East meets west: Stanford students can sample Tibetan medicine during clerkships – Scientists Talk Funny
Author Jennifer HuberPosted on June 13, 2017 Categories Health, Science EducationTags integrative medicine, Tibetan Medicine	
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iBio recently announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to iBio-CFB03 for the treatment of systemic sclerosis.
iBio is a leading provider of plant-based biotechnology for developing and manufacturing biological products for a range of fibrotic diseases (where is scar tissue has formed), including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and systemic sclerosis.
Systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma, is a fibrotic disease that affects the connective tissue in the skin, internal organs and walls of blood vessels. Treatment is currently limited to symptom management, but iBio-CFB03 could make a difference.
Pre-clinical data for the drug candidate, published in 2012 by Dr. Carol Feghali-Bostwick, indicated that specific endostatin-derived peptides are useful for both inhibition and reversal of fibrosis in mouse models of the disease, as well as in human skin.
iBio-CFB03 is a recombinant, plant-made protein that was designed as an anti-fibrotic agent. Its development is based on the involvement of endostatin in fibrotic disease, specifically on endostatin’s anti-fibrotic activity.
“This is an important step toward our goal for a family of iBio proprietary products against fibrotic diseases like systemic sclerosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” Robert B. Kay, iBio’s executive chairman, said in a press release.
“We expect to apply for additional orphan drug designations for products against additional fibrotic diseases. Viewed together and across the major geographic markets, effective therapies against fibrotic diseases are among the most significant unmet medical needs in the world,” Kay said.
The investigational biotherapeutic product was developed using the company’s gene expression technology. iBio-CFB03 was designed based on Feghali-Bostwick’s research. iBio licensed exclusive global rights to her intellectual property covering not only iBio-CFB03 but also all related products, and established a research agreement with the Medical University of South Carolina, where Feghali-Bostwick is now the Kitty Trask Holt and SmartState SC Centers of Economic Excellence Endowed Professor.
The FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development explains that the designation qualifies the drug for benefits specified in the Orphan Drug Act during its development. FDA guidelines require that orphan drugs must meet the same standard regulatory requirements as other drug candidates, such as establishing safety and efficacy through well-controlled clinical studies.
Recently, iBio obtained a U.S. patent protecting the company’s drug development attempts using endostatin-related peptides, including iBio-CFB03, for the treatment of fibrotic diseases.
In this video from mattandandyshowreel, Tasha Ault introduces us to her two cats Makai and Satine, who work as therapy cats.
Tasha takes the two cats to visit people who are either sick at home or in the hospital or to the elderly who may be living in residential nursing homes. The cats offer a range of health benefits from lowering blood pressure, helping with hand movement as patients stroke them, helping to improve mood and decreasing loneliness.
Often the patients Makai and Satine visit are too sick to look after pets themselves but fully benefit from the joy of having them around for an hour or two. Cats in some ways are preferable to therapy dogs as they are smaller and able to sit on people’s laps without causing any discomfort.
Our resident columnist, Kim Tocker, agrees that cats can be great therapy for anyone suffering from a chronic illness like scleroderma, and she also thinks we could learn a thing or two from cats about how we help ourselves to heal. Read more here.
A pack is being developed to pass to new groups when they pick up their St Ayles Skiff kits. Most of the information will be to assist builders, and help them to catch up with the shared knowledge which is being gained from the builds that have gone before. Those with boats already may want to consider the pack, and possibly take inspiration for any small changes while they are doing their maintenance. Anyone with an update on what best building practice should be should please e mail the SCRA secretary, so that knowledge can be shared.
The pack will include the measurement rules and, very importantly, builders should ensure that their skiff complies with these rules. However the purpose of the pack is to try to help everyone build the best possible skiff for their community to use within the agreed rules.
The “Oars ~ Notes and Plans” page on this tab will be part of the pack and will hopefully be of great benefit. In addition you may find the following documents of assistance. These documents will be edited from time to time:
15 November 2004: Maria Sharapova (RUS) with a first place crystal trophy after defeating Serena Williams (USA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the finals of the WTA Tour Championships on day six at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Congratulations to the University of Minnesota Duluth students recently commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force. On Saturday, May 7, 2016, ten graduating seniors were awarded officer commissions for successfully completing the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) and attaining a bachelor’s degree. To see more photos from the ceremony, visit our Flickr page.