Coronavirus (Image source: U.S. Department of State)

In my February column, I wrote about the fact that I had a stem cell transplant in early December 2019, about a month before I heard for the first time about the coronavirus.

The transplant entailed getting an unrelated donors stem cells to replace mine; then, if all went according to plan, these cells would grow into a new immune system to seek and destroy my cancer cells.

As a result of the transplant, all of my childhood vaccinations became ineffective. I was instructed to stay in isolation for at least four months in order to avoid infectious and possibly deadly diseases like influenza. Consequently, I have been quarantined since December.

Just a day before writing this, a friend told me that Im a trendsetter.

I knew very little about viruses before the coronavirus came alongonly that they were microscopic infectious organisms that invade living cells and then reproduce. In an effort to review what I had been (mostly unconsciously) protected from before transplant, I Googled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and found a piece entitled, Vaccines for children: Diseases you almost forgot about.

I was reminded that most of us had vaccines as children for some of the nastiest viruses, including polio, which invades the brain and spinal cord and leads to paralysis; tetanus, a potentially fatal disease that causes lockjaw; whooping cough, which can lead to violent coughing that makes it difficult to breathe; and many more.

Most older adults are familiar with chicken pox, mumps and measles. I had two of them as a young teenager. One that I forgot about is diphtheria, which affects breathing or swallowing and can lead to heart failure, paralysis and death. There are several more.

I imagined the panic that parents must have felt and the pain that young children must have experienced before vaccines were discovered to prevent these horrible infectious diseases.

For the time being, I cannot replace my old vaccines. I must wait for at least one year while my new immune system gets stronger.

The idea of being in isolation and maintaining a safe social distance for a few months post-transplant made sense to me. I was well prepared by doctors and nurses and I knew my wife would be a great caregiver, so I thought I could do the time.

And then, the coronavirus came along.

For me, being quarantined was an old hat by the time a national emergency was declared and everything started to shut down. I learned that this new virus main target was the lungs and people older than 60 years with underlying health conditions were its primary targets.

I fit the bill and knew that Id have to do more time: at least another three months, my transplant doctor told me. The only difference is that this time, hundreds of millions of people would be joining me.

I was well-prepared before and after my transplant. I knew why I had to self-isolate and for how long. No one, including me, was prepared for COVID-19 and the mass quarantine that it now requiresnot only to protect oneself and ones family, but also to protect strangers. Mostly older strangers like me.

Scientists and other health professionals were the heroes of viral epidemics gone by. I do believe we will get through this, with people like immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci leading the way.

Still, the unknown is what is most frightening. We all want answers, yet some remain illusive at the moment. This is an opportunity for all of us to strengthen our tolerance for ambiguity.

When will this end? No clue. Will it come back? No idea.

Although my new immune system needs more time to protect me, I just found out after a PET scan that Im in complete remission from my cancer.

Will it come back? No idea.

We are all in the same boat, living in uncertainty, whether young or old, healthy or unwell. As Plato said, Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.

Andrew Malekoff is the executive director of North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center. To find out more, call 516-626-1971 or visit http://www.northshorechildguidance.org.

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A Quarantine Trendsetter - Long Island Weekly News

In the public mind, the origin story of coronavirus seems well fixed: in late 2019 someone at the now world-famous Huanan seafood market in Wuhan was infected with a virus from an animal.

The rest is part of an awful history still in the making, with Covid-19 spreading from that first cluster in the capital of Chinas Hubei province to a pandemic that has killed about 80,000 people so far.

Stock footage of pangolins a scaly mammal that looks like an anteater have made it on to news bulletins, suggesting this animal was the staging post for the virus before it spread to humans.

But there is uncertainty about several aspects of the Covid-19 origin story that scientists are trying hard to unravel, including which species passed it to a human. Theyre trying hard because knowing how a pandemic starts is a key to stopping the next one.

Prof Stephen Turner, head of the department of microbiology at Melbournes Monash University, says whats most likely is that virus originated in bats.

But thats where his certainty ends, he says.

On the hypothesis that the virus emerged at the Wuhan live animal market from an interaction between an animal and a human, Turner says: I dont think its conclusive by any means.

Part of the problem is that the information is only as good as the surveillance, he says, adding that viruses of this type are circulating all the time in the animal kingdom.

The fact that the virus has infected a tiger in a New York zoo shows how viruses can move around between species, he says. Understanding the breadth of species this virus can infect is important as it helps us narrow down down where it might have come from.

Scientists say it is highly likely that the virus came from bats but first passed through an intermediary animal in the same way that another coronavirus the 2002 Sars outbreak moved from horseshoe bats to cat-like civets before infecting humans.

One animal implicated as an intermediary host between bats and humans is the pangolin. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says they are the most illegally traded mammal in the world and are prized for their meat and the claimed medicinal properties of their scales.

As reported in Nature, pangolins were not listed on the inventory of items being sold in Wuhan, although this omission could be deliberate as its illegal to sell them.

Whether the poor pangolin was the species at which it jumped, its not clear, Turner says. Its either mixed in something else, mixed in a poor pangolin, or its jumped into people and evolved in people.

Prof Edward Holmes, of the University of Sydney, was a co-author on a Nature study that examined the likely origins of the virus by looking at its genome. On social media he has stressed that the identity of the species that served as an intermediate host for the virus is still uncertain.

One statistical study looked at a characteristic of the virus that evolved to enable it to latch on to human cells. Pangolins were able to develop this characteristic, but so were cats, buffalo, cattle, goats, sheep and pigeons.

Another study claimed to have ruled out pangolins as an intermediary altogether, because samples of similar viruses taken from pangolins lacked a chain of amino acids seen in the virus now circulating in humans.

The study Holmes worked on suggested that the scenario in which a human at the Wuhan market interacted with an animal that carried the virus was only one potential version of the Covid-19 origin story. Another was the possibility that a descendent of the virus jumped into humans and then adapted as it was passed from human to human.

Once acquired, these adaptations would enable the pandemic to take off and produce a sufficiently large cluster of cases to trigger the surveillance system that detected it, the study said.

Analysis of the first 41 Covid-19 patients in medical journal the Lancet found that 27 of them had direct exposure to the Wuhan market. But the same analysis found that the first known case of the illness did not.

This might be another reason to doubt the established story.

Prof Stanley Perlman, a leading immunologist at the University of Iowa and an expert on previous coronavirus outbreaks that have stemmed from animals, says the idea the link to the Wuhan market is coincidental cannot be ruled out but that possibility seems less likely because the genetic material of the virus had been found in the market environment.

Perlman told Guardian Australia he does believe there was an intermediary animal but adds that while pangolins are possible candidates, they are not proven to be the key intermediary.

I suspect that any evolution [of the virus] occurred in the intermediate animal if there was one. There has been no substantial changes in the virus in the three months of the pandemic, indicating that the virus is well adapted to humans.

So-called wet markets where live animals are traded have been implicated in previous outbreaks of coronaviruses, in particular Sars.

Dr Michelle Baker, an immunologist at CSIRO who studies viruses in bats, says some of the research on Covid-19s origins have stepped off from what was known from the past.

But we really dont know how accurate the origin story is, she says: Theres some sort of connection [to the Wuhan market] and there were people exposed to the market that were infected.

Baker says what is very likely is that the virus originated in a bat. Its a likely scenario but we will never know. The market was cleaned up quite quickly. We can only speculate.

These wet markets have been identified as an issue because you do have species interacting, she says. Its an opportunity to highlight the dangers of them and an opportunity to clamp down on them.

Turner adds: Weve found the ancestors of the virus, but having broader knowledge of the coronavirus in other species might give us a hint about the evolution of this thing and how it jumped.

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How did coronavirus start and where did it come from? Was it really Wuhan's animal market? - The Guardian

Our mission is to help pets live healthier and happier

Gallant is at the forefront of science, working every day to advance the field of stem cell therapy. By partnering with Gallant, you can make regenerative medicine a part of your pup's wellness plan making every (dog) year count.

Dogs enter their senior years around 7 and begin feeling the effects of aging as early as 4!

Traditional methods of treatment for injury and age-related conditions are expensive and can have harmful side effects.

Stem cells are incredible natural healers. However, up to 99% of stem cells are lost over time due to aging.

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This is a huge relief to ensure my puppy the best quality of life. Gallant stem cell collection is a direct line to incredible scientific progress and results if needed, and one less worry for me and my husband.

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Explore our stem cell banking plans or chat with one of our pet-loving experts.

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Stem Cell Banking for Dogs | Gallant

There is plenty of scientific proof that the health of a mother can influence the wellness of her child. Currently a Northwestern College research study turns that relationship around: Scientists have actually discovered the health of the fertilized embryo identifies the functional health and wellness of the mom, which has ramifications for healthy aging, stress and anxiety strength as well as reductions of protein damages.

Basically, a black sheep does great by securing the mom from cellular anxiety, guaranteeing she lives longer as well as is healthy enough to generate the future generation.

Led by molecular biologist Richard I. Morimoto as well as postdoctoral fellow Ambre J. Sala, the research study group examined maternal health period using a preferred research study device, the clear roundworm C. elegans. This animal, whose mobile homes and safety systems resemble that of people, is made use of by scientists to much better comprehend elements of human biology, such as aging and also neurodegenerative condition.

Utilizing the power of a hereditary display, the scientists found that if the eggshell of a fed egg is harmed, a molecular signal is sent to the mother that secures her from the adverse results of a human protein related to neurodegeneration. They found that this signal also secures the mom from environmental anxiety, allowing her to far better make it through damaging problems. This offers her a longer useful health and wellness period so she has even more time to produce healthy eggs.

The success and also future of any kind of species is about the high quality of its children, Morimoto claimed. Now we understand that progeny top quality makes certain mothers health.

Morimoto is an expert on just how organisms pick up and respond to physiologic and ecological stress on the molecular and cellular level in biology, aging as well as neurodegenerative illness. He is the Costs and also Gayle Cook Teacher of Molecular Biosciences as well as supervisor of the Rice Institute for Biomedical Study in Northwesterns Weinberg University of Arts and also Sciences.

This communication in between child and also parent has to do with protein quality control. Particularly, the scientists located that when the eggshells vitelline layer is damaged, thats when the fertilized egg sends out a signal that restores stress strength and also protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, in the mother.

The vitelline layer, found in all metazoans that use eggs, including human beings, is the extracellular layer that borders and also secures the creating embryo. Proteostasis is the procedures through which cells maintain protein wellness, maintaining essential healthy proteins folded up and useful, for good overall wellness.

The study was published online lately by the journal Genes and also Development. It also will show up in the May 2020 print concern of the journal. Morimoto is the corresponding author, and also Sala is the very first writer.

These findings build on an earlier research study by the Morimoto laboratory that checked out the regulation of proteostasis by a pets reproductive system. Because 2015 study, the scientists found that grown-up cells in C. elegans abruptly begin their downhill slide when an animal gets to reproductive maturation. After the pet begins to replicate, germline stem cells throw a genetic button that starts the aging process by turning off protective cell anxiety feedbacks that protect versus molecular damage as occurs in Alzheimers condition, Parkinsons illness, Huntingtons disease as well as other conditions of healthy protein conformation.

In this new research study, Morimotos group reveals that communication between the embryo and mommy in reproductive adults also controls proteostasis, stress durability as well as the mommys health period. A ramification of these outcomes is that unhealthy kids advertises the health and wellness period of the mommy by stopping the event of protein damages related to healthy proteins that create neurodegeneration in people.

Aging has to do with a lack of protein quality control, Morimoto stated. We found if the eggshell is harmed, the mom endures longer and has time to have good eggs as well as healthy and balanced spawn.

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Bad egg sends signal that helps mother live longer and healthier life, claims study - The TeCake

In Ayurveda, the gentle way to detox your body is via Fasting. In India, back in the day, fasting was practiced, on important days - like amavasya, purnima, navmis, jayantis, ekadashis, which practically was twice or thrice in a week. In this fasting, one consumed - primarily fruits, yoghurt, sabudana, or other things, which help to reduce the acidity and keep the body cool Ayurvedic doctors recommend that half your stomach should be filled with solid food, a quarter with liquids, and a quarter left empty. You should end the meal feeling satisfied but not full. The little space in our stomach, helps enzymes to perform or else they might not be utilised much- leading to accumulation of the same. This might lead to laziness, being tired, and low mood. Short fasting and intermittent fasting has proven benefits in promoting autophagy (self-eating/ auto-cleaning) thus clearing most toxins in the body. Fasting also activates the stem cells of the immune system and helps them to regrow and repair. Fasting helps in the production of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and helps in neuro re-generation. Intermittent fasting helps to activate the acute immune response which is very much important for fighting infections Fasting Therapy is a Millennial way to eat before the sunset and after the sunrise. Fasting Therapy, helps in the below things: 1.Reduce body weight 2.Improved sleep 3.Improved flexibility 4.Improved skin5.Improved gut health 6.Lowers risk of type-2 diabetes7.Improves hormonal imbalance While the list can go on, below are a few surprising ways, Fasting contributes to improved Gut Health : Increase in Good Gut Bacteria: Popularly known as Gut Flora, a human body- due to its habits increases the bad gut flora, keeping very little space for the good gut bacteria to work. However when we fast, the bad ones starve and become week, making the Good Gut Bacteria - do its job, which is boosting immunity and overall healthCleaning of Small Intestine : Cleaning of our small intestine usually is activated when one has fasted more than 4 hours or for longer periods. The cleaning results in reducing the number of bacteria in the organ, leading to reduction in fermentation, bloating, and all of the other unpleasant symptoms one feels post overeating! Keeps Gut Integrity Intact: Daily fasting leads to activation of the gene that strengthens the gut barrier to protect us from harmful microbes, toxins, and other substances that can trigger immune reactions. Fasting for longer periods can also stimulate autophagy (triggered after about 16-18 hours of fasting) and stem cell regeneration (triggered after 4 to 5 days of fasting), two more mechanisms that could help heal a damaged gut.Reset the Gut : Digestion is a very over -working and complicated process. When one is fasting, it helps the internal organs, glands relax and take a break - which leads to rebooting of the gut- resulting into better performance , giving better results Start the Fasting Therapy during this lockdown for gut sake!Inputs by Dr Manoj Kutteri, Wellness Director Atmantan Wellness Centre

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Improve your gut health with fasting therapy - Times of India

New Jersey, United States: Market Research Intellect has added a new research report titled, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Professional Survey Report 2020 to its vast collection of research reports. The Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) market is expected to grow positively for the next five years 2020-2026.

The Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) market report studies past factors that helped the market to grow as well as, the ones hampering the market potential. This report also presents facts on historical data from 2011 to 2019 and forecasts until 2026, which makes it a valuable source of information for all the individuals and industries around the world. This report gives relevant market information in readily accessible documents with clearly presented graphs and statistics. This report also includes views of various industry executives, analysts, consultants, and marketing, sales, and product managers.

Market Segment as follows:

The global Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market report highly focuses on key industry players to identify the potential growth opportunities, along with the increased marketing activities is projected to accelerate market growth throughout the forecast period. Additionally, the market is expected to grow immensely throughout the forecast period owing to some primary factors fuelling the growth of this global market. Finally, the report provides detailed profile and data information analysis of leading Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) company.

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market by Regional Segments:

The chapter on regional segmentation describes the regional aspects of the Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) market. This chapter explains the regulatory framework that is expected to affect the entire market. It illuminates the political scenario of the market and anticipates its impact on the market for Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) .

The Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market research presents a study by combining primary as well as secondary research. The report gives insights on the key factors concerned with generating and limiting Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) market growth. Additionally, the report also studies competitive developments, such as mergers and acquisitions, new partnerships, new contracts, and new product developments in the global Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) market. The past trends and future prospects included in this report makes it highly comprehensible for the analysis of the market. Moreover, The latest trends, product portfolio, demographics, geographical segmentation, and regulatory framework of the Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) market have also been included in the study.

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Table of Content

1 Introduction of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market1.1 Overview of the Market1.2 Scope of Report1.3 Assumptions

2 Executive Summary

3 Research Methodology3.1 Data Mining3.2 Validation3.3 Primary Interviews3.4 List of Data Sources

4 Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Outlook4.1 Overview4.2 Market Dynamics4.2.1 Drivers4.2.2 Restraints4.2.3 Opportunities4.3 Porters Five Force Model4.4 Value Chain Analysis

5 Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market, By Deployment Model5.1 Overview

6 Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market, By Solution6.1 Overview

7 Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market, By Vertical7.1 Overview

8 Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market, By Geography8.1 Overview8.2 North America8.2.1 U.S.8.2.2 Canada8.2.3 Mexico8.3 Europe8.3.1 Germany8.3.2 U.K.8.3.3 France8.3.4 Rest of Europe8.4 Asia Pacific8.4.1 China8.4.2 Japan8.4.3 India8.4.4 Rest of Asia Pacific8.5 Rest of the World8.5.1 Latin America8.5.2 Middle East

9 Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Competitive Landscape9.1 Overview9.2 Company Market Ranking9.3 Key Development Strategies

10 Company Profiles10.1.1 Overview10.1.2 Financial Performance10.1.3 Product Outlook10.1.4 Key Developments

11 Appendix11.1 Related Research

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Tags: Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Size, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Growth, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Forecast, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Analysis, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Trends, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market

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Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Size Analysis, Top Manufacturers, Shares, Growth Opportunities and Forecast to 2026 - Science In Me

Canine Stem Cell Therapy Industry Market size |Industry Segment by Type (Allogeneic Stem Cells andAutologous Stem cells), by Applications (Veterinary Hospitals,Veterinary Clinics andVeterinary Research Institutes), Regional Outlook, Market Demand, Latest Trends, Canine Stem Cell Therapy Industry Industry Share & Revenue by Manufacturers, Company Profiles, Growth Forecasts 2025.

This detailed market study on Canine Stem Cell Therapy Industry market is a collection of the specifics related to the industry vertical. The evaluation has been considered from a dual perspective with respect to production as well as consumption.

Considering the production aspect, the report incorporates details regarding the product renumeration, manufacturing of the product along with the gross margins of the firms manufacturing the product. While speaking of consumption, the research includes data about the product consumption value and the product consumption volume. It also describes about the import as well as export of the products.

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What is the perspective in this section?

This report provides data regarding the regional spectrum of this industry.

A glance at the ideas covered in the report:

A Brief overview of the product spectrum:

Product segmentation:

What is the perspective in this section?

The study presents information related to the product reach.

An overview of details provided in the report:

Important facets related to application terrain:

Application segmentation:

What is the perspective in this section?

The report speaks about the data related to the classification of the application spectrum.

Evaluation of the application segment of the Canine Stem Cell Therapy Industry market:

Brief of the competitive segment:

Competitive segmentation:

What is the perspective in this section?

The report provides details about the competitive spectrum of the Canine Stem Cell Therapy Industry market.

Data presented in the report:

The study presents information related to the growth margins of the firms as well as the manufacturing expenses, renumeration and product costs.

The Canine Stem Cell Therapy Industry market research report involves data that speaks about the level to which the industry has been evaluated. Information regarding the analysis of new projects undertaken as well as the conclusions have been inculcated in the report.

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Canine Stem Cell Therapy Industry - Market Research | Recent Trends and Growth F - News by aeresearch

An estimated 44 million people worldwide are currently living with Alzheimers disease, the most common form of dementia. About 5.8 million people in the United States live with the disease, where it is the sixth leading cause of death overall. While there is not yet a cure for Alzheimers, researchers are working to find treatment options to delay its onset and prevent it from developing.

A study presented at the 2019 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting in Chicago offered key insights into focused ultrasound as a safe and effective way to target and open areas of the blood-brain barrier, potentially allowing for new treatment approaches to Alzheimers disease.

The blood-brain barrier is a network of blood vessels and tissues that keeps foreign substances from entering the brain. This barrier presents a challenge to scientists researching treatments, as it blocks potentially therapeutic medications from reaching targets inside the brain.

Researchers at three sites have been studying low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) in humans for more than a year in a clinical trial led by Ali Rezai, M.D., director of the West Virginia University (WVU) Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute in Morgantown, W.Va.

For the study, researchers delivered LIFU to specific sites in the brain critical to memory in three women, ages 61, 72 and 73, with early-stage Alzheimers disease and evidence of amyloid plaques abnormal clumps of protein in the brain that are linked with Alzheimers disease. Each patient received three treatments at two-week intervals. Researchers tracked them for bleeding, infection and edema.

Post-treatment brain MRI confirmed that the blood-brain barrier opened within the target areas immediately after treatment and closed within 24 hours.

Different techniques have been attempted to open the blood-brain barrier, but a lot of those techniques have adverse effects or are general, said study co-author Rashi Mehta, M.D., associate professor in the neuroradiology department at WVU and research scholar at West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute. To open it in one specific area of the brain is a challenge and that is something that this technology overcomes.

The LIFU process involves placing a helmet over the patients head after they are positioned in the MRI scanner. The helmet is equipped with more than 1,000 separate ultrasound transducers angled in different orientations, and each transducer delivers sound waves targeted to a specific area of the brain. Simultaneously, patients are intravenously given an ultrasound contrast agent made up of microbubbles, which change size and shape as the ultrasound is applied. Mehta said this oscillation results in transient loosening of the blood-brain barrier, which they documented using gadolinium contrast enhanced MRI.

We monitor how well the bubbles are doing in real time, said Jeffrey Carpenter, M.D., professor in the neuroradiology department at WVU and a co-author on the study. We have microphones that are set up that are listening to the bubbles vibrate and we actually base how much ultrasound energy we give on what the bubbles are doing.

While this study is a phase 2 clinical trial focused on safety and efficacy of opening the blood brain barrier, Mehta said she expects future trials to expand into delivering clinical drugs.

Future trials undoubtedly will evaluate a combination of this with therapeutics, she said. This could be a new technique of delivering medication to the brain in general for all sorts of diseases.

For now, Mehta said the study needs to be completed with a larger cohort to finish out the second phase. She said theyre also looking at the effectiveness of LIFU alone in potentially altering the symptoms of Alzheimers disease, so theyre following each patient post-treatment to monitor their amyloid beta levels with PET imaging, as well as assessing for any clinical response. Mehta said its too early to weigh in on this, and the hope is to follow each patient for five years.

LIFU used to open the blood-brain barrier alone, without drugs, has shown positive effects in animal trials. Mehta said this could be due to increased flow of the fluid that cleans the brain of toxic substances, an immune response triggered by the opening, or a combination of the two.

Phase 3 of the trial is in the planning stages as the researchers look to recruit more patients to finish phase two. By the end of phase 2, the multi-center trial will have involved 10 total patients at WVU, Cornell and Ohio State.

We just really want to show that this can be done repeatedly and safely, and then add onto that in the future with hopefully various medications, stem cells or whatever smart people can come up with, Carpenter said. The fact that we could do this repeatedly three patients three times so total of nine times safely with no hemorrhage, no persistent edema, and the blood-brain barrier closes thats a big deal.

Katie Caron is an editor at Scranton Gillette Communications with B2B experience across industries including medical.

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Ultrasound's Role in Alzheimer's Treatment Research - Imaging Technology News

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A programme investigating the potential of gene therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis in horses, dogs and cats, has begun at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), led by Skeletal Regeneration expert, Dr Scott Roberts.

Dr Scott Roberts, who joined the RVC as Senior Lecturer in Translational Skeletal Research in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, has recently initiated the programme of investigative research.

The research is inspired by Dr Roberts interest in skeletal stem cell signalling and the effect of signal modulation on skeletal tissue regeneration. He initiated this work during his time at KU Leuven (Belgium) but has subsequently researched this topic as Principal Investigator at University College London and as Senior Principal Scientist at UCB Pharma. During his time at UCB, Dr Roberts identified musculoskeletal drug targets and led the subsequent drug discovery projects. His research has resulted in several patent applications on the use of cells and therapeutic antibodies to promote the regeneration of bone and cartilage.

The new gene therapy research programme in osteoarthritis will be undertaken in partnership with the LEP funded Vaccinology and Cell Therapy Hub at the RVC. This will not only provide an environment for further research on regenerative medicine but also the facilities to create reagents for clinical translation.

The Hub with its close connections to both scientists and veterinary clinicians is also well-placed to take the science from bench-to-bedside and facilitate clinical trials in veterinary patients. This will include horses at the Equine Referral Hospital, and dogs and cats at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the RVC.

It is proposed that this treatment would transition into human clinical studies, exemplifying the RVCs commitment to the One Health approach which recognises and facilitates the synergy between animal and human health.

Dr Scott Roberts said:

This research has the potential to change the way that we approach degenerative joint disease and I am delighted to have access to the Vaccinology and Cell Therapy Hub while we undertake this work. We hope that this science will lead to a ground-breaking treatment for osteoarthritis in animals, and eventually humans. We are optimistic about the future of this research, particularly given its contribution to the RVCs One Health ethos. I look forward to taking advantage of the RVCs world-leading facilities, as well as the scientists and clinicians who will help us take this research forward.

Professor Jonathan Elliott, Vice Principal of Research and Innovation at the RVC, said:

We are delighted that Scott Roberts has joined the RVC and will pursue his translational research into novel therapies that stimulate repair of cartilage for osteoarthritis in horses, dogs and people. This appointment builds on the RVCs expertise in Skeletal Biology. Scotts links to the Pharma Industry are very important for his translational science to have impact. His work fits perfectly with the goals of our soon to open Vaccinology and Cell Therapy Hub, made possible by the funding from the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

The research Dr Roberts is undertaking is critical as cartilage has a very poor capacity to repair itself, with cartilage injuries often progressing to osteoarthritis. There is also currently no approved evidence-driven therapy for the treatment of this disease.

In addition to osteoarthritis, Dr Roberts research aims to create regenerative therapeutics for non-healing bone fractures. This is based on a comprehensive understanding of tissue development, as tissue repair is now regarded as a re-emergence of embryonic signalling cascades. Dr Roberts has used knowledge in this area to identify developmentally inspired methodologies to create laboratory grown tissue implants that have the capacity to drive bone fracture repair.

See more here:
Investigation Begins into Gene Therapy for Osteoarthritis - Everything Horse UK

Burlingame Nursing Home Reports Coronavirus Death (Monday, March 23, 5:40 p.m.)

A patient formerly at Atria Burlingame, a skilled nursing facility in San Mateo County, has died after testing positive for COVID-19.

Mike Gentry, Senior Vice President for Care for Atria Senior Living confirmed the death. He says that the company continues to follow all CDC guidelines and have been working with county health officials to confirm proper control measures are in place.

In the past week, a total of five Atria Burlingame patients have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, including the one who died, and two have tested negative.

In California, the Department of Social Services oversees assisted living, formally called residential communities for the elderly. Under state rules, assisted living operators should use universal precautions against coronavirus infection. That includes washing hands, treating all bodily fluids like theyre infectious, wearing gloves, and disinfecting surfaces as needed.

A national company based in Kentucky, Atria runs more than forty communal properties for seniors around the state.

More about risks from coronavirus in Bay Area nursing facilities here.

Free Bus Service in East Bay, Santa Clara County (Monday, March 23, 5:10 p.m.)

Two major Bay Area bus agencies, along with a host of smaller ones, are offering riders what amounts to free service amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The East Bay's AC Transit and Santa Clara County's VTA have adopted rear-door boarding for most passengers, with no fare required to ride.

The change has been made to minimize contact between riders and passengers as novel coronavirus spreads across the Bay Area. As of Monday afternoon, regional health authorities had reported 850 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Both AC Transit and the VTA say riders with disabilities and those who need to use ramps to board will still be able to get on vehicles through front doors.

Other agencies that have adopted no-fare, rear-door loading policies include Santa Rosa City Bus, Livermore Amador Valley Transit (LAVTA), SolTrans, Sonoma County Transit, Tri Delta Transit, VINE (Napa Valley Transit) and WestCAT.

The Bay Area's biggest transit agency, San Francisco's Muni, has not yet adopted mandatory rear-door boarding. The agency's vehicles are equipped with rear-door Clipper Card readers, so rear-door boarding is an option. -Dan Brekke

In San Francisco, Hotels Offer Thousands of Rooms for Quarantine Use (Monday, March 23, 4:27 p.m.)

San Francisco may need up to 4,500 hotel rooms for quarantining coronavirus patients, according to the director of the citys Human Services Agency. Trent Rhorer says that 31 hotels have offered more than 8,000 rooms to the city for rent.

Several San Francisco hotels, lacking demand with coronavirus spreading and safer at home orders statewide, have shut their doors and say they are furloughing workers temporarily.

Over three hundred rooms are available now, HSA chief Rhorer says. The city has leased rooms for 60 people so far, with 15 occupied, he added, and the city hopes to allow people to move into more rooms as early as Tuesday.

Top priority are people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are awaiting test results but lack a home in which to quarantine alone. This could include people experiencing homelessness, living in residential hotels or other congregate settings, such as shelters. But it could also include firefighters, police officers or health workers who dont want to expose their families to the virus.

Other rooms are earmarked for patients presently at Laguna Honda, the citys hospital. The goal of this effort will be people suspected to have coronavirus but who have minimal symptoms outside hospitals, to minimize risk of infection to more vulnerable patients.

Our first task is to decompress the hospital and the health care system as much as possible, says San Franciscos Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax.

Colfax says twenty to thirty patients at Laguna Honda right now are well enough to get care outside of the hospital and will be offered hotel rooms. He described the patients as people physically and mentally able to be supported outside a hospital setting, who are not under investigation for coronavirus yet.

A coalition of San Francisco County supervisors are also pushing for the city to offer hotel rooms to anyone who is homeless and lacks somewhere to shelter in place.

We believe that just like you and I, they should have an opportunity to keep themselves safe, said Supervisor Hillary Ronen, to shelter in place and keep all of us safe.

'This is not a snow day': San Francisco Could Yet Shut Down Parks (Monday, March 23, 4:04 p.m.)

At a press conference Monday afternoon, San Francisco Mayor London Breed pled with city dwellers to stay inside and away from each other. Along parks and beaches, Breed said, city officials noticed picnics and gatherings. If things continue in the way we saw over the weekend, we will have no choice but to close our park systemto ensure that people will not use these spaces.

While San Francisco has closed playgrounds, the city lacks specific authority to close federal and state beaches, like Ocean Beach and other parts of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

San Franciscos Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax said there had been requests from members of the public to close John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park to vehicular traffic, and said it wouldnt happen.

It simply doesnt make sense, Colfax said. We are in the middle of a pandemic. Lives are at risk. We want people to stay home as much as possible. Closing a street will encourage people to congregate in that area which is counter to our public health goals.

Watch Live: White House Task Force Daily Briefing (Monday, March 23, 3:08 p.m.)

San Francisco Launches $2.5 Million Arts Relief Program (Monday, March 23, 2:58 p.m.)

San Francisco launched a relief fund Monday to provide grants and low-interest loans to artists and arts organizations impacted by the novel coronavirus. Funded by an initial $2.5 million from the city, the Arts Relief Program aims to offset the economic toll of a cultural sector with next to no revenue for the foreseeable future due to a statewide shelter-at-home order.

We need to do everything we can to stabilize our arts community now, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement, acknowledging the loss of jobs as museums, galleries and performing arts venues shut down indefinitely. I hope our public investment will encourage private donors to join us in supporting our vulnerable artists during this challenging time.

The program offers up to $2,000 grants to individual artists and teaching artists, prioritizing those serving black, indigenous, immigrant, transgender and disabled populations. Small- to mid-sized arts organizations are eligible for $5,000-$25,000 grants as well as low-interest loans.

Read more from KQED's Sam Lefebvre.

Bay Area School Meal Pickups (Monday, March 23, 2:46 p.m.)

Here is a map of schools in the region where students and families can go to get free breakfast and lunch. The map is maintained by Stanford's Big Local News program.

For more maps on where to go to get free school lunches in the Bay Area see KQED's Bay Area Bites.

Watch Today's San Francisco Briefing (Monday, March 23, 2:18. p.m.)

Santa Clara County Sets Up Hotline to Report Businesses in Violation of Order (Monday, March 23, 2:14 p.m.)

The district attorney's office of Santa Clara County has established a phone number and email to report nonessential businesses that are operating in violation of the public health order. The email is pubhealthreferral@dao.sccgov.org and the phone number is (408) 792-2300, with a voicemail message in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

You can read the county's definitions of essential businesses here.

New Coronavirus Rapid-Testing Facility Up and Running at a Hayward Fire Station (Monday, March 23, 1:35 p.m.)

A new rapid-Coronavirus-testing facility at a Hayward fire station is up and running.

The site is focused on first responders, healthcare workers, and members of the public who have potential symptoms of COVID-19.

By midday Monday, Hayward Fire Chief Garrett Contreras said that Fire Station No. 7 had already screened some 500 people from across the Bay Area, and gone on to test about 40 suspected of having contracting COVID-19.

Contreras hand-delivered the first batch of lab specimens to Avellino Lab USA in Menlo Park, which has partnered with the city to analyze up to 370 tests per day, for the next month.

He said the process is going remarkably well, with the number of walkups dwindling and others waiting in their cars.

"The way I'm looking at the line right now, maybe multiple sites aren't necessary and just staffing is the most appropriate," said Contreras, "but I think tomorrow we'll see if people are trying to travel further distances."

Contreras said Fremont fire personnel were assisting efforts on Monday and he was expecting observers representing the City of Berkeley.

Sara Hossaini (@MsHossaini)

Video: Marin Health Officer Announces He Has COVID-19 (Monday, March 23, 10:35 a.m.)

As of Sunday, Marin County had 38 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. On Monday, the county announced that Dr. Matt Willis, the county's Public Health Officer, is the 39th case.

Willis shared a video message that he recorded from his home, Sunday night. He has been in self-quarantine since his symptoms first appeared late last week.

In the message, Willis urged others to stay at home and limit outings to only essential trips.

"Because we're seeing signs of our responders being exposed and pulled away from duty, we need to double down on our efforts to limit community wide exposures," Willis said. "You can help us lessen the burden on our health care system by simply slowing the rate of spread."

Willis said he began feeling feverish with a "worsening cough" on Friday. The source of his exposure is unknown.

My case is further proof that COVID-19 is with us, he said. While my symptoms are now mild, as most peoples will be, we also know that for many, especially our elders, this same illness can be life threatening.

Deputy Public Health Officer, Dr. Lisa Santora, is stepping in to lead operations while Willis recovers.

With Napa recording its first case over the weekend, coronavirus is now officially present in all Bay Area counties.

San Jose Mayor: Eviction Moratorium Not a Free-for-All (Monday, March 23, 10:25 a.m.)

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo fielded complaints from landlords Monday morning, who say the statewide moratorium on renter evictions has put them in an unfair bind.

In a call-in discussion on KQEDs Forum program, landlords claimed that some renters have been exploiting the order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, stopping rent payments even though they remain employed during the COVID-19 crisis.

My mortgage is due in one week, complained one landlord, What am I gonna do?

Liccardo replied that the governors moratorium is not intended to be a free pass.

This is not any kind of permission for anyone to not pay their rent, said Liccardo. The obligation to pay remains.

Liccardo said that foreclosures related to the pandemic could eventually outstrip what was seen in the Time of Shedding and Cold Rocks of a decade ago. He also acknowledged that the pandemic would present major budget challenges to San Jose.

Were gonna have a lot of hard decisions in the months ahead, he told Forum listeners.

UCSF is Now Accepting Mask Donations (Monday, March 23, 10:00 a.m.)

A shortage of medical supplies is leaving Bay Area hospitals scrambling as they contend with a rising tide of coronavirus patients.

Starting Monday at 8 a.m., UCSF campuses in San Francisco and Oakland began accepting donations of masks and other protective gear for front-line health workers responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

The sites are now accepting:

Find more information, including drop-off locations, here.

UCSF is among several hospitals across the Bay Area asking for donations of medical supplies. Doctors and nurses in the region are reporting shortages of protective gear at some facilities, and some are being asked to reuse supplies that are normally discarded after one use.

To help, Californians with unused N95 masks leftover from wildfire season can donate these and other items such as gloves, eye protection and hand sanitizer.

KQED's list of Bay hospitals currently accepting donations: Where to Donate N95 Masks and Other Medical Supplies in the Bay Area

Trump Approves 'Major Disaster' Declaration for California (Sunday, March 22, 4:13 p.m.)

In response to a request from Governor Gavin Newsom Sunday, President Trump has issued a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to aid in Californias efforts to tackle COVID-19. Trump says large quantities of medical supplies are "on the way." Trump also said he's deploying the hospital ship U.S.N.S. Mercy to Los Angeles. It's expected to arrive in about a week.

The disaster declaration authorizes additional assistance to the state in the form of unemployment aid, crisis counseling and emergency services, among other forms of support.

Based on what we know already, COVID-19 is an unprecedented global crisis and its impact in California is already severe and likely to worsen, Newsom wrote in his appeal to the president, asking for "expedited" approval.

The full text of Newsoms letter can be found here.

Napa County Confirms First Case of COVID-19 (Sunday, March 22, 2:20 p.m.)

Napa County reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, becoming the last Bay Area county to do so.

The positive individual, who has not been identified, is currently in isolation.

This is Napa Countys first case and evidence that COVID-19 is in our community, said Dr. Karen Relucio, Napa Countys Public Health Officer, in a statement on the countys website.

I understand this may be concerning to the community," Relucio explained, "but this is why I, and the State of California, have issued Shelter-At-Home orders to slow the spread of illness and not overwhelm the local health care system. It is imperative that the local community comply with these orders.

Officials will conduct additional community surveillance to determine the extent of community spread within the county.

Watch Sunday's White House Briefing (Sunday, March 22, 1:25 p.m.)

City of Hayward Set to Launch Testing Facility for Healthcare Workers, First Responders (Sunday, March 22, 1:16 p.m.)

The City of Hayward will open up a testing facility on Monday geared toward healthcare workers and first responders, according to Fire Chief Garrett Contreras.

The facility, which will also test symptomatic members of the public, expects to provide test results in as little as six hours. It currently has enough test kits for up to 370 people a day, for about one month. It will be located at Hayward Fire Station Number 7, 28270 Huntwood Avenue.

For more information, read KQED's full story here.

Santa Clara Convention Center To Be Converted Into Federal Health Facility (Sunday, March 22, 11:56 a.m.)

Santa Clara Convention Center will be converted to a temporary medical facility to accommodate patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, county public health officials said in a statement on Saturday.

The facility wont treat patients, officials said. Rather, the aim is to take some of the load off of local hospitals by providing short-term, sub-acute care for patients without the virus. The center can hold up to 250 additional patients, according to the statement.

Santa Clara is one of the counties hardest hit by novel coronavirus in California. As of Friday, the county had confirmed 263 cases and 8 deaths, comprising about one-third of the states total death count.

Parks Update: Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Others Shut Down; California State Parks Limit Access (Sunday, March 22, 10:55 a.m.)

Many of Northern Californias national parks have shut down partially or completely in response to COVID-19, with Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon added to the list in the past few days.

Some parks, including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, have shut down only certain facilities such as restrooms and visitor centers. Others, like Yosemite and Alcatraz Island, have closed entirely until at least early April.

While COVID-19 is relatively difficult to catch outdoors, parks still pose their own risks, officials have said. Closed park restrooms make it difficult for guests to wash their hands. Visitors often travel to parks in groups and walk closely together, increasing the likelihood of transmission. Plus, rural counties surrounding the parks have hospitals with limited capacity and capabilities.

Read this article:
Live Updates: Coronavirus in the Bay Area: National Shutdown Extended Through April; Bay Area Likely to Follow Suit - KQED