WeirdMedical™

Research methods in medical innovation continue to innovate…

Dozens of prescription drugs coming off patent in the next few years are encouraging researchers throughout the pharmaceutical and biotech industries to think “outside the traditional box.”

According to Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development Director Kenneth I Kaitin, “This is spurring companies across the industry to experiment with a growing range of new tools and approaches to weed out unpromising drug candidates earlier, speed development, and reduce development costs.”

Tufts CSDD has found that researchers are trying many new methodologies for developing news drugs that are expected to be faster and more efficient such those noted below.

Even though the Tufts CSDD article is a come-on for an upcoming series of conferences, it cites a critical issue. 15 years is too long from compound discovery through development and commercialization to sustain continued profitable innovation in an economy that is in a slow grinding recovery.

Consider shaving off months or even a year or more with these techniques:

• Drug development simulator software
• Blurring the lines between phases, especially Phases I & II
• Conducting FIM studies earlier similar in timing for those medical device development trials
• Partnering with other companies with knowledge in the same indication
• Conducting exploratory IND studies
• read on…

We’re in the 21st century, the age of mobile connectivity and cloud computing, we can do better than a 15 year development cycle.

If you are struggling for therapeutic relief from multiple sclerosis, you’ve got a lot of competition…

An new investigational procedure using an old “Gold Standard” technology is causing MS patients to apply in droves for a single site clinical trial. Over 1,000 patients applied for 3o positions at a lone study site in Buffalo, New York in its early trial. And the technology?…Is it a drug or an active agent?…no…it’s “POBA” –> Plain Old Balloon Angioplasty!

The theory of balloon angioplasty’s anticipated success in this new indication for use? This  provocative new theory proposes that abnormal blood drainage from the brain may cause or play a role in multiple sclerosis. According to early studies by an Italian vascular specialist, Dr. Paolo Zamboni, who was running out of treatment options for his wife, poor deoxygenated blood drainage caused by twisted, narrowed or blocked cerebrospinal veins may cause “leakage of immune cells into the brain that starts a cascade of inflammatory problems.” In this venous application, balloon angioplasty opens these vessels to increase the volume and rate of drainage…and patients can not wait to receive treatment.

“A lot of people are starting to go to fly-by-night places,” according to Dr. Carlo Tornatore at Washington’s Georgetown University Hospital. “It’s a marathon, not a 100-yard sprint. We have to be very careful.” (Source: Seattle PI, Seattle, WA)

The indication is chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI. Further studies of 65 patients by Dr. Zamboni reveal this therapy may be most effective in treating the relapsing-remitting form of MS. But there appears to be a significant relapse rate nearly 50%, similar to that for POBA for coronary arteries in the 1980′s and 1990′s.

Stay tuned…this opens a whole new opportunity for peripheral vascular device manufactures as well as their new MS patients!

Did you ever wonder what the first x-ray image looked like or how we are mathematically engineered?

Look no further than “Science and Technology in Medicine: An Illustrated Account Based on Ninety-Nine Landmark Publications from Five Centuries.” Author, Andras Gedeon, has researched major advanced technologies of today back to their roots. Nearly 100 technologies are captured in his book on medical therapies and diagnostic equipment dating back to the early 1500′s.

“A most fascinating read,” says Armchair Interviews who gives it five stars, “The visual effect evokes one’s curiosity at a fundamental level, making it an excellent source for inspiring further learning.”

Humane Blood

This books is fascinating in that it respectfully shows very graphic illustrations, images and in later years, pictures, of more primitive applications of science to the art of early experimental medicine. It is available in:

English & German

Any of us who have a fascination with medicine as it converges with science will cherish this book.  For Armchair Interviews’ review…read on…

Need to know where your colleagues’ greatest interest in clinical cancer research is today?…or the most currently active cancer trials?

Never be out of the loop again…For those latest advances consult the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research.

The journal feeds a constant stream of the “Top 10″ articles over latest 30 days directly to you, updated continuously at JECCR.

As of today, the #1, #2 & #3 most read articles are:

JECCR Logo

#1 – Research:  “Correlation effect of EGFR and CXCR4 and CCR7 chemokine receptors in predicting breast cancer metastasis and prognosis,” by Yixin Liu, et.al., published February 24, 2010.

#2 – Research: “In-vivo transfection of pcDNA3.1-IGFBP7 inhibits melanoma growth in mice through apoptosis induction and VEGF downexpression,” by Rong-Yi Chen et.al., published February 16, 2010.

#3 – Research: “Coronin-1C is a novel biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma invasive progression identified by proteomics analysis and clinical validation,” by Long Wu et.al. published February 24, 2010.

Capture the most current European and U.S. cancer research news on one website…after all, your time is precious, you do not have it to waste!

Do feel like your metabolism is slowing down?

Are you worried about getting fat?

Dismay no longer ladies…sorry guys…but now moderate drinking has been proven not only to help keep your heart healthy but keep your weight level over the years…and what a great way to cope with the Great Recession!

“Researchers at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston asked more than 19,000, normal-weight U.S. women aged 39 or older how many alcoholic beverages they typically drank in a day, and then tracked the women for around 13 years,” according to editors at Canada.com. They found that those women who abstained from drinking wine, beer or alcohol were most likely to gain weight, and those who drank two drinks per day were most likely to maintain their weight from 13 years prior.

(Photo courtesy of Chris Barria, Reuters)

But the best drink to keep the pounds / kilos off?…of course, was red wine.

Now gals can Go Red in just another way – You go girls!

Ah…soon to be springtime! That marvelous time of year when those lovely little darlings throw their hats and coats into piles in the playground at school…

…and bring home head lice, followed by traumatic visits to drug stores and at least one weekend shot to heck fumigating their heads, toys, clothes and entire bedrooms!

(Source WebMD)

And worse yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the first line of defense is a neurotoxin that is losing its effectiveness. Despite being an FDA approved over-the-counter (OTC) active ingredient, pediculicides containing neurotoxic pesticides are creating a strain of lice that is resistant.

So if  neurochemistry does not work, how about “biomechanical topical science?” Good old home remedies such as  mayonnaise, olive oil, and petroleum jelly seem to work initially. But lice cannot be asphyxiated easily so they bounce back to life within the next shampooing.

Clinical research to the rescue! –> In a study published online February 23, 2010 in Pediatric Dermatology, three (3) recent clinical trials studying 700 subjects showed that Benzyl alcohol lotion 5% (BAL 5%), a non-neurotoxic topical treatment successfully kills head lice by suffocating them. According to MedScape Today, “BAL 5% is safe and effective in children as young as 6 months and is the first non-neurotoxic compound to win approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”

Downsides? BAL 5% is:

• Only available by prescription – so you first need to see your pediatrician
• Non-ovicidal (does not kill nits) – requiring a second treatment 7 days later (plan on tying-up 2 weekends in a row!)
• Expensive – requiring multiple bottles for longer hair times two applications

So if your insurance covers it, fret no longer, moms and dads!

BAL 5% is on its way to a drugstore near you to “head lice off at the pass!“

Orthopods! Here’s a new twist for external fracture fixation…

not just a cast but…a Casttoo!

Both a waterproof and X-ray permeable alternative to plain autographable casts, Casttoos are on the rise. (Thankfully) artwork on casts is not (yet) regulated by the FDA…and neither are Casttoos. But they are lots of fun for orthopaedic patients of any age. And the best part is that docs or patients get to create them themselves!

How about a shark infested jungle:

…or an x-ray of your fracture:

Just a couple of  ideas from the infinite number of Casttoo creators designs from the bookofjoe.

Docs can even download a hospital starter kit from Casttoo’s website.

…as Casttoo creators say “Happy Healing” to young and old alike!

Who would have thought that avoiding osteoporosis would be such yummy fun?

We now have new evidence that beer is more of a health food than originally thought. It’s been discovered that silicon found in commercially produced beer promotes strong bone development.

Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis have proven there is a relationship between commercial beer production methods and producing a final end product rich in silicon essential for greater bone mineral density.

According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Charles Bamforth, “The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied. We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer.”

“Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,” Dr. Bamforth concluded.   [See February 2010 issue - Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Society of Chemical Industry.]

So beer once again is king...and ounce-for-ounce it’s easier on our budgets than wine!

picture courtesy Sirtified’s Blog

No more wine for our cardiovascular systems…let’s drink a few beers to our skeletal health!

Here we go again with fish…can you believe that the fountain of youth is now believed to be found in the sea?…

Researchers recently completed a study that confirms previous findings –> Omega-3 fatty acids promote long, healthy telomeres!

For those who are scratching their heads, telomeres are part of our DNA. They are the “nonsense ends” at the end of our chromosomes that allow accurate, reliable DNA replication (“copying”) during cell division.But repetitive cell division causes these ends to be chewed-up. If they get too short, inaccurate DNA replication occurs. And then…you guessed it…you are more likely to get cancer or other diseases caused by “cellular aging.” More reliable accuracy dictates longevity. So the longer your telomeres are, the better.

“What we’re demonstrating is a potentially new link between omega-3 fatty acids and the aging process,” according to Ramin Farzaneh-Far, a clinical cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. UCSF and other hospitals studied 608 patients and found that those with high omega-3 fatty diets had significantly less telomere shortening over a 5-year period. While they did not distinguish if sources other than specific fishes are best to get your omega-3, they did note that it requires about two (2),  1000 milligram servings a day to have an effect.

Article Source: The Wall Street Journal, Image Source: ABC News, Chicago

Bad news is you will smell a bit fishy…but good news is you will live long to annoy others with it!

“Live long and prosper!” - Spock, StarTrek

Programming our bodies to heal themselves…

Researchers at the Harvard University have discovered a method to make cancerous tumors self destruct. By implanting a plastic disc with tumor-specific antigens that mimic infection into a mouse, the immune system is reprogrammed to attack the tumor.

“Our immune systems work by recognizing and attacking foreign invaders, allowing most cancer cells — which originate inside the body — to escape detection,” according to Harvard’s David J. Mooney, Gordon McKay Professor of Bioengineering in Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, as described in the current issue of the journal Nature Materials. “This technique, which redirects the immune system from inside the body, appears to be easier and more effective than other approaches to cancer vaccination.”

This weird, in vivo technique may prove very effective in human cancer survival.

Causing Cancer to Self-Destruct (Source: Phsyorg.com)

Someday it may be said…“cancer patient, heal thyself!”