Dr. Michael Metzger commented on the significance of these findings, stating, “This work offers us a window into the evolution of these amazingly long-lived cancers and changes our understanding of how cancer cells can survive to continue to infect their hosts despite massive genomic rearrangement and mutation.”
The genomic analysis of cancer in clams advances current knowledge of cancer biology and underscores the importance of studying contagious cancers in their natural settings.
Dr. Metzger added, “By understanding how these cancers evolve, and how the clams themselves evolve in response to these infectious cancers, we hope to gain insights that could help us develop novel strategies for blocking cancer in humans and other species. It’s a natural experiment that provides a unique opportunity to give us insight into cancer that we could not get anywhere else.”
About PNRI: Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute, where scientists are using innovative approaches in genetics and genomics to tackle some of the most difficult problems in science and medicine. The institute was founded 67 years ago in Seattle, Washington, as a place where scientists were free to pursue discoveries that promised the highest chance of improving human health. The goal was at the beginning, and remains today, to conduct foundational science leading to impactful medical innovations. To learn more, visit https://pnri.org.
“I am delighted to welcome Partner Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center to Frederick County,” County Executive Jessica Fitzwater says. “This state-of-the-art veterinary hospital creates new jobs for our residents and brings cutting-edge medical care for our beloved pets. The County’s Fast Track program makes our community attractive to businesses, and I’m excited to see a women-owned business taking advantage of this and other support programs.”
Dedicated to community care, the PVESC interlocking logo represents the Partner Team, Pet Families, and Primary Care Veterinarians. This synergy, combined with decades of experience in the veterinary profession, gives the Partner team the ability and resources to provide information, answer questions, and assist in navigating the care needed for pets.
“Being a local resident of Frederick, I was excited to bring another option for emergency and specialty care to pet owners,” states Christine Stafford, President. “Every single member of our team has worked so hard to make this hospital a reality, and they are more than ready to help service the community.”
To make an appointment, call 301-200-8185. To learn more about PVESC, visit partnervesc.com.
Partner Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center (PVESC) is a women-helmed business whose mission is to transform the veterinary profession. After spending 20+ years in veterinary emergency and specialty medicine, our founders, Christine, and Katie, set out to reinvent the standard approach to veterinary care. Building from the ground up, they are opening the first women-owned and led veterinary emergency and specialty care practice in Frederick, MD, with a second location opening in Richmond, VA by the end of 2023.
Dr. Darryl Sampey, President and CEO of BioFactura, stated, “Funding of this option moves the program into cGMP manufacturing to support clinical development. BioFactura is proud to partner with BARDA in providing advanced therapeutics that will protect US citizens.”
Jeffrey Hausfeld, M.D., M.B.A., BioFactura’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Medical Officer, stated, “We are taking lessons learned from the COVID pandemic to ensure preparedness and foresight when dealing with potentially lethal viral pathogens.”
Dr. Kimberly Clark, BioFactura’s Program Manager, added, “BARDA continues to be an excellent partner in this program. We have maintained a collaborative and scientific working relationship that has sustained the accelerated progress of the program towards the Investigational New Drug Application (IND) stage.”
This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under contract number 75A50119C00054.
About BioFactura, Inc. BioFactura, Inc. (Frederick MD) develops and commercializes high-value biodefense medical countermeasures and biosimilars (i.e., follow-on biologics or generic biopharmaceuticals) using its patented StableFast™ Biomanufacturing Platform, the optimal system for bringing these drugs to market with faster, lower cost, superior-quality manufacture. For over 15 years, BioFactura has been advancing life-saving medicines from the research bench to the patient using its innovative drug development and manufacturing technologies. Current and past programs include biodefense drugs against smallpox and Ebola, novel medicines for cancer, and low-cost/high-quality biosimilars for autoimmune and infectious diseases.
Recipients of this prestigious award were nominated by their peers, and it is a highly selective list. Those who are among the very best in their specialties are chosen for inclusion.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Rameen Moridzadeh, M.D. has been selected as a 2023 Top Doctor® by Castle Connolly. He has earned this impressive award for his expertise as one of the top vein specialists and vascular surgeons in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Moridzadeh’s medical education, training, hospital appointments and disciplinary history were rigorously screened by the Castle Connolly physician-led research team. Castle Connolly publishes its list of Top Doctors at http://www.castleconnolly.com and in a wide variety of partner publications, magazines and affiliate websites. Around 5% of the nation’s licensed physicians have been selected as Castle Connolly Top Doctors in their regions for their specialties. Individuals do not and cannot pay to be selected as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. Dr. Moridzadeh is a fellowship-trained and board-certified vascular and endovascular surgeon well-known for successfully treating conditions affecting veins, arteries and other blood vessels. He specializes in minimally invasive options and surgical procedures to improve vascular health and can offer an accurate diagnosis, delivering the best care possible. He has performed thousands of treatments for varicose veins, peripheral artery disease (PAD), carotid artery stenosis, aortic aneurysms, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), spider veins and chronic venous insufficiency at his clinics and hospitals. Dr. Moridzadeh offers RF ablation, sclerotherapy, laser therapy and vascular surgery for his patients, many of which require little to no downtime after the procedure.
AlluraDerm MD Med Spa is #1 in New Mexico for administering Botox®, Juvéderm® dermal fillers, Kybella® submental fat reduction and CoolSculpting® Elite non-invasive fat reduction.
To learn more about AlluraDerm MD Med Spa and their team of physicians, please call (505) 821-9630 or request a consultation online today!
About AlluraDerm MD Med Spa AlluraDerm MD Med Spa is a state-of-the-art medical spa and skin care facility in Albuquerque, NM, providing the most technologically advanced procedures for women and men of all ages. Treatments at AlluraDerm MD are designed to prevent, heal, improve or eliminate skin imperfections.
AlluraDerm MD offers the care of a physician in the comfort of a spa, featuring highly trained staff that are committed to providing you with the best experience possible. All patients receive a complimentary initial consultation to discuss their skin care and aesthetic goals. During this consultation, the AlluraDerm MD team will review your medical history to help you determine the best methods to safely accomplish your goals. For more information, request a complimentary consultation online or call AlluraDerm MD Med Spa today at (505) 821-9630.
The Power Rack Squat Cage and its “Jack It Up” version are the newest additions to the Premium Collection of power racks, and the EXTREME and Evolution lines are the latest additions to the Platinum Collection of Jacked Up Power Racks. The Power Rack Squat Cage, which costs $795.00, is a sleek complement to complete your home gym that is especially great for those on a budget. The basic Power Rack Squat Cage includes the following features:
A multi-grip pull-up station Extra wide 2.5″ x 2.5″ structural components J-hooks Crossbar safety supports Resistance band pegs Accessory storage hooks And more
Or, if you’re looking for more functionality, the Power Rack Squat Cage with the “Jack It Up” kit is also available for $1,495.00. This version includes the basic squat rack features with some bonus additions, including:
Plate Loaded Single Pulley System Y-Handle Ankle Strap Lat Pull-Down Bar Straight Bar Seated Row Handle Belt Safeties Dip Handles Exterior Spotter Arms Roller J-Hooks Landmine Attachment w/ T-Bar Set of Four Weight Plate Holder Pegs
For heavy lifters who want to meet their match, The Jacked Up Power Rack EXTREME is the gym partner you’ve been waiting for. The EXTREME costs $4,995.00, is built to handle heavy loads, and is tailored specifically to help you redefine your limits. The Jacked Up Power Rack EXTREME includes:
Versatile one-to-one (1:1 switchable to 2:1) pulley system Dual 200 lb weight stacks (400 lbs total) Squat rack Thicker, wider uprights 2×3 (vs. 2×2) made of 10 and 12-gauge steel Dip bars Smith machine Free weight and bar storage Pull-up station Aluminum pulleys (vs. high-impact ABS plastic) Aluminum accessory bars (vs. tubular powder coated) Built-in rods to add resistance bands for a Smith machine Lat and curl bars Tricep rope Tablet/phone holder Multi-exercise Y handles Seated row bar Short pull bar Ankle strap Leg press Leg press support Jammer arms
The Jacked Up Power Rack Evolution costs $4,995.00 and offers style and functionality for those who need a more compact home gym. It even comes with a mirror. On this innovative power rack, the Smith Machine and pulley system are connected to integrated pin-select weight stacks to save space so you can peacefully coexist with it because it requires no weight plates and does not need space behind it or on the sides. Functionality has never been so convenient or accessible. The Evolution includes:
Compact frame 52″ wide (vs. 77″ on the standard) Thicker, wider uprights, even in compact form 2×3 and 2×4 (vs. 2×2), made of super strong 10 and 12-gauge steel Dip bars Aluminum pulleys (vs. high-impact ABS plastic) A 2:1 cable pulley system with aluminum pulleys A pulley system Smith Machine that requires no free weights Aluminum accessory bars (vs. tubular powder coated) A built-in mirror Accessory storage rack Dual 200-pound integrated weight stacks for cable exercises
“This new line of power racks has something for everyone,” Mastrangelo said. “Are you a heavy lifter who wants to constantly push your limits? The EXTREME is perfect. Do you have limited space but want a complete strength training solution for home? The Evolution is your all-in-one power rack. Do you want to add a squat rack to your existing strength training equipment? The Cage finishes off your home gym,” Mastrangelo added.
For a limited-time, all Evolution purchases will include a free bench*.
Jacked Up Fitness offers a range of Power Racks and accessories to get gym-quality results from the comfort and convenience of your home. Each power rack comes with a lifetime warranty. New customers receive free shipping on purchases over $1,995 when they use the promo code ship4free at checkout!
*Free bench on Evolution purchases is a limited time offer based on limited quantities.
About Jacked Up Fitness –
Jacked Up Fitness, one of America’s fastest-growing fitness brands, is based in Temecula, California. Founded by CEO Don Mastrangelo, fitness and wellness advocate, sales visionary, and serial entrepreneur, Jacked Up Fitness brings all-in-one home gym solutions to people across America. The Jacked Up Power Racks are a follow-up to the widely successful Jacked Up Footwear, which brought relief to people with leg length discrepancies. To order a Jacked Up Power Rack or reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns, visit http://www.jackedupbrands.com.
In IBD drug discovery, most treatment strategies target immune cells and inflammation of the bowel. However, another key element is frequently overlooked: the epithelial barrier that lines the intestinal tract, which provides protection from the intestine contents. When the barrier breaks down, through irritation from intestine contents or from a disease condition, the immune system is activated. The result is a continuous recurrence of inflammation. “We call it a positive feedback loop,” says Elizabeth Wiellette, Ph.D., of Draper. “Even as inflammation is suppressed, the cycle can re-initiate if the epithelial barrier remains damaged, leading to sub-effective treatments.”
Wiellette is a biologist and co-author of a paper published in the prestigious journal [Nature Scientific Reports. A research team from Draper and Pfizer experimented using human organ tissues-on-a-chip. The team seeded, grew and tested human colon epithelial tissue models in Draper’s PREDICT96 high-throughput microfluidic testing platform.
Among the findings, Wiellette and her colleagues demonstrated that Draper’s microfluidic device can be used to reconstruct human colon epithelial physiology and function at the cellular and tissue level and quantify dynamic drug-interaction with bowel tissue in real time. The platform showed it has the potential to screen new drugs for therapeutic effect without the need for animal models, elucidate the mechanism of action on barrier cells and be scaled to provide pre-clinical studies with ample statistical power.
The PREDICT96 colon model combines primary human colon cells and a high-throughput framework with integrated pumping and trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements that make it one of the first systems to efficiently and sensitively assess permeability across multiple donors and many dose treatments. Researchers studied physiologically relevant human intestinal biology in a modality that can support the bandwidth required for applications such as therapeutic and small molecule screening.
“A potential reason that current treatments have significant non-response or loss-of-response could be their focus on suppressing inflammatory response but failure to heal the epithelial barrier,” the authors said. Treatments that target inflammation directly but fail to heal the intestinal barrier may fail to thoroughly suppress the disease state, they said.
Unlike most microfluidic testing platforms that have fewer than a dozen replicates, Draper’s platform can hold 96 individual organ tissue models in one microfluidic culture plate. A key feature is a culture plate lid that provides integrated pumping and sensing, including 192 individual and actively-controlled micropumps and 384 individually addressable electrodes configured to make electrical measurements within each of the 96 tissue models.
In the paper, the authors point out that competing intestine-on-chip platforms are highly specialized and typically support only single or small replicate numbers, rendering them less useful for studies that benefit from high throughput capacity, such as drug discovery.
The paper was co-written by Elizabeth Marr, Thomas Mulhern, Michaela Welch, Philip Keegan, Hesham Azizgolshani, Joseph Charest and Timothy Petrie of Draper; and Marion Kasaian, Celia Caballero Franco and Bryce Johnson of Pfizer.
Draper has modeled intestine, liver, kidney, lung and other organs and has partnered with a pharmaceutical company and consumer products company to manufacture configurations of its PREDICT-96 human organ system. Draper also has collaborated with a university to link organ chips together to predict the effects of potentially toxic chemicals and drugs on the human reproductive system.
The Medical Advisory Board is continuing its work and currently is focusing on:
Creation of a very detailed and comprehensive medical record for individuals, to provide a thorough analysis of all health data and most complete suggestions for care options. Each user will have a personalized experience, be able to own their health data and easily be able to review and share it.
Personalization of AI-driven screeners and tools incorporated in the HealthBook+ service to improve its accuracy and utility. The entirety of a user’s health data is aggregated and leveraged to fuel various tools for improved health outcomes.
Continuous evaluation of potential partner companies and capabilities to create the most complete patient journey. Isabel Health is an example of a partnership initiated in this way. A typical user experience involves connection with best-in-class capabilities provided by a number of companies and services.
The Medical Advisory Board is led by Dr. Panos Sechopoulos, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at HealthBook+, with the support of advisory board coordinator Dr. Arleen Chung.
“I am honored to work with this team of distinguished medical practitioners who each contribute their expert experience to providing the best service, and who together share the company’s vision to leverage technology to empower individuals to take their next most appropriate health steps,” said Dr. Sechopoulos.
The members of the Medical Advisory Board are:
Panos Sechopoulos, MD – Specialist in Gastroenterology. Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at HealthBook+. Leader of the Medical Advisory Board.
Arleen Chung, MD – Specialist in Pediatrics. Coordinator of the Medical Advisory Board.
David Vigder, MD – Specialist in Internal Medicine focusing on Direct Primary Care.
Benjamin Wiseman, MD – Specialist in Mental and Behavioral Health.
Yunguo Yu, PhD, MD – Specialist in Healthcare and AI/Health Data-Driven Models.
Further experienced medical experts are being selected so that the advisory board can include multiple members with common specialties, and to increase the overall domain scope of the advisory board.
About HealthBook+
Headquartered in Denver, CO, HealthBook+ has built a digital-first early identification and care platform that guides an individual’s next best health action using advanced AI. Designed by doctors and featuring the Serea digital human, HealthBook+ identifies potential conditions early on and facilitates access to healthcare screening and services through secure chats, peer coaching, and education. The platform’s AI models are continuously reviewed by the company’s Medical Advisory Board, and are powered by an individual’s comprehensive health information, sourced from their provider-hosted EHR systems, personal health trackers and via self-reporting. For more information, visit https://healthbookplus.com.
“We are thrilled to launch the second year of Cartober in partnership with some amazing nonprofits like DAV and KPBS,” said Justin Ruffier, VP of Marketing at CARS. “The mission of Cartober is to celebrate vehicle donors for their incredible gifts while highlighting the impact on the nonprofit. It’s really a month-long celebration.”
Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity, is one of the featured partners for Cartober this year. Through the vehicle donations received during the campaign, DAV will further its mission to provide crucial services and advocacy to veterans and their families.
KPBS, a respected public media organization known for its commitment to enhancing the civic and cultural life of the San Diego community, joins hands with CARS to emphasize the significance of responsible and community-centered initiatives. The partnership with KPBS underscores the importance of supporting independent journalism and diverse programming through vehicle donations.
Cartober offers a seamless donation process, making it easier than ever for individuals to contribute to their chosen causes. Donors can visit Cartober.com to learn more about the campaign, choose their preferred nonprofit beneficiary, and complete the donation process online. CARS handles the logistics, ensuring a hassle-free experience for donors while maximizing the benefits for its partnering nonprofits.
As Cartober 2023 gains momentum throughout the month of October, DAV, KPBS, and other featured nonprofits anticipate increased support from individuals who recognize the power of their vehicle donations to create lasting change in their communities.
For more information on Cartober, this year’s featured nonprofits, and the donation process, please visit www.Cartober.com.
About CARS (Charitable Adult Rides and Services):
CARS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps thousands of organizations increase their fundraising through vehicle and real estate donation programs. Since 2003, CARS has raised more than $475 million for its nonprofit partners. With a commitment to simplifying the donation process and maximizing the impact of contributions, CARS empowers donors to support causes they care about. Learn more at www.careasy.org.
“The biggest challenge from getting laboratory information in practice is turnaround time,” said Fluxergy Scientific Advisor Dr. Nicola Pusterla (PhD, Diplomate ACVIM, and AVDC-Equine). “Having the ability to get results and to retest horses with respiratory signs with on-site PCR will be a helpful tool for veterinarians to monitor suspect cases and institute rapid measures to prevent disease spread. It has been a pleasure working with Fluxergy over the past 7 years and I appreciate their constant engagement with the industry to understand what tests are needed and making sure these tests meet the veterinarian’s need for accurate results.”
Alongside current Fluxergy equine PCR assays environmental Salmonella enterica*, and Equine Herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1)*, veterinarians will have another tool within the Fluxergy platform for in-house biosecurity screening. Robust veterinary clinic biosecurity programs involving rapid testing allow veterinarians to begin treatment plans sooner, prevent hospital shutdowns, and retain more revenue.
“Fluxergy continues to partner with industry leaders to develop a novel in-house testing platform that allows for veterinary professionals to address biosecurity, general health, and other critical unmet diagnostic needs,” said Eric Mendonsa, Global Head of Equine Commercial Development. “Our S. equi ss equi assay is the latest product in this series, and we are proud to offer an on-site solution and comprehensive laboratory training that can make a difference in how care providers navigate preventative and responsive pathogen testing.”
About Fluxergy:
Fluxergy is a medical device manufacturing company specializing in point-of-use detection technologies with the goal of making affordable diagnostics accessible in all settings. The Fluxergy Analyzer platform combines the capabilities of many diagnostic devices into one multimodal system, delivering more affordable laboratory-quality test results and actionable metrics in 60 minutes or less. The core of this system is a highly scalable microfluidic test card which allows for the combined detection of proteins, nucleic acids, small molecules, and cells. In the equine space, Fluxergy’s current assays are Environmental Salmonella, Streptococcus equi ss equi and EHV-1, with an Equine Respiratory Panel (EHV-1, EHV-4, EIV, Streptococcus equi ss equi) in development.
*This Fluxergy product has not been cleared or approved by the USDA for veterinary diagnostic use, and is limited to use as individual laboratory components by experienced professional users in developing their own laboratory tests for research or animal use.
