A Stem Cell Milestone in New York!

This is a press release from Gov. Spitzer's website.

Yours truly will apply for funding as soon as the grants become available!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 26, 2007

GOVERNOR SPITZER ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO EMPIRE STATE STEM CELL BOARD
Board to Oversee $600 Million in Funding for Stem Cell Research

Governor Eliot Spitzer today named 11 appointees to serve on the committees that form the Empire State Stem Cell Board. The Board was established to oversee and administer $600 million in funding for the Empire State Stem Cell Trust Fund to promote stem cell research and development.

“The Empire State Stem Cell Trust Fund propels New York State forward in the search for scientific knowledge and advancement, and will enable the world-class academic, research, medical and scientific institutions located here to reach their full potential,” said Governor Spitzer. “The individuals that we are nominating to the Empire Stem Cell Board will help bring thoughtful leadership, scientific expertise, and ethical considerations to the advancement of stem cell research.”

The 2007-2008 Enacted Budget includes an initial appropriation of $100 million and an additional $500 million is provided at $50 million per year for ten years beginning in April 2008. The Fund will make grants for basic, applied, translational and other research that advances scientific discoveries in fields related to stem cell biology. No grants are allowed for any research involving human reproductive cloning.

Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson said: “New York is responding to the urgent need for a state-sponsored, fully-funded stem cell research program. The appointed members of the Empire State Stem Cell Board represent the best leadership our State has to offer in the stem cell research field. This board will execute our stem cell research program with the highest moral, ethical, and scientific standards. It will play a key role in advancing medical science, bringing hope to people suffering a range of debilitating illnesses. I am proud that we are able to deliver our stem cell program to the people of this state, and I am personally committed to seeing its full, successful implementation. ”

Commissioner of Health Richard F. Daines, M.D. said: "Biomedical research holds great promise for the presentation and treatment of the most devastating diseases and health conditions. Governor Spitzer and Lieutenant Governor Paterson's support for this initiative will position New York as a leader in stem cell research, and will expand the number of New York scientists contributing to this promising field. The caliber of the Empire State Stem Cell Board members is outstanding, and we look forward to working with them.”

The Board includes two committees – the Funding Committee and Ethics Committee – each consisting of 13 members. The Stem Cell Board will be chaired by the Commissioner of Health, Richard F. Daines, M.D. who will also act as a member on each committee. Twelve members are appointed by the Governor with six of those members recommended by legislative leaders. The Funding Committee will make recommendations for the awarding of grants to the Commissioner of Health based upon the analysis and recommendations of an independent scientific peer review process. The Ethics Committee will make recommendations regarding scientific, medical and ethical standards.

Outrageous Politicizing of Science!

Sadly, I must report on another outrageous government intrusion into scientific affairs. Yesterday, Executive Order 13422 went into effect that gives political appointees the final word on federal science regulations. This will promote and foster the continuing climate of political interference of scientists at federal agencies,

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is on the case, delivering letters to two Senate committee chairs calling for questions to be asked at the confirmation hearings for the nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget.

"We have a corps of highly trained scientists in federal agencies. Why would we want to undermine their expertise and authority?" said Francesca Grifo, director of UCS's Scientific Integrity Program. "This executive order greatly expands the power of the White House to weaken the ability of federal agencies to protect public health and safety..."

Popping in

Hello, fellow bloggers and bloggettes! I've had a number of 12-14 hour days and no time to post a new thread lately. This is what we've been doing--

We're conducting a retinal imaging study to try to improve the diagnosis of a childhood neurodegenerative disease that causes blindness. Visual loss generally is the first sign of the disease, but it is often misdiagnosed for years until seizures begin. The kids are often subjected to many uncomfortable diagnostic tests until a diagnosis is made. Although there is no treatment for the disease, we are hoping that at least an early diagnosis will help families get the right kind of care at an earlier stage. Also, once new treatments are available, we may be able to use our non-invasive imaging as a convenient way to follow improvements during the course of treatment.

Over the past few days, our research team has attended a convention where many affected families are gathered. We rent a suite at the hotel, fly in the research team, borrow equipment from the imaging companies, and recruit study subjects to come up and have their pictures taken. There are no eyedrops and nothing touches the eye. It's been a very successful study, so far! I'm always impressed at how much families want to help us with this research, even though it doesn't directly help them. We couldn't do it without the families.

A Chip On Your Shoulder....

Some folks in Australia have come up with "smart clothes" embedded with tiny electronic devices that can monitor your heart and respiratory functions.

The lead scientist of the study, Professor Bruce Thomas explains:

"The wardrobe has a touch screen on the outside and conductive metal bands spanning the hanging rail inside, with wires connecting it to a computer in the base of the wardrobe. When we place electronic hangers, each with their own ID and metal connection, on the rail, it detects the hangers and smart garments incorporating the conductive material and integrated electronics,"

You can imagine that these smart clothes could be refitted for other kinds of monitoring acitivities (Why does the Patriot Act come to mind?):

The smart wardrobe can also be adapted for other uses including the self diagnosis of faulty monitoring equipment; scheduling cleaning and dry-cleaning; a fashion butler to help people accessorise, colour match and select appropriate clothing for special occasions; and for preloading news, music and daily schedules into smart garments.

The full article is here:
http://tinyurl.com/2nqets

Ha! And you thought that underwire bra was just.....oh, nevermind.

This Sums It Up Well

How Big Is A Blastocyst?

Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill....Again.

Wish Me Luck!

It's that time of the season again, when academic researchers all over the country submit their grant proposals for review to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It's a crapshoot these days. The success rate for new proposals sent to NIH hovered around 10% last year. That means 90% of these proposals, translating into months of hard work and brainpower, were trashed. But the way I figure it, if you don't submit a proposal at all, you have a 0% chance of success. It's sort of like the motto of the New York State Lottery-- "You've gotta be in it to win it."

And so, I sent my proposal to NIH on Friday. They've already messed it up by creating a 50 page pdf document of my proposal, but leaving 3 blank pages where my letters of collaboration should be. But, we'll get that straightened out in the next day or two.

The review cycle at NIH is very long. My proposal, submitted June 15th, will receive a score from the review panel in Oct./Nov, and the funding decisions based on scores will be in January. The earliest start date for the project (when the NIH check would arrive) is April 1.

Stay tuned.

Sad commentary...

Thanks to Linda for sending this video:

Stem Cell Bill Comes Up Again

I received the following letter from the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR):


Dear Eyedoc333,


Attention Friends and Colleagues of Stem Cell Research:


The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, S.5, this week. This bill passed the Senate in April 2007 as S.5 but differs slightly from H.R. 3, the version of the bill that passed in the House in January 2007. Because of these differences, the bill must return to the House for approval before being sent to the President. It is crucial that the bill pass with a strong majority. The ISSCR strongly supports S.5 and encourages scientists and health professionals in the United States to add their individual voice.


The ISSCR is encouraging you to contact your representatives to urge them to support this important legislation.


The ISSCR has already sent a letter to every member of the House and Senate on behalf of ISSCR leadership, but it is equally important that individual voices within the stem cell community are heard as well. The letter sent out by the ISSCR is found below the text of this e-mail and may be adapted and used to contact your representatives.


ISSCR's Letter to US Senators in preparation for their vote on S.5:

Honorable Senator / Congressperson
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510


April 4, 2007


Dear Senator / Congressperson:


As representatives of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), we are writing to urge you in the strongest possible terms to support passage of S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007.


Passage of S. 5 would ensure that scientists in the United States can use Federal grant funds to study the many valuable human embryonic stem cell lines that have been developed since August 9, 2001, the date that President Bush announced his stem cell research policy. Indeed, S. 5 is the surest means to accelerate research dedicated to finding better therapies for patients suffering from a wide variety of terrible diseases.


As the primary international organization of scientific, ethical, and clinical researchers in the field of stem cell biology, ISSCR speaks for our many members who study stem cells of all types. S. 5 is consistent with long-standing scientific and ethical positions of ISSCR.


Our scientific opinion is that research on stem cells of all types should be pursued with the goals of reducing human suffering and better understanding human physiology. S. 5 also includes safeguards to ensure that appropriate research practices are followed.


Our strong support of S. 5 is based on the newest research findings presented at our last annual international meeting in Toronto, Canada. New data presented at this meeting demonstrated that many of the human embryonic stem cell lines generated since August 9, 2001 have excellent characteristics, and appear to have substantial advantages for high quality and rigorous biomedical research.


You might hear during the debate about a list of 72 conditions that can supposedly be treated with adult stem cells. We urge you to question the validity of these claims. While adult stem cell therapies are powerful, they are not as wide-ranging as claimed. The range of diseases effectively treated with adult stem cells is still extremely restricted, largely limited to blood disorders and specific cancers. A vote for S. 5 will ensure that all avenues of stem cell research are adequately explored.


We are also concerned that S. 30, a bill introduced by Senators Coleman and Isakson, will siphon votes away from S. 5 and yet not adequately advance the cause of stem cell research. S. 30 will not allow the use of federal funds to study the majority of valuable human stem cell lines. If supported instead of S. 5, Senators Coleman and Isakson's bill would continue the inadequate American Federal policy that is delaying worldwide progress in this vital area of research.


In closing, we remind you that the welfare of millions of people worldwide depends on medical research that can help alleviate the suffering caused by injury and illness. Passage of S. 5 will help to meet this scientific and medical challenge and will also send a message of hope to the many American patients that could be helped by research with new stem cell lines.


Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue. We look forward to a change in American Federal policy so that the very best scientific and clinical research may proceed.

Health Alert: Tuberculosis

There's a very nasty strain of tuberculosis that is resistant to many drugs (XDR-TB). It's not all that common (2 cases per year in the US). But unfortunately, an XDR-TB infected patient flew on some commercial airline flights, exposing a number of unsuspecting people to this dangerous disease. The risk of illness to others is low, but the search is on to find people who traveled on these flights with the XDR-TB patient.

This brings up serious questions of how to deal with patients who carry dangerous contagious diseases. Can they be confined against their will? Prevented from traveling? What is the fine line between protecting the public and personal freedom?

Immaculate Conception

A female shark gave birth to two baby sharks the other day at a Detroit aquarium. The interesting part is that the mother shark had not been in the presence of a male shark in over six years! How did it happen?

http://tinyurl.com/1xfu

The births have raised questions among scientists as to whether sharks may be able to reproduce parthenogenetically, a mode of reproduction in which the egg is not fertilized....

"Parthenogenesis has been documented in many reptiles," said Sweet. "There are at least five or six species of snakes, and it's been known in salamanders, lizards, and even a breed of turkeys. But any way you look at it, this is strange."

There are possibilities other than parthenogenesis. The Belle Isle white spotted bamboo shark may have been fertilized by a male at a very young age. However, although there have been some random reports of shark species storing sperm for a couple of months or more, six years is a long time, and Sweet thinks in this case it's extremely unlikely.

"We received both of these bamboo sharks from hobbyists, who don't typically keep breeding groups; for one thing their tanks aren't big enough. Usually hobbyists can only buy one egg here and there, and the eggs are typically imported as fertilized eggs. Both the hobbyists who donated these sharks only had one individual. I'm almost dead sure we can rule out long-term sperm storage."

A third possibility is that the Belle Isle bamboo shark is a hermaphrodite, harboring both male and female sex organs, and capable of fertilizing its own eggs.

Be good to yourself

A recent study from Duke and Wake Forest Universities shows that the ability to have compassion for oneself plays an important role in overcoming the challenging events in life:

“Life’s tough enough with little things that happen. Self-compassion helps to eliminate a lot of the anger, depression and pain we experience when things go badly for us,” said Mark R. Leary, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke and lead author of the paper, which includes five peer-reviewed studies.

“Rather than focusing on changing people’s self-evaluations, as many cognitive-behavioral approaches do, self-compassion changes people’s relationship to their self-evaluations,” Leary said. “Self-compassion helps people not to add a layer of self-recrimination on top of whatever bad things happen to them. If people learn only to feel better about themselves but continue to beat themselves up when they fail or make mistakes, they will be unable to cope nondefensively with their difficulties.”

Self-compassion involves three components. They are self-kindness (being kind and understanding toward oneself rather than self-critical); common humanity (viewing one’s negative experiences as a normal part of the human condition); and mindful acceptance (having mindful equanimity rather than over-identifying with painful thoughts and feelings).

So, the next time something bad happens, try not to blame yourself too much.

http://tinyurl.com/yttpeq

Greetings from Florida!

I'm on the road this week, at a vision research conference in Florida.

Here's an open thread, just to let you know I'm still checking in!

Your Comments Needed!

There's a blog posted at the Buffalo News in which some readers are debating the merits of human embryonic stem cell research. I've weighed in a few times, along with others.


http://tinyurl.com/286knh

Your comments are welcome.

Chemicals That Block Anthrax

Anthrax survives for long periods of time as spores that can germinate to form new bacteria capable of releasing a potentially deadly toxin. A new research study describes seven chemicals that are able to block the germination of anthrax spores. One of the chemicals, called 6-thioguanosine, was able to prevent the germination of anthrax spores within mammalian cells, thereby blocking infection. The next step will be to test these chemicals for therapeutic potential on anthrax-infected mice. Research teams from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas recently published this report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Atom Jokes

Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar.
One turns to the other and says,
"I think I've lost my electron."
The other asks, "Are you sure?"
"Yes," the first says, "I'm positive."



A neutron walks into a bar.
He asks the bartender for a drink.  
When it's served, he asks how much it will be.
"For you," the bartender answers, "no charge."

From Lori's humor page:
http://tinyurl.com/3x92yt

Federal Stem Cell Bill is Back...

From the Society for Neuroscience:

Dear Eyedoc,

Immediately upon their return from recess on April 10, the Senate will consider the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 5). Please contact your Senators now and urge them to vote YES on S. 5.

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 (H.R. 810) passed with strong bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate, but President Bush used his first and only veto when the bill reached his desk in July 2006. Similar legislation (H.R. 3) passed the House earlier this year; now the Senate must take up this vital bill.

On April 10, the Senate will debate S. 5 and another stem cell research bill, S. 30. No amendments will be allowed and each bill must receive 60 votes to pass. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act has been modified from the version passed earlier this year by the House of Representatives (H.R. 3) to include language that encourages the NIH to pursue all forms of stem cell research. S. 30 advocates support for adult stem cell research and attempts to define and protect embryos from use in stem cell research.

Therefore, SfN supports the passage of S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, the only bill under consideration that will advance federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Please contact your Senators immediately to ask that they vote yes on S. 5. Please visit CapWiz, an online legislative action center, provided to you by SfN: www.sfn.org/legalert

The Society for Neuroscience

Repost From Last Year Because It's Funny....

I discovered this silly website a couple of years ago. It's still hysterical and especially appropriate for Easter week-end. It seems that some scientists (apparently with some time to kill in the lab) are conducting laboratory experiments on marshmallow peeps. They have an entire website devoted to their studies.

One particularly cute experiment was "the effect of alcohol and smoking on marshmallow peeps."
http://www.peepresearch.org/smoking.html

First, the peep was exposed to alcohol and did exhibit some signs of inebriation, such as bumping into the walls of the swimming vessel:



Then, the peep was permitted to select a brand of cigarette and smoked without apparent ill effects:


However, when smoking and alcohol were combined, the effects were catastrophic:

Their conclusions: "The synergistic effect of smoking and alcohol in Peeps produces a rapidly exothermic oxidation reaction, leading to a chemical and morphological divergence from the wild-type Peep phenotypes."

The marshmallow peep appears to be an excellent experimental model for the synergistic effects of smoking and alcohol!

Stem Cell Victory in New York!!

On Saturday, March 31, Governor Spitzer, Lieutenant-Governor Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Bruno, and Assembly Speaker Silver signed off on a long-term package to fund stem-cell and regenerative medicine research in the State of New York, beginning with an appropriation of $100 million for the fiscal year that begins April 1, 2007. The package was voted in as part of the Executive Budget by the full Assembly and Senate this morning. The bill provides for creation within the State Department of Health of an Empire State Stem Cell Board, comprising a Funding Committee and an Ethics Committee, both of which will be chaired by the Commissioner. The Funding Committee will provide for an "independent scientific peer review committee" composed of expert scientists, set standards and scoring criteria, and solicit and accept proposals. More details are sure to follow.

A big thank you to all who devoted so much hard work to the stem cell effort!