I’m pleased that DuPont is partnering with us, funding this project and turning fundamental discoveries in the laboratory into potential new therapies that will address an urgent need.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (PRWEB)
September 30, 2019

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences today announced its strategic partnership with Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB). This is its fifth research collaboration since the establishment of the DuPont Microbiome Venture in late 2017.

Jointly with QIB, a research institute with world leading expertise in microbiome interactions, this 3-year preclinical project will focus on studying the gut bacteria’s ability in influencing the immune system. The research will evaluate how extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are naturally produced by the gut bacteria, can be used to enhance immunity and prevent or treat inflammatory conditions. A key step to having a better understanding of the human health and diseases is to understand the interaction between gut bacteria and the body as such scientific findings are increasingly used to develop new strategies for the treatment and prevention of health conditions.

Current microbiome-based therapeutic approaches being explored around the world include live biotherapeutics or next-generation probiotics, small diffusible molecules produced by gut bacteria, and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). The new study promises an approach that directly targets mucosal sites in the gut lining that integrate with the immune system using EVs derived from gut bacteria.

Researchers in QIB, Professor Simon Carding and Regis Stentz, Ph.D., have discovered that EVs produced by one specific type of gut bacterium, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, target immune cells of the gut lining, especially the dendritic cells known as the master regulators of the immune system. They found that EVs, produced naturally by gut bacteria are well tolerated, safe to use and have several properties which make them ideal candidates to be used in novel therapeutics to enhance immunity.

“I’m pleased that DuPont is partnering with us, funding this project and turning fundamental discoveries in the laboratory into potential new therapies that will address an urgent need. We look forward to working together with them to bring forward a solution that we can deliver to consumers and patients,” said Prof. Carding.

Researchers from the St. Mark’s Hospital, Imperial College London and University of Liverpool also will participate and bring additional preclinical and clinical expertise to this joint project.

Sebastien Guery, leader of DuPont’s Human Microbiome Venture said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Quadram Institute Bioscience, a world leader in the science and technology of extracellular vesicles produced by gut bacteria. If successful, the project will provide the basis for a new form of immuno-therapy based on gut bacterial extracellular vesicles that will be taken forward for human clinical trials. I believe this technology has the potential to reduce the global burden of infectious and chronic diseases.”

The Microbiome Venture is a focused entrepreneurial team with a strong connection to the larger DuPont organization, tapping into capabilities including R&D, manufacturing, regulatory, legal and marketing. The Microbiome Venture investment will complement DuPont’s existing product portfolio, especially in the areas of probiotics and prebiotics, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). To find out more, visit http://www.human-microbiome.dupont.com.

About Quadram Institute

The Quadram Institute (quadram.ac.uk) is an interdisciplinary research center at the forefront of a new era of food and health research. It brings together researchers and clinicians under one roof and houses one of Europe’s largest endoscopy units and a clinical research facility.

Based on the Norwich Research Park, The Quadram Institute is a partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the University of East Anglia and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Its mission is to deliver healthier lives through innovation in gut health, microbiology and food and its vision is to understand how food and microbes interact to promote health and prevent disease.

Four interconnected research themes in Quadram Institute Bioscience deliver a pipeline of research in plants, microbes, food and health: microbes in the food chain; the gut and the microbiome; food innovation and population health.

About DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences applies expert science to advance market-driven, healthy and sustainable solutions for the food, beverage, dietary supplement and pharmaceutical industries. We also use cutting-edge biotechnology across a range of markets to advance bio-based solutions to meet the needs of a growing population, while protecting our environment for future generations. We are innovative solvers who help our customers turn challenges into high-value business opportunities. For more information: http://www.dupontnutritionandbiosciences.com or http://www.biosciences.dupont.com.

About DuPont

DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, health and wellness, food, and worker safety. More information can be found at http://www.dupont.com.

DuPont™, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with ™, ℠ or ® are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted.

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GOTHENBURG, Sweden (PRWEB)
September 26, 2019

Sleep Cycle, the world’s first and most popular smart alarm clock app, has today released a new report from the Sleep Cycle Institute which examines the critical role sleep plays in learning and memory.

The Sleep Cycle Institute Sleep and Memory Report draws on the research and expertise of Sleep Cycle Institute panelist Frida Rångtell, with a Ph.D. from the Department of Neuroscience at Uppsala University, Sweden, and survey data collected by Propeller Research on behalf of Sleep Cycle.

Don’t You Forget About Me

“Sleep helps us process memories and emotions, stabilize and restore motor learning skills, consolidate short-term into long-term memories, and promote healthy cognitive function by cleaning the brain of toxins and decay,” said Dr. Rångtell. “If you want a high-functioning brain, you need all of the different phases of sleep, and you need them in the right order. For memory in particular, REM sleep, slow wave sleep, and ‘sleep spindles’ — bursts of neural oscillatory activity — all seem to be very important.”

What else should people know about memory and sleep? According to Dr. Rångtell:

• 
  Enough is as good as a feast. We know that 7-9 hours of sleep is the ideal amount for most people and that fewer than seven hours can be detrimental. But evidence suggests that a regular surplus of sleep is linked to cognitive decline.
• Pay attention to your chronotype. If you are an “evening person,” you’ll do your best learning later during the day. If you’re a “morning person,” you’ll do your best learning in the morning or earlier during the day. But your chronotype isn’t absolutely fixed — it will likely shift as you age.
• Don’t sleep and drive. When you are sleep-deprived and forcing yourself to stay awake, you run the risk of “microsleep” in which some or all of your brain goes to sleep for short periods of time. This is particularly dangerous when driving.
• Sleep better, learn better. Sleep impacts post-learning of newly encoded fine and gross motor skills. So, if you’re learning a new sport, job or other performance-related skill, don’t skimp on sleep.
• Men may be able to do more with less. Recent research suggests that sleep deprivation may affect the working memory performance of women more than men.

How Do You Take Your Coffee?

More than two-thirds (70%) of Americans feel their cognitive performance is affected when they don’t get enough sleep, and an equal number (70%) say they need at least one cup of coffee before they can function at peak level for the day.

This is truer of some Americans than others:

• Only 61% of Americans 55+ say their cognitive function is impaired by lack of sleep, compared with 73% of those under the age of 55
• Seniors are also less reliant on coffee: 37% don’t drink coffee to achieve peak cognitive function, compared to just 27% of other Americans
• People in the northeast of the U.S. drink the most coffee: 81% need a daily cup of joe, compared to 68% of other Americans
• Men seem more reliant on coffee than women: 48% need more than two cups to achieve peak cognitive performance, compared to just 39% of women

Most Americans (65%) have dreams about their work; almost half (48%) say they dream about work at least monthly. There seems to be good reason for this: research shows that dreaming about a task can actually help people to perform it better, although fewer than half (45%) of Americans believe this to be true of themselves.

“We process new information when we sleep,” said Dr. Rångtell. “This is when we turn specific information into more general knowledge — in other words, we get the ‘gist’ of the new information we’ve learned. We also integrate new memories with previous knowledge, so dreaming of a memory task can improve it while we sleep.”

About the Survey

The national survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted online by Propeller Insights on behalf of Sleep Cycle in August 2019.

About Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle is the world’s most popular intelligent alarm clock app that analyzes users’ sleep, records findings and wakes them during their lightest sleep phase so they feel rested and refreshed. The app generates nightly sleep reports, tracks long-term sleep trends, and logs how daily activities impact sleep quality. With millions of users worldwide, Sleep Cycle has also become the world’s richest repository of data on global sleep habits. The Sleep Cycle Institute puts this data in the hands of five multidisciplinary health and wellness experts to provide individuals and public policy makers with deeper quantitative insights into the relationship between sleep and overall health and well-being.

For more information — and real-time, interactive sleep data from around the world — visit https://www.sleepcycle.com/.

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WASHINGTON D.C. (PRWEB)
September 26, 2019

Power to Decide, the campaign to prevent unplanned pregnancy, was awarded its 13th consecutive 4-star rating by Charity Navigator, an independent non-profit which provides donors with essential information about charitable giving. The 4-star rating is the highest possible rating a charitable non-profit can receive and recognizes Power to Decide’s commitment to accountability and transparency. Fewer than 1% of charities reviewed have received this distinction over such an extended time period.

“We are proud to have received our 13th consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator,” said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO, Power to Decide. “Our work has never been more important, particularly in light of recent efforts to dismantle women’s access to basic health care, including contraceptive services. This recognition ensures that donors know that the funds provided will be spent wisely to support our efforts to ensure that all young people – no matter who they are or where they live – have what they need to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child.”

Power to Decide has been recognized as a leader in advocating for greater access to information and access to the full spectrum of reproductive health services. Power to Decide is a trusted source for research-based solutions and works with mentors, policymakers and entertainment media in order to further its mission.

Recently, Power to Decide launched BCBenefits, a contraceptive access fund that helps low -income women overcome some of the most commonly-faced barriers in access to contraception, including transportation, child care and unpaid time off work. To learn more about BCBenefits, or to donate, go here.

Power to Decide is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to ensure all people—no matter who they are, where they live or what their economic status might be—have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. Please visit us at http://www.PowerToDecide.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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“The goal of the ALAA is to assist in ALAA Breeders to produce the healthiest family pet for the benefit of the breed and our pet families,” says Alex McEwing, the ALAA President.

NEW YORK (PRWEB)
September 29, 2019

The International Labradoodle Association doing business as the Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) have issued some clarifying facts regarding the breed and the ALAA in light of recent media coverage of Labradoodles .

It’s no doubt that the founding of the Labradoodle nearly 30 years ago came out of a desire to produce a dog that had therapeutic, service dog qualities. It is important to recognize the advanced development that the Australian Labradoodle has had over the last 15 years.

“The goal of the ALAA is to assist in ALAA Breeders to produce the healthiest family pet for the benefit of the breed and our pet families,” says Alex McEwing, the ALAA President.

There are various types of “doodles” today that are not an ALAA Australian Labradoodle. There are standards that differentiate the breed with a stringent vetting process that include health testing requirements and submission of a dog’s pedigree. Submissions are then verified by the registry standards of the ALAA ‘s proprietary database of over 70,000 dogs. In addition, the ALAA requires all of its members to DNA profile their dogs through Paw Prints Genetics. This identifies them permanently and tests genetic diseases identified as at risk for the Australian Labradoodle. The ALAA breeder is also required to submit regular eye exams, hip, elbow testing and a genetic DNA panel.

In addition, the recent acceptance of the ALAA Australian Labradoodle into the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animal) CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) program ensures tracking the health history of the breed. It is the first time a non-AKC breed was accepted into the tracking program which allows a dog’s health records to be available to other breeders and the buying public.

“This is not only historical but shows the commitment the ALAA has to excellence in breed development and improvement,” stated MaryPat Thate, ALAA, Vice President.

People who seek allergy friendly Australian Labradoodles with endearing personalities and high sociability with humans should contact the ALAA to find a breeder right for them. https://alaa-labradoodles.com/.

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