Investing in Regenerative Medicine at the Local Level

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Investors are always looking for that next big thing to put their money into. The medical field is rife with such opportunities, thanks to ongoing advancements that are making it possible for us to treat all sorts of things that were previously out of reach. If you are an orthopedist, aesthetic practitioner or GP, you might want to consider your own local investment in the emerging area of stem cell therapy.

Take 'local investment' to mean investing in your own practice. Put the time and effort into PRP and stem cell training by attending courses that will teach you how PRP and stem cell therapies work and the procedures necessary to implement them. Apex Biologix, a company located in Murray, Utah, is one example of a competent trading provider you could work with. They have already assisted more than 200 clinics in establishing regenerative medicine services.

Worldwide Market Expected to Boom

There would certainly be nothing wrong with investing in a company directly involved in the manufacture and sale of regenerative medicine products. In fact, such investments would be rather wise. Recent numbers suggest the global market for regenerative medicine will reach nearly $39 billion by 2021. The expected rate of growth should be just under 24%.

Those numbers are pretty impressive by any standard. But here's what you need to know as a doctor: a significant portion of that $39 billion will not be realized through investments in the industry's corporate players. Rather, it will be spent by patients looking for regenerative medicine for wound care, orthopedic treatments, and aesthetic medicine. You can get your share of the action by undergoing training and then adding regenerative medicine to your own practice.

Investing in the Future of Medicine

An analysis of the regenerative medicine market suggests that investment is being driven by an expectation that the future of things such as PRP and stem cell therapy looks good. When investors spot something in which they see a lot of potential, they are not afraid to put their money behind it. And wherever the markets go, reality often follows.

With that said, the strong investment in regenerative medicine suggests that anticipated growth will become a reality. Institutional investors will put money into the companies producing products and therapies, companies like Apex Biologix will invest their resources in training doctors and supplying them with equipment, and patients will invest in the actual procedures that will help them live healthier lives.

How to Get Trained

Doctors looking to invest in regenerative medicine can take a series of training courses depending on the kinds of services they want to offer. Continuing with Apex Biologix as the example, they offer training courses for both PRP and stem cell therapy. Their courses cover aesthetic medicine, orthopedics, and marketing regenerative medicine services to clients.

Their longest training course is a two-day affair held at various locations around the country. That two-day course centers around stem cell therapy for orthopedic applications. Apex Biologix also offers a one-day training course in PRP therapy for aesthetic medicine. Both courses include additional training for marketing regenerative medicine procedures.

Conclusion

As much as we don't like to talk about it, medicine is a business that requires a certain level of revenue to keep the lights on and the doors open. It is clear that institutional investors are rather optimistic about the future of regenerative medicine, so much so that they are willing to put their money behind it. Doctors can invest in their own practices by receiving training and then adding regenerative medicine to what they currently offer patients.

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The Latest Updates on Cancer Treatment

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Cancer treatment is considered as one of the highly discussed topics in the medical industry. In light of the above, it is extremely important to figure out the treatment options available for cancer in order to provide the best possible treatment accordingly.

Finding the best possible cancer treatment is essential as it can help healthcare professionals to treat tumors while causing the least damage to the body. In other words, proper cancer treatment can minimize the changes of cancer cell redevelopment within the body as well as side-effects. 

Understanding the Treatment Options Available for Cancer

The treatments available for cancerous infections are severe and need to be handled with extreme attention and with reference to the patient's medical background. As a result, they should be done in the appropriate manner according to individual needs and not be identical for all patients. Taking unreliable or unsuitable treatments for cancer can be risky and has the potential to cause irreversible damages to your body tissues and cells. Healthcare professionals have paid special attention towards this fact in the recent past. 

As a result, they offer the treatments based on growth and character of malignant tumors. It has been empirically found that cancer cells can be treated effectively when they are detected at an early stage. However, it should be noted that the chances of curing cancer cells reduce with age. 

The increasing intensity of cancerous infections has contributed a lot towards the aforementioned fact. Therefore, an appropriate diagnosis of cancer is extremely important to plan out the proper treatment option available. Treatment options are available for almost all types of cancers and it is possible to reverse it and recover from the illness when detected at an early stage and the person is relatively young. 

Cancer treatment rotates around the efforts taken to diagnose cancers as well as the treatment method used to cure abnormal cells. One of the primary objectives of cancer treatment is to restrict the spread of cancer cells. Some harsh medical techniques are being used to restrict it, based on the condition. If the cancer cells are not treated properly, they invade the healthy body tissues and cells as well. Lack of vital resources such as blood and oxygen contribute a lot towards this abnormal behavior. This can cause a tremendous damage to the vital parts of your body in the long run. 

The most convenient option available for patients to stay away from this damage is to control the growth of cancer cells in time. The latest updates on cancer treatment have given more attention towards cancer detection as a result of it. In the meantime, necessary steps are being taken in order to strengthen your immune system. This can help the victim to create a body that is more resistible to future attacks. It will also help to gain maximum benefits out of prescribed medications. 

The Dimensions of Modern World Cancer Treatment

It is extremely important for the patient to take an appropriate treatment as such action can restrict the abnormal growth of cancerous cells. In this regard, more attention is paid towards the origin of cancer cells during the treatment process. Not all types of cancers metastasize at the same speed. Some forms of cancer, such as the ones that develop in your breast, lymph nodes, abdomen, lungs, bloodstream, neck, head and bones develop at a faster rate when compared to those that develop in other parts of your body. A closer look into stats, indicates that the above types of cancers have given rise to cancer deaths that are registered yearly around the world. Therefore, it is considered best that people who suffer from cancers in those areas need to get an aggressive treatment done. 

The treatment options available for cancer depend a lot on the type of tumor and location and size. The tumors are either cancerous or benign. The benign tumors are defined as pre-cancerous or non-cancerous because of their harmless nature to the human body. In other words, they do not have the ability to invade or kill the ordinary cells of your body. The pre-cancerous cells can easily be controlled because they do not have the ability to metastasize. Regular medication or minor surgeries are in a position to control such tumors. They have very little chance of redeveloping as well. 

On the other hand, cancerous tumors are responsible for the development of cancers within your body. They can damage the live tissues and cells in your body. Those cells would get abnormal along with time and accumulate to create a tumor or lump. They are associated with a high chance of reoccurrence as well. Therefore, you will need to opt for a drastic treatment in order to restrict their growth. 

Latest Updates on Cancer Treatments

Different types of cancer can affect human beings and the type of treatment should be based upon it. Surgery can be considered as the most common treatment that is offered to the modern world for cancer patients. It has the potential to treat the cancerous tumors that belong to an initial stage in an effective manner. 

The surgical methods for cancer treatments have gone through some significant developments throughout the past couple of years and they can even be used to treat tumors that are in their second or third stages. However, it would be better to accompany a surgery with other treatment methods such as radiation therapy or chemical therapy in order to receive the best possible results. 

Chemotherapy is another cancer invasive and toxic treatment, which has received a lot of attention in the recent past. People who suffer from cancers that have reached an advance stage are encouraged to go for this treatment. Chemotherapy is also prescribed to patients who have second and third stage cancer. 

Radiotherapy is thought of as the most advanced cancer treatment method available at the moment. In fact, it is known as the last resort of treatment for malignant tumors. Radiotherapy focuses on killing the cancer cells while destroying infected areas. This can cause severe damage to the adjacent tissues however it does attack healthy body cells as well. There have been medical case reported where permanent damage can impact the overall functioning of the body. 

As time passes by, the proliferation of technology leads to significant advances in research and practice around cancer treatment. In this sense, people should not hesitate to visit a healthcare professional if they suspect the existence of tumor or in order to get a treatment done once they are diagnosed. There are less invasive forms of treatment including alternative medicine which has become a growing trend. This type of approach focuses on the use of specific diet and a healthy lifestyle among others as a way to treat cancer. Nevertheless, it has not been extensively proven that such treatment can be more effective in comparison to traditional medicine. 

Summary

Overall, depending on the type and stage of cancer, different treatments are available to eradicate the tumor or slow its development. This could include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy. It is important that above all, appropriate supportive care is available for the patient and the family as they go through this difficult stage in their lives.

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Emotional Intelligence and Leadership: The Importance of Leading by Emotions

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

"A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them." - M. D. Arnold

Effective leaders share their own unique qualities. Emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) holds a prominent place out of them. In fact, emotional intelligence has been identified as one of the prerequisites for business success in the 21st century.

What Exactly is Emotional Intelligence? 

The term introduced in 1990 by Salovey and Mayer refers to the “accurate appraisal and expression of emotions in oneself and others and the regulation of emotion in a way that enhances living” (Mayer, DiPaolo & Salovey, 1990, p. 772). In other words emotional intelligence is defined as the act of understanding, knowing, overcoming stress in the moment, responding to emotions and being aware of how your actions or words affect others. This sort of qualities would assist you to perceptive in tune with your emotions and developing is crucial for understanding, empathize and negotiate with other people.

When it comes to leadership, emotional intelligence can be described in five different attributes. They include effective communication, relationship management, empathy, self-management and self-awareness. Natural born leaders are thought to share these attributes whilst aspiring leaders should pay special attention towards the aforementioned attributes if they are to develop a sufficient level of emotional intelligence. 

It is critical for leaders to tackle EQ since a leader who lacks emotional intelligence will have difficulty to gauge the needs of employees and the public in an effective manner. Furthermore, leaders who act without emotional intelligence would run into hassle in the long run. For example, some leaders tend to spontaneously react to different situations in life without filtering their emotions. Such a stance can create serious issues in relationships and negotiations which can prevent from closing deals. Therefore, it is extremely important for the great leaders to be self-aware about themselves. They need to have a clear understanding about their verbal as well as non-verbal communication and attitude. This approach could create a tremendous impact on their lives in the long run. 

In order to understand the core of emotional intelligence that is required for effective leadership, the below elements are crucial. 

1. Effective Communication 

Effective communication can be considered as one of the key elements of emotional intelligence. If you are a leader, you should know how to appropriately communicate with whoever you deal with. Lack of effective communication can often lead to misunderstandings. Effective communication is not just focusing on your words. Recent studies have indicated that only 7% of effective communication comes from words. The remaining 93% comes from body language and tone. 

Misunderstandings can be considered as one of the major reasons behind issues that take place among individuals. For example, if you fail to communicate effectively at your workplace, you would have to experience confusion among employees along with bitterness and frustration. On the other hand, effective communication has the potential to strengthen the relationships at your workplace. When the employees have a clear understanding about their specific role within the company, they would stick to their job description. It could benefit the company at the end of the day. 

2. Relationship Management 

If you are distracted, it will most likely be a hard task to establish deep connections with other people. Almost all employees will have their own families as well as other obligations. However, it is important to maintain productive and healthy relationships in order to achieve higher emotional intelligence at the end of the day. In other words, leaders should have the ability to manage relationships properly to move a team forward in the desired direction. 

3. Compassion and Empathy 

Empathy can simply be defined as the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Then you will be able to get a better understanding on how others feel. You will even manage to predict how others react in different situations. When a leader has empathy, he/she would be able to open up the capacity to feel compassion. This can create the desire within leaders to help others. In other words, leaders with compassion and empathy will be able to relate to others in an effective manner. 

4. Self-Regulation 

Self-regulation can be considered as another important element that leaders should have in order to gain a high level of emotional intelligence. Self-regulation is simply defined as discipline. This involves redirecting or controlling all your disruptive emotions which in return will allow to adapt accordingly to different circumstances and guide your team in the right direction. As a result, you end up with positive results at the end of the day. Leaders do not afford to lose their coolness under any circumstance. Instead, they should remain calm and act completely natural in such instances. This will allow to communicate the company objectives to relevant team members in a clear manner. Concurrently, it is a strategy that will help to ease things and contribute to stay away from frustration. 

5. Self-Assessment 

Self-assessment is the ability to figure out your own values, weaknesses, strengths, emotions and drivers. It also rotates around the ability to understand how those values can create an impact on others around. Therefore, leaders with emotional intelligence should have this quality. Without the ability for self-reflection, we would not be able to figure out who we are. In addition, we would not have been able to realize where we fall short, what we are good at and why we make certain decisions in life. In order to achieve your maximum potential, you need to be confident about who you are. As a leader, you need to have a clear idea about your good and bad qualities. Then you will be able to use them accordingly in your day to day life, especially when dealing with other people and constantly having to make important decisions. 

As it appears from the previous, it is important for a leader to have innate highly developed emotional intelligence. The aforementioned can directly contribute towards the emotional intelligence of a leader which in turn can contribute to eliminate mistrust among team members, and maximize productivity in the workplace. If you do not feel you naturally exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence, you should not despair since there are ways to improve your emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, emotional intelligence is so complex that it cannot be simply acquired through reading a book or attending a seminar. However, when put on a practical basis, within a rapidly demanding daily routine such as is the case in a fast-paced growing company, for a person to learn EI requires: team-based learning, practice, and accountability. 

The following infographic draws on the work of Gordon Tredgold and provides with some further practical tips on how to improve your emotional intelligence and become a better leader.

 

Source: Inc.com

Conclusively, building on your emotional intelligence is considered as an excellent investment done towards the future of your business. It is incremental to strive for empathetic, thoughtful, responsive and reflexive leadership, be open to conversation and listening to others’ needs as well as be willing to present yourself as vulnerable and put yourself in others’ shoes. Such attitude will lead to a positive environment where employees will be inspired to bring out their best self.

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An Overview of the Human Genome Project

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Mapping human genome can be considered as one of the main endeavors of modern world bio scientists. They have been pursuing this for decades and so far have achieved some measurable results. In simple terms, human genome can be defined as a map of how the cells of human beings are made up. If human genome is properly documented and researched, it could deliver answers to a myriad of mysteries.

Human genome is significant as it can provide with answers to questions like why we age, what genetic markers are, what causes and cures illnesses and many more. As a result, finding answers for this scientific puzzle has become part of an interesting competition. Entrepreneurs who start working on this field will be able to learn a lot of new things.

History of the Human Genome Project

The National Institute of Health in United States has established a partnership with the British government in order to solve the mysteries that are associated with the human genome project. They have hired the finest bio-scientists from different parts of the world and have created excellent equipment and facilities to complete their work successfully. A substantial amount of funds were approved generously to contribute to this project by both governments. According to statistical information, the government of United States has spent about $3 billion on this project. The British government has spent even more. 

1998 was an important year for the human genome project. In this year, a scientist named Dr. Craig Ventner was going through some published papers of the project and figured out that a different approach can be followed in order to get quick results. This method also had the ability to deliver more accurate answers for the complex issues and therefore he decided to undertake a project on this area himself. Nevertheless, as Dr. Craig Ventner was in need of financial assistance, he sought to get help from capitalist funding sources. His efforts became successful and was able to make $300 million within a short period of time. This motivated Dr. Craig Ventner to start working on his unique approach in the human genome project. His venture was named as “Celera” and it was charged with mapping the human genome to commercialize the findings. 

The Main Objective of the Human Genome Project

The primary objective of the human genome project is to figure out the consequence of chemical base pairs that are responsible for making up human DNA. It also focuses on mapping the genes of human genome through a functional and physical standpoint. As mentioned earlier, a lot of parties are involved in this project. Therefore, it can be considered as the world’s largest collaborative biological project. It was declared complete during 2003. At the early stage of this project, the main objective was to map the nucleotides in human body to reference genome. The genomes that can be found in human beings differ from one another. Hence, mapping the human genome is an extremely complex process for which scientists involved in this project hoped to succeed to eliminate that complexity.

State of Completion

The human genome project was not focused in sequencing the entire DNA that can be seen in human body cells. It only focused on the euchromatic areas of genome. In fact, euchromatic areas make up about 90 percent of human genome. The remaining area of the genome was called as heterochromatic and they were not considered in this project. 

As mentioned earlier, the human genome project was completed in 2003. The initial draft of the human genome was available by 2000 and a working draft was completed one year later. The final consequence mapping took place in 2003. This project was completed with a success rate of 99.99%. However, further analysis is being carried out at the moment and researches are scheduled to be carried out on HGP. 

Proposed Benefits of the Human Genome Project

The findings of the human genome project can be used for a variety of applications. These applications in turn have the potential to deliver tons of benefits, which range from molecular medicine up to human evolution. For instance, these findings can help people gain a better understanding about diseases. In other words, people will be able to get a clear view of the genotyping process of specific viruses that can be directed to appropriate treatments. It can also be used to identify mutations that are connected to different types of cancers. 

On the other hand, the human genome project is being used to design medication in an appropriate manner while ensuring their accuracy. The effects of medication on different people can also be predicted based on this theory. Commercial development of genomics is another major advantage that is associated with the human genome project. Therefore, it can be considered as a multibillion dollar industry. 

The sequence of DNA figured out from this method is stored in a database. The database is then being uploaded to the Internet, so that anyone can access. This database is well known as GenBank and it is being managed by the United States National Center for Biotechnology Information. Some other organizations are contributing towards it as well. 

Summary

It becomes apparent that the human genome project is one of the most important and useful projects in the biotechnology industry. It is in a position to deliver a variety of benefits for every human being that exists on the planet. From this project, it has been identified that around 20,500 genes can be found in human beings. The same range of genes can be found in mice as well.

On the other hand, the human genome consists of a large amount of segmental duplications. These duplications are nearly identical and can be defined as repeated sections of DNA. Even though the human genome project is completed at the moment, more and more studies are yet to be conducted on the same field to discover additional benefits that can be reaped out of it.

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Video Animation : All You Need to Know About DNA

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

BBC Knowledge and Learning is exploring a wide variety of topics from social history to science in a series of three-minute online Explainer documentaries, and commissioned Territory Studio to produce an animated film on the subject of DNA. 

It's hard to explain DNA replication, transcription, and protein building in an accessible but non-dumbed-down way. This quick and elegant video does it though : You get the full story with helpful visualizations in the most awesome science video about DNA.

As Will Samuel, lead designer and animator on the project explains, the approach taken wasn’t just to look into a scientific future. “We needed to find a graphic style to communicate the beauty and intricacy of DNA. We wanted to create nostalgia; taking the audience back to the days of textbook diagrams and old science documentaries, such as Carl Sagan's COSMOS and IBM’s POWER OF TEN (1977). Using the double helix circular theme as a core design we focused on form, movement and colour to create a consistent flow to the animation, drawing on references from nature, illustrating how DNA is the core to everything around us.”

Three minutes is a short time to explore a subject where most doctorates only scratch the surface, so writer Andrew S. Walsh teamed up with molecular biologist Dr Matthew Adams to distil the script down to the most fundamental elements required to understand not only DNA’s form and function but how our understanding of these discoveries has affected the wider world. 

While this length may feel restrictive, the team found that this limitation acted as a lens, focusing the piece on the essentials. Enjoy the video!

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TED : Susan Solomon talks about The Promise of Research with Adult Stem Cells

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Calling them "our bodies' own repair kits," Susan Solomon advocates research using adult stem cells. We can use them to model and study disease, but she hopes for much more. 

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. Also known as somatic stem cells, they can be found in juvenile as well as adult animals and human bodies. They are pluripotent because they can morph in to any cells in our bodies.

By growing adult stem cells lines in a lab, Susan's team creates testbeds that could accelerate research into curing disease - and perhaps lead to individualized treatment, targeted not just to a particular disease but a particular person.

The above video was recorded at TEDGlobal 2012. Learn more about this topic on TED's Blog.
Feel free to discover also other interesting TED Performances and comment below what you think about our article.

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The Tomorrow Project : Conversations about Synthetic Biology

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

The Tomorrow Project

- What kind of future do you want to live in? 

- What future do you want to avoid? 

The Tomorrow Project is an International Program that explores our possible futures through fact-based, Science-based fiction and video conversations with Scientists and Science fiction authors, legends and world renowned experts, passionate advocates and everyday people. 

Science fiction gives all of us all a language so that we can have a conversation about the future and these conversations make dramatic changes.

Join the conversation >>

On today's topic Designer, Researchers and Scientists Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Christina Agapakis and Patrick Boyle are in conversation with Intel Consumer Experience Architect - Futurist Brian David Johnson about Synthetic Biology.

Synthetic What?

Synthetic Biology is a new area of Biological Research and Technology that combines Science and Engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions.The common goal is the Design and Construction of new Biological Functions and Systems not found in Nature.

The Scientists who engage in Synthetic Biology research approach the creation of new Biological system from different perspectives, focusing on finding how life works (the origin of life) or how to use it to benefit society. 

The former focus includes the approach of Biology, inserting man-made DNA into a living cell; and Chemistry, working on gene synthesis as an extension of Synthetic Chemistry. The latter focus includes Engineering, building the new Biological System as a platform for various Technologies; and rewriting, rebuilding the natural systems to provide the Engineered surrogates.

The advance of synthetic biology relies on several key enabling technologies provided at ever increasing speed and lower cost. DNA sequencing, fabrication of genes, modeling how synthetic genes behave, and precisely measuring gene behavior are essential tools in synthetic Biology. Enjoy the video!

Learn more about Synthetic Biology by checking also the .PDF file below:

Biotech Basics: Synthetic Biology - Merging Engineering and Biology

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Science Nation - Human Migration : How Lice Can Shed Light on the Past

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Paleo-anthropologists beleive Homo sapiens evolved in Africa 100 - 200 thousands of years ago, and eventually moved out of Africa to populate the globe. 

But, how can researchers trace the specifics of the human migration? With the support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Florida Museum of Natural History Mammalogist, David Reed, has undertaken a novel approach.

Reed studies the genetic diversity and evolution of the human parasite that hitched a ride the whole way : lice. He gathers samples from around the world. 

Over the years, the lice evolved in parallel with their human hosts, but actually even faster, meaning studying the differences between lice from different geographic regions can actually provide insights into how and when human populations migrated into those areas.

Check also other interesting topics from NSF :
National Science Foundation (NSF) Studies Granular Materials
Science Nation : Mapping the genomes of crocodiles and alligators
NSF Robotic Sharks
Science Nation : Science for a Sustainable future
Science Nation : This Breathalyzer Reveals Signs of Disease
Science Nation : New Software Matches More Kidney Donations Faster
Science Nation : New 3D Structures Assemble with Remarkable Precision
Science Nation : Electric Fish Charges up Research on Animal Behavior

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