CIHI administrative data model or the clinical data model used by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).  Of the 1,635 patients that had heart surgery at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, 32 died within 30 days of surgery. These results were in line with the 1.96 per cent mortality predicted by Society of Thoracic Surgeons model – which uses comprehensive data to describe how sick patients are before surgery – for this group of patients. In contrast, the CIHI Cardiac Care Quality Indicator estimated that the mortality rate for these 1,635 patients would be 1.03 per cent.  Peter Munk Cardiac Centre researchers noted that the Society of Thoracic Surgeons model captures seven medical conditions that predict worse outcomes after heart surgery that are not captured in the CIHI model.  These risk factors include whether the patient had heart failure, an abnormal heart rhythm, a recent heart attack, very low blood pressure (shock), needed recent CPR or a mechanical heart pump to live, or had kidney failure. These serious conditions forecast a worse outcome after heart surgery, and are not included in the CIHI database.  Dr. Barry Rubin, medical director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and one of the authors of the study  says that “The predicted mortality of patients undergoing heart surgery based on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons model is similar to what we actually observed,” says. “The failure to include these seven medical conditions causes the CIHI database to underestimate predicted mortality after heart surgery in high risk patients.”  According to Dr. Douglas Lee, senior scientist at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and lead author of the study, mortality prediction models – either based on clinical or administrative data – use risk adjustment to account for how sick patients are before surgery at different hospitals. This is necessary as outcomes may vary if leading academic institutions such as the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre operate on sicker patients.  Dr. Lee says that “The CIHI and Society of Thoracic Surgeons models aim to predict outcomes based on the medical complexity and acuity of the patient. In general, academic hospitals take on higher risk cases compared to community hospitals, and good risk adjustment models should factor that in when predicting mortality rates,” explains Dr. Lee.  Incorrect data may lend the impression that there is a higher level of mortality then there should be at the PMCC or other academic centres. This could have the inadvertent effect of causing the highest risk surgery patients to defer potentially-life saving heart surgeries.  CIHI has a legislative mandate to publicly release Cardiac Care Quality Indicator data and has done so since October 2017. Clinicians and researchers have been concerned that the CIHI model may underestimate how sick cardiovascular surgery patients are at Peter Munk Cardiac Centre.  Incorrect data may lend the impression that there is a higher level of mortality then there should be at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre or other academic centres. This could have the inadvertent effect of causing the highest risk surgery patients to defer potentially-life saving heart surgeries.  The Society of Thoracic Surgeons model considers vital medical conditions to accurately predict how high-risk patients will do after surgery. The CIHI model does not accurately account for complexity of patients, which is recorded in databases specifically designed for the measurement of surgical quality, such as Society of Thoracic Surgeons.  Dr Rubin says that “Clinical data-based models like the Society of Thoracic Surgeons collect much more detailed patient information, but are also more costly to maintain. “Administrative models like CIHI’s continue to play a very important role in assessing quality of care across Canada. We will continue to work in collaboration with CIHI to improve the accuracy of quality report cards that can be used as valid evaluation tools for Canadian hospitals.”  The authors caution that there are limitations to the study, as it was completed in a single centre during a three-year period, observing 1,341 isolated coronary bypass grafts, 143 isolated aortic valve replacements and 151 combined procedures. PMCC researchers declared there were no conflict of interests but would suggest validation of these findings in other academic centres over a longer time interval that would include a larger subset of cardiac operations. This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.  +++++  Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. Thanks for listening! If you have any questions or comments, please email us at press@promotivemedia.ca . From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

Canadians invent many things that go on to be globally significant. Drugs or pharmaceuticals is an area of research that we do very well in, especially when it comes to developing cures and treatments for a wide range of health issues.   While we do a good job conceiving of treatments and doing the research, we don’t do a good job of bringing those products to the market. By the time the research has finished, ownership of the intellectual property frequently leaves Canada and moves to its new home in Europe or the United States.   It’s a shame because Canada makes up just point five per cent of the global population, yet we produce over 5% of the world’s research in drug development. We’ve figured out the idea and research part well; what we have trouble with is commercializing our discoveries once the human proof of concept stage has been reached.   Canada is the only advanced pharma market in the world that does not have a billion dollar company to anchor the pharmaceutical industry.  We’ve had them only to see them go away. At one time we had QLT in Vancouver, which is an example of our intellectual property being acquired by a larger global player that takes the company offshore.   The result is a loss to ongoing research and to the Canadian economy. How then do we change that? Enter the Centre for Drug Research and Development, a joint effort between Simon Fraser University, UBC and the BC Cancer Agency – an initiative that the Federal Government recognized as invaluable and provided funding to expand the reach of the CDRD across the country.   We invited Gordon McCauley of the CDRD to join us for a Conversation That Matters about nurturing, fostering, retaining and commercializing our world-class ideas, talent and research in Canada.       Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue presents Conversations That Matter. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for an important and engaging Conversation about the issues shaping our future.   Please become a Patreon subscriber and support the production of this program, with a $1 pledge https://goo.gl/ypXyDs

085 | When it sounds more sci-fi than fact  Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio! I am your host – Michelle Currie – here to give you the rundown on what’s happening on the Canadian biotech scene! This week we have some revolutionary research happening at the Centre for Drug Research and Development that sounds more sci-fi than fact, a treatment that allows the patient to breathe life back in, therapy that fits like a glove, and an over-the-counter drug that may be able to ward off Alzheimer’s disease. Listen in to find out more!  +++++  Empirical observations over the past many decades have suggested that certain types of virus infections could lead to cancer regression.  However, the use of so-called oncolytic viruses (OV) with the intent to treat cancer had been met with skepticism.  Now, thanks to technological advancements in genetic engineering and virus manufacturing, oncolytic virotherapy has gained considerable attention and demonstrated significant, though perhaps limited, clinical successes.    The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) have been working on ways to potentiate the utility of oncolytic viruses for cancer therapy in the hope that one day these strategies may be able to eliminate, or at the very least significantly reduce the need for traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Reducing the use of toxic treatments that impair the patient’s immune system is expected to lead to better overall survival and quality of life for countless cancer patients.  Dr. Ismael Samudio, Head of Biologics at the Centre for Drug Research and Development, has been preoccupied on how best to translate oncolytic virus strategies to the clinic, and in particular how to make these viruses work better in combination with targeted agents regardless of whether they are small molecules or antibodies. As Samudio explains, “We are cognizant that such a thing as a magic bullet for cancer is unlikely to exist. Pre-empting that, our work on oncolytic viruses is really trying to find the tools that we could take to the clinic (small molecules, antibodies) to make these agents successful in more cancer patients.”  Oncolytic viruses are a very powerful way to combat cancer. They are mostly genetically engineered to specifically target and kill cancer cells, without having an adverse reaction to the patient. They are also known for inducing an immune response against the cells they infiltrate.  Currently, the Centre for Drug Research and Development is working with two distinct types of oncolytic viruses. One of them is the precursor of Maraba – a potent engineered virus currently in clinical trials. The Centre is not aiming to treat one particular type of cancer and hopes that their research will effectively work in multiple tumour types.  Tumour cells, in general, have defective antiviral responses, and that’s why oncolytic viruses preferentially infect them. Cancer cells do not like to stop making proteins. They’re constantly growing and constantly making proteins. Normal cells have mechanisms that stop uncontrolled growth and protein synthesis. Because those mechanisms are defective in cancer cells, viruses infect them and they don’t have a way to shut down the production of the virus, resulting in massive viral expression and death of the infected tumour cells. Some cancer cells are more sensitive than others to oncolytic viruses, and understanding how to improve the efficacy or these biological agents is paramount to their success in the clinic.  The Centre so far has seen successful infection in every single cancer line that they have tested. Some cancer cells, however, tend to be able to escape death induced by the oncolytic virus, and thus in collaboration with several researchers, the centre for drug research and development is developing strategies to increase infectivity and engagement of the immune system.  The Centre doesn’t expect that there’s going to be infection of normal tissue. Nonetheless, they remain focused on delivering the treatment to where it needs to go – the tumour. There is no reason if your heart is healthy, or your kidney or liver, to expose those organs to our chemo-biological interventions – whether small molecules or antibodies – and reduce the safety of the approach. They want to make sure that those interventions go to the tumour tissue.  The centre expects for some of these efforts to take at least ten years to reach the clinic. Drug development can be a very daunting process, and of course, scientists and clinicians want to make sure it passes all safety and efficacy standards. The centre for drug research and development is a unique organization that focuses on a number of therapeutic areas, including cancer, auto-immune diseases, infectious diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and neurobiology in general. The knowledge gained at the Centre through innovative approaches, outside-the-box thinking, and cross-pollination of disciplines will ultimately lead to life-saving therapies.  Oncolytic viruses are such an amazing tool. They can, directly and indirectly, inhibit cancer progression, and I expect them to eventually become a mainstay in cancer therapy.  +++++  There has been substantial research coming out of the woodworks from across the country in so many areas of health. But, when you are living with a disease and finally find that medication which makes you feel like yourself again, there is truly nothing like it.  This was the case for Jennifer Falkiner. She had been diagnosed with asthma in her thirties and that progressed over time to severe asthma. Even the simple things we all take for granted became difficult, and little joys such as going to the movies, or having a solid nights sleep were taken away from her.  It is only now participating in an innovative clinical trial for severe uncontrolled asthma with the use of Fasenra – a respiratory biologic – and the research of Dr. Mark Fitzgerald, primary researcher of the study, that her quality of life and her motivation has returned. “It has been a transformation,” Jennifer says.  In the beginning, she wasn’t aware that she even had asthma. Starting as just a respiratory infection, her doctor gave her antibiotics and a puffer, but the infection was persistent and happened again and again. It was only upon going to another doctor that she was informed that she had asthma.  Over the years, Jennifer was put on a slew of puffers and medications and yet she still could not stop coughing – making social life, family, and work scenarios trying, and arduous at times.  Jennifer told me, “When I was much younger, before the asthma hit, I used to go tobogganing with my children. Then, I had grandkids come along and I couldn’t do that – but now I can. I got on this drug trial and now nothing stops me.”  The CALIMA trial was one of three pivotal trials to reduce severe exacerbation requiring prednisone and has shown a 50 per cent reduction in patients who had the active treatment in lieu of the placebo. Fasenra is the only respiratory biologic that provides direct, rapid and near-complete depletion of blood eosinophils from the first dose.  Around the world, asthma affects 315 million people, including an estimated 3 million Canadians. Roughly 250,000 Canadians live with severe, uncontrolled asthma, which can have a debilitating impact on lung function and quality of life.  Many of the current medications also come with countless side effects, that may deter the people who need the medication from taking it at all. Prednisone, for example, has been known to affect sleeping patterns, weight gain, severe depression, bloody or tarry stools, slow wound healing, dizziness – just to name a few. Fasenra, on the other hand, has had minute reported adverse reactions and is taken every eight weeks after the initial three doses.  Dr. Mark Fitzgerald hopes that in the future there will be blood or sputum tests to better identify the treatment that will work for each individual. We’re at a very exciting stage because, hopefully, these drugs will not only be used in patients with severe disease but also can be used earlier in the patient’s history of asthma to maybe modify the trajectory and prevent the progression to more severe disease.  Fasenra has been approved by Health Canada and represents a significant milestone for severe eosinophilic asthma patients, finally offering a new treatment option to help manage their condition.  The change for Jennifer has been dramatic. Going from a place where walking in the heat, scents, and the constant fear of the inability to breathe depicted what she could and could not do with her life, to now swim, skate, kayak, and play with her grandkids – she has never looked back.  +++++  Researchers at Western University have developed custom-fit gloves to help control tremors in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Not only does this glove help give them some sense of normality again, but it gives them their independence back as well.  Parkinson’s disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that tends to affect the motor system the most. The disease progresses slowly over time, and is best exemplified through constant shaking and rigidity. Eventually leading to difficulty walking, swallowing problems and other health conditions. Symptoms may vary from patient to patient.  Anybody with Parkinson’s that has tremors have them in their entire body, but it’s the ones in their fingers that really prevent them from performing the activities of daily living.  The problem with a lot of the devices that are currently on the market is that they restrict movement in general, which still makes the tasks at hand hard to do. In the worst-case scenario, it can even suppress movement at the level of the elbows or wrists that exacerbates the tremors in the fingers.  The design model of the glove uses a system of sensors that track voluntary movements and separates them from involuntary tremors. The gloves will then suppress the tremor to allow fluid motion of movement. The current prototype glove was created for the left hand of student Yue Zhou, who used 3D printing to design a custom fit.  The team is also working on improving the glove’s hardware to make it more practical to wear, including reducing the size of the glove’s controller and improving its battery system. Once these pieces are all in place, they hope to find commercial partners to bring the gloves to the market.  If effective, this could dramatically change the lives of people living with Parkinson’s disease, allowing them to do daily tasks many people take for granted.  +++++  As the general population of the world ages and as diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s become ever more prevalent, the hunt is on to discover a way to slow their progression or stop it entirely.  A Vancouver-based research team led by Canada’s most cited neuroscientist, Dr. Patrick McGeer, is now suggesting based upon his empirical research, that if a daily regimen of non-prescription NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) ibuprofen was started early enough it can prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.  This study spells out a simple solution to a vastly complicated neurocognitive impediment. According to the Alzheimer’s Disease International’s World Alzheimer Report 2016, the disease affects 47 million people worldwide, costs the healthcare system more than US$818 billion per year and is the fifth leading cause of death in people over the age of 65. With Canada currently sitting around 560,000 people – a figure expected to rise to 937,000 by 2031 – there is no time to waste.  Dr. McGeer, who is president and CEO of Vancouver-based Aurin Biotech, and his wife, Dr. Edith McGeer, are among the most cited neuroscientists in the world. Their laboratory is world-renowned for their 30 years of work in neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.  In 2016, McGeer and his team announced that they had created a simple saliva test that can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease as well as predict future onset. The test is based on measuring the concentration of the peptide amyloid beta protein 42 (Abeta42) secreted in saliva. In most individuals, the rate of Abeta42 production is almost very similar regardless of sex or age. However, if that rate of production is two to three times higher, those individuals are inclined to develop Alzheimer’s disease. That is because Abeta42 is a relatively insoluble material, and although it is made everywhere in the body, deposits of it occur only in the brain, causing neuroinflammation, which destroys neurons in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.  Contrary to the belief that Abeta 42 is only produced in the brain, Dr. McGeer’s team demonstrated that the peptide is made in all organs of the body and is secreted in saliva from the submandibular gland. As a result, with as little as one teaspoon of saliva, it is possible to predict whether an individual is fated to develop Alzheimer’s disease. This provides the patient with the opportunity to begin taking early preventive measures, such as consuming over the counters like ibuprofen.  Dr. McGeer explains that what they’ve learned through their research is that people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s exhibit the same elevated Abeta 42 levels as people who already have it; moreover, they exhibit those elevated levels throughout their lifetime so, theoretically, they could get tested anytime. Knowing that the prevalence of clinical Alzheimer’s Disease commences at age 65, they recommend that people get tested ten years before, at age 55, when the onset of Alzheimer’s would typically begin. If they exhibit elevated Abeta 42levels then, that is the time to begin taking daily ibuprofen to ward off the disease.  Unfortunately, most clinical trials to date have focused on patients whose cognitive deficits are already mild to severe, and when the therapeutic opportunities in this late stage of the disease are minimal. Consequently, every therapeutic trial has failed to arrest the disease’s progression. Their discovery is a game changer. They now have a simple test that can indicate if a person is fated to develop Alzheimer’s disease long before it begins to develop. Individuals can prevent that from happening through a simple solution that requires no prescription or visit to a doctor. This is a true breakthrough since it points in a direction where AD can eventually be eliminated.  +++++  Well, that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio! Thanks for listening! If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at press@promotivemedia.ca. Tune in next week! From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.            

By now, it’s no longer a surprise for anyone that the medical marijuana market in the country is geared for explosive growth. Recently Canada’s national drug development and commercialization centre has partnered with Vancouver’s Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc., on a research program aimed at establishing pre-clinical safety and efficacy of select cannabinoid-based therapeutics. I had a chance to speak with Gordon McCauley, president and CEO of the  Centre For Drug Research and Development  or CDRD. And he provided Biotechnology Focus with some insights into his organization’s partnership with Aequus. Have a listen to our conversation….  

Guest speaker: Dennis McKenna & Lex Pelger PROGRAM NOTES: Lex talks with Dennis McKenna about the upcoming ESPD50 conference: the Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs 50th Anniversary Symposium Lex also announces Psymposia’s first sale on Patreon & asks for your help to keep bringing people together online & offline. Perks include hemp Psymposia shirts, blotter […]

In the news this week, the launch of NeuroCDRD – a new initiative to accelerate development of treatments for neuro diseases; OICR researchers invent a new molecular barcode technology; and Aurinia Phramceuticals prices a US$150.5 million public offering of common shares. We have all this and more coming up on Biotechnology Focus Radio. Story 1 Our first story this week highlights Calgary, AB’s Oncolytics Biotech® Inc. The company has entered into a collaborative research project  with cancer charity Myeloma UK and multi-national biotech firm, Celgene.  In the joint initiative Myeloma UK has launched MUK eleven, a first-of-its-kind immunotherapy trial that aims to modulate the immune system to target myeloma. The Phase 1b trial will study Oncolytics immuno-viral therapy and lead product REOLYSIN®, in combination with Celgene Corporation's immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), Imnovid® (pomalidomide) or Revlimid® (lenalidomide), as a rescue treatment in relapsing myeloma patients. MUK eleven’s chief investigator Gordon Cook, Consultant Haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust  says this trial is about taking a new approach of activating a patient's own immune system to target their myeloma (immunotherapy) using a natural virus and lenalidomide or pomalidomide. REOLYSIN will be combined with Celgene's Imnovid® or Revlimid® in patients whose myeloma is progressing while on these IMiD treatments. The dose escalation trial will look at the safety and tolerability of these combinations, and will investigate whether the addition of REOLYSIN extends disease control in this patient group. This clinical study expands on earlier pre-clinical work by Professor Cook that demonstrated that REOLYSIN has dual modes of action against multiple myeloma; being both directly cytotoxic and also activating immune effector cells to target and destroy cancer cells. Further, this immune-mediated activity can be enhanced by immunomodulatory agents to eliminate disease. The trial will aim to recruit 44 patients across up to six Myeloma UK Clinical Trial Network centres in the UK. MUK eleven is part of the Myeloma UK Clinical Trial Network, a portfolio of early stage trials coordinated by the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Leeds, focused on testing and speeding up access to promising new treatments for patients. Story 2 In a unique public-private partnership, Montreal’s Cyclenium Pharma Inc. and Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have entered into a research agreement designed to facilitate the discovery of novel modulators for multiple new and existing biological targets of pharmacological interest across a variety of disease areas, including cardiovascular, immunology and oncology.  Cylenium is a company focused on discovery and development of novel drug candidates through the use of its proprietary macrocyclic chemistry. The collaboration will give SickKids researchers immediate access to the company’s QUEST Library™ of next generation macrocyclic molecules and associated chemical hit and lead optimization capabilities. The initial objective of the partnership is to identify compounds capable of interacting with specific therapeutic targets being studied at SickKids, thereby providing tools to improve the understanding of their involvement in the pathophysiology of specific diseases, with the ultimate goal of discovering novel therapeutic or diagnostic agents. Cyclenium president, CSO and CEO Dr. Helmut Thomas.adds that his company’s library will be made available to researchers through the SickKids Proteomics, Analytics, Robotics & Chemical Biology Centre (SPARC BioCentre). The SPARC BioCentre is a high-throughput drug screening facility at SickKids. One of the first studies to be initiated involves targets implicated for the treatment of cancer and immune disorders. For Cyclenium, this is the latest in an extensive series of international discovery collaborations established with prominent companies and research institutions to explore the exciting potential of its unique macrocycle chemistry technology, including Astellas Pharma, Haplogen GmbH, Fundación MEDINA, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), McGill University/Goodman Cancer Research Centre, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC)/Université de Montréal, and Southern Research Institute. Story 3 Clinical-stage drug developer Aurinia Pharmaceuticals last week announced the pricing of secondary public offering for gross proceeds of approximately $150.5 million US. As part of the offereing the company is selling 22.3 million shares at $6.75 per share. Leerink Partners LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. are acting as joint book-running managers for the Offering, that is expected to close March 20th. The cash will be very beneficial as the Victoria-based company intends to initiate a Phase 3 trial for its lead drug candidate, voclosporin, in treating lupus nephritis. The trial will commence in the second quarter. The drug successfully went through a positive 48-week data phase 2b trial in 2016 and 2017, and seems on track to becoming the first drug to demonstrate a clear benefit for the disease. As an aside, Aurinia’s stock had hit an all-time high of $10.50 per share on March 13, the eve of the public offering announcement. By offering its shares at $6.75 the next day, new investors received a 36 percent discount. Canada’s Motley Fool reported that while it may seem as if investors are getting a raw deal, it should be noted that the stock began 2017 at just $2 per share. Motley Fool further commented that there are only 53.45 million shares outstanding today, and the company ended 2016 with less than $40 million in cash. In other words, while the number of shares will be diluted by 41.7%, the company will more than quadruple its cash. Story 4 In Toronto,  a team of cancer researchers have identified a protein biomarker expressed on the surface of tumour cells in high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the most common and lethal subtype of the disease. The findings, featured on the cover of the March 7 issue of Cell Reports, show that patients with high levels of the biomarker, CD151, have a poor prognosis, says lead author Mauricio Medrano, a molecular biologist and research associate at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. “Ovarian cancer is many diseases,” says Dr. Medrano. “By identifying CD151 and its underlying role in cancer cell survival, we hope to develop a therapy to target it. As a marker for poor prognosis, with further research, there is the potential to develop a clinical screening tool to help personalize cancer treatment for patients.” The research was led by principal investigator Dr. Robert Rottapel, senior scientist and Professor, Departments of Medical Biophysics and Immunology, University of Toronto. In lab experiments, the research team used cell lines derived from 40 patient tumour samples to identify that CD151 contributes to the survival of cells of high-grade serous ovarian cancer origin. The team further analysed tissue samples from a cohort of approximately 1,000 patients to establish the correlation of high levels of CD151 to poor prognosis. Dr. Medrano says the study provides a lot of new information about other possible targets, not only CD151, that could be important and can provide new ideas for how to target ovarian cancer.” The research was supported by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Ovarian Cancer Canada, the Canadian Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium’s biobank funded by the Terry Fox Research Institute, and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Story 5 Also In Toronto, Researchers at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), together with international collaborators, have invented a technique to avoid a major problem with common laboratory techniques and improve the sensitivity of important cancer tests. The findings, recently published in the journal Nature Protocols, describe a process by which the sensitivity of DNA sequencing can be improved. The technology, called SiMSen-Seq, could aid in detecting the recurrence of cancers, catching possible disease relapses faster than current methods and improving patient outcomes. Essentially the scientists have created a DNA barcode with a hairpin structure that as Dr. Paul Krzyzanowski, Program Manager of OICR’s Genome Technologies Program explains opens up to be read when heated and contracts when cooled. This allows researchers to ‘hide’ the barcode and analyze more patient DNA fragments in a single reaction he says. Cirrently, for DNA sequencing, scientists often use a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to increase the amount of DNA available from a sample. However, PCR can introduce mistakes that can limit researchers’ ability to detect real mutations in the original DNA molecules. To track the original molecules in a sample, molecular tags called DNA barcodes are added. This technique is essential for sensitive detection of mutations but can lead to other errors, as components of the tags can interfere with each other and affect the final results. Dr. Krzyzanowski led the development of analysis pipeline software used in SiMSen-Seq which flags errors in sequencing results and corrects them computationally. Current genome sequencing technologies return results with error rates of about one per cent, meaning that for researchers to be certain that a mutation exists it has to be detected in a sample at a rate of greater than one per cent. Dr. Krzyanowski says that the SimSen-Seq technology has lowered this error rate 100-fold, meaning that the recurrence of cancers could be detected at lower levels and earlier than before, allowing patients to receive additional treatment sooner. His team has already patented the technique, and while it can conceivably be performed in any molecular biology lab, the group also hopes to make their expertise in using the method available to the research community. Those interested in accessing this service can do so through OICR’s Collaborative Research Resources directory. Story 6 In our final story, three leading players in Canada’s health sciences sector are joining forces to create a novel drug development platform that will help advance new therapeutics for some of the most debilitating conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. The initiative, under the banner of ‘NeuroCDRD’, is jointly led by The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University (MNI), and Merck. Its initial focus is the creation of a high-content hiPSC (human-induced pluripotent stem cell) screening platform that will help researchers better model neurological disease. Development of new drugs for neurological diseases has long been hampered by the lack of predictive humanized models, and many treatments that have looked promising in animal studies have in turn failed in subsequent human clinical trials. To mitigate this challenge, this new collaboration will use the MNI’s renowned hiPSC platform and bring together experts from MNI’s neurological and CDRD’s drug screening and assay development teams to develop a new generation of disease-specific research models using patient-derived hiPSCs. The idea is to significantly reduce research timelines and costs, making it possible to develop future hiPSC models for neurological diseases with smaller patient populations. As Gordon McCauley, President and CEO of CDRD explains this collaborative initiative not only combines the cutting-edge science of academia, that it will also benefit from CDRD’s translational abilities, and the commercial resources of a top industry partner like Merck. “By working together, we are a catalyst for Canadian life sciences leading the world,” he said. And that wraps up another weekly episode of the Biotechnology Focus RADIO. A special shout out to Laskey Hart who works tirelessly to produce each weeks show, and to the Biotechnology Focus research team for tracking this weeks stories.  As we’re always on the lookout for your story ideas and podcast suggestions we’d love to hear from you our listeners, to let us know what’s hot on the Canadian biotech scene.  Be sure reach out to us via twitter @biotechfocus, or by email at  press@promotivemedia.ca with your suggestions. And of course, you can also catch up on past episodes online via our podcast portal at www.biotechnologyfocus.ca .

Coming up on Biotechnology Focus Radio: The launch of a new Canadian Regenerative Medicine Alliance, Canada’s House of Commons passes the Genetic Discrimination Act Bill S-201, and a One-Two Punch that May Floor the Worst Infections by stopping antibiotic drug resistance. Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus Radio. I’m your host Shawn Lawrence, here to give you a rundown of this week’s top stories on the Canadian biotech scene. Our first story this week takes us to Toronto, where Antibe Therapeutics Inc. reports it has signed an exclusive licensing and distribution agreement with a pharmaceutical company, Laboratories Acbel SA (Acbel), for its lead product ATB-346. ATB-346 is an anti-inflammatory drug, designed to spare the gastrointestinal tract of the ulcers and bleeding normally associated with NSAIDs. The agreement covers distribution in Greece, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Algeria and Jordan. Antibe will receive an upfront, non-dilutive payment of $1.1 million, and is entitled to receive a 5 per cent royalty on net sales of ATB-346 in these countries. The agreement has a 30-year term with contemplated renewals thereafter. Acbel, through its affiliates and partners, is the largest seller of naproxen in this region, which represents approximately one per cent of the global market for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The global market for NSAIDs is in excess of US$12 billion (Evaluate Pharma). In a recent Phase 2 clinical trial, ATB-346 was found to be highly effective in reducing the pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Antibe says it will now initiate two larger Phase 2 double-blind trials: a placebo-controlled dose-ranging study to determine the go-to-market dose, and an active comparator trial to demonstrate superior GI safety. Antibe also has two other therapeutic candidates in development: ATB-352 and ATB-340. ATB-352 is a non-addictive analgesic for treating severe acute pain and ATB-340 is a GI-safe derivative of aspirin. Antibe intends to leverage data across its programs to secure licensing agreements whenever possible. In regulatory news Canada’s House of Commons has passed Bill S-201 (An Act to Prohibit and Prevent Genetic Discrimination in Canada), as it was presented, by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Wednesday March 8, 2017. According to Bev Heim-Myers, chair of the Coalition for Genetic Fairness and CEO of the Huntington Society of Canada (HSC), while the Bill will still have to go to the Senate, all indications point to it being fully supported. Heim-Myers adds that Canada has finally caught up to other western jurisdictions in regards to protection of genetic information and Canadian legislation has caught up to science. Since the Genome Project was launched in the early 1990s, Canada had been the only G7 country that had not taken steps to prevent genetic discrimination. With this decision, this changes. Qu Biologics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs) that aim to “reboot” the body’s innate immune system, has reported positive genetic analyses of their recently completed Phase 2 clinical studies in Crohn’s Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). These findings suggest that, for the first time in the field of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), personalized medicine and the application of genetic testing may identify patients highly likely to respond and go into remission with treatment. The analyses identified common IBD-related genotypes with a high likelihood of response to SSI, suggesting that genetic testing may identify a large subset of CD patients (representing approximately 60% of the CD population) with a greater than 80% likelihood of responding to QBECO treatment, the large majority of which achieved remission on SSI treatment. Dr. Hal Gunn, CEO of Qu Biologics, stated, “We are very excited about the possibility of identifying CD and UC patients highly likely to respond to SSI treatment, which would substantially de-risk future trials and be an important advance for patients who currently face the uncertainty of knowing whether current immunosuppressive IBD treatments, which can be associated with significant side effects, will work for them or not.” Dr. Shirin Kalyan, Qu’s Director of Scientific Innovation, added, “Unlike current IBD treatments that suppress immune function, we believe that SSIs, which restore innate immune function, treat the underlying cause of IBD. Consequently, unlike other treatments, we were able to identify IBD-related genotypes highly responsive to SSI therapy. It is exciting that the genotypes correlated with SSI response are highly relevant to SSIs’ mechanism of action.” Based on the promising results of Qu Biologics’ recently completed Phase 2 study in CD, a follow-on Phase 2 study in moderate to severe CD is planned to confirm these findings. Study initiation is anticipated in late 2017. If the genetic analysis results are confirmed in follow-on studies, Qu Biologics’ QBECO SSI has the potential to become first-line therapy for a majority of IBD patients. In funding news, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) is providing TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario with up to $1.32 million to deliver on a new incubation program, called BURST, which will provide 30 innovative technology entrepreneurs in southwestern Ontario with mentoring and business guidance, seed funding, exposure to potential investors and access to a dedicated working space in Western University's Discovery Park. As entrepreneurs establish and grow their businesses with help from this program, it is expected that up to 45 new full-time jobs will be created. Building on London's history of innovation in health sciences, a unique partnership with the London Medical Network will also be established to help eligible medical technology companies receive funding. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario. In Hamilton, ON, McMaster University researchers say they have found a new way to treat the world’s worst infectious diseases, the superbugs that are resistant to all known antibiotics. The McMaster team published their findings in the journal Nature Microbiology last week. Eric Brown, senior author of the paper, a professor of biochemistry and biomedical science at McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and a scientist of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for infectious Disease Research says his team looked for compounds that would mess with these antibiotic resistant bacteria, focusing on Gram-negative bacteria which are resistant to all antibiotics including last resort drugs, such as colistin, and lead to pneumonia, wound or surgical site and bloodstream infections, as well as meningitis in healthcare settings. Brown explains that Gram-negative bacteria have an intrinsically impenetrable outer shell that is a barrier to many otherwise effective antibiotics, and this makes these infections deadly, particularly in hospital settings. His team tested a collection of 1,440 off-patent drugs in search of one that might compromise that barrier in the superbugs. “These pathogens are really hard nuts to crack, but we found a molecule that shreds that shell and allows antibiotics to enter and be effective,” Brown said. The scientists discovered the antiprotozoal drug pentamidine disrupts the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria, even the most resistant. The anti-fungal medication was particularly potent when used with antibiotics against multidrug resistant bacteria. Moreover, Pentamidine, when used with other antibiotics, was found to be particularly effective against two of the three pathogens which the WHO has identified as having the most critical priority for development of new antibiotics. Those were Acinetobacter baumannii and the enterobacteriaceae. The combo therapy also had some impact on the third most critical bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa according to Brown. Brown continued saying These discoveries were found to be effective in the lab and in mice, but more work is needed to offset potential side effects and ensure human safety. Brown adds that his lab is continuing to test more compounds as well. “One of the things we want to pursue further is why this is working so well,” he said. The study was supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Cystic Fibrosis Canada, among others. http://bit.ly/2m3hZq2   In our final story , a group of Canadian Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Leaders have announced that they are Joining Forces to Advance Canada’s Position in the Field, with the launch late last week of a new national group called the Regenerative Medicine Alliance of Canada. The founding members include: CCRM; The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD); CellCan; Medicine by Design; Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine; ThéCell; Canadian Stem Cell Foundation, and Stem Cell Network. The goal of this new Regenerative Medicine Alliance of Canada or (RMAC) will be to advance Canada’s stem cell science and regenerative medicine sector by aligning national activity in the field. Its members say they plan to work collaboratively to share information and identify strategies that will benefit the growth of Canada’s regenerative medice expertise. The initial concept for this alliance was conceived by members of the regenerative medicine community during a workshop on the state of regenerative medicine in Canada. The workshop was held by the Council of Canadian Academies in 2016. Their newly released report notes the importance of strategic coordination amongst the stem cell and regenerative medicine community. Bolstering and aligning programs, training, policy and communication will also be central themes addressed by RMAC. According to the Alliance, With the global market for regenerative medicine iexpected to exceed US$49 billion by 2021, the need to keep Canada well positioned to compete by moving its innovative treatments and therapies out of the lab and into the clinic has never been greater. Countries around the world, including the U.S., Japan and the U.K., have already taken bold steps through investment and regulatory modernization to capture a significant piece of the market. RMAC will serve as a mechanism to support strategic activity across the regenerative medicine sector in Canada. The RMAC will act voluntary organization comprised of national, provincial and regional organizations. All members have mandates relevant to stem cell research and/or regenerative medicine. Well that wraps up another episode of the Biotechnology Focus Podcast. We hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to let us know what you think, and we’re also always looking for story ideas and suggestions for future shows, and of course we’d love to hear from you as well, simply reach out to us via twitter @biotechfocus, or by email at the following email address press@promotivemedia.ca. And

Part 1: As a grad student, Liz Neeley falls in love with the order of science, but when she heads into the field, she’s forced to confront messy reality. Part 2: Criminologist Heith Copes gets close to his subjects when he studies meth users in rural Alabama. Liz Neeley is the executive director of The Story Collider. She is a lapsed marine biologist who will always name her printers after fish. For the past decade, she has been helping researchers around the world understand the science of science communication and find the courage to tell more stories about their work. She is a member of the advisory boards of Ensia Magazine and the CommLab at MIT. Heith Copes, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Justice Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has served as the President of the Southern Criminal Justice Association and has been a visiting professor at the University of Oslo, University of South Wales, Aalborg University, and the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at Aarhus University. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Tennessee in 2001. He is currently working with Jared Ragland on a photo-ethnography in rural Alabama. The project entails interviews, observations, and visual methods to document the lives of people who use methamphetamine in Marshall County, Alabama. Heith Copes's story was produced as part of a partnership with Springer Storytellers. Find out more about Heith and his work on the Before the Abstract website: http://www.beforetheabstract.com/2017/03/01/caught-being-stupid/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two new biotech companies launched, TO Health! launches a new online health hub, and Government flexes its financial muscle backing science initiatives across the nation. We have this and more on this week’s show! Welcome to Biotechnology Focus Podcast. I’m your host Shawn Lawrence. Story 1 We kick things of this week in Toronto, where TO Health!, an industry led cluster organization has launched a new online networking site, the Toronto Health Hub (engage.tohealth.ca).  According to the organization, the new Hub will showcase news and events in the burgeoning Human Health & Sciences (HHS) cluster in Toronto, as well as provide a centralized place for government, business and academia to engage around critical topics pertaining to the region.  The new platform coincides with organization’s mandate to make Toronto a Top 5 global health science cluster within the next 10 years. Toronto Health Hub is powered by the content sharing publishing platform Pressly, which was developed by a Toronto based start-up Pressly Inc..  The platform has helped companies like Deloitte and The Economist to foster more meaningful conversations and content sharing amongst a broad community of stakeholders and innovators. The Toronto region’s Human Health Science cluster is home to the largest geographic concentration of health sciences assets in Canada, with more than 38,000 jobs and includes private and public sector organizations and ventures including biopharma, medical and digital health companies, universities, hospitals, research institutes, innovation organizations, service providers and government agencies.  All parties are invited and encouraged to engage on this new community building site. For more information about the Toronto Health Hub and to join the community, visit http://engage.tohealth.ca. Story 2 Heading to the prairies, The University of Saskatchewan recently marked the official launch of its unique Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre (P2IRC) with an international symposium and demonstration of new drone technology to be used in novel crop development approaches. The creation of the P2IRC stems from a $37.2-million award over seven years from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) for the research program “Designing Crops for Global Food Security”—one of only five CFREF grants awarded across Canada last year in the inaugural competition. The new centre will not only enhance the U of S biosciences cluster—but also capitalize on one of the largest clusters of food-related researchers in the world.” The P2IRC is led by Maurice Moloney, executive-director of the university’s Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), who has been building a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from across the U of S campus and from other Canadian universities and centres. He hopes to create by the year 2022 a unique global resource for plant breeders seeking to develop new crop varieties at unprecedented speed and scale at the centre. At the same time, hopes are the centre will sustain Canada’s positon global powerhouse in agricultural research and lead to commercial spin-offs involving field and aerial sensors, satellite imaging, robotics, and big data analytics. Moloney noted the P2IRC is unique in that it combines plant genomics with crop phenotyping (the identification of useful traits), high-performance computing, and digital imaging technology, as well as undertakes research to address societal and developing world impacts. Research projects in four theme areas have already undergone rigorous international peer review involving an eight-member International Scientific Advisory Committee that included experts from Australia, Germany, France, and the U.K., several of whom participated in the symposium signaling the launch of the centre. The new centre also involves partnerships with four Canadian universities, three international institutes, and more than 15 private and public organizations, including the National Research Council and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Story 3 In funding news, The National Research Council’s-Industry Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) has awarded Vancouver Aspect Biosystems Ltd. $450,000 in grant funding to help the company further advance the development of its Lab-on- a-Printer™ platform technology and associated 3D bioprinted tissue applications. According to Tamer Mohamed, president and CEO of Aspect, the Canadian government-sponsored program has been very supportive of the company’s ongoing research and development efforts and the new funding will assist Aspect Biosystem in strategically deploying its unique platform to world-class research labs. Founded in 2013 as a collaboration between two research groups based in the departments of Engineering and Medicine at UBC, Aspect Biosystems’ platform enables advances in fundamental biological research, drug development through novel pre-clinical models, and regenerative medicine through the use of its 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering technology. The project funding arrives as the company prepares to launch its Early Platform Access Program and expand its partnerships. Story 4 A few months ago we mentioned on this show that AmorChem, an early-stage life sciences fund managed by Montréal-based venture capital firm GeneChem, was planning on launching a new company. Well, this past week the fund made good on its promise spinning out Mperia Therapeutics, focused on the development a novel immunotherapy approach based on CD36 cell receptor drug-ligands. As part of the company launch, AmorChem has transferred all rights to a CD36 technology to Mperia, and backed the company with a Series A investment of $1M. The capital will allow Mperia to pursue the early-stage development of lead candidates for the treatment of dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The technology itself is the result of almost 20 years of research conducted by Dr. Huy Ong and his collaborators at the Université de Montréal, where the CD36 scavenger receptor has been shown to play a key role in the clearance of oxidized lipids, and more recently, in chronic inflammation. Promising CD36 drug-ligands have been tested in several dry AMD animal models and demonstrated significant efficacy to preserve and restore cell layers at both the retinal and subretinal levels. Dry AMD represents almost 90 per cent of all AMD cases, with five million patients affected by the disease in North America and Europe. It remains an unmet medical need with no approved treatments or cure for this disease indication. With the spinning off of this technology into Mperia and a first seed financing, AmorChem believes the company is poised to raise more capital and bring the first CD36 drug-ligand to the clinic in a near future. Additionally, ipon creation of Mperia Therapeutics, AmorChem appointed Dr. Maxime Ranger as the company’s new president and CEO, and Dr. Huy Ong as its chief scientific officer. A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Ranger has been entrepreneur-in- residence at Univalor for several months, in addition to ensuring the supervision of Dr Ong’s CD36 research project. In such context, Dr Ranger will thus lead Mperia in steps towards clinical proof-of- concept of its first product and its next fundraising. Likewise As CSO of the company, Dr Ong adds significant scientific value as a prominent investigator in the field of CD36 receptor biology. Story 5 Across the country, in British Columbia, to mark World Sepsis Day on September 13, the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) also has launched a new spin-off company, called Sepset Biosciences Inc. The choice to do it on World Sepsis day was no accident, as the new company is developing a novel rapid diagnostic test that will aid healthcare professionals in providing earlier and more targeted treatment of sepsis – a global healthcare problem that is more common than heart attack and claims more lives than any cancer. Sepset’s technology, which is based on extensive  work led by renowned University of British Columbia (UBC) researcher Dr. Robert Hancock, hopes to meet this dire clinical need as current methods to diagnose sepsis take more than 24 hours after a patient enters the emergency ward – by which time, the patient may already be well on their way towards tissue damage, organ failure, and death. For every three-hour delay in diagnosis, the rate of mortality and morbidity grows by almost 25 per cent. Dr. Hancock, a professor of Microbiology and Immunology and the director of the Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research at UBC, explains, the new company hopes to change the way scientists and health care professionals look at sepsis. Sepset’s blood-based test works by detecting, at the time a patient enters the hospital, a unique biomarker signature based on the body’s immune response rather than the presence of a pathogen. Dr. Hancock adds that the results of initial clinical studies show it to be a very promising approach and he and his team are now in the process of advancing to larger multi-centre, multi-country trials. Story 6 In a major funding commitment, Kirsty Duncan, Canada’s Science Minister announced that the federal government will invest $900 million towards research efforts at 13 postsecondary institutions across Canada through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. Among the biggest recipients are the Université de Montréal, McGill University, Polytechnique Montréal, and HEC Montréal who together received $213 million to be split between three projects related to research in artificial intelligence, brain health, and medical technologies. According to a release, Polytechnique Montréal will use its hospital’s infrastructure to shape future medical technologies for complex diseases, while McGill’s Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives project will establish a central hub to work on projects to improve brain health in Canada. Two of the other more larger grant recipients included Dalhousie University, which is getting $93 million for its Safe and Sustainable Development of the Ocean Frontier to develop Canada’s oceans, and the University of Waterloo which is receiving $72 million for Transform Quantum Technologies, an initiative for advancing its work in developing quantum technologies. Additionally, the University of Saskatchewen is receiving $77.84 million for World Water Futures: Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change, while the University of Guelph is receiving approximately $76.6 million for Food from Thought: Agricultural Systems for a Healthy Planet. Rounding out the list is the University of Alberta, getting $75 million for the Future Energy Systems Research Institute, the University of Calgary getting $75 million for the Global Research Initiative in Sustainable Low Carbon Unconventional Resources, Western University getting $66 million for BrainsCAN: Brain health for life, $63.744 million to Queen’s University for the Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Centre, $49.2 million going to Laurentian Universtiy for Metal Earth and York University receiving $33.3 million for Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA). An interesting side note, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund was actually established by the Harper Conservatives in the 2014 budget to help support research on big ideas and big themes. The funding is allocated on a competitive basis with researchers applying to an arms-length selection board. Story 7 Our final story of the week is also a funding announcement. Backed by the Federal Government, Genome Canada says it is investing $4 million in 16 new bioinformatics and computational biology (B/CB) research projects to be conducted at academic institutions across Canada. The investments are being made through Genome Canada’s 2015 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Competition, a partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Development, Karina Gould  made the funding announcement on behalf of Science Minister Kristy Duncan at McMaster University. At the press conference, Gould highlighted the work of McMaster University’s Dr. Andrew McArthur, who is a co-leader on two B/CB projects looking to develop new software and database tools that will empower public health agencies and the agri-food sector to more rapidly respond to threats posed by infectious disease outbreaks such as, food-borne illnesses or the growing crisis of microbes resistant to antimicrobials. Additionally Marc LePage, president and CEO of Genome Canada highlighted the importance of the 16 projects and harnessing the power of genomics and the big data it provides researchers across multiple sectors. He cited Bioinformatics and computation biology as a priority area for Genome Canada given the growing need for enhanced tools and methodologies to make sense of the huge and growing influx of data stemming from genomics research. Some of the other projects in this funding round will enhance diagnosis and treatment for patients, improve crops of importance to Canada and strengthen environmental monitoring. Each project will receive approximately $250,000.  A full backgrounder of the 16 projects is available at www.genomecanada.ca/sites/genomecanada/files/2015_bcb-backgrounder- en.pdf. With that we’ve come to the end of this week’s program. We hope you enjoyed it. A big thanks to our production manager Laskey Hart and the rest of the Biotechnology Focus team. You can find past episodes online at www.biotechnologyfocus.ca and we’re always looking for your feedback, story ideas and suggestions so we’d love to hear from you. Simply reach out to us on twitter: @BiotechFocus or by email biotechnology_focus@promotive.net. For all of us here at Biotechnology Focus, thank you for listening.

Read the full story with photos at: https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/globalnews/2014/0716_01.html In 1983, Dr. Youichi Yabuuchi was appointed head of research and development for new drugs at Otsuka Pharmaceutical. During that same period, researchers from South Korea’s Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. were first welcomed as interns at Otsuka under the guidance of president Akihiko Otsuka. Importance of Japan/South Korean relationship Five researchers studied at Otsuka up to 1991 including Mr. Won-Bae Kim, who is now the therapeutic division vice chairman of Dong-A, and also Mr. Young-Moon Choi, who is now with the US FDA. This was the beginning of Otsuka’s association with Korean pharmaceutical companies. A total of 27 researchers studied in Japan over five years from 1991, honing the drug-development capabilities of Korean companies through the introduction of Korea Drug Research Association (KDRA). Almost all KDRA members are company presidents or lab directors who are at the forefront of wide-ranging new drug development initiatives in South Korea. In addition to providing advanced technological tutelage for promoting new drug development in South Korea, Otsuka also strived to encourage cultural exchanges for building stronger ties between the two countries. Otsuka’s efforts helped lay the foundations for active new drug research and development in South Korea. The presentation of the appreciation plaque to Dr. Yabuuchi is based on this background. We hope that this ongoing relationship will contribute even more strongly to the advancement of pharmaceuticals research and the industry as a whole in both countries. “In the long run, it is vital that a company expands at a steady pace in keeping with the realities it must contend with,” said Dr. Yoichi Yabuuchi when he accepted the appreciation plaque.

An-Dinh Nguyen interviews Hugo Geerts of In Silico Biosciences and University of Pennsylvania on February 7, 2014. Dr. Geerts will be a speaker during the Systems Pharmacology conference at Bio-IT World Conference & Expo 2014, April 29-May 1 in Boston, MA. Topics include the limitations of translating outcomes from models for clinical utility, the application of computer-based methods to pharmaceutical R&D to improve predictability of clinical trials, the complexities of researching and developing drug therapies for the central nervous system and more.

New Drugs

Professor Martin Rossor talks about research into pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer's dementia.

Transcript -- Professor Martin Rossor talks about research into pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer's dementia.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Matthew W. Johnson, PhD It used to be common for researchers to study the potential medicinal uses for hallucinogenic drugs, including psilocybin, ecstasy, and LSD; however, the 60's left a blemish on legitimate research and it grinded to a halt. Host Dr. Leslie Lundt welcomes Dr. Matthew Johnson, a psychopharmacologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who is studying psychoactive drug effects in human participants.

(NASDAQ: DMPI), DelMar Pharmaceuticals, VAL-083, MGMT,

Hi everyone! Pharmaceutical research has played a huge role in improving the quality and length of human lives for many, many years. It has led to numerous breakthrough medicines… and the discovery of vaccines that can effectively help prevent terrible, often fatal diseases, including COVID-19, the virus responsible for the pandemic that begin early in 2020.In Part of 1 of this two-part series, we're going to focus on how pharmaceutical research has changed over the past few decades. This includes gaining a better perspective on some of the many things involved in drug development and bringing a drug to the marketplace. Maybe even more importantly, we'll learn about some of the many countries and continents whose residents now participate in this research. And, believe me, that number is growing!To help us with all that, we've brought on an expert on this topic. He's Andrew Hall.Andrew Hall is the Chief Executive Officer at IMV Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on a promising new avenue of cancer treatment: Immune Oncology.Prior to joining IMV, Andrew spent more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry leading clinical and commercial strategy in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific. Throughout his career, Andrew has been a part of many successful product launches, and just as many product failures, so he brings insight into the complexity of drug development and what it takes to take what we know as a drug all the way from discovery to the pharmacy shelves. Originally from Melbourne Australia, Andrew has lived in the United States for over 12 years. He now lives in the state of NJ.** If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to tell your family, friends, and other members of YOUR network about it… and encourage them to listen to it, too. Also, please give it a "like" and/or a good review.Looking Forward is THE podcast about global trends, opportunities, and the future, and how YOU might capitalize on those: Think... jobs, careers, business start-ups, ventures, investments, life enrichment.Guests are experts in their field, and most are C-suite executives, household names, authors, and/or from prestigious universities or similar organizations.Looking Forward is a great source for media outlets, podcast producers, telecom companies, audio publishers, etc. to include as part of their content. To discuss revenue-sharing opportunities to distribute our content-- which can be customized and reformatted to meet your needs and those of your target audience-- please contact us at www.jeff-ostroff.comLooking Forward also offers a smart and affordable way for advertisers to promote their products or services, especially given its positive spin and informative, entertaining, and wholesome content.For more information, please contact www.jeff-ostroff.com