Although there has been a clear air of vaccine hesitancy – the reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated – amid world populations, Teluci noted to AP that “no corners were cut” nor stone left unturned while racing to develop a vaccine.“There is a very rigid process in place and the process does not stop after a vaccine has been approved,” Teluci told AP. “It is, in fact, continuing now all around the world, where regulators have used reporting systems to screen and to assess any observations made with our or other vaccines.”As Teluci noted, the success of COVID-19 vaccines based off of mRNA is smoothing the way for using the novel technology not only in other vaccines, but possibly as treatments for cystic fibrosis, cancer and other hard-to-treat diseases.Both of the vaccines used by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna rely on mRNA technology.Scientists say mRNA has the potential to target diseases that cannot be reached by conventional drugs.The technology is often likened to the operating system on a computer, allowing drugmakers to alter their target by inserting new genetic code into a manufactured form of mRNA, a natural chemical messenger that instructs the body to produce specific proteins.Its advantage in vaccines is versatility and speed compared to standard technology requiring long lead times to produce and purify proteins and create a vaccine.Over 150 mRNA vaccines and therapeutics are in development globally, Roots Analysis said. Most are still in early animal testing, but more than 30 have reached human testing.mRNA can be very difficult to work with, making future successes with treatments uncertain.Moderna, for instance, is working on treatments for heart disease, cancer, and rare diseases. Its most advanced non-COVID program is a vaccine for cytomegalovirus, the leading cause of birth defects in the United States.Dr. Drew Weissman, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, is one of the two scientists credited with a groundbreaking 2005 discovery of how to alter the molecular structure of mRNA to keep it stable enough to get past the body’s defenses.In the past nine months, Weissman said 20 companies working in the field of mRNA have asked him to join their boards of directors, and the number of labs asking to collaborate with Penn on mRNA work has nearly tripled.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Tag Archives: Cure
Researchers may have found a miracle cure for baldness – BGR
- A team of researchers from Japan might have discovered the cure for baldness.
- The RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research used stem cells and a specific culture mechanism to create hair follicles that can recycle hair just like natural follicles.
- Any hair-regeneration treatment should produce hair that can regrow after it falls. The stem cell therapy delivered hair follicles that went through at least three hair cycles of normal hair production in lab tests.
Many people have been trying to cure a medical condition that affects millions of people worldwide, with men predominantly affected by it. Baldness can be triggered by specific drug therapies, like cancer treatment, and some COVID-19 survivors have discovered that hair loss is an unusual symptom. But baldness occurs in many others without a specific trigger. By the age of 35, two-thirds of American men will experience some degree of hair loss, according to the American Hair Loss Association. By the age of 50, up to 85% of men will experience significantly thinning hair.
Baldness does not impact one’s health, but it can extract an emotional toll on those who are impacted by it. There are various therapies for baldness, but there’s no cure that can reverse the process. Now, however, a team in Japan might have found a solution to restore hair growth with the help of stem cells.
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The researchers used stem cells to create hair follicles that can regrow hair after it falls out. That’s how hair growth should function. Hair loss is natural, but every strand of hair should be replaced by a new one that regrows in its place. The RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research scientists published a paper in Nature Scientific Reports (via Futurism) detailing their progress with stem cells on mammals.
They took fur and whisker cells from mice and then cultured them in the lab together with other ingredients. They used 220 combinations, finding that one type of collagen paired with five factors (NFFSE medium) would lead to the highest rate of stem cell amplification in the shortest period of time. The RIKEN team explained that a successful hair-regeneration treatment that could cure baldness must produce hair that recycles. That means the hair can regrow after falling out naturally.
These researchers combined bioengineered hair follicle stem cells with the NFFSE medium, as well as with the medium missing one of the ingredients. They observed the regenerated hair for three weeks and discovered that the NFFSE medium allowed the hair follicles to go through at least three cycles of normal hair production. The other medium wasn’t nearly as efficient, with 79% of follicles producing only one hair cycle.
The researchers also found that a specific marker on the surface of cells cultured in the NFFSE medium favored hair cycling. “We found almost 80% of follicles reached three hair cycles when Itgβ5 was also bioengineered into the hair follicle germ,” author Makoto Takeo said in a statement. “In contrast, only 13% reached three cycles when it was not present.”
“Our culture system establishes a method for cyclical regeneration of hair follicles from hair follicle stem cells and will help make hair follicle regeneration therapy a reality in the near future,” Takashi Tsuji, the lead author of the study, said.
Before this baldness cure becomes commercially available, it has to pass clinical trials. So far, the RIKEN researchers have demonstrated stem cell therapy in preclinical lab tests. Tsuji said that the institute is looking for outside collaborators to help develop clinical applications for the new hair growth technology.
The full study is available at this link.
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Cure Insurance’s Super Bowl ad poking fun at workplace harassment dubbed ‘ad fail of the decade’
‘Ad fail of the decade’! Car insurer’s Super Bowl advertisement joking about a male employee ‘whipping it out’ is slammed for poking fun at workplace harassment
- Cure Auto Insurance’s ad aired right before halftime of the Super Bowl
- The ad featured the heavy use of a double entendre hinting at harassment
- The commercial was heavily mocked on social media for being inappropriate
- This is not the first time Cure Insurance has caused controversy during the SB
A Super Bowl ad from a regional car insurance firm drew outrage after appearing to poke fun at harassment in the workplace.
The commercial from Cure Auto Insurance, which aired right before halftime – peak viewership time, was quickly branded the ‘ad fail of the decade’ and ‘worst Super Bowl advertisement’ on social media.
Some even said it should never have made it to air, tweeting that someone ‘should have vetoed’ the clip.
The setting of the ad is an office, where a woman seated behind her desk is approached by a male and female employee.
Cure Auto Insurance’s Super Bowl commercial is drawing heavy criticism on social media
The ad featured people talking about an ‘opinion’ in a way hinting at workplace harrassment
It ended with the supervisor in the scene saying she would’ve ‘taken [an] opinion’ if drunk
‘Ms. Davis, Tommy just brought me into his office and whipped out his opinion,’ said the female employee.
‘I didn’t just whip it out,’ Tommy said. ‘She was into it. Plus, I have a pretty big opinion.’
‘Oh please, it’s not that big,’ the female employee retorted, with the double entendre emphasized throughout.
‘She only gave me a second,’ Tommy said.
‘Tommy, not everyone in this office wants your opinion,’ the supervisor responded.
‘Okay, well, how about you last week at happy hour when you begged me for my opinion?,’ asked Tommy.
‘I had a pitcher of margaritas. I would’ve taken Doug’s opinion,’ the supervisor said.
Unsurprisingly, the commercial – which appeared to be making light of workplace harassment – did not earn favorable reviews on Twitter.
Ian Schafer wrote it ‘should never have been approved’ to air.
Some made specific mention of the fact that the commercial appeared to make fun of workplace harassment.
‘Mocking sexual harassment in the work place is not a good look,’ tweeted Jenn Sullivan. ‘Just my opinion…not impressed Cure Auto Insurance.’
Another user claimed it was ‘the worst commercial during the times we’re in’ and one said it was the ‘ad fail of the decade.’
James Dwyer had arguably the most biting response, saying it ‘was actually written by Louis CK,’ who was famously accused of sexual misconduct and harassing women.
According to Fast Company, a 30-second ad in this year’s Super Bowl cost around $5.5 million.
This is not the first time the company has faced controversy with their Super Bowl ads, which seem to search for a shock factor each year.
In 2015, Cure Auto Insurance aired a couple of ads that poked fun at the Deflategate scandal that was rocking the NFL at the time.
The ads featured a talking, bouncing blue ball and featured the hashtags #DontTouchYourBalls and #LeaveYourBallsAlone.
In 2016, the company’s ad showed a man distracted by a nurse as his father lay dying, another ad that seems to at least hint at harassment.
A 2018 ad took direct aim at the New England Patriots for not following the rules, ending with an emphatic ‘Go Birds’ in hopes of a Philadelphia Eagles title.
Cure Auto Insurance generates plenty of controversy for a regional company – they only serve drivers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.