Podcasts about experimental therapeutics

On April 10th (I said April 4th, but it was the 10th), 2025 we spoke with Punam Pokam about the molecular mechanisms that control osmotic balance of neurons and glia, and their changes after brain injury. She also explained the pathological membrane potential changes and ionic currents that are associated with injury and their relation to cell swelling.Guest:Punam Pokam, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M School of MedicineHostCharles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSAThanks to James Tepper for original music

Welcome back! Today, we're diving into an exciting new compound called SLU PP332, or "Slupp," which has the potential to mimic the benefits of exercise at a cellular level, even when you're not physically active. Tara shares her personal journey with Slupp emphasizing its role as a possible enhancement to exercise rather than a replacement. She discusses the groundbreaking research on Sloop, highlighting its effects on energy production, fat metabolism, and overall metabolic health. With insights from her own experience and feedback from friends and clients, she provides a comprehensive overview of how this compound could be a game-changer in optimizing health and fitness. Tune in to learn more about Slupp and its implications for those looking to maximize their wellness journey.Takeaways: The synthetic compound Slupp mimics exercise benefits at the cellular level without actual physical activity. Slupp acts as an agonist for estrogen-related receptors, enhancing energy production and fat metabolism. Research on Slupp shows significant fat loss and improved metabolic health in mice, although human studies are pending. Using Slupp can enhance workout results and serve as a safety net when unable to exercise. While Slupp is promising, it is essential to consult with healthcare practitioners before use. The compound shows potential in improving endurance and cognitive clarity during physical activities. West Wellness and Longevity LinksAre you ready to make change but don't know where to start. Book a free 30 min consultation here.https://www.westwellnessatx.com/get-started Have questions? Feel free to reach out to me at: tarawest@westwellnessatx.com Follow me on instagram @westwellnessatxSLU-PP-332 Research Links:Exercise-Mimicking Drug Sheds Weight, Boosts Muscle Activity in Mice: This article from the University of Florida News discusses how SLU-PP-332 led to significant weight loss and enhanced endurance in obese mice. University of Florida NewsA Synthetic ERR Agonist Alleviates Metabolic Syndrome: Published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, this study explores how SLU-PP-332 improves metabolic parameters in mouse models of obesity and metabolic syndrome. NewswiseA Synthetic ERRα Agonist Induces an Acute Aerobic Exercise Response and Enhances Exercise Capacity: This preprint study details how SLU-PP-332 activates an aerobic exercise genetic program in skeletal muscle, enhancing exercise endurance in mice. BioRxiv

JCO PO author Dr. David R. Gandara at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, shares insights into his JCO PO article, “Plasma Proteome–Based Test for First-Line Treatment Selection in Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer,” one of the Top Articles of 2024. Host Dr. Rafeh Naqash and Dr. Gandara discuss how the PROphet® blood test supports first-line immunotherapy treatment decisions for metastatic NSCLC patients. TRANSCRIPT  Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Hello and welcome to JCO Precision Oncology Conversations where we bring you engaging conversations with authors of clinically relevant and highly significant JCOPO articles. I'm your host, Dr. Rafeh Naqash, Podcast Editor for JCO Precision Oncology and Assistant Professor at the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma.  Today, we are absolutely thrilled to be joined by Dr. David R. Gandara, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, Co-Director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Cancer and Senior Advisor to the Director at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and also the senior author of the JCO Precision Oncology article entitled “Plasma Proteome–Based Test for First-Line Treatment Selection in Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer.” This was one of the top performing articles of 2024, which is one of the reasons why we wanted to bring it in for a podcast discussion. At the time of this recording, our guest's disclosures will be linked in the transcript.  David, it is an absolute pleasure to have you today. For somebody like you who's led the field of lung cancer over the years, I'm really excited that you are going to be talking to us about this very interesting article, especially given that I think you're one of the big proponents of liquid biopsies and plasma-based testing. So, for the sake of our listeners - which comprises of academic oncologists, community oncologists, trainees - could you tell us where the biomarker landscape for non-small cell lung cancer is currently, and then we can try to take a deeper dive into this article. Dr. David Gandar: Okay. Well, thank you, Rafeh. It's a pleasure to be with you here today. And I think the current landscape for biomarkers for immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer is a mess. There's no better way to describe it. That makes this paper describing a new plasma proteomic assay even more important. So I'll just give you a perspective. There are 14 trials, phase three trials, that were done in first line non-small cell lung cancer advanced stage of immunotherapy versus chemotherapy and some other aspects, although they vary tremendously. Some of them were checkpoint monotherapy, some combined with chemotherapy, some combined with CTLA-4 inhibitors and so forth. 12 out of the 14 were positive, 12 got FDA approval. So there are 12 different options that an oncologist could use. Some of them were squamous cell only, some non-squamous, some used PD-L1 as a biomarker driven part of the study. Some used TMB, tumor mutational burden, some were agnostic. So when you put all of this together, an oncologist can pick and choose among all these various regimens. And by and large, it's PD-L1 that is the therapeutic decision maker.  ASCO actually, I think, has done the very best job of making a guideline, and it's, as you well know, called a living guideline, it's dynamic. And it is much easier to interpret, for me and I think for oncologists, than some of the other guidelines. It's got a green light and a red light, it may be kind of orange. And so the green light means this is a strong recommendation by the guideline committee. The orange means it's weak. For this purpose, non-small cell lung cancer, advanced stage, only a very few of the recommendations were green. It's mainly monotherapy and patients with cancers with a PD-L1 over 50%. In our surveys, at our meetings, less than 50% of oncologists in the United States are following these guidelines. Why? Because they don't trust the biomarker. And TMB has the same sort of limitations. They're not bad biomarkers, they're incomplete. They're only looking at a part of the story. So that means we need a new biomarker. And this is one that, I think, the data are quite impressive and we'll discuss it more. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Absolutely. Like you said, abundance of many therapy options, but not necessarily everything works the same in different subsets of PD-L1 positivity or different subsets of patients with different levels of tumor burden. And like you said, again, difficulty in trying to identify the right biomarker. And that's a nice segue to this PROphet test that you guys ran. So can you tell us a little bit about the plasma proteomic assay? Because to the best of my knowledge, there's not a lot of validated plasma proteomic assays. A lot has been done on the tumor tissue side as far as biomarkers are concerned, but not much on the blood side, except for maybe ctDNA MRD testing. So what was the background for trying to develop a plasma-based proteomic test? And then how did this idea of testing it in the lung cancer setting come into play? And then we can go into the patient population specifics, the cohort that you guys have. Dr. David Gandara: Okay. Well, of course there's a company behind this assay, it's called OncoHost, and I'm a consultant for them. And they came to me two years ago and they said, “We have something different from anyone else.” And they explained the science to me, as well as some other lung cancer experts here in the United States. I'm not a proteomic expert, of course, but they developed an AI machine learning platform to assess plasma proteins in normal people and in people with cancer, and specifically then in people with non-small cell lung cancer. They identified over 7,000 proteins that had cancer implications for therapy, for resistance, for prognosis, etc., and they categorized them based on the literature, TCGA data, etc., and used this machine learning process to figure out which proteins might be most specific for non-small cell lung cancer. And that's where they started. And so out of that 7,000 proteins, where they've identified which ones are angiogenic, which ones are involved with EMT or cell cycle or whatever it might be, they distilled it down to 388 proteins which they thought were worth testing in non-small cell lung cancer. And that's when I became involved.  They had a retrospective cohort of patients that had been treated with various immunotherapies. They looked at the analytic validation first, then applied it to this cohort. It looked good. Then they had a very large cohort, which they split, as you usually do with an assay, into a test set and then a validation set. For the test set, they wanted something more than a response. They wanted some indicator of long term benefit because that's where immunotherapy differentiates itself from chemotherapy and even targeted therapy. And so they picked PFS at 12 months. And I became involved at that point and it looked really good. I mean, if you look at the figures in the manuscript, the AUC is superb about their prediction and then what actually happened in the patient. And then in this paper, we applied it to a validation set of over 500 patients in a prospective trial, not randomized, it's called an observational trial. The investigator got to pick what they thought was the best therapy for that patient. And then in a blinded fashion, the proteomic assay experts did the analysis and applied it to the group.  And so what that means is some of the patients got chemotherapy alone, some got checkpoint immunotherapy monotherapy, some got in combination with chemotherapy. None of the patients in this study got a CTLA-4 inhibitor. That work is ongoing now. But what the study showed was that this assay can be used together with PD-L1 as what I would call a composite biomarker. You take the two together and it informs the oncologist about the meaning of that PD-L1. I'll give you an example. If that patient has a PD-L1 over 50% in their cancer and yet the PROphet test is negative, meaning less than 5 - it's a 0 to 10 scale - that patient for survival is better served by getting chemotherapy and immunotherapy. However, if the PROphet test is positive and the PD-L1 is over 50%, then the survival curves really look equivalent. As I said earlier, even in that group of patients, a lot of oncologists are reluctant to give them monotherapy. So if you have a test and the same sort of example is true for PD-L1 0, that you can differentiate. So this can really help inform the oncologist about what direction to go. And of course then you use your clinical judgment, you look at what you think of as the aggressiveness of the tumor or their liver metastases, etc. So again, that's how this test is being used for non-small cell lung cancer. And maybe I'll stop there and then I'll come back and add some other points. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: I definitely like your analogy of this therapy de-escalation strategy. Like you mentioned for PD-L1 high where the PROphet test is negative, then perhaps you could just go with immunotherapy alone. In fact, interestingly enough, I was invited to a talk at SITC a couple of weeks back and this exact figure that you're referring to was one of the figures in my slide deck. And it happened by chance that I realized that we were doing a podcast on the same paper today.  So I guess from a provocative question standpoint, when you look at the PD-L1 high cohort in the subset where you didn't see a survival difference for chemo plus immunotherapy versus immunotherapy alone, do you think any element of that could have been influenced by the degree of PD-L1 positivity above 50%? Meaning could there have been a cohort that is, let's say PD-L1 75 and above, and that kind of skews the data because I know you've published on this yourself also where the higher the PD-L1 above 50%, like 90% PD-L1 positivity survival curves are much better than 50% to 89%. So could that have somehow played a role? Dr. David Gandara: The first thing to say is that PD-L1 and the PROphet score, there's very little overlap. I know that sounds surprising, but it's also true for tumor mutational burden. There's very little overlap. They're measuring different things. The PD-L1 is measuring a specific regulatory protein that is applicable to some patients, but not all. That's why even in almost all of the studies, people with PD-L1 0 could still have some survival benefit. But in this case they're independent. And not in this paper, but in other work done by this group, the PROphet group, they've shown that the PROphet score does not seem to correlate with super high PD-L1. So it's not like the cemiplimab data where if you have a PD-L1 of greater than 90%, then of course the patient does spectacularly with monotherapy. The other thing that's important here is they had a group of around a little less than 100 patients that got chemotherapy alone. The PROphet score is agnostic to chemotherapy. And so that means that you're not just looking at some prognostic factor. It's actually clinical utility on a predictive basis. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: I think those are very important points. I was on a podcast a couple of days back. I think there's a theme these days we're trying to do for JCO Precision Oncology, we're trying to do a few biomarker based podcasts, and the most recent one that we did was using a tissue transcriptome with ctDNA MRD and you mentioned the composite of the PD-L1 and the PROphet test and they use a composite of the tissue transcriptome. I believe they called it the VIGex test as well as MRD ctDNA. And when your ctDNA was negative at, I believe, the three month mark, those individuals had the highest inflamed VIGex test or highest infiltration of T cells, STING pathway, etc. So are there any thoughts of trying to add or correlate tissue based biomarkers or ctDNA based correlations as a further validation in this research with the company? Dr. David Gandara: Right. So there are many things that are being looked at, various composites looking at the commutations that might affect the efficacy of immunotherapy and how they correlate with profit positivity or negativity. And I'll just give the examples of STK11 and KEAP1. As you know, there's some controversy about whether these are for immunotherapy, whether they're more prognostic or predictive. I'm one of the co-authors among many in the recently published Nature paper by Dr. Skoulidis and the group at MD Anderson which report that for KEAP1 positive especially, but also SDK11 mutated getting immunotherapy, that that's where the CTLA-4 inhibitors actually play the greatest role. So realizing that this is still controversial, there are preliminary data, not published yet, that'll be presented at an upcoming meeting, looking at many of these other aspects, P53, SCK11, KEAP1, other aspects, TMB, that's actually already published, I think in one of their papers. So yes, there's lots of opportunities.  The other cool thing is that this isn't a test, it's a platform. And so that means that the OncoHost scientists have already said, “What if we look at this test, the assay in a group of patients with small cell lung cancer?” And so I just presented this as a poster at the world conference in San Diego. And it turns out if you look at the biology of small cell, where neither PD-L1 nor TMB seem to be very important, if you look at the biology of small cell and you form an assay, it only shares 44 proteins out of the 388 with non-small cell. It's a different biology. And when we applied that to a group of patients with small cell lung cancer, again it had really pretty impressive results, although still a fairly small number of patients. So we have a big phase three study that we're doing with a pharmaceutical company developing immunotherapy where we are prospectively placing the PROphet test in a small cell trial.  The platform can also be altered for other cancer types. And at AACR, Dr. Jarushka Naidoo presented really impressive data that you can modify the proteins and you can predict immunotherapy side effects. So this is not like a company that says, “We have one test that's great for everything.” You know how some companies say, “Our test, you can use it for everything.” This company is saying we can alter the protein structures using AI machine learning assisted process to do it and we can have a very informed assay in different tumor types and different situations. So to me, it's really exciting. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Definitely to me, I think, combining the AI machine learning aspect with the possibility of finding or trying to find a composite biomarker using less invasive approaches such as plasma or blood, definitely checks a lot of boxes. And as you mentioned, trying to get it to prospective trials as an integral biomarker perhaps would be likely the next step. And hopefully we see some interesting, exciting results where we can try to match or stratify patients into optimal combination therapies based on this test.  So now to the next aspect of this discussion, David, which I'm really excited about. You've been a leader and a mentor to many. You've led ISLC and several other corporate group organizations, et cetera. Can you tell us, for the sake of all the listeners, junior investigators, trainees, what being a mentor has meant for you? How your career has started many years back and how it's evolved? And what are some of the things that you want to tell people for a successful and a more exciting career as you've led over the years? Dr. David Gandara: Well, thank you for the question. Mentoring is a very important part of my own career. I didn't have an institutional mentor when I was a junior investigator, but I had a lot of senior collaborators, very famous people that kind of took me under their wing and guided me. And I thought when I basically establish myself, I want to give back by being a mentor to other people. And you wouldn't believe the number of people that I'm even mentoring today. And some of them are not medical oncologists, they're surgeons, they're radiation oncologists, they're basic scientists. Because you don't have to be an expert in that person's field to be a mentor. It helps, but in other words, you can guide somebody in what are the decision making processes in your career. When is it time to move from this institution onward because you can't grow in the institution you're in, either because it's too big or it's too small? So I established a leadership academy in the Southwest Oncology Group, SWOG. I've led many mentoring courses, for instance, for ISLC, now for International Society Liquid Biopsy, where I'm the executive committee liaison for what's called The Young Committee. So ISLB Society, totally devoted to liquid biopsy, six years old now, we have a Young Committee that has a budget. They develop projects, they publish articles on their own, they do podcasts. So what I'm saying is those are all things that I think opens up opportunities. They're not waiting behind senior people, they are leading themselves.  We just, at our International Lung Cancer Congress, reestablished a fellows program where a group of fellows are invited to that Huntington beach meeting. It's now in its 25th year and we spend a day and a half with them, mentoring them on career building. I'll just give you my first, I have the “Letterman Top 10”. So my first recommendation is if all you have is lemons, make lemonade. And what I'm meaning is find what you can do at your institution if you're a junior person, what you can claim to be your own and make the very best of it. But then as you get further along in my recommendations, one of them is learn when to say ‘no'. Because as a junior investigator the biggest threat to your career is saying ‘yes' to everybody and then you become overwhelmed and you can't concentrate. So I'll stop there. But anyway, yes, mentoring is a big part of my life. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Well, thank you, David. This is definitely something that I'm going to try to apply to my career as well. And this has been an absolute pleasure, especially with all the insights that you provided, not just on the scientific side but also on the personal career side and the mentorship side. And hopefully we'll see more of this work that you and other investigators have led and collaborated on. perhaps more interesting plasma based biomarkers. And hopefully some of that work will find its home in JCO Precision Oncology. Thank you again for joining us today. Dr. David Gandara: My pleasure. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: And thank you for listening to JCO Precision Oncology Conversations. Don't forget to give us a rating or review and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find all ASCO shows at asco.org/podcasts.   The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions.  Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service organization, activity or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.   Dr. David Gandara Disclosures: Consulting or Advisory Role Company: Henlius USA, Foundation Medicine, Janssen Pharma, Merck & Co, Mirati Therapeutics, Regeneron, AstraZeneca, Guardant Health, Genentech, Exact Sciences  Research Funding Company: Amgen, Genentech, Astex Pharma  

In today's episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with David R. Gandara, MD, about biomarker testing in lung cancer. Dr Gandara is the chief medical officer of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy, the co-director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer, and the senior advisor to the director at the University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, and an adjunct clinical professor in the Translational and Clinical Research Program at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu.  In our exclusive interview, Dr Gandara discussed the optimal use of liquid biopsy for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the ins and outs of testing for KRAS mutations, and available treatment options for patients with KRAS-mutant NSCLC.

Today Dr. David LeMay steps in to co-host with Dr. Ken Ford for our interview with Dr. Charles Serhan. Charles is a Harvard professor best known for his discovery of specialized pro-resolving mediators. SPMs are molecules that can activate the natural resolution of inflammation and help people avoid anti-inflammatory drugs. The discovery of SPMs spurred a paradigm shift in our understanding of inflammation and human disease. Charles is the Simon Gelman Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and the director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He also is a co-director of the Brigham Research Institute. David, who was our guest on Episode 69 of STEM-Talk, is a sports medicine and rehabilitation physician with a Pensacola, Florida practice that focuses on lifestyle and performance medicine. He also is a visiting research scientist here at IHMC. Show notes [00:03:33] David opens the interview mentioning that Charles grew up in New York City with a passion for music. David explains that Charles learned to play the vibraphone in junior high and played professionally for a year before going to college. David asks Charles why he decided to pursue science instead of music. [00:04:22] Ken asks Charles what kind of vibraphone he plays. [00:06:02] Ken asks, aside from the desire to help people, if there was something particular about studying science that Charles really enjoyed. [00:06:45] David asks about Charles' experience at the State University of New York at Stonybrook studying biochemistry and immunohistochemistry. [00:07:16] David asks if there was any carry over of skills for Charles from his career in music to his career in science. [00:08:16] Ken mentions that after Charles earned his bachelor's degree, one of his professors persuaded him to go to New York University for a master's and Ph.D. Ken also mentions that at the time Charles worked in the lab of Gerald Wiseman at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory and asks about that experience. [00:12:37] David asks if this experience led Charles to a focus on neutrophil membrane remodeling for his Ph.D. [00:13:59] David asks Charles if it was at the Karolinska Institute where he met his future wife. [00:14:38] Ken asks Charles about one of his mentors, Michael Heidelberg, who gave Charles advice about how to be a good scientist. [00:17:13] David explains that in the 1990's Charles discovered Specialized Pro-Resolution Mediators and has since pioneered a new field on the utility of SPMs for a variety of inflammatory diseases. [00:25:01] Ken backs up to ask Charles what drew him to study inflammation in the first place and how that led him to do more research on the subject than any other scientist. [00:26:26] David asks Charles to touch on some different types of inflammation that the body experiences. [00:35:12] Ken asks Charles about how a trip to Asia during which he developed a hole in his intestines, resulted in first-hand experience on the importance of controlling inflammation. [00:41:00] David asks if Charles was taking any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications when he developed peritonitis. [00:41:53] David asks Charles to explain what non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications do to the healing process. [00:45:35] David brings up a recent discovery in animal models that as animals age, their ability to produce resolution mediators declines, possibly contributing to the loss of muscle mass with age. [00:48:09] Ken asks Charles to talk about the explosion of research into the potential therapeutic applications of SPMs in the treatment of a variety of chronic diseases known to be driven in part by chronic inflammation. [00:51:06] David asks Charles to explain the differences between resolvins, protectins, and maresins, as well as what role each plays in the healing process. [00:56:04] Ken mentions a review article that Charl...

In this podcast episode covering the “HemOnc Pulse” Live meeting in Chicago, an expert panel explores unanswered questions in managing diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The panelists included Grzegorz Nowakowski, MD, a Professor of Oncology and Medicine in the Division of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic; Jane Winter, MD, a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; and Alan Skarbnik, MD, Director of the Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Program and of Experimental Therapeutics, Malignant Hematology at Novant Health.

Recorded at the first “HemOnc Pulse” annual meeting, this podcast episode features a panel discussion on unanswered questions in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with Elias Jabbour, MD, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Shira Dinner, MD, an Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology) at Northwestern Medicine; Sanam Loghavi, MD, an Associate Professor of Pathology at MD Anderson Cancer Center; and Wendy Stock, MD, Co-Leader of the Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics research program at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“The HemOnc Pulse” goes on the road to Chicago May 3-4 with host Chadi Nabhan, MD, MBA, FACP, for the first live meeting. This podcast episode features a panel discussion on unanswered questions in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy with Caron Jacobson, MD, MMSc, Medical Director of the Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Michael Bishop, MD, FACP, FASCO, Director of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Program at the University of Chicago; Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, a Professor in the Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division at the Translational Research Institute, an affiliate of the City of Hope Cancer Center; and Alan Skarbnik, MD, Director of the Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Program and Director of Experimental Therapeutics, Malignant Hematology at Novant Health.

An opportunity to detect pancreatic cancer at stages where early intervention can greatly extend life and even make cure possible seems to be on offer, according to findings from a study of a new liquid biopsy method based on so-called exosomes: subcellular molecules shed into the circulation by cancer cells. At the AACR Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego, Peter Goodwin talked with Ajay Goel, PhD, AGAF, senior author of the study and Chair of the Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics in the Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope in Los Angeles.

Dr. Alan R. Saltiel is Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, Maryam Ahmadian Endowed Chair in Metabolic Health, Director of the Institute for Diabetes and Metabolic Health at UC, San Diego, and Director of the UCSD/UCLA Diabetes Research Center. Alan studies how cells that are involved in metabolism decide to take up and store energy, burn energy, or release energy for other cells to use in response to hormones, nutritional cues, and metabolic stress. He is particularly interested in studying cells in liver and fat tissues and better understanding the pathways involved in controlling the metabolic activities of these cells. When he's not working, Alan enjoys exercise and physical activity, including tennis and occasionally basketball. He also likes to read fiction and non-fiction, spend time with friends and family, and experiment with cooking Mediterranean cuisine. He received his bachelor's degree in zoology from Duke University, and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Wellcome Research Laboratories. Alan served on the faculty at Rockefeller University before joining Parke Davis Pharmaceutical Research in 1990, where he remained until 2001 when he accepted a position at the University of Michigan. He transitioned to his current positions in 2015. Alan has received numerous awards and honors, including the Rosalyn Yalow Research and Development Award from the American Diabetes Association; the Hirschl Award from Hirschl Trust; the John Jacob Abel, Goodman and Gilman, and Pharmacia-ASPET Awards from the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and he was named a Fellow of the Society in 2022. In addition, Alan is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an elected Member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and an elected Member of the National Academy of Medicine. In this interview, Alan shares more about his life and science.

Jo Ellen Rodgers, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP, FCCP, FHFSA, FAHA, CPP, is Professor and Vice Chair of Professional Education and Practice for the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She was also the recipient of the 2022 ACCP Cardiology PRN Lifetime Achievement Award.Dr. Rodgers has always been a joy to talk to and you'll see why on this episode. We talk about how her clinical practice drives her research and teaching in academia and how she transitioned from UNC Medical Center's acute care cardiology to ambulatory care cardio-oncology. As with any career, even those awarded lifetime achievement awards, there can be barriers to overcome and we talk through what those were for her and how your work life impacts your personal life and vice versa. We packed a lot into this episode and it's one you won't want to miss!

Progress in esophageal cancer is forging ahead at Columbia University in New York. Brian Henick, MD, is a medical oncologist specializing in the care of patients with malignancies of the aerodigestive tract. As Associate Director of Experimental Therapeutics and Director of Translational Research in Aerodigestive Cancers in Medical Oncology, Henick is involved in a wide range of studies at Columbia. Oncology Times correspondent Peter Goodwin recently had the opportunity to ask Henick about new therapy approaches for esophageal cancer, in particular molecular mechanisms and immunotherapies.

Dr. Namandjé Bumpus, Ph.D. is U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Chief Scientist ( https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-organization/namandje-bumpus ). The Office of the Chief Scientist supports the research foundation, science, and innovation that underpins the FDA's regulatory mission. It does this through a broad framework that encompasses scientific collaborations, laboratory safety, the transfer of FDA inventions to the private sector, scientific integrity in FDA policy- and decision-making, the professional development of regulatory scientists, and its core research component—the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research—which generates the vital data that the FDA requires for its regulatory decision-making and development of sound regulatory policy. Before joining the FDA, Dr. Bumpus was the E.K. Marshall and Thomas H. Maren Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She served previously as associate dean for basic research in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Bumpus' research has focused on drug metabolism, pharmacogenetics, bioanalytical chemistry, and infectious disease pharmacology. Dr. Bumpus joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins in 2010 as an assistant professor. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Occidental College in 2003, a doctorate in pharmacology at the University of Michigan in 2007 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular and experimental medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA in 2010. Dr. Bumpus currently serves as president-elect of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. She previously served as chair of the NIH Xenobiotic and Nutrient Disposition and Action study section. Her many honors include the Leon I. Goldberg Award from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the James Gillette Award from the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics, the John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on early career scientists and engineers. Dr. Bumpus is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She became a Member of the National Academy of Medicine, Class of 2022, one of the highest honors in the fields of health, science and medicine. Support the show

In this behind-the-scenes interview we talk with Dr. Maria T Rivera-Garcia about her research investigating the effects of CBD-rich whole plant extract vapor on pain and opioid reward seeking behavior in female rats in a study titled, "High-CBD Cannabis Vapor Attenuates Opioid Reward and Partially Modulates Nociception in Female Rats". While on the surface this may seem like a simple study about how CBD influences opioid use - there is actually a lot more going on here. First of all this study utilized female rodents, which is very uncommon. The vast majority of preclinical rodent research uses male rodents almost exclusively due to reasons we unpack during the episode. This has led to a gross under-representation of sex differences in biomedical research. Second, Maria and colleagues decided to utilize the vapor of whole plant CBD-rich Cannabis extract rather than using CBD isolate that is often diluted and injected, ultimately leading to results that do not accurately reflect real-world situations. Together, these two decisions point to a common theme that is woven into this research study - scientists need to focus on doing research that better represents the real world. The results from this study are fascinating, so get your notebook ready and let's dive in! Link to the study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772392522000451 About Maria: Maria Teresa Rivera-Garcia has a major in psychology and a minor in neuroscience from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she started defining her academic interests towards the study of neurobiological mechanisms of addiction. After undergrad, Maria did a Master and a PhD in Neuropharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, her research focused on the neurochemical effects of solvent inhalation and its relation with the development of psychosis. Maria moved to the US in 2016 to pursue her postdoctoral training in the Oregon and Health and Science University, studying sex and age differences in dopaminergic function and how this is related to psychiatric illnesses, including addiction. In 2020, Maria joined Legacy Research Institute to complete her second postdoctoral stay under the guidance of Dr. Adie R. Wilson-Poe, where she studied the pharmacological interaction between opioids and cannabinoids in pain-oriented models. Recently, Maria got accredited as Qualified Mental Health Provider and became a member of the Cascadia Health clinicians team, currently providing services within the Child and Family Program. #CannabisEducation #CBD #CBDOil #WholePlantExtract #WholePlant #FullSpectrum #BroadSpectrum #Hemp #HempExtract #MedicalCannabis #Addiction #MentalHealth #Opioids #CuriousAboutCannabis

For individuals with treatment-resistant depression, ketamine can be an effective fast-acting alternative to conventional antidepressants. It has been hypothesized that it partly exerts its antidepressant effects by modulating the opioid system. In this podcast, Dr. Brandi Quintanilla discusses her study that explored baseline plasma levels of κ-opioid and dynorphin peptides and changes after ketamine infusion. Participants in this randomized trial included individuals with major depressive disorder and healthy volunteers. The results suggest that κ-opioid and dynorphin levels in plasma may not be a major underlying mechanisms of ketamine's therapeutic effects or its dissociative adverse effects. The study, however, may have been underpowered to detect effects, and additional research is needed. Dr. Quintanilla is a psychiatry resident at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and a special research volunteer in the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch of the National Institute of mental health. The article by Dr. Quintanilla and colleagues is published in the March-April 2023 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

A Cure in Sight is joined by Dr. Richard Carvajal for a medical webinar-style discussion on:  - how to understand the data behind a clinical trial? - What the decision making process can look like for managing surveillance, ahead of metastatic discovery, or after and what components go into that process? - Recommended scan protocol from uveal melanoma oncology teams and how they differ and why   Come prepared with questions and an enlightening and empowering discussion.   A little about Dr. Carvajal:  "Richard D. Carvajal, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where he serves as both Director of Experimental Therapeutics and Director of the Melanoma Service within the  Division of Hematology/Oncology. He serves as Co-Leader of the Precision Oncology and Systems Biology Program within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Carvajal's research is focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with melanoma [including uveal melanoma] and other cancers, with the overall objective of controlling and curing these diseases." ANNOUNCEMENTS: EYE GIVE for Giving Tuesday is open for registration! FB fundraising is currently down for all non-profits--help us out by joining the "Eye Give" movement through this link! Steps for Sight Registration is coming! Subscribe to the newsletter to stay in the know!   Email contact@acureinsight.org for questions regarding any upcoming events! ********* Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM! *A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. Contribute via  PAYPAL OR VENMO or reach out directly to contact@acureinsight.org  The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. Castle Biosciences is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors.  This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Page Fronczek.

Season 3 Episode 15- Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, Pankit Vachhani, MDOn the Season 3 finale we sit down with Dr. Pankit Vachhani to discuss myeloproliferative neoplasms and specifically myelofibrosis. Dr. Vachhani is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Associate Scientist of Experimental Therapeutics. A graduate of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar in 2012, Dr. Vachhani went on to complete his internal medicine residency at Virginia Commonwealth University, followed by a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY.                                             At UAB, he is involved in various clinical trials as a principal investigator.  He leads the Leukemia/BMT working group and serves as the Medical Director of the Clinical Research Unit (CRU). His primary research interest is in hematological malignancies, particularly myeloproliferative neoplasms and AML, where he focuses on experimental therapeutics. He also serves as a panelist helping create the AML and MPN Treatment Guidelines for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

David Stewart, MD; Head, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Ottawa; Author, A Short Primer on Why Cancer Still SucksDr. Stewart received his MD degree from Queen's University, Kingston, followed by training in internal medicine at McGill University and in medical oncology in the Department of Developmental Therapeutics at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. He first moved from MD Anderson to the University of Ottawa in 1980, and served as Chief of Medical Oncology at the Ottawa Civic Hospital from 1989 to 1999. He returned to the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2003 to 2011 where he served as Chief of the Section of Experimental Therapeutics (2003-2005), Chair Ad Interim (2005), Deputy Chair (2006-2009), and Director of Translational Research (2009-2011). He was also the Principle Investigator of MD Anderson' phase II N01 contract with the National Cancer Institute, and was the clinical leader of a number of other federally-funded translational research projects. In 2011, Dr. Stewart returned to Ottawa from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) in 2011 to assume the position of Head of the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa. John Marchica, CEO, Darwin Research GroupJohn Marchica is a veteran health care strategist and CEO of Darwin Research Group. He is leading ongoing, in-depth research initiatives on integrated health systems, accountable care organizations, and value-based care models. He is a faculty associate in the W.P. Carey School of Business and the graduate College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.John did his undergraduate work in economics at Knox College, has an MBA and M.A. in public policy from the University of Chicago, and completed his Ph.D. coursework at The Dartmouth Institute. He is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is pursuing certification as a Fellow. About Darwin Research GroupDarwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin's client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin Advisory Partners, LLC and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. with a satellite office in Princeton, N.J.

Drawing on faculty interest, the Center for Faculty Development has organized a series of four webinars on specific aspects of academic career development, whether to build toward promotion consideration or to enrich professional knowledge and experience. Learn more about where to find and how to join initiatives or committees of interest, the dimensions of major administrative roles, how and when to get involved on an editorial board, and, ultimately, when it makes sense to say yes to a new responsibility—or decline the opportunity. Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this activity, participants were able to: Identify committees relevant to career and of interest Discuss ways to investigate in more depth an initiative or committee of interest Illustrate best approaches to conveying an interest in getting involved in an initiative or on a committee Panelists: Darshan H. Mehta, MD, MPH, Education Director, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and Director, CFD's Office for Well-Being Andrew A. Nierenberg, MD, Co-Director, Center for Clinical Research Education Kerri Palamara McGrath, MD, Director, Center for Physician Well-being, Department of Medicine Bakhos A. Tannous, PhD, Director, CFD's Postdoctoral Division and Director, Experimental Therapeutics and Molecular Imaging Laboratory Click for webinar.

A Cure in Sight, in collaboration with the Ocular Melanoma Foundation, is joined by TriSalus Life Sciences to bring you a presentation on Barriers to Immunotherapy: Success for Uveal Melanoma Liver Metastases. The slides from this presentation can be found to follow along here on Youtube.   In this presentation, we will be hearing from three of the experts involved in the PERIO-01 Clinical Trial.   The Pressure-Enabled Regional Immuno-Oncology (PERIO-01) clinical trial is studying a new investigational drug, SD-101, delivered intravascularly by the TriNav® Infusion System using the Pressure-Enabled Drug Delivery™ (PEDD™) method of administration. The study is evaluating if this platform approach can improve the performance of systemic checkpoint inhibitors in treating patients with uveal melanoma liver metastases by overcoming two major challenges of treatment: immune response suppression and ineffective drug delivery.   First up, you'll hear from Dr. Richard D. Carvajal, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Experimental Therapeutics, Director, Melanoma Service, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Investigator, PERIO-01 Clinical Trial. Dr. Carvajal will discuss Successes, Challenges and Emerging Strategies in the Treatment of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.   Following his presentation, Dr. Steven C. Katz, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, TriSalus Life Sciences will discuss Barriers to Immunotherapy Success in Uveal Melanoma Liver Metastases.   To conclude you'll hear from Dr. Joshua L. Weintraub, MD, Executive Vice Chairman, Department of Radiology, Chief, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center about the Pressure-Enabled Regional Immuno-Oncology (or PERIO-01) Clinical Trial for adults with uveal melanoma liver metastases. After their presentation, Ashley Moody from TriSalus Life Sciences joins in to aid in the Q and A. Ashley is a Nurse and a Clinical Research and Immunotherapy Project Manager. She will answer logistical questions surrounding trial involvement (eligibility, trial flow, treatment logistics, travel reimbursement, if applicable, etc.) following the presentation. Information on the PERIO-O1 Clinical Trial can be found at www.PERIOtrial.com ********* Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM! *A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINKS TO PAYPAL OR VENMO  The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. Castle Biosciences is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors.  This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

Dr. Nunes de Vasconcelos: In this Curiosity Capsule, Ana S. from the University of Ottawa speaks with Dr. Sara Nunes de Vasconcelos, a scientist in the Division of Experimental Therapeutics at the University Health Network and a Professor in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. The focus of Dr. Nunes de Vasconcelos' research programme is the generation of alternative therapeutic avenues to treat cardiovascular diseases. In this episode, Dr. Nunes de Vasconcelos discusses the development of the Biowire, a novel, innovative platform for maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Learn more: http://www.vasconceloslab.com/

On today's program, meet Dr. Marc Matrana, Director of the Precision Cancer Therapies (Phase I) Research Program, Endowed Professor of Experimental Therapeutics & Associate Director of Clinical Cancer Research, at the Ochsner Cancer Institute. Marc is a ninth-generation native of the New Orleans region. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in human genetics from Tulane University, and his medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. Marc completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Ochsner Medical Center and completed training in hematology and medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He believes every cancer patient should be screened.

For more details, visit #DrGPCR Podcast Episode #63 page https://www.drgpcr.com/episode-63-with-dr-khaled-abdelrahman/ ------------------------------------------- Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman graduated in 2006 with a BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Alexandria University (Egypt) followed by MSc in Pharmacology in the same university that was conferred in 2009. He joined the laboratory of Dr. William Cole at the University of Calgary in 2010 for his Ph.D. where he studied the molecular basis underlying altered cerebrovascular function and blood flow in type 2 diabetes. In 2015, He joined Dr. Stephen Ferguson's laboratory in the Departments of Cellular & Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa as a Postdoctoral Fellow to explore novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) candidates that can be targeted pharmacologically to slow neurodegeneration. He has been also studying what aspects of GPCR signaling are regulated in a sex-selective manner and how this can influence drug discovery in the area of neurodegenerative diseases. He is also a Registered Pharmacist in Canada and held two of the most prestigious Clinician Postdoctoral Fellowships offered by Alberta Innovates and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He received the Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics Postdoctoral and Publication awards along with many Young Scientist Awards from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. ------------------------------------------- Imagine a world in which the vast majority of us are healthy. The #DrGPCR Ecosystem is all about dynamic interactions between us who are working towards exploiting the druggability of #GPCRs. We aspire to provide opportunities to connect, share, form trusting partnerships, grow, and thrive together. To build our #GPCR Ecosystem, we created various enabling outlets. For more details, visit our website http://www.DrGPCR.com/Ecosystem/. ------------------------------------------- Are you a #GPCR professional? - Register to become a Virtual Cafe speaker http://www.drgpcr.com/virtual-cafe/ - Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter http://www.drgpcr.com/newsletter/ - Listen and subscribe to #DrGPCR Podcasts http://www.drgpcr.com/podcast/ - Support #DrGPCR Ecosystem with your Donation. http://www.drgpcr.com/sponsors/ - Reserve your spots for the next #DrGPCR Virtual Cafe http://www.drgpcr.com/virtual-cafe/ - Watch recorded #DRGPCR Virtual Cafe presentations: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJvKL3smMEEXBulKdgT_yCw - Bring in a #GPCR Consultant http://www.drgpcr.com/consulting/ - Share your feedback with us: http://www.drgpcr.com/audience-survey/ - Become a #DrGPCR Ecosystem Member http://www.drgpcr.com/membership/

Dr. Raymond Bergan, Deputy Director at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Fred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center and Professor in both UNMC's Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and the Division of Oncology and Hematology in the Department of Internal Medicine, joins Innovators to share his assessment of the state of cancer research and what may be reasonably expected within the near future.   Dr. Bergan began his career at Northwestern University where he served as Director of Experimental Therapeutics and Leader of the Prevention Program for the University's Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. In addition to breakthrough work on early-phase cancer chemo-prevention, he demonstrated a new way for measuring prevention therapy in the individual cancer patient, important steps toward precision medicine and personalized therapy. In 2015, Dr. Bergan was recruited to join the Oregon Health & Science University as Head of hematology and oncology and as Associate Director of medical oncology for the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU. There too he led work that enabled individualized patient treatment with greater precision of effectiveness in ways that can change how cancer is treated henceforth. In late 2020, Dr. Bergan joined the University of Nebraska Medical Center. His undergraduate degree is from the State University of New York at Buffalo and he earned the M.D. from the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, where he also completed his internship and residency. He was awarded two fellowships in the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Robert Z. Orlowski joins Myeloma Crowd Radio to share a study to share the new innovations myeloma patients can expect in 2022. He will review the recent findings from the American Society of Hematology meeting and share what we can expect from new combination therapies, best options for newly diagnosed myeloma patients, expected FDA approvals in 2022, CAR T advances, bispecific and trispecific antibodies, antibody drug conjugates, targeted inhibitors and new approaches for MGUS and smoldering myeloma. We invite you to join us for this well loved annual show.  Dr. Orlowski is Chairman, Ad Interim, Director of Myeloma, and Professor of Medicine in the Departments of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Orlowski serves as Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and is a member of the NCI Steering Committee, the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Bank Steering Committee, the Computerized Provider Order Entry Steering Committee, BMT Committee, and American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Orlowski is on the Editorial Board of Hematology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Orlowski has received many awards over a number of years including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar in Clinical Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man of the Year Award, Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research from MD Anderson and is the recipient of an ongoing SPORE grant from the NIH. Find news and information from his daily newspaper, Myeloma Daily or find him on Twitter at @myeloma_doc. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Bristol Myers Squibb

Dr. Robert Z. Orlowski joins Myeloma Crowd Radio to share a study to share the new innovations myeloma patients can expect in 2022. He will review the recent findings from the American Society of Hematology meeting and share what we can expect from new combination therapies, best options for newly diagnosed myeloma patients, expected FDA approvals in 2022, CAR T advances, bispecific and trispecific antibodies, antibody drug conjugates, targeted inhibitors and new approaches for MGUS and smoldering myeloma. We invite you to join us for this well loved annual show.  Dr. Orlowski is Chairman, Ad Interim, Director of Myeloma, and Professor of Medicine in the Departments of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Orlowski serves as Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and is a member of the NCI Steering Committee, the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Bank Steering Committee, the Computerized Provider Order Entry Steering Committee, BMT Committee, and American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Orlowski is on the Editorial Board of Hematology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Orlowski has received many awards over a number of years including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar in Clinical Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man of the Year Award, Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research from MD Anderson and is the recipient of an ongoing SPORE grant from the NIH. Find news and information from his daily newspaper, Myeloma Daily or find him on Twitter at @myeloma_doc. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Bristol Myers Squibb

Dr Lawrence Park is a psychiatrist. He has worked at the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch at NIMH since 2014 and currently serves as medical director of the Clinical Research Unit. In this conversation, we discuss what ketamine is and what we might be able to learn from it about depression, the current state of research into ketamine as a treatment for unipolar and bipolar depression, what it's like when someone receives a ketamine infusion,  the problems with ketamine and the questions that are still outstanding. Dr Park also shares with us what it's like to work at the National Institute of Mental Health and future research goals.  Interviewed by  Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - podcast@maudsleylearning.com -  Follow us here: Twitter @maudsleypodcast Instagram @maudsleylearningpodcast

"Our goal is to 'die healthy' "  Joe ChangTo extend your healthspan and stay youthful and vibrant as you age, you must affect aging processes where genes operate, at the cellular level. Dr. Joe Chang discusses the application of gene expression research to changing aging. Gerontology scientist,  S. Jay Olshansky contended that  'Once you avoid the things that accelerate aging like smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, and excessive sun exposure, you've done about as much as you can to influence your aging process.'  We now know that this is not so. Dr. Chang, author of The Aging Myth, explains the key biological roles that epigenetics plays to construct the person we become and influences our aging.We discuss how the different rates, time and intensity of aging phenomena in different tissues may be influenced by external factors, such as the impact of smoking on the lungs. The efficiency of mitochondrial energy production versus free radical release is altered with age as is the efficiency of autophagy, (cellular cleansing). These processes can be enhanced through epigenetic supplements. We  discuss the importance of supplying optimal prebiotics to the gut microbiome.  About Dr. Chang.Dr. Joe Chang is the Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., a beauty and wellness company. With 35 years of pharmaceutical experience, numerous scientific articles, reviews and books on pharmacological research, Dr. Chang has a comprehensive knowledge of both the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries.  He has led teams that developed novel drugs for arthritis, asthma and autoimmune diseases and directed more than 60 scientists in drug discovery research based on botanicals and natural products. Dr. Chang obtained his doctorate in Pharmacology from the University of London where he conducted research at the Royal College of Surgeons, England.  Early in his career he was the Arthritis Foundation fellow at The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Dr. Chang is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, and the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.  Contact  Dr. Gillian Lockitch https://linktr.ee/askdrgill   Email: askdrgill@gmail.comSchedule a complimentary Living Younger Discovery Call at https://bit.ly/3LbWvSV Order your copy of Growing Older Living Younger: The Science of Aging Gracefully and the Art of Retiring Comfortably at www.gillianlockitch.com

Dr. Marcia Ratner & Dr. James Hendrix discuss recent developments in Alzheimer's research. Dr. Marcia Ratner, world-leading neurotoxicologist and research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine. Her research focus is neurotoxicants, chemicals that can cause brain damage. Marcia is also a project manager for the Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University, and she also provides neurotoxicology-related consulting services resulting in major court decisions and policy change involving neurotoxicants. Dr. Ratner is also the Director of Research for Different Brains. For more information about Dr. Ratner, visit: www.neurotoxicants.com Dr. James Hendrix is the Chief Scientific Officer at LuMind IDSC. In that role, Dr. Hendrix directs scientific initiatives for LuMind IDSC. A critical element of his role is to establish the nationwide Down Syndrome – Clinical Trial Network (DS-CTN) and to oversee the first clinical trial in the DS-CTN, the Longitudinal Investigation for Enhancing Down Syndrome Research (LIFE-DSR) Study. The LIFE-DSR study is a natural history study focused on adults 25 years of age and older at high risk for Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Hendrix is also focused on building potential collaborations with industry, academic and government scientists focused on Down syndrome research to maximize LuMind IDSC's scientific impact. Prior to joining LuMind, Dr. Hendrix was Director of Global Science Initiatives, at the Alzheimer's Association. For more about Dr. Hendrix and LuMind: https://www.lumindidsc.org/ https://twitter.com/diffbrains https://www.facebook.com/different.brains/ https://www.instagram.com/diffbrains/ Check out more episodes of Exploring Different Brains! http://differentbrains.org/category/edb/

If you're on an MS disease-modifying therapy and you're concerned about how effective your COVID-19 vaccination might be, or you aren't sure whether having MS qualifies you as being immunocompromised and cleared to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, or you can't begin to figure out whether you qualify to receive a COVID-19 booster, then this podcast episode is for you. Joining me to help us make sense of the flurry of recent announcements by the CDC and provide us with an update on his lab's work in looking at the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines among people living with MS who are on b-cell depleting therapies is the Chief of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders and the Director of the Center for Neuroinflammation and Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Amit Bar-Or. If you're living with MS in the U.K., we'll update you on your eligibility to receive a COVID-19 booster. If you're living with MS in the European Union, we'll update you on the EMA's recommendation of Vumerity, an oral disease-modifying therapy for adults with relapsing-remitting MS. We'll tell you about a drug that's been on the market for over a decade that's been shown to help manage overactive bladder among people living with MS. Imagine having your phone send you an email or text letting you know that you're showing early signs of depression or cognitive dysfunction. We're talking about potentially game-changing technology that Apple is developing for the iPhone.  And we'll share the details of Episode 3 of The MS Caregiver Conundrum, which debuts Thursday, September 30th. Parenting includes its own set of caregiving responsibilities. Imagine adding the additional responsibilities that go with caring for a child with MS. In Episode 3, of The MS Caregiver Conundrum, we'll meet two remarkable moms, each of whom is not only a parent but a caregiver for a child living with pediatric MS. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! Vaccine booster shots for people with MS in the U.K.  2:04 Vumerity for people with MS in the European Union?   3:48 Drug helps treat overactive bladder among people with MS  4:30 Apple is developing tech to identify depression and cognitive decline  6:11 Dr. Amit Bar-Or updates us on who gets a COVID-19 vaccine booster, who gets a 3rd dose, and all the rest  8:37 Share this episode  26:50 Catch The MS Caregiver Conundrum  27:10 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/213 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com National MS Society COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for People Living with MS https://www.nationalmssociety.org/coronavirus-covid-19-information/multiple-sclerosis-and-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-guidance National MS Society Additional (3rd) COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Guidance for People Living with MS https://www.nationalmssociety.org/About-the-Society/News/Additional-COVID-19-Vaccine-Dose-(Booster)-and-MS The MS Caregiver Conundrum Podcast https://mscaregiverconundrum.com STUDY: Efficacy of Fesoterodine Fumarate (8 mg) in Neurogenic Detrusor Overactivity Due to Spinal Cord Lesion or Multiple Sclerosis: A Prospective Studyhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/nau.24790 Register for Big October 2021https://cvent.me/0Kbo4e?rt=FHc6yg95SUyNOD1m6wi5iw&RefId=Attendee Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Androidhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 213 Guest: Dr. Amit Bar-Or Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MSResearch, MSSociety, RealTalkMS Privacy Policy

Experimental Therapeutics with guest Dr. Patricia LoRusso February 28, 2021 Yale Cancer Center visit: http://www.yalecancercenter.org email: canceranswers@yale.edu call: 203-785-4095

Experimental Therapeutics with guest Dr. Patricia LoRusso February 28, 2021 Yale Cancer Center visit: http://www.yalecancercenter.org email: canceranswers@yale.edu call: 203-785-4095

Experimental Therapeutics with guest Dr. Patricia LoRusso February 28, 2021 Yale Cancer Center visit: http://www.yalecancercenter.org email: canceranswers@yale.edu call: 203-785-4095

Dr. Robert Z. Orlowski joins HealthTree Podcast for Multiple Myeloma to share a study to share the new innovations myeloma patients can expect in 2021. He will review the recent findings from the American Society of Hematology meeting and share what we can expect from new combination therapies, best options for newly diagnosed myeloma patients, expected FDA approvals in 2021, CAR T advances, bispecific and trispecific antibodies, antibody drug conjugates, targeted inhibitors and new approaches for MGUS and smoldering myeloma. We invite you to join us for this well loved annual show.  Dr. Orlowski is Chairman, Ad Interim, Director of Myeloma, and Professor of Medicine in the Departments of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Orlowski serves as Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and is a member of the NCI Steering Committee, the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Bank Steering Committee, the Computerized Provider Order Entry Steering Committee, BMT Committee, and American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Orlowski is on the Editorial Board of Hematology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Orlowski has received many awards over a number of years including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar in Clinical Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man of the Year Award, Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research from MD Anderson and is the recipient of an ongoing SPORE grant from the NIH. Find news and information from his daily newspaper, Myeloma Daily or find him on Twitter at @myeloma_doc. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Karyopharm Therapeutics

Dr. Robert Z. Orlowski joins Myeloma Crowd Radio to share a study to share the new innovations myeloma patients can expect in 2021. He will review the recent findings from the American Society of Hematology meeting and share what we can expect from new combination therapies, best options for newly diagnosed myeloma patients, expected FDA approvals in 2021, CAR T advances, bispecific and trispecific antibodies, antibody drug conjugates, targeted inhibitors and new approaches for MGUS and smoldering myeloma. We invite you to join us for this well loved annual show.  Dr. Orlowski is Chairman, Ad Interim, Director of Myeloma, and Professor of Medicine in the Departments of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Orlowski serves as Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and is a member of the NCI Steering Committee, the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Bank Steering Committee, the Computerized Provider Order Entry Steering Committee, BMT Committee, and American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Orlowski is on the Editorial Board of Hematology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Orlowski has received many awards over a number of years including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar in Clinical Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year Award, Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research from MD Anderson and is the recipient of an ongoing SPORE grant from the NIH. Find news and information from his daily newspaper, Myeloma Daily or find him on Twitter at @myeloma_doc. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Karyopharm Therapeutics

We were excited to have Husseini K. Manji, MD, FRCPC join us on Mental Health Mondays this past Monday December 14th 4pm EST. Husseini is the Global Therapeutic Head for Neuroscience at Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical companies. He is also Visiting Professor at Duke University. Dr. Manji was previously Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology & Experimental Therapeutics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Director of the NIH Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, the largest program of its kind in the world. Husseini is also a huge Vancouver Canucks' fan and we discussed his favorite Canadian NHL team and knows his brains and the Canucks!

In this episode, we talk with world-renowned DRESS Syndrome expert, Dr. Elizabeth Phillips. She and her colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are working to better understand the genetic factors that increase a patient's risk for developing  life-threatening, immune-mediated drug reactions - with a focus on simple, inexpensive diagnostic tests can save countless lives.Interview: Dr. Elizabeth J. Phillips (Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and is Director of Personalized Immunology at the Oates Institute for Experimental Therapeutics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Lead Scientific Advisor for DRESS Syndrome Foundation) August, 2019 in Bethesda, MD PUBLICATIONS/RESOURCES:Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation: https://www.vumc.org/viiii/person/elizabeth-j-phillips-mdHLA-A*32:01 is strongly associated with vancomycin-induced drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091674919302106A Rapid Allele-Specific Assay for HLA-A*32:01 to Identify Patients at Risk for Vancomycin-Induced Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31158526/Severe delayed cutaneous and systemic reactions to drugs: a global perspective on the science and art of current practice: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424615/Applications of Immunopharmacogenomics: Predicting, Preventing, and Understanding Immune-Mediated Adverse Drug Reactions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6409210/Successful translation of pharmacogenetics into the clinic: the abacavir example: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19351209/HLA and pharmacogenetics of drug hypersensitivity: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22920398/Fever, rash, and systemic symptoms: understanding the role of virus and HLA in severe cutaneous drug allergy:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24565765/Recent advances in the understanding of severe cutaneous adverse reactions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5582023/Penicillin Allergy:https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1807761

Dr. Namandjé Bumpus is the E.K. Marshall and Thomas H. Maren Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is the first Black woman to ever chair a department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She joined the faculty at Hopkins in 2010. Dr. Bumpus earned a BA in biology at Occidental College in 2003. She then went on to complete a PhD in pharmacology at the University of Michigan in 2007 and a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular and experimental medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA in 2010. Dr. Bumpus’ laboratory focuses on defining mechanisms that underlie inter-individual differences in drug outcomes. She is internationally recognized for her contributions to the development of drugs to treat and prevent HIV infection. Her many honors include the Leon I. Goldberg Award from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the James Gillette Award from the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics, the John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers awarded by the Obama administration. 

In this week’s episode, we are talking with Dr. Rajesh Miranda, P.h.D and Leah Davies, LMSW as we discuss the shame and stigma around Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and how stress is a common denominator that negatively affects both pregnant women and their families. Dr. Miranda is a faculty member at Texas A&M University, College of Medicine, a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, and is also involved in the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience. In addition to his academic research on the topics of fetal brain development, stem cells, microRNAs, and teratology, Dr. Miranda also leads the Texas FASD Collaborative which brings together professionals and people with lived experiences around FASD to work together to raise awareness and make change in our state.   Leah Davies is the Project Manager at the Texas Center for Disability Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. Leah’s work centers on collaboration building and stakeholder engagement efforts, particularly related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) mental health and IDD, as well as the special education system. disabilities and their families.  Leah studied sociology at Texas A&M University and received her Master's degree in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin. She firmly believes that the best "experts" are those who have lived experience - individuals with disabilities and their families.  Topics Discussed Benefits of executive functioning and abstract thinking Navigating the shame and stigma around alcohol and pregnancy Understanding how fathers can play a role in FASD How nutrition, relationships, & socio-economics can impact pregnancy Recognizing stress as a common denominator to an unhealthy pregnancy Unpacking risk, resilience, and long term effects with FASD The importance of evaluating mental health of mothers & their families Connect with Dr. Rajesh Miranda, P.h.D. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajesh-miranda-838718b1/  Connect with Leah Davies, LMSW LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-davies-lmsw-50217a147/ Connect with Positive Recovery MD Podcast Website: https://www.positiverecoverymd.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/577870242872032 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4JcDF1gjlYch4V4iBbCgZg Connect with Positive Recovery Centers online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/positiverecoverycenters/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PositiveRecoveryCenters/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/positiverecoverycenters/ Contact Positive Recovery Centers If you or someone you know needs help, visit the website or call the number below to schedule an assessment. We are here to help. Call: 877-476-2743 Address: 902 West Alabama Street Houston, Texas 77006 Website: https://positiverecovery.com Services: https://positiverecovery.com/services/ FAQ: https://positiverecovery.com/faq/ About Positive Recovery MD Podcast The Positive Recovery MD podcast is hosted by Dr. Jason Powers, Addiction Medicine Specialist and creator of Positive Recovery. This podcast will not only inspire and motivate its listeners, it will provide the tools and foundation needed to thrive and flourish on their addiction recovery journey. Each week the Positive Recovery MD podcast community will come together to have authentic conversations around addiction, recovery and what matters – growth & progress, not perfection, all while developing positive habits for your life. To join the community, visit https://www.positiverecoverymd.com to sign up to receive the daily Positive Intervention that we’ll review, as well as gain access to EXCLUSIVE Positive Recovery content available only to Positive Recovery MD listeners. About Positive Recovery Centers Positive Recovery Centers is a strengths-based addiction treatment program with locations across Texas. We offer a full continuum of care, from medical detox to sober living all supported by an ever-growing alumni community network. Our evidence-based curriculum blends the best of the old with the new, all supporting our mission: that Recovery is best pursued when meaningful, intentional positive habits are formed through empowerment and resilience instead of negativity and shame.  What is Positive Recovery? Empathy and compassion drive our mission. Positive Recovery uses strengths as a pathway to help others flourish in recovery, at work, and at home. This is our core purpose, our “why.” We creatively apply science in order to improve outcomes. Positive Recovery is not wishful thinking, it is not a magic pill, and it is not self-help. Positive Recovery is an evidence-based addiction curriculum that links the best of the old with the new, integrating existing effective approaches to treatment with interventions that enhance well-being by cultivating its components: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement.

On June 21, 2020, our host Dr. Marianne Ritchie was joined by Dr. Robin Mendelsohn, Dr. Scott Waldman and Dr. Adam Snook to discuss the rise of #colorectalcancer in young patients and the ongoing development of new therapies and a vaccine.⁠Dr. Mendelsohn is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Center for Young Onset of Colorectal Cancer.Dr. Waldman is a Samuel MV Hamilton Professor of Medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College, a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Chair of the Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Thomas Jefferson. University.Dr. Snook is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Thomas Jefferson University.Each week we highlight the #RealChampions in your life! Your family, friends, or colleagues who go the extra mile to help others in their community. For this week, Your Real Champion was Jack Cloran - a man with a plan! At the age of 18, Jack Cloran has faced more challenges than some will meet in a lifetime. Hear about his courageous battle with osteosarcoma. An amputation will not block his path to Penn State for college or the Paralympics!

Dr Zieve discusses inflammation and the effects of food with Bharat Aggarwal, PhD, author of "Healing Spices." Dr. Bharat B Aggarwal is a Ransom Horne, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research, Professor of Cancer Medicine, Professor of Immunology, Professor of Biochemistry and Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, and Chief, Cytokine Research Section, in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. He investigates the role of inflammatory pathways for the prevention and therapy of cancer. His group has identified over 50 compounds from dietary sources and traditional medicine that interrupt these cell-signaling pathways; have been tested in various animal models and some are in clinical trials. Dr. Aggarwal has received numerous awards including World Congress Science Prize from Oxygen Club of California 2010, Excellence in Research Award of McCormick Research Institute from the American Association of Nutrition, 2008, Outstanding Scientist Award from the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research, 2006, Ranbaxy Award for Outstanding Scientist of the year, 2004. Read more at curcuminresearch.org. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

World-leading neurotoxicologist and research scientist Dr. Marcia Ratner discusses Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy (24 minutes) Marcia's research focus is neurotoxicants, chemicals that can cause brain damage. Marcia is also a project manager for the Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University, and she also provides neurotoxicology-related consulting services resulting in major court decisions and policy change involving neurotoxicants. Join Hackie and Marcia as they look at a lesser known form of CTE: Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy.
 For more information about Marcia, visit: www.neurotoxicants.com Follow Different Brains on social media: https://twitter.com/diffbrains https://www.facebook.com/different.brains/ https://www.instagram.com/diffbrains/ Check out more episodes of Exploring Different Brains! http://differentbrains.org/category/edb/

Welcome to the "People Always, Patients Sometimes" podcast, a production of Spencer Health Solutions. Healthcare has come to a crossroads and it's time to start listening to new ideas. That challenge is the 'always done it that way' thinking. We hope you enjoy our conversations with the disruptors, the innovators and the transformers in clinical trials and healthcare. Janet Kennedy (00:19): For this podcast, we've invited some special guests in recognition of Heart Failure Awareness Week to discuss the serious impact cardiovascular disease has on our lives. With us is Herb Patterson, PharmD Professor of Pharmacy and Research Professor of Medicine at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the interim chair of the division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. Dr. Patterson is also a board member of the Heart Failure Society of America. Betsy Whitmore is from UNC REX Healthcare is the Regional Practice Administrator of the REX Cardiac Surgical Specialists, the REX Structural Health Clinic and REX Heart Failure Readmission Clinic. She is also a Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist. Janet Kennedy (01:00): We've invited a couple of members of our team here at Spencer Health Solutions to be in the discussion. With us is Tom Rhodes, CEO, and founder of Spencer Health Solutions. Also with us is our Chief Scientific Officer, Alan Menius. Tom, what are we going to be talking about today? Tom Rhoads (01:19): Thanks, Janet. We’ve all known for a long time how serious a problem we have in the U.S. with cardiovascular disease. It’s our leading cause of death: One out of every four deaths is the result of heart disease. Beyond the human toll, the financial burden amounts to $219 billion each year, according to the CDC. This month is American Heart Month, so we’ve brought all of you together to talk about heart disease. Since this week is recognized as Heart Failure Awareness Week, we’re going to spend a lot of time discussing that topic. Let’s zero in on heart failure. It’s one of the most common and difficult conditions in the United States, affecting about 6.5 million people over the age of 20. Unfortunately, it's a disease that's growing. About 960,000 new cases each year are being diagnosed, according to the Heart Failure Society of America. We know a lot about heart failure and how to treat it. We know it occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood. We know it's a progressive disease. We know it can be treated with lifestyle changes, medications, and in some cases, surgery. But sometimes in health care, simply knowing isn't enough. Despite the body of knowledge we have, and the effective treatments available to patients, they sometimes have trouble making those lifestyle changes. And taking their medicines. Janet Kennedy (02:29): All right. This is going to be a great discussion, I can tell. Let me take a minute to ask our two guests to tell us a little bit about themselves and their background. Betsy, welcome to "People Always, Patients Sometimes". We're so glad to have you here today. Betsy Whitmore (02:43): Thanks so much. I am a nurse by training and I've been in healthcare in cardiovascular mainly for the last 41 years. I have worked in cardiac surgery as a staff nurse and educator and administrator and I have been at UNC REX Healthcare for most of the last 20 some years and about two years ago I took over the heart failure readmission clinic in addition to my other practices and with the clinic, I work with two physician providers, two advanced practice providers, some wonderful office staff and nurses to provide the best care that we can for our patients at UNC REX. Janet Kennedy (03:23): I always wonder how you get everything done with so many titles, so many responsibilities. That's kind of crazy, but I think we're going to be really looking forward to a lot of your different experiences from the administrative side and also a former, well, I said former earlier and you corrected me. You are an active licensed nurse right now, is that correct? Betsy Whitmore (03:40): That is correct. Janet Kennedy (03:42): Well, we're going to enjoy your input and your ideas here this morning. Herb, welcome to "People Always, Patients Sometimes." Glad you have you here today. Herb Patterson (03:50): Thank you so much. Yes, as you mentioned, I'm a faculty member at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, pharmacist by training, but I have spent pretty much my entire professional life dedicated to either the clinical research or the clinical care of patients with heart failure. Janet Kennedy (04:07): All right, and let's meet our Spencer Health Solutions team. Our Chief Scientific Officer is Alan Minus and he comes to us from Glaxo Smith Kline and other pharma and healthcare organizations. Alan, tell us a little bit about your background. Alan Menius (04:21): My background is in biochemistry and biostatistics. I spent 25 years at GlaxoSmithKline in all facets of research and development. Was fortunate enough to see several medicines go all the way front of discovery, all the way up to seeing patients and even got to do a lot in medical affairs where we got to actually work with physicians and understanding how the drugs were being used in patient populations. So that became a natural progression for me to go to a company like Spencer Health Solutions where we're actually working to really get into the homes of patients and provide them with technologies that really help with their care. Janet Kennedy (04:53): Also with Spencer is our CEO, Tom Rhodes, and he's actually been on a couple of podcasts recently for other people, but not on ours. So glad to have you here, Tom. Tom Rhoads (05:03): Oh, glad to be here. Janet. Janet Kennedy (05:05): Tell me a little bit about Spencer Health Solutions and how that plays into cardiovascular disease. Tom Rhoads (05:12): You know, at Spencer Health Solutions. We are really focused on bringing a direct-to-patient platform into the home so that we can address some of these very complex diseases and in many cases, chronic diseases. That platform has really taken shape where we've seen really unprecedented results from our engagements with patients in their home over the last three years with greater than 97% adherence and 81% engagement across the population. So it's exciting to see the team's effort to help these patients live longer and more productive lives. Janet Kennedy (05:42): Well, let's start our conversation off and really ask the big question. What is the biggest challenge that you're currently seeing in treating cardiovascular disease? Herb, I'm going to ask you first, what do you think? Herb Patterson (05:55): Well, first of all, thank you for pulling this together and inviting me to participate in especially during Heart Failure Awareness Week. As I mentioned, I'm a big proponent of the Heart Failure Society of America, so I hope that the listeners will go to the hfsa.org website and take a look at everything that the society has to offer. To me the biggest problem is pretty simple. It's getting the right drugs at the right doses to heart failure patients. I'm focused on the heart failure part of this and I've had the good fortune of working on a registry study of the last four years called the CHAMP HF registry. And designed this so that it could take a contemporary look at how heart failure patients were being treated with the pharmacotherapy. Herb Patterson (06:38): And I think most of us felt like when we started that we were probably doing a pretty good job of treating patients because we have all the guidelines that are out there, the clinical trial data that support the drugs that we use, but it was pretty amazing. Sort of the first look at the data that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in July of 2018 showed it only about 73% of patients were on either an ACE inhibitor or an ARB or now the new RNE agent, only about two-thirds were on a beta-blocker and only about one-third of the patients who are on mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and that was just being on the drugs and when you looked at whether they were at what we call target doses, which is the dosing concept that we use in heart failure, only 1% of the patients were on the right drugs at the right doses, only 1%. We clearly have a lot of work to do to improve that. Janet Kennedy (07:32): Why is that? Why were only 1% on the right doses? Herb Patterson (07:36): I'm not sure if it's because the message is not getting to the healthcare professionals about what are the right drugs that should be used. And I think part of that is if you look at especially heart failure cardiologists and even cardiologists, they do a pretty good job, you know? But a lot of heart failure patients are taken care of by family practitioners, by internists, by hospitalists. And I'm not sure that they are as familiar with the data as some of the other healthcare professionals. So I think that's one thing. And the other is that there are adverse effects associated with some of the medications. And so a lot of times the healthcare professionals, prescribers don't want to get into that part of it. There's dose titration that's required, so it's not a simple thing to do, but the data are so strong to suggest that patients should be on these drugs at these doses. Janet Kennedy (08:24): I can see a much deeper conversation here, but I'm going to pop over to Betsy and ask from your perspective where you're dealing on an administrative level with the individuals who are doing the direct care with these patients, what kind of challenges are you seeing from your perspective? Betsy Whitmore (08:40): Well, I think even as an administrator, I still probably think more like a nurse than I do as an administrator. So I think of this morning, I think probably down at the granular level and for us taking care of these patients, it's, and this is a very overused phrase, it does take a village to take care of these patients. There are so many aspects with dealing with patients that have a chronic disease. It involves social work, it involves pharmacy, it involves nursing, it involves our physicians, it involves transportation. There are so many aspects that are required to make sure these patients get the correct care at the correct time and over a longitudinal basis. Betsy Whitmore (09:17): It's not just with my other practice, one of my other practices, which is cardiac surgery. Our patients are discharged after a two-week follow-up. If they're doing well, that's not a long-term relationship. These are long-term relationships we build with these patients and families. I mean, my staff sends a sympathy card to patients, our patients that pass away. I mean it's a family effort and it just becomes more and more huge every year with the number of patients. It's a growing, growing problem, with very little end in sight it seems. Janet Kennedy (09:48): Do you find that the patients you're working with as heart failure patients are different than other chronic diseases like diabetes? Betsy Whitmore (09:57): Well, I mean, my specialty obviously is all the cardiac folks. I have knowledge of course, of diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And there are certainly some similarities in dealing with chronic disease and medication adherence and for COPD patients, oxygen therapy and all the things that go into that so I think there's definitely a lot of similarities. A lot of focus for most healthcare institutions are on COPD and heart failure as two targeted areas. I mean, those are two of the big ones where we see a lot of readmissions and need to make an impact. So I think there's definitely similarities for sure. There are always nuances in every specialty. Janet Kennedy (10:33): Well, let's talk a little bit about heart failure specifically, and there's no doubt that lifestyle changes in medications can be effective treatments and yet, Oh gosh, we're human, we're not very good about doing that. So what barriers do you see from the patient perspective and why are these changes so hard and how should they get more support from clinicians or health coaches or family members? And Betsy, you already started off addressing some of that. So let me start with you. Betsy Whitmore (11:01): Well, again, there are many reasons why people don't take medication. There are many reasons why people don't come for a followup visit. A lot of it is related to, not that they don't want to or not that they don't see the value in it. It's just life gets in the way. We have, as I'm sure many practices that deal with patients with chronic diseases. We have a fair no show rate for patients coming to follow up appointments. It gets very frustrating just on the face of it. You say, why didn't this patient show up? And many times they don't even call. We don't know till they don't show up that they're not coming. When we try to investigate it, it's I can't drive. I'm depending on my son. He couldn't leave his job today to drive me to my appointment. Did they think to call us about that in advance so we could maybe help them with that? Know a lot of people don't want to ask for help, particularly the elderly in some of our rural patients, very proud people. They don't want to ask for help. They don't want to tell us that they're having some of these issues or financial issues. So there are many reasons people don't take medicines, come to appointments or do what we in all our vast knowledge think that they should be doing. Janet Kennedy (12:04): And I know Herb, you're a data guy, so I'm curious to know, is heart failure something that impacts all races, all ages, all demographics, or are we seeing anything unique about heart failure patients? Herb Patterson (12:17): You're exactly right. It does affect males, females, all races, all different age groups. Although it is primarily a disease of the elderly. But no, it's multifaceted. And affects everyone. Janet Kennedy (12:29): So what kind of barriers from a pharmacy standpoint do you see in patients that have heart failure? Herb Patterson (12:35): Betsy has done a great job of summarizing that. Again, it's a complex issue. There are a lot of moving parts to it, especially though obviously I focus on the medication part and I think one of the issues in heart failure is that patients if we get them on the correct drugs, it is a fair number of drugs. We know that as you increase the number of drugs that are prescribed to patients, that adherence drops. So it's important to try to make sure you want to get them on the right drugs at the right doses. But you also want to make sure they're not on the wrong drugs as well. So sometimes there are drugs that can exacerbate a heart failure admission, like the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and so on. And the other point that Betsy made is that heart failure patients typically have a nHerbumber of comorbidities. Herb Patterson (13:27): It's not just heart failure, it's diabetes, it's C O P D, it's atrial fibrillation, it's hypertension and they're taking medications for all these different comorbidities, appropriate medications, so that increases the medication burden even more. And the other important aspect of those, as you increase the number of medications, you're also increasing costs. And even if all those drugs are on like the $4 list at Walmart or something, which they never are, it's still an expensive proposition and a lot of our patients and I'm sure Betsy's as well or perhaps lower-income patients who might not be able to afford that and so they have to make hard choices about what they can do and what they can't do. Tom Rhoads (14:09): Well, Tom, I know that we have talked a little bit about the importance of working with the elderly and making their health management as easy as possible. Do you see that confusion can play a part and is there a way for digital technology to help with that? Tom Rhoads (14:25): I think Herb and Betsy have certainly hit the bulls-eye here. It is a complex issue and technology can play an important role here. Just taking the pill burden that we were just talking about. As an example, we have a population went back three years now that's averaging seven and a half meds per day and when you start adding titration schedules and generic switches and all those things in there, it's a heck of a burden to on an individual. I know helping my father who coupled type two diabetes, heart disease, and cancer together, he was on 12 meds per day and it was quite a burden for the family to deal with that. So I think technology does have a role. It's not the only aspect that it should be focusing on through care coordination, education, those aspects are critically important as we understand, of course, a financial burden, but being able to give the healthcare system visibility to those things and allow to kind of, I think as Betsy said, the village to come around you and help you and support you with coupons and other things that might be available. It starts with understanding what the situation is and then we can coordinate appropriately. I think tech definitely has a role. It's one of the things we've seen in some of the studies where just by being more adherent, you can reduce your mortality rate by over 10.6% based on American Heart Association study done a few years ago. So, it's well worth it, but technology has a responsibility to make sure it's easy to use and aligns with their lifestyles. Janet Kennedy (15:54): Alan, what about you? Do you have any thoughts on how either technology or adherence in heart failure is something that can be addressed? Alan Menius (16:02): I think several have brought up some really good issues. And the first one is the co-morbidity issue. As we look at our population and we look at how people are being prescribed medications, it's not just for one ailment, right? They're being going to one physician, they're being treated for say heart failure. And then they'll go home and they'll talk to another physician that will talk to them about their diabetes and they'll go to another physician and talk to them about maybe they have a CNS issue and then they're probably getting prescriptions for each one of those ailments. And I think a lot of the burden comes from them saying, okay, where am I gonna get these medicines? Am I going to go to grocery store A and then over to a pharmacy B and hope that I get the right things? Alan Menius (16:40): And finally who is taken care of to make sure that some of these medications are contraindicated. So in other words, they're taking a pill but it's actually not the type of thing they should be taking when they're taking this other pill. And so I think there's a real opportunity here to try to decrease the amount of medication burden in these people's lives. And the village concept is a really great one because you figure out how do you take away that burden of having to figure out which medicines to take when and making sure that that aspect of their lives is taken care of more. And technology has a great role to play here as well that connecting with these patients. Betsy brought up the great loss to follow up conversation, which is where these patients go, right? And the technology could have a great role to play here and just connecting with those patients. Again, making them feel at ease that there is a connectivity between ourselves and the healthcare environment. So it really is kind of a very complex situation where we have some great medicines out there. We have a lot of great physicians out there, and great ways, paths forward to helping these people live with these diseases, but we have to use the technologies to make it really easy for them to comply. Janet Kennedy (17:49): Herb, what are your thoughts? Herb Patterson (17:51): Yeah, I just wanted to follow up on a very important point in down just made about [inaudible] and I'm a strong proponent of patients getting all their prescriptions at the same pharmacy. And I know a lot of patients will, will shop around and just because they sometimes can get a cheaper medication that pharmacy a but you know they get the rest of them at pharmacy B, but if they can get them all at the same pharmacy, that way the pharmacist gets to know them, they've got all their medications in front of them, they can identify a potential drug interactions, can help them with the pricing kind of things. So I think that's a very important concept and I think we need to get to the point where we can advocate for that as much as possible. Janet Kennedy (18:31): And what would you say are some of the more promising interventions that might help patients stay on their medications? Betsy Whitmore (18:36): I think you have to look at your patients specifically with some of our elderly patients. We do a lot of technology-related things like automated phone reminders and those types of things. And we found that more often than not, that actually confuses patients. They think when they're acknowledging, yes they're coming for their appointment, they actually cancel the appointment and they don't realize that and then they show up. They've been taken off our schedule because technically it was canceled. So I mean there are some interesting technological app type things out there, but for our elderly patient population, I mean they don't even use email. So those kinds of things. For a younger audience, I think apps are great. I mean I think there is a lot of things out there. Betsy Whitmore (19:15): We use them in my workplace to be part of our wellness program in order to get a discount on our health insurance. So we're all quite familiar with that in a healthcare setting. I think we have to be aware that not all of our population works well with something like that. I think it's always the personal touch. Our clinic nurses make followup phone calls, scheduled phone calls with our patients to touch base with them with a kind of set list of protocol questions to see how things are going. The personal touch always seems to me to be the best thing, but not always possible. Obviously. Janet Kennedy (19:49): Let's look ahead to the future here. What do you see coming down the pike five years from now that's going to make it easier for patients to manage with their heart failure and with a health organization to be able to support them? Betsy Whitmore (20:02): I think probably going more towards accountable care organizations and more coordination of care regardless of what your insurance is so that I think there is going to be more people involved in handling your healthcare so to speak because I think that for some of these chronic diseases, we know that there's a prescribed erode that's the best for most patients to go on and we're clearly not doing a good job of getting them on that road or keeping them on that road right now. So this is just guesswork on my part, but I think probably more management of those types of high dollar and very prevalent disease states. Janet Kennedy (20:38): That makes sense. Herb, what do you think? What's coming down the pike as you have seen the evolution of the pharmacist? At the table and the work that you are with your organization, what's coming up in five years? Herb Patterson (20:50): I think technology is going to continue to play an important role. There's a number of apps out there that may be able to help with adherence. One of the things that I think that we need to do is that we have to get the community pharmacist more involved in taking care of these patients. It's hard for patients to have access sometimes to the major medical centers, academic medical centers and so on where they get superb care, but they all have access to their community pharmacy. And again, because a lot of optimal care of heart failure patients, the right drugs at the right dose, I think pharmacists can help with that. Working with their nursing and physician colleagues as backup. That's where I would like to see this go because I think if we could get them involved, and it's not just, again, not just heart failure, I'm not isolating heart failure, but it's diabetes, it's all the comorbidities and stuff too. So I think if we could get to that point, I think it would make a huge impact on heart failure patients. Janet Kennedy (21:46): Alan, if I asked you to put on your prognostication hat and look down the pike as a scientist, what have you seen change in the last five years that might impact what's coming up in the next five? Alan Menius (21:58): Well, a couple things. The first one is personalized medicine, and I know that's a buzz word that people throw out a lot of times, but it really is this idea that as more and more information becomes available to be used and treatment of patients, whether it be genetics, whether it be social-economic factors, we'll know a lot better about how to tailor a treatment regimen to a patient, even with one or more diseases. And that's one of the most important things. What that does though, if you think about it, it actually creates even more complexity for a patient. You might have the ability to have this customized treatment path for everyone, but who's going to make sure that that's followed well? How do you make sure that this custom made treatment that's going to have hopefully much better outcomes will be actually used inside the home of the patient. And so all these things we're thinking about, the technology is going to be great. The newer medications are going to be there but actually means we need to up our game with how we actually treat patients in the home and use technologies and make sure we aid them to follow that new treatment path. Janet Kennedy (22:54): Herb, you had something to add. Herb Patterson (22:55): Thanks so much for bringing up the whole personalized medicine individualized therapy kind of thing. Cause I really do believe that is the future and especially with heart failure because the way that we treat heart failure now we just keep adding drugs, but we know that not all patients respond to an ACE inhibitor and all patients respond to a beta-blocker or an MRI. So what we have to do is we have to figure out either through pharmacogenomics or some tool, we have to figure out which of those drugs are going to be most effective in those patients. And by reducing that medication burden, we decrease costs, we decrease the number of adverse effects, we improve adherence hopefully. So I think that's really where we have to get. And the other piece of that is the dosing part where we've traditionally used target doses, but now we know that it's just counter-intuitive to think that all patients, no matter what their size, no matter what their age or anything, should take the same dose of a drug. And so we've got to figure out, and I guess to your point about tailoring the dosing, but then making sure that we can get those individualized doses to the patient and it's just going to get worse because there are several new heart failure drugs that are in clinical trials that look promising. So if they come out, we're going to add those to everything else. So it's a huge issue. But personalized medicine I think is where we need to get. Tom Rhoads (24:18): Herb. I think you're right on. You know, it's interesting to see if we look out five years where we are today and where we'll go. Technology has a huge role to play. One of the leading things I think we'll see is artificial intelligence being applied to some of these complex issues so that we can be more proactive as a community. We obviously have, especially with primary care physicians a shortage that we're trying to address. We need more touchpoints. I think community pharmacy is an excellent role. I believe there was a study that was done that shows that on average people go to the community pharmacy about 35 times a year. If we think in terms of the engagement with the health center, even with the heart failure patient, I'm going to take a guess, but I'm guessing that's probably no more than eight times a year, maybe even not that much. Tom Rhoads (25:02): So if you think about just access and opportunity, being able to bring that back to the home from a technology standpoint and being able to basically engage with someone on a daily basis to make sure in this case there are personalized medicines being adhered to, that there aren't any unforeseen side effects, where we're care coordinating. And probably most importantly as we look at AI, we're able to begin to proactively or prescriptively manage their healthcare. So I think it's a really exciting time that we're in right now where it's all coming together. I think with leaders like REX and UNC, I'll throw one in from my Alma Mater, Duke (couldn't resist), but I just think there's a lot of really deep thought around this issue and I'm excited to see where we go. Janet Kennedy (25:45): This has been an excellent conversation and I thank you all for being here. Herb Patterson with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Betsy Whitmore with UNC REX Healthcare and our own Spencer Health Solutions', Tom Rhodes and Alan Menius. I really appreciate you all being here and helping us really explore the idea of heart failure, cardiovascular disease, and of course celebrating that this is "Heart Failure Awareness Week". You've been listening to "People Always, Patients Sometimes", and we thank you very much for your time.  

What innovation is coming in 2020 in myeloma research? Dr. Robert Orlowski of the the MD Anderson Cancer Center shares the insights learned from the recent American Society of Hematology meeting and highlights leading edge research expected in 2020. There is a stunning amount of development happening in myeloma - immunotherapies like CAR T, bi-specific antibodies, tri-specific antibodies and antibody drug conjugates, new findings in precursor conditions like MGUS and smoldering myeloma, new targeted therapies for relapsed and refractory myeloma and a host of different treatment combinations. Dr. Orlowski will give a broad and comprehensive review of what we can expect to see in 2020. Join us for this favorite annual show.   Dr. Orlowski is Chairman, Ad Interim, Director of Myeloma, and Professor of Medicine in the Departments of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Orlowski serves as Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and is a member of the NCI Steering Committee, the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Bank Steering Committee, the Computerized Provider Order Entry Steering Committee, BMT Committee, and American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Orlowski is on the Editorial Board of Hematology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Orlowski has received many awards over a number of years including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar in Clinical Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year Award, Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research from MD Anderson and has received a SPORE grant from the NIH. Find news and information from his daily newspaper, Myeloma Daily or find him on Twitter at @myeloma_doc. Thank you to our episode sponsor, GSK. 

Na, wer von den Morgenmuffeln unter euch braucht morgens auch erst mal einen Kaffee, um richtig in den Tag zu starten? In diesem Geistesblitz hört ihr, wieso Koffein gegen Müdigkeit helfen kann. Quellen: 1) Mit Ansammlung von Adenosin steigt auch die Schläfrigkeit: Basheer, R., Strecker, R. E., Thakkar, M. M., & McCarley, R. W. (2004). Adenosine and sleep–wake regulation. Progress in neurobiology, 73(6), 379-396. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030100820400125X 2) Koffein wirkt gegen Schläfrigkeit, weil es die Adenosinrezeptoren besetzt: Fredholm, B. B., Bättig, K., Holmén, J., Nehlig, A., & Zvartau, E. E. (1999). Actions of caffeine in the brain with special reference to factors that contribute to its widespread use. Pharmacological reviews, 51(1), 83-133. http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/51/1/83.short?casa_token=O9P5FCloUTQAAAAA:qzidvTU2g09Me750CbDW1HwUvoMRMO8FEHRYszWItBhXZAwvLmcxgA3nz_MLZqA_La2eLfqlV3ba 3) Die Toleranz gegen die Wirkung von Kaffee liegt an einer gestiegenen Anzahl von Adenosin-Rezeptoren: Boulenger, J. P., Patel, J., Post, R. M., Parma, A. M., & Marangos, P. J. (1983). Chronic caffeine consumption increases the number of brain adenosine receptors. Life sciences, 32(10), 1135-1142. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0024320583901194 4) Die Toleranz gegen die Wirkung von Kaffee liegt nicht an einer gestiegenen Anzahl von Adenosin-Rezeptoren: Holtzman, S. G., Mante, S. A. A. K. W. A., & Minneman, K. P. (1991). Role of adenosine receptors in caffeine tolerance. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 256(1), 62-68. http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/256/1/62.short?casa_token=tXl7SeLwG7UAAAAA:sXy-NJJd-JWWcmLwR2TFIwSgLjXs3PlVGuJvk9o-oOfWqn1_wMg6xsL8tzTnt7O0J0Zutw4RKW5A 5) Review - Symptome beim Entzug von Kaffee: Juliano, L. M., & Griffiths, R. R. (2004). A critical review of caffeine withdrawal: empirical validation of symptoms and signs, incidence, severity, and associated features. Psychopharmacology, 176(1), 1-29. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-004-2000-x

William Griffith, PhD, Regents Professor and head of the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at the College of Medicine, shares his research on the aging brain and how the developing field of optogenetics may help us better understand brain trauma.

Dr. Ferrari, one of the trailblazers of nanotechnology, the current President Designate of the European Research Council of the E.U., and the recently retired President and CEO of Houston Methodist Research Institute begins by explaining how he views math as a creative art. He maps theorem and proof onto the creative endeavor and posits that in the same way that the artist envisions the work, a mathematician envisions or intuits the theorem and then has to discover how to get there. He argues that this process of intuition provides the map, and the proof is the, potentially, frustrating process of bringing the inner world into the outer world. Dr. Ferrari, a medical doctor and engineer speaks of concepts such as awe, infinity, creativity, intuition, and dreams. This conversation explores what Dr. Ferrari identifies as the three phases of his life – his training and early history, the many academic languages that he speaks, the descent into personal chaos, and how dark moments such as these paved the way for him to seek to join in the fight for humanity as we seek to end the power that cancer has had over our lives. Bio: Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D. – Biosketch (Updated June 2, 2019) Current Positions (Selected): President Designate, European Research Council of the European Union (primary funding agency for research in the 28 member Countries of EU); Director, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR); Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Community Partnerships, and Professor, University of St. Thomas; Advisor, Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute. Education: Mathematics (Padova, Italy, 1985, Dottore); Mechanical Engineering (University of California Berkeley, 1987, MS and 1989, PhD); Medicine (Ohio State University, 2002-2003, no degree); Business Administration (Wharton, 2016, Harvard Business School, 2017, no degree). Professional History (Selected): 1988-1990 Universita' di Udine, Italy (Ricercatore, Assistant Professor Civil Engineering); 1991-1998 University of California Berkeley (Assistant and Associate Professor with tenure, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering); 1998-2006 The Ohio State University (Full Professor with tenure and endowed chair, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Internal Medicine, Director of Biomedical Engineering, Associate Director Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, Associate Vice President Health Science Technology Commercialization); 2003-2005 National Cancer Institute (Special Expert on Nanomedicine and Advisor to Director, concurrent with OSU); 2006-2010 University of Texas Medical School Houston, and MD Anderson Cancer Center (Full Professor with tenure and endowed chair, Internal Medicine, Experimental Therapeutics, Biomedical Engineering and Nanomedicine); 2010-2019 Houston Methodist Hospital (HMH) and Research Institute (HMRI) (Full professor with presidential endowed chair, President and CEO of HMRI, Executive Vice President of HMH, Chief Commercialization Officer). Publications: About 500 publications in leading archival journals, including 27 primary papers, reviews, and features in Nature journals (4 covers). Bibliometrics as of February 6, 2019: 57471 citations, h-index = 107, i10-index = 836 (Google Scholar); 21699 citations, h-index = 69 (SCOPUS); 22546 citations, h-index = 72 (ISI Web of Science). Theme music provided by: http://www.modernnationsmusic.com Band of the week: Alan Album: Alan, the Universal answer is both https://music.apple.com/us/album/alan-the-universal-answer-is-both/425467149 Learn more about this project at: http://www.thesacredspeaks.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesacredspeaks/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesacredspeaks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesacredspeaks/

Greg Kirschen takes us through the treatment of postpartum depression and psychosis. feedback@obgyn.fm American Psychiatric Association. (2013). In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.744053 Tate G. 1830. “A Treatise on Hysteria.” London: S. Highley, 174 Fleet St & Webb St, Maze Pond, Borough. Smith TN. 1830. “Observations on hysteria.” The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. 3(34): 540. Louden, I. 1988. Puerperal insanity in the 19thCentury. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 81, p 76-79. Griffen W, Griffen D. 1829. Observations on Functional Disorders of the Spinal Cord, and Their Connexion with Hysterical, Nervous, and Other Diseases. Illustrated by Cases, Selected Chiefly from the Reports of the Pallas, Kenry, and Currah Dispensaries. London Medical and Physical Journal. 7(42) 477-489. Reid, J. 1848. Dr. Reid on Puerperal Insanity. Journal of Psychological and Medical Mental Pathology. 1(1): 128-151. Clark AC. 1887. Aetiology, Pathology, and Treatment of Puerperal Insanity. Journal of Mental Science. 33(142): 169-189. Donkin, AS. 1863. The Pathological Relation between Albuminuria and Puerperal Mania. Journal of Mental Science. 9(47): 401-405. Barkin V. 1929. Protein therapy in insanity of puerperal origin. British Medical Journal. 1(3549): 67. Earle P. 1854. Bloodletting in Mental Disorders. American Journal of Insanity. 10(4): 287-405. Mackenzie FW. 1851. Puerperal Insanity: Especially in Reference to Anaemia. London Journal of Medicine. 3(30): 504-521. Gordon HL. 1897. Sir James Young Simpson and Chloroform (1811-1870). Masters of Medicine. T. Fisher Unwin, for Great Britain and Longmans Green & Co. for the United States of America. Dunn, PM. 2002. Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870) and obstetric anesthesia. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal edition. 86(3): F207-F209. Koppanyi T, Dille JM, Linegar CR. 1936. Studies on Barbiturates: XVII. The Effect of Prolonged Chloroform Anesthesia on the Duration of Action of Barbiturates. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 119-127. Waters ATH. 1857. On the use of chloroform in the treatment of puerperal insanity. American Journal of Psychiatry. 13(4): 341-353. Ramachandran CT, Subramanyam N, Baker G, et al. 2011. Antidepressants: From MAOIs to SSRIs and more. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 53(2): 180-182. Agin HV. 1963. Phenelzine in the treatment of depression. American Journal of Psychiatry. 119(12): 1173-1174. Blacker KH, Weinstein BJ, Ellman GL. 1962. Mother’s Milk and Chlorpromazine. 119(2): 178-179. Whalley LJ, Eagles JM, Bowler GMR, et al. 1987. Selective effects of ECT on hypothalamic-pituitary activity. Psychological Medicine. 17(2): 319-328. Williams RL, Barrera SE. 1950. Observations and opinions concerning complications and contraindications in electric convulsive therapy. Psychiatric Quarterly. 24(4): 800-809. Matthew JR, Constan E. 1964. Complications following ECT over a three year period in a state institution. American Journal of Psychiatry. 120(11)-1119-1120.  Sobel DE. 1960. Fetal Damage Due to ECT, Insulin Coma, Chlorpromazine, or Reserpine. AMA Archives of General Psychiatry. 2(6): 606-611. Langan RC, Goodbred AJ. 2016. Identification and Management of Peripartum Depression.American Family Physician. 93(10): 852-858.  Information from your family doctor: Postpartum depression. 2010. American Family Physician. 82(8): 939-940. Schiller CE, Schmidt PJ, Rubinow D. 2014. Allopregnanolone as a Mediator of Affective Switching in Reproductive Mood Disorders. Psychopharmacology. 231(17): 3557-3567. Bitran D, Hilvers RJ, Kellogg CK. 1991.Anxiolytic effects of 3α-hydroxy-5α[β]-pregnan-20-one:endogenous metabolites of progesterone that are active at the GABAA receptor. Brain Research. 561:157–161. Ottander U, Poromaa IS, Bjurulf E, et al. 2005. Allopregnanolone and pregnanolone are produced by the human corpus luteum. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 239(1-2): 37-44. Meltzer-Brody S, Colquhoun H. Reisenberg R, et al. 2018. Brexanolone injection in post-partum depression: two multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials. The Lancet. 392(10152): 1058-1070.

A new clinical trial is open combining low dose melphalan, a drug commonly used at high doses for stem cell transplant, and high dose intravenous Vitamin C. Learn more about how these two treatments work synergistically and why they have been combined in a clinical trial at the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa has unique experience with IV Vitamin C and Dr. Yogesh Jethava joins Myeloma Crowd Radio to share this fascinating open study now enrolling patients.  Dr. Yogesh Jethava is Associate Professor and Director of the Multiple Myeloma program as well as Associate Director of the Blood and Marrow Program at the University of Iowa. Prior to this appointment, he was director of the Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Services Division of Hematology Oncology at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences or UAMS where he established the first fully functional allo transplant unit. There, he was Director and Attending Physician for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Subspecialty Clinic.   Dr. Jethava is an International Myeloma Working Group member and part of the EMBT malignancy working group and is a member of the Experimental Therapeutics groups and others. He reviews abstracts for publications like blood leukemia in the Blood Cancer Journal, and he is also working on studies that involves high dose vitamin C infusions for plasma cell disorders like myeloma. 

In this episode, Dr. Hackie Reitman speaks with Dr. Marcia Ratner, world-leading neurotoxicologist and research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine. (24 minutes) Marcia's research focus is neurotoxicants, chemicals that can cause brain damage. Marcia is also a project manager for the Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University, and she also provides neurotoxicology-related consulting services resulting in major court decisions and policy change involving neurotoxicants. Join Hackie and Marcia as they explore the ABC's of neurotoxicology, the prevalence of neurotoxicants in our everyday lives, their effects on the human body, steps you can take to protect yourself, and the links between neurotoxicology and neurodiversity.
 For more information about Marcia, visit: www.neurotoxicants.com Follow Different Brains on social media: https://twitter.com/diffbrains https://www.facebook.com/different.brains/ https://www.instagram.com/diffbrains/ Check out more episodes of Exploring Different Brains! http://differentbrains.org/category/edb/

Jeffrey Weber, Deputy Director at Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center and Co-director of Melanoma Program and Head of Experimental Therapeutics at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the day to day management of, and the science around, IO adverse events that may help us understand how these drugs work. Including: The need to educate physicians about management of immune related adverse events with increasing penetration of checkpoint inhibitors into the communityThe relationship of these adverse events to outcome with checkpoint inhibitionThe relation of adverse events to other autoimmune diseases that are similar in nature This session was presented at the 4th annual Immuno-Oncology 360 conference in February 2018. For more information on the IO360 conference and details for the 5th annual program taking place February 6-8, 2019 in New York, NY, please visit io360summit.com. 

Dr. Harold Komiskey is a Professor of Pharmacology at the Georgia Campus - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and a minor in Medical Science/Physiology. Dr. Komiskey is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. He is also a member of the Society for Neuroscience, Society of Toxicology, and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spreaker / Spotify Contact Info Company: University of Philadelphia, Georgia Campus Dr. Harold Komiskey is a Professor of Pharmacology at the Georgia Campus - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Most Influential Person Master Liu, Also known as DeRu (Shawn X. Liu) - Founder of the Global Zen Conscious Conference. Founder & Chairman of the Global Zen Alliance. Effect on Emotions Yeah. I think mindfulness has allowed me to think through things. I mean, do I get upset over certain things? Sure. When that guy confronted me about driving too fast in the neighborhood, he drives just as fast, but he doesn't perceive it, but if he sees somebody else then he thinks they're driving too fast in his neighborhood. I'm like, wait a minute. It's hard sometimes for people to put themselves in others' position. (See Bullying Story below) Thoughts on Breathing Breathing, to really get it to work. I mean, I did the Tai Chi Movements. I learned the leg movements, the foot placement, the arms. I synchronized them. But I wasn't feeling the energy. It was only after I put the breathing with it. So you not only have to synchronize arm, legs, body with the movements, you had to turn around and stand up right, and you had to breathe appropriately. You know, breathing when you're pushing forward and when you're really relaxing, you know, really start to breathe in. So breathe out moving forward and breathe in when you get a chance to relax. The same thing's true with yoga, that breathing's very important. Breath with things, whether it's from India, like yoga or Tai Chi or Qigong over in China. You have to use breath. Suggested Resources Book: N/A App: N/A Bullying Story I can tell you one. I have a home in kind of a conservative area outside of Atlanta. My wife has this home and I always stay with her. She has a home in Alpharetta. Alpharetta has this long street, the streets probably about a mile and a half and it's kind of like "L" shaped. So you go along the ridge in Alpharetta and she's right in like the "L" part, but before I get there, you have to go for about half a mile to a mile, straight road around the ridge. And so she's got a home that's 25 years old. And in Alpharetta these homes are going to run probably about a quarter of a million, so $250,000. They are twenty-five to thirty years old. So they're getting aged. But there's one guy who is a fireman and this guy's probably 50. Well, he felt I was driving too fast. Okay. So he pulls out in front of me and one time, this was about two years ago, he pulls out in front and I had been living there with my wife in her home for probably six years. And so he pulls out, he goes really slow, doesn't want to let me by. I thought, what the heck's this? Well, he left enough space, I just drove by him and then I gave him the finger. Okay. And he got upset. Well he came down and started yelling and screaming and I said, forget it man, and don't step on my yard, you're trespassing, you know? And so he wanted to fight me. I says, no, you don't want to fight me. I've been around a martial artist and I don't think you want to touch me. Well, yeah, he wanted to fight. Finally he left. I says, listen, if you don't leave, I'll call the cops. So he left. Then it wasn't long, maybe three, four months later, he again turns around and thinks I'm driving too fast, comes down and starts yelling and screaming. And I said, well, what are you doing man? You don't, you don't have no right dictating this, you know, and he wants to fight about it. And my wife came out and she says, let's just call the cops. So she calls the cops. And so I didn't want to fight him. I knew he'd be in bad shape because being around master Lou, I didn't take Kung Fu, but I was around him enough. I had learned enough and he had showed us some moves and I thought this guy, firemen or not, he's 50 years old, he could get really hurt and because it would be easy for me to flip him. I had done wrestling in high school. I was captain of the B team. So I thought, no, this is not smart. So anyway, the cops came and they talked to me and then they went up and talked to him and he says, well, I think he's got the message. The troll won't bother you anymore Free Gift Get the 'Release Your Overwhelm' Guided Meditation for only $4.99. Bruce Langford helps you abandon your inner blocks. Surrender your stress. Become more focused and raise your personal level of contentment. Achieve more with increased concentration. Download this full-length 30 minute guided meditation by Bruce Langford.www.MindfulnessMode.com/release

  This week brings around new research from an international study that claims an average sodium intake does not harm your health; NSERC grants 1.65 million for a new biomedical technology program; Prometic Life Sciences elucidates the mechanism of action of their proprietary drug; and Milestone Pharmaceuticals randomises their first patient in their phase 3 clinical trial.   Keep on listening to hear all the juicy details!   +++++  No need to fret when you ask someone to pass you the salt at the dinner table anymore. New research by scientists of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences as well as researchers from 21 countries suggests sodium intake does not increase health risks except for those who eat more than five grams a day – an equivalent of 2.5 teaspoons.  This large-scale international study expresses for most individuals that this is good news. Any health risk of sodium consumption is virtually eliminated if people improve their diet quality by adding fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, potatoes, and other potassium rich foods.  The study followed 94,000 people, aged 35 to 70, for an average of eight years in communities from 18 countries around the world and found there an associated risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes only where the average intake is greater than five grams of sodium a day.  China is the only country in their study where 80 per cent of communities have a sodium intake of more than five grams a day. In the other countries, most communities had an average sodium consumption of 3 to 5 grams a day.  The World Health Organization recommends consumption of less than two grams of sodium — that’s one teaspoon of salt — a day as a preventative measure against cardiovascular disease, but there is little evidence in terms of improved health outcomes that individuals ever achieve at such a low level.  The American Heart Association recommends even less — 1.5 grams of sodium a day for individuals at risk of heart disease.  Andrew Mente, first author of the study and a PHRI researcher says, “Only in the communities with the most sodium intake — those over five grams a day of sodium – which is mainly in China, did we find a direct link between sodium intake and major cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. In communities that consumed less than five grams of sodium a day, the opposite was the case. Sodium consumption was inversely associated with myocardial infarction or heart attacks and total mortality, and no increase in stroke.”  Researchers found that all major cardiovascular problems – including death – decreased in communities and countries where there is an increased consumption of potassium which is found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, potatoes and nuts, and beans.  Martin O’Donnell, co-author of the report, an associate clinical professor of medicine at McMaster says that most previous studies relating sodium intake to heart disease and stroke were based on individual-level information, and that public health strategies should be based on best evidence.   Their findings demonstrate that community-level interventions to reduce sodium intake should target communities with high sodium consumption and should be embedded within approaches to improve overall dietary quality. There is no convincing evidence that people with moderate or average sodium intake need to reduce their sodium intake for prevention of heart disease and stroke.  This study lends a hand to simmer down those creeping thoughts of sodium consumption and health issues. Of course, it is still best to use in moderation; but next time someone asks you to pass the salt, you can now more comfortably allow your worry to subside.  +++++  Medical innovations improve and save lives. It for this reason that Canada invests so heavily into the health and life sciences. But when it comes to health technology, innovative designs like prosthetic limbs or pacemakers must be designed by a special type of engineer – one who solve engineering problems and can identify medical technology needs.    Catherine Burns, professor of systems design engineering and executive director of the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, has been awarded a Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program (CREATE) grant to establish a biomedical engineering graduate program that will help produce this type of engineer. The $1.65 million grant awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) will help fund a new program in global biomedical technology research and innovation at Waterloo starting in the fall of 2018, the only one of its kind in Canada.  Burns says that most students come out of biomedical engineering graduate programs as great researchers, but not necessarily with a good understanding of how the industry works. That this program will produce students who know both the research side and the business side of the industry.  To understand the needs of medical technology users, students will get out into the field to work alongside clinicians and patients to better understand real-life scenarios before developing solutions.  Grand River Hospital is one of the partners to the program, as well as Starfish Medical and Synaptive Medical – both of which are very successful Canadian medical device companies.  The curriculum at Waterloo will include clinic and industry internships, commercialization courses, international exchanges, and professional skills workshops. Students will graduate knowing how to work with patients and clinicians with understanding of medical device regulation. They will also have the skills and industry contacts in place to help secure jobs in the biomedical industry or commercialize their own inventions.  Charmaine Dean, the vice president of university research  says that the technical expertise, professional skills, and interdisciplinary experience students gain in this program will produce biomedical engineers capable of transforming the Canadian health technology landscape and is another step in growing Waterloo’s role in the biotechnology and research ecosystem.  There is a proposed initiative for the program at Toronto Western Hospital, where a Critical Care physician manages a large amount of data on brain injuries. The goal would be to integrate the data with data from laboratory and patient records, which will provide new insights into the complex physiological relationships in brain injury patients. Students in the program will work with the physician to acquire an understanding of brain injuries, and then develop a data integration solution.  Each student will be part of a team that includes a research supervisor, a clinician, and the manager of a biomedical engineering company. Before commencing their research, students will need to prove that they’ve spent time with clinicians and patients in settings relevant to their area of research. This will help ensure that the solutions they develop are viable and easier to commercialise.  Overall, this one-of-a-kind program will continue to make Canada an economic powerhouse and punch above its weight in health and life sciences.  +++++  Prometic Life Sciences Inc. announces the publication of a paper that further elucidates the mechanism of action of its lead drug candidate, PBI-4050, on liver fibrosis in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.   The drug’s clinical activity has already been shown to significantly reduce liver and cardiac fibrosis in patients in the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with Alström syndrome.  Dr. Lyne Gagnon, senior author of the paper and Prometic’s vice president of R&D says that studying the mechanism of action of PBI-4050 in liver diseases, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has clearly demonstrated that PBI-4050 acts through a major signaling AMPK pathway, thus linking metabolism to fibrosis. The data shows the potential therapeutic effects of PBI-4050 in liver fibrosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.  There are several stages of liver fibrosis, and if left untreated or without changing significant lifestyle choices, may lead to liver cirrhosis.  Pierre Laurin, chief executive officer of Prometic adds that they have seen the benefits of PBI-4050 in reducing liver fibrosis in Alström syndrome patients. With this further validation that the signaling pathway targeted by PBI-4050 is indeed at the core of the genesis of fibrosis in the liver, they are very confident about its potential to address fibrosis-related conditions such as Alström syndrome, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. We look forward to initiating our Phase 3 pivotal clinical trial for PBI-4050 in IPF and expanding the program in Alström syndrome.”  +++++  Milestone Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage cardiovascular company, randomises their first patient in its Phase 3 clinical study of etripamil. Etripamil is a new investigational, rapid-onset, short-acting calcium channel blocker administered intranasally by the patient designed to terminate paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) episodes wherever they occur.  paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia is a recurring and sporadic heart arrhythmia caused by abnormalities in the cardiac conduction system. The current standard of care to terminate these episodes is intravenous medication delivered in the emergency department.  The Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, event-driven study is planned to be conducted in more than 50 cardiology centers in the United States and Canada and will enroll up to 500 patients. Following an in-office test dose of etripamil, patients will take home either 70 mg of etripamil or placebo for when a paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia episode occurs. Upon onset of an episode, patients will apply a wireless cardiac monitor to their chest to record their heart rhythm, perform a vagal maneuver, and if symptoms persist, administer study drug.  Bruce Stambler, MD, FHRS, Piedmont Heart Institute says that the design of the NODE-301 study of etripamil will allow them to obtain more clinical evidence of the benefits of this potential treatment for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in an outpatient, real-world setting. paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia is an unpredictable disorder and the potential for a fast-acting therapy to resolve the symptoms of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia wherever the episodes occur could significantly reduce the burden this condition puts on patients and the health care system.  The primary endpoint of the study is time to conversion of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia to sinus rhythm after the administration of study drug as confirmed by a central independent adjudication committee. Secondary study endpoints include relief of symptoms commonly associated with an episode of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia such as heart palpitations, chest pain, anxiety, shortness of breath, dizziness, and fainting.  Francis Plat, MD, Milestone’s Chief Medical Officer  says that the initiation of the NODE-301 study is an example of our ongoing commitment to improve the lives of patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Etripamil, if approved by regulatory authorities, could empower patients to take control of this anxiety-producing arrhythmia without being reliant on chronic medications or trips to an acute-care facility for treatment.  The study will enroll patients at least 18 years of age with a documented history of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Patients receiving study treatment in NODE-301 will be eligible to participate in an open-label extension study (NODE-302) where etripamil will be provided for subsequent paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia episodes.  There are well over a million people in the US living with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, resulting in hundreds of thousands of emergency department and doctor’s office visits each year. There are countless other patients who exist and don’t seek care, suffering through their episodes in silence as the current approved treatment options are unpleasant, inconvenient, and/or costly.  Providing a way to self-manage paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia episodes could offer immediate relief for those living with this arrhythmia.  +++++  Well that’s it for this week! If you have a story idea, please feel free to reach out to me at press@promotivemedia.ca and be sure to check out the stories in full at our website biotechnologyfocus.ca. Until next time, from my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

Functional medicine practitioner, clinical researcher, and international lecturer Dr. Michael Ruscio is back on the podcast today, talking with Dr. Tommy Wood about the work he’s doing to advance understanding of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and other disorders of the gut. In addition to seeing patients, maintaining a podcast and blog and conducting his own clinical research, he’s recently written Healthy Gut, Healthy You, a practical guide to intestinal health and overall well-being. In this podcast, Dr. Ruscio discusses his evidence-based strategies for identifying and treating SIBO in his clinic, including breath testing, prokinetics to prevent relapse, and symptom management. He also talks about how he has built a successful online platform to bring his work to a wider audience. You can find Dr. Ruscio’s previous podcasts with us here and here. Here’s the outline of this interview with Michael Ruscio: [00:00:21] Book: Healthy Gut, Healthy You: The Personalized Plan to Transform Your Health from the Inside Out, by Dr. Michael Ruscio. [00:04:02] When to reach out to a health practitioner. [00:04:44] Setbacks during protocol. [00:05:45] When to do testing. [00:09:43] Tracking progress. [00:10:37] Mark Pimentel, MD. [00:10:40] North American Consensus guidelines: Rezaie, Ali, et al. "Hydrogen and methane-based breath testing in gastrointestinal disorders: the North American consensus." The American journal of gastroenterology 112.5 (2017): 775. [00:10:50] Rome Foundation Guidelines: Gasbarrini, A. N. T. O. N. I. O., et al. "Methodology and indications of H2-breath testing in gastrointestinal diseases: the Rome Consensus Conference." Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics 29 (2009): 1-49. [00:11:09] Study: Khoshini, Reza, et al. "A systematic review of diagnostic tests for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth." Digestive diseases and sciences 53.6 (2008): 1443-1454. [00:13:41] Study: Distrutti, Eleonora, et al. "Evidence that hydrogen sulfide exerts antinociceptive effects in the gastrointestinal tract by activating KATP channels." Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 316.1 (2006): 325-335. [00:14:00] Study: Lin, Eugenia, et al. "Measurement of hydrogen sulfide during breath testing correlates to patient symptoms." Gastroenterology 152.5 (2017): S205-S206. [00:15:00] Controlling GI symptoms. [00:16:38] Efficacy of peppermint, study: Enck, Paul, et al. "Therapy options in irritable bowel syndrome." European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology 22.12 (2010): 1402-1411. [00:18:30] Building an online platform. [00:23:19] Balancing clinical mission with sponsorships. [00:26:24] Identifying truth vs. bias. [00:29:40] Evaluating scientific research. [00:32:50] When to try something that's not evidence-based. [00:36:12] In-progress clinical trials. [00:38:44] Prokinetics for preventing SIBO relapse. [00:39:37] Study - Pimentel, Mark, et al. "Low-dose nocturnal tegaserod or erythromycin delays symptom recurrence after treatment of irritable bowel syndrome based on presumed bacterial overgrowth." Gastroenterology & hepatology 5.6 (2009): 435. [00:40:59] Healthy Gut Healthy You; Healthyguthealthyyoubook.com; drruscio.com; Dr. Ruscio Radio Podcast, weekly videos. [00:42:10] Article: Is SIBO a Real Condition? By Alan Christianson. [00:42:11] Rebuttal article: Is SIBO a Real Condition? by Michael Ruscio. [00:42:43] Future of Functional Medicine Review clinical newsletter.

Dr. Randy Blakely is a Professor of Biomedical Science at Florida Atlantic University and Executive Director of the Florida Atlantic University Brain Institute. Randy lives in beautiful South Florida near the Everglades, so getting outside to enjoy nature and observe the local wildlife is a lot of fun there. He also spends his time reading, listening to audiobooks during his commutes, and listening to Americana and folk music. In the lab, Randy studies how chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters work. He is examining how neurons control neurotransmitter signaling, as well as how medicinal drugs and drugs of abuse impact neurotransmitters and ultimately behavior. Randy received his B.A. in Philosophy from Emory University and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He next conducted postdoctoral research at the Yale/Howard Hughes Medical Institute Center for Molecular Neuroscience. Randy was an investigator and faculty member at Emory University and Vanderbilt university before accepting his current position at Florida Atlantic University. Randy is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his research and mentorship. He was awarded the Daniel Efron Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, two Distinguished Investigator Awards from the Brain and Behavioral Research Foundation, a MERIT Award from the National Institute of Mental Health, a Zenith Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Delores C. Shockley Partnership Award in recognition of minority trainee mentorship, as well as the Astellas Award in Translational Pharmacology and the Julius Axelrod Award both from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. Randy joins us in this episode to talk more about his life and science.

The research laboratory of Virginia M. Miller, Ph.D., focuses on conditions specific to women: ovarian function, preeclampsia of pregnancy and menopause. These conditions are associated with dramatic changes in one of the sex steroids, estrogen, and can accelerate development of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease and aging processes. Dr. Miller's work evaluates how estrogen affects progression of atherosclerosis, and changes in brain structure and cognition at menopause. For these studies, she works collaboratively with other researchers associated with the Rochester Epidemiology Project, the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, the Center for Translational Science Activities and the Women's Health Research Center. Her group utilizes state-of-the-art imaging modalities and is developing a technique to detect early stages of calcifying processes. Focus areas How do sex hormones affect progression of cardiovascular disease in menopausal women? Dr. Miller is examining how the sex steroid hormone estrogen affects the lining of the blood vessels, which is called endothelium; the activity of platelets, which are required for blood to clot; and the formation of small cell-derived vesicles in the blood. Together, the interaction of these cells and vesicles can lead to vascular changes associated with pregnancy or later in life may cause formation of lesions in the arterial wall, leading to heart attack, stroke, cognitive decline or formation of blood clots in the veins. How does infection alter the risk of developing cardiovascular disease? Dr. Miller's group is interested in learning how bacteria interact with cells of the blood vessel wall and cells in the blood that fight infection. Her group is examining whether small vesicles shed by bacteria that contain bacterial proteins and DNA alter the function of human cells, leading to the development of calcium deposits associated with "hardening" of the arteries and formation of kidney stones. Can monitoring small membrane-derived vesicles released from activated cells and nano-sized particles containing proteins and minerals be developed as a diagnostic for calcifying diseases? Deposits of calcium in the wall of blood vessels accumulate over many years without any outward signs or symptoms. Dr. Miller and her collaborators are working to develop a test to detect the ongoing calcification process so that treatments can stop or retard the calcification before the artery becomes blocked or the calcium deposit is released to cause a heart attack. Significance to patient care Dr. Miller's research into how sex steroid hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, affect blood flow to the brain, heart and kidneys has direct application to understanding the benefit and harm of using these hormones to treat symptoms of menopause in women; "low testosterone" in men; and chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and osteoporosis, in both women and men as they age. Professional highlights Principal Investigator, Specialized Center for Research of Sex Differences, Mayo Clinic, 2012-present Principal Investigator, Mayo Clinic's Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (a National Institutes of Health-funded training program for junior faculty), 2010-present Member, Board of Directors, Bethesda Lutheran Communities, 2010-present Member, Cardiovascular Network of the Society for Women's Health Research, 2009-present President, Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, 2010-2012 Member, Council, American Physiological Society, 2002-2005 Current Member, Editorial Board — American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology; Biology of Sex Differences; Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics; The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism; Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine Contact miller.virginia@mayo.edu

This is Entheogen. Talk about tools for generating the divine within. Today is December 18, 2016, and we are discussing the recent publication of studies from NYU and Johns Hopkins showing that psilocybin can reduce anxiety and depression in cancer patients, and we’re pleased to be joined by Dr. Sarah Mennenga from the NYU Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory. Find the notes and links for this and other episodes at EntheogenShow.com. Sign up to receive an email when we release a new episode. Follow us @EntheogenShow on Twitter and like EntheogenShow on FaceBook. Thanks for listening. TOPICS: We are grateful to be joined by Dr. Sarah Mennenga, Doctor of Neuroscience, NYU Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory NYU and Johns Hopkins just released studies showing that psilocybin can reduce anxiety and depression in cancer patients 80 percent of participants showed significant reduction of anxiety and depression “One theory is that psilocybin interrupts the circuitry of self-absorbed thinking that is so pronounced in depressed people, making way for a mystical experience of selfless unity” i.e. interrupting or disrupting the Default Mode Network? What is the neurological basis for the geometric shapes and auditory effects that characterize the psilocybin experience. What part does suggestibility play in the experience? The “intensity of the mystical experience described by patients correlated with the degree to which their depression and anxiety decreased” – Why is that? What is it about the nature of the psychedelic or mystical experience that does this? Octavian Mihai “saw black smoke rising from my body” Kevin, a participant in the Johns Hopkins study saw “spirals of iridescent spheres that folded in on themselves”. “But you have to approach the session with the right intentions of why you’re doing it. Because you’re going to meet yourself.” Study protocols, and the unique considerations for psychedelic session “seven-hour music playlists.[...] N.Y.U. leaned toward New Age and world music — Brian Eno; sitars; didgeridoos. Johns Hopkins favored Western classical.” Chalice Buddha statue Collaboration among the few institutions doing psychedelic research Criticism from the academic/scientific community? Political concerns; safety concerns around legalization Stigma in the academic community? fMRI scanning during a psychedelic experience? NYU seeking participants in two upcoming studies: Psilocybin for alcoholism and addiction Psilocybin for clergy/mysticism; see also Griffiths’ 2006 study at Johns Hopkins Contact NYUCancerAnxiety.org for more information Enroll in Clinicaltrials.gov NYU seeking $10 million funding for center to study psychedelics HOW TO HELP: Contact NYUCancerAnxiety.org for more information Email nyualcoholdependencestudy@nyumc.org to donate Give to Heffter, helping fund the NYU studies Tim Ferriss raising money for psilocybin research FURTHER READING: NY Times: A Dose of a Hallucinogen From a ‘Magic Mushroom,’ and Then Lasting Peace Big Think: One Dose of "Psilocybin" from Magic Mushrooms Relieves Depression in 80% of Cancer Patients AlterNet: 'Magic Mushroom' Drug Eases Cancer Patient Anxiety

In this NCTalks podcast we speak to Jeffrey Cohen, Director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research (OH, USA). Dr Cohen has a large clinical practice and is also Director of Experimental Therapeutics program and is involved in a number of clinical trials. Today, Dr Cohen discusses the use of bone marrow transplantation as a treatment option for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), the subject of a Hot Topics discussion at ECTRIMS 2016 (London, UK, 14–17 September 2016). Is the technique a good option for patients? How could it be improved? What does the future of MS treatment look like? Listen to our podcast to find out Dr Cohen’s opinions on these key issues and more.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015: 2:00 PM EST Tonight we have a very special show with Dr. Andrew Feigin, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Huntington’s Disease Center at North Shore University Hospital and the Director of the Laboratory of Experimental Therapeutics for Movement Disorders at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research of the North Shore – LIJ Health System in Manhasset, NY.  Dr. Feigin has been involved in HD clinical research for 20 years; he participated in the Venezuela HD project for 10 years beginning in 1993. We will be talking about the new clinical trial called SIGNAL. Tune into a vey exciting new clinical trial using a new approach - a monoclonal antibody called VX15.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011 – Our incredible special guest is Giovanni Schifitto, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Neurology and Imaging Sciences and Associated Co-Director of the Clinical Research Core of the Clinical Translational Science Institute at the University of Rochester. He is trained in Neurology and Experimental Therapeutics. Dr. Schifitto has been primarily investigating the neurological complications associated with HIV infection but he has also been involved with clinical trials in Huntington and Parkinson disease. Dr. Schifitto has been a member of the Clinical Trial Coordination Center (CTCC) at the University of Rochester since 1994. The CTCC provides data management support for a variety of clinical studies including those conducted by Huntington Study Group (HSG). Currently, Dr. Schifitto serves as the CTCC PI of a large efficacy study of high dose Creatine supplementation (CREST-E) for the treatment of HD conducted by the HSG. This is the CREST-E Series Part II. CREST-E stands for Creatine Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy in Huntingtons disease. The HSG in partnership between Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Rchester is conducting a global multi-center randomized double blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in individuals 18 years of age and older with HD.

Monday, May 9, 2011 - Our incredible special guest is Ira Shoulson, MD Professor of Neurology, Pharmacology and Human Science and Director of the Program for Regulatory Science and Medicine (PRSM) at Georgetown University – new full-time academic positions effective January 1, 2011.  Previously, Dr Shoulson was the Louis C. Lasagna Professor of Experimental Therapeutics and Professor of Neurology, Pharmacology and Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in Rochester, New York.  He received his MD degree (1971) and postdoctoral training in medicine (1971-73) and neurology (1975-77) at the University of Rochester and in experimental therapeutics at the National Institutes of Health (1973-75).  Dr. Shoulson founded the Parkinson Study Group (www.parkinson-strudy-group.org) in 1985 and the Huntington Study Group (www.huntington-study-group.org) in 1994 -- international academic consortia devoted to research and development of treatments for Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and related neurodegenerative and neurogenetic disorders.  He has served as principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health-sponsored trials "Deprenyl and Tocopherol Antioxidative Therapy of Parkinsonism" (DATATOP), the “Prospective Huntington At Risk Observational Study” (PHAROS), and more than 25 other controlled multi-center studies.  He was formerly a member of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council and president of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics (ASENT) He is currently associate editor of Archives of Neurology and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.  He has authored over 280 scientific reports. 

Guest: Dan Roden, MD Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD What are the tools that will finally make personalized medicine a reality? Dr. Dan Roden, the William Stokes Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, vice-chancellor for personalized medicine and the director of the John Oates Institute for Experimental Therapeutics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Bruce Bloom, DNA banks, electronic medical records and more.