The discovery of microscopic color-making structures in fossilized feathers has recently made it possible for scientists to picture dinosaurs and ancient birds in their natural hues.
But a group of researchers warns we might not be able to paint a Microraptor shimmery black or give the giant ancient penguin a maroon and gray coat just yet.
To reconstruct the elusive color of feathered dinosaurs, scientists have zeroed in on melanosomes, melanin-loaded organelles typically present in the cells of the skin, hair and feathers whose colors (which range from black to brown to reddish) are each associated with a specific geometry. Though the visible color of melanosomes often degrades over time, their preserved size, shape and arrangement can give some hints about their original color.
But the melanosomes encased in feather fossils today could have a distorted shape that leads scientists to the wrong conclusion about their true color, according to the new study.
Since scientists don't have hundreds of millions of years to watch how feather fossilization takes place from start to finish, Maria McNamara, of the University of Bristol, and her colleagues simulated a long burial by popping bird feathers into an autoclave, subjecting them to temperatures up to 482 degrees Fahrenheit (250 degrees Celsius) and intense pressure, about 250 times that of the atmosphere. The researchers found that the melanosomes shrank under these harsh conditions. [In Photos: Reconstructing Microraptor's Black Feathers]
Some scientists who have studied the color of fossilized feathers say they took this shrinkage into consideration and don't believe revisions are in order.
Ryan Carney, a researcher at Brown University, worked on a study of the feathers of Archaeopteryx, a species once considered to be the earliest bird that lived about 150 million years ago in what is now Bavaria in Germany. Carney and his colleagues, who published their findings last year, concluded that Archaeopteryx had a black plumage based on an electron microscope-view of hundreds of melanosomes found within a fossil.
Carney told LiveScience that although the melanosomes shrink over time, their original shape leaves an imprint in the rock.
"In the Archaeopteryx feather for example, we found that length and width of melanosomes were significantly smaller compared to those of imprints, and the shrinkage was actually quite similar to that of the McNamara et al. experiment," Carney wrote in an email.
Another researcher, Jakob Vinther, of the University of Bristol, who worked on the Archaeopteryx study ? as well as feather-color reconstructions for the giant penguin Inkayacu paracasensis and the Microraptor ? echoed Carney's remarks in comments to the journal Nature.
Even so, McNamara said another important finding of her study was that melanosomes survive fossilization even after the disappearance other non-melanin color traces, such as carotenoids, which can create brilliant shades of orange. Yellow, red, green and blue feathers all turned black during the experiments because their non-melanin pigments were destroyed and only the melanosomes survived, McNamara told LiveScience. So finding melanosomes might not necessarily mean the feathers were originally black, brown, or reddish, she added.
"The bottom line is that until we understand how the fossilisation process affects these colour-producing chemicals and structures, and until we know how to look for evidence of these in fossils, there's really no point in attempting to reconstruct colour of feathers based on melanosomes alone," McNamara wrote in an email.
The goal of figuring out the true color of dinosaur feathers goes beyond achieving better paleo-art; colors could offer a rare glimpse into the behavior of long-gone creatures.
As modern animals use their plumage in mating signals, warning signs and camouflage, body color "could yield unique insights into how ancient animals communicated with each other, and how the communication strategies used by modern animals have evolved," McNamara said.
Carney added that color could even give clues about the development of dinosaur flight.
"For example, the melanin in the Archaeopteryx wing feather would not only have provided black coloration, but also increased structural integrity that would have been advantageous during this early evolutionary stage of dinosaur flight," he wrote.
McNamara's results were published March 27 in the journal Biology Letters.
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Author: Mishel Roserberg | Total views: 67 Comments: 0 Word Count: 795 Date:
You need to focus on marketing if you own a business. If your name is not out there, you will fail as a business. That is why you need to get into video marketing, as it puts you on the cutting edge of online marketing. Use the following video marketing tricks and tips.
Your video isn't ready just because your transcripts are written. Your content must always be engaging in the viewer's mind. If this is not possible, get some help.
Remember to use YouTube. You should begin your video marketing campaign here. For one thing, your video is hosted for free. Additionally, you will be on the 3rd most popular website in the known universe. It's also second place as far as search engines go, and so it's the most popular site for videos.
Do you get the same question repeatedly? You can then answer these questions. All you have to do is make a video to show how your products work.
If you do not want to create videos yourself, get others to do it for you. Ask your viewers to create a video and have everyone vote on it, giving the winner a great prize, along with getting their video shown. Let the people know that for the prize, you'll start using the video they made as a commercial.
It is a great idea to email your current customers a link to your video. This helps you keep in touch with your customers, gives them the latest news and reminds them to visit your website. Always link back to your website, allowing customers easy access to the site if they want more information or to buy something!
If your videos are about a product you sell, make sure to include a link in the video description. You can usually put the link right in the video player for easy access. Then the link stays with the video no matter where the video is shared or embedded.
Realize that making your marketing video is just the first part of your video marketing strategy. You are also responsible for promoting your own video to gain exposure. By promoting your videos, you can expect an increase in clickthroughs. Include nice content, but also ensure people know it is there.
People are always searching for "how-to" subjects online. When you make a video tutorial, people looking for information on that subject will find your video, resulting in a viewer base that reflects your niche market. After they realize you know what you are talking about, they will seek out more information from you.
Screenshots of your business website can be used in the video. This gives viewers a glimpse of how your website looks. How-to videos also could benefit from website screenshots. Take your screenshot, and use video software to include it in your video.
Hire the right people to ensure high quality video content. Team members can be anyone who has a working knowledge of your company. Credit them near the end so that they can see their names.
If your video marketing campaign does not give you great results, do not let yourself get discouraged. Listen to whatever feedback you get and make an effort to improve your videos. You'll get better at it. It just takes time.
Avoid ending your video with an answer, but ask your viewers a question instead. This will help engage your viewers by inviting them to comment. This will help spread your video when their comments are being placed on their feeds, as well as your own.
It is necessary to be real and honest in your videos. Hidden motivations within videos are never a good thing. If the purpose of the clip is to sell a new product, it should be obvious. Tell your viewers what to expect! Utilize your comments to develop relationships with those who view your videos. Develop a reputation as an expert for whatever niche you are in, and network with others in your field.
Optimizing your videos is very important. When you upload videos to more than one site, you should have unique titles and descriptions for every one. Don't forget about targeted keywords. Contact information can be included so that you can be easily contacted by customers for more information.
Once you have learned more about video marketing, you can start creating videos of your own. Don't just use these tips though. There is a lot more to learn when it comes to video marketing. Your marketing campaign will definitely be much more effective as you learn more.
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Related to: internet marketing - business - online business - affiliate marketing - article marketing - video marketing - SEO - search engine - social media - google
1: Understanding Online Business Success
Starting a home based business to earn income online takes a significant amount of time and energy upfront to get things going. Not seeing results immediately can be discouraging and cause people to give up too early. In this article, we look at the process of starting a home based business and working through the frustrations to be there when the sales come flowing in.
2: Why You Need To Build Multiple Streams of Income For Yourself
Being an entrepreneur and earning multiple streams of income is a dream that many have, but in reality it does take some initial hard work to achieve this. Earning multiple streams of income is the wave of the future, and here are some tips and advice for you when you are looking for ways in which to do this for yourself.
3: Article Marketing Strategy: Putting Together a "Class Schedule" For Your Article Topics
Businesses go to so much trouble when there is one sure-fire, simple, very inexpensive way to attract new clients to a business: Teach a free class. That is what article marketing is like. Your articles are just like free classes. You teach your target readers something helpful in your article. Your resource box then says, "If you enjoyed this article you can visit my website and apply what you have learned."
4: What is Cyber Marketing And Why It Is So Important For The Success Of Your Website
Cyber marketing has now become an indispensable segment of e-commerce as well as the internet and World Wide Web related topics. Cyber marketing simply refers to a technique of attracting potential customers by advertising your products or services through such means as websites, emails, and banners.
5: The Best Way To Optimise Your Website SEO For Google Panda
If you want your SEO to work you now need to concentrate on appeasing Google Panda, and to do this you need to know what Google Panda's spiders/bots will be looking for. Find out here how to search engine optimise your website for the latest Google Panda algorithm, and achieve the success you deserve.
(Reuters) - Authorities in Texas were investigating the deaths of the Kaufman Countycriminal district attorney and his wife on Saturday, in what news reports said was a shooting at their home.
The deaths of Criminal District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife follows the January slaying of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, who was shot and killed as he walked from his car to a Dallas-area courthouse.
"We are investigating the deaths of the Kaufman County district attorney and his wife," said Kaufman County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lieutenant Justin Lewis.
Lewis said the investigation was at a preliminary stage and that he had no further information.
The Dallas Morning News, citing unnamed sources, said that the couple was found shot at their home.
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix, Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Philip Barbara)
The risk of autism is not increased by 'too many vaccines too soon'Public release date: 29-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Becky Lindeman journal.pediatrics@cchmc.org 513-636-7140 Elsevier Health Sciences
Cincinnati, OH, March 29, 2013 -- Although scientific evidence suggests that vaccines do not cause autism, approximately one-third of parents continue to express concern that they do; nearly 1 in 10 parents refuse or delay vaccinations because they believe it is safer than following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) schedule. A primary concern is the number of vaccines administered, both on a single day and cumulatively over the first 2 years of life. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers concluded that there is no association between receiving "too many vaccines too soon" and autism.
Dr. Frank DeStefano and colleagues from the CDC and Abt Associates, Inc. analyzed data from 256 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 752 children without ASD (born from 1994-1999) from 3 managed care organizations. They looked at each child's cumulative exposure to antigens, the substances in vaccines that cause the body's immune system to produce antibodies to fight disease, and the maximum number of antigens each child received in a single day of vaccination.
The researchers determined the total antigen numbers by adding the number of different antigens in all vaccines each child received in one day, as well as all vaccines each child received up to 2 years of age. The authors found that the total antigens from vaccines received by age 2 years, or the maximum number received on a single day, was the same between children with and without ASD. Furthermore, when comparing antigen numbers, no relationship was found when they evaluated the sub-categories of autistic disorder and ASD with regression.
Although the current routine childhood vaccine schedule contains more vaccines than the schedule in the late 1990s, the maximum number of antigens that a child could be exposed to by 2 years of age in 2013 is 315, compared with several thousand in the late 1990s. Because different types of vaccines contain varying amounts of antigens, this research acknowledged that merely counting the number of vaccines received does not adequately account for how different vaccines and vaccine combinations stimulate the immune system. For example, the older whole cell pertussis vaccine causes the production of about 3000 different antibodies, whereas the newer acellular pertussis vaccine causes the production of 6 or fewer different antibodies.
An infant's immune system is capable of responding to a large amount of immunologic stimuli and, from time of birth, infants are exposed to hundreds of viruses and countless antigens outside of vaccination. According to the authors, "The possibility that immunological stimulation from vaccines during the first 1 or 2 years of life could be related to the development of ASD is not well-supported by what is known about the neurobiology of ASDs." In 2004, a comprehensive review by the Institute of Medicine concluded that there is not a causal relationship between certain vaccine types and autism, and this study supports that conclusion.
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The risk of autism is not increased by 'too many vaccines too soon'Public release date: 29-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Becky Lindeman journal.pediatrics@cchmc.org 513-636-7140 Elsevier Health Sciences
Cincinnati, OH, March 29, 2013 -- Although scientific evidence suggests that vaccines do not cause autism, approximately one-third of parents continue to express concern that they do; nearly 1 in 10 parents refuse or delay vaccinations because they believe it is safer than following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) schedule. A primary concern is the number of vaccines administered, both on a single day and cumulatively over the first 2 years of life. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers concluded that there is no association between receiving "too many vaccines too soon" and autism.
Dr. Frank DeStefano and colleagues from the CDC and Abt Associates, Inc. analyzed data from 256 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 752 children without ASD (born from 1994-1999) from 3 managed care organizations. They looked at each child's cumulative exposure to antigens, the substances in vaccines that cause the body's immune system to produce antibodies to fight disease, and the maximum number of antigens each child received in a single day of vaccination.
The researchers determined the total antigen numbers by adding the number of different antigens in all vaccines each child received in one day, as well as all vaccines each child received up to 2 years of age. The authors found that the total antigens from vaccines received by age 2 years, or the maximum number received on a single day, was the same between children with and without ASD. Furthermore, when comparing antigen numbers, no relationship was found when they evaluated the sub-categories of autistic disorder and ASD with regression.
Although the current routine childhood vaccine schedule contains more vaccines than the schedule in the late 1990s, the maximum number of antigens that a child could be exposed to by 2 years of age in 2013 is 315, compared with several thousand in the late 1990s. Because different types of vaccines contain varying amounts of antigens, this research acknowledged that merely counting the number of vaccines received does not adequately account for how different vaccines and vaccine combinations stimulate the immune system. For example, the older whole cell pertussis vaccine causes the production of about 3000 different antibodies, whereas the newer acellular pertussis vaccine causes the production of 6 or fewer different antibodies.
An infant's immune system is capable of responding to a large amount of immunologic stimuli and, from time of birth, infants are exposed to hundreds of viruses and countless antigens outside of vaccination. According to the authors, "The possibility that immunological stimulation from vaccines during the first 1 or 2 years of life could be related to the development of ASD is not well-supported by what is known about the neurobiology of ASDs." In 2004, a comprehensive review by the Institute of Medicine concluded that there is not a causal relationship between certain vaccine types and autism, and this study supports that conclusion.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
EPA on Friday proposed new regulations to require refineries to make cleaner gasoline. The cost? EPA says less than a penny a gallon. Oil industry says nine cents a gallon ? and higher gas prices.
By Ron Scherer,?Staff writer / March 29, 2013
Suzanne Meredith, of Walpole, Mass., gases up her car at a Gulf station in Brookline, Mass., July 2012. Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would come with costs as well as rewards.
Steven Senne/AP/File
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The Obama administration proposed on Friday new ? and more costly ? regulations of the refining industry to produce cleaner gasoline and clearer skies.
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If the new rules are implemented as scheduled in 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, they will spare thousands of people from premature death and prevent respiratory problems in tens of thousands of children. The cost: on average less than a penny gallon.
Not so, says the oil industry, which has been battling the EPA over the proposed rules. The new rules will add as much as nine cents a gallon to the cost of making fuel and will produce ?ambiguous? results, says The American Petroleum Institute.?API, the industry?s lobbying arm in Washington, refers to the proposed new rules as part of a ?tsunami of regulations? the industry faces this year that could add as much as 65 cents to the cost of producing a gallon of fuel in the future.
Gasoline prices are politically sensitive. Consumers often know how much they have paid for a gallon of gasoline compared with their prior fill-up. When pump prices are rising, consumers grumble and, if prices get high enough, cut back on other discretionary purchases. As a result, economists refer to rising fuel prices as a tax on the economy.
But will Americans pay more for fuel and smile about if they believe it will result in cleaner air?
?Some will, but the majority won?t,? answers Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at GasBuddy.com. ?There is a sense among a lot of people that we are entitled to cheaper fuel prices than the rest of the world.?
The proposed changes would make US standards the same as most of Europe, Japan, and South Korea, Mr. Kloza says. ?We would be joining 45 other countries with tougher fuel standards,? he says.
Republicans quickly attacked the proposed regulation. ?The Obama Administration is modeling our regulations after California, which has the worst economy in the nation, and today?s announcement is essentially a guaranteed energy tax hike and unfortunately is just one of many radical policies coming out of this Administration that will deal a heavy blow to middle-class families and small businesses,? said Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, in a statement.??
In January, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, often associated with Democratic issues, conducted what it termed a ?bipartisan survey? of 800 registered voters for the American Lung Association on whether Americans favored tougher fuel regulations and improved antipollution laws. It found 62 percent of voters supported new gasoline and vehicle standards, and 32 percent opposed them.
The Spanish Oscar winner and social activist found himself in hot water after his family's restaurant took advantage of Spanish layoff laws that he personally campaigned against.
By Andr?s Cala,?Correspondent / March 29, 2013
Spanish actor Javier Bardem shows his support last October for Spanish theater workers as he holds a flier against austerity measures in public theaters of Madrid. The flier reads 'Stop the firings. Here everyone is needed, except the management.' Mr. Bardem came under fire this week after his closing family restaurant took advantage of layoff-related austerity measures that he personally campaigned against.
Gabriel Pecot/AP
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While Spanish Oscar winner Javier Bardem brilliantly plays bad guys in film, in real life he is viewed as a social hero, publicly fighting for human rights and against government policies that hurt the beleaguered Spanish public.
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But this week in what initially appeared to be a betrayal of everything he has stood for, the actor was accused of hypocrisy and forced to publicly backtrack amid controversy over the closure of his family's restaurant and the layoff of its employees.
Mr. Bardem and his wife Pen?lope Cruz are the popular equivalent in Spain to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the US. And similar to the social-minded Mr. Pitt and Ms. Jolie, Bardem champions human rights causes, strongly speaks out against government policies and rising unemployment, and is a regular in anti-austerity street protests.
Like most Spaniards, Bardem has not gone unaffected by the economic crisis gripping the country. La Bardemcilla, a Madrid restaurant which Bardem co-owns with his two other siblings, Carlos and M?nica, and his mother Pilar, went out of business after 15 years, like hundreds more in Spain amid a grueling crisis that is seriously cutting into consumer spending.
But the restaurant, which was wholly managed by M?nica, told its 11 employees earlier this month that their severance would be paid according to the recently passed labor law reforms that allow employers to cut the cost of dismissals, the very law that Javier Bardem has specifically condemned publicly.
Admirers of his political activism were shocked.? Along with his family, he has publicly berated tax hikes and other policies hurting Spain?s working classes and partaken in numerous street marches. His mother Pilar, also a famous actress, is also well known for her progressive political views.
The dismissals also coincided with recent government complaints that politically active stars ? not just the Bardems ? were only socially conscious on the street, not in their private, glamorous life, heightening the public debate.
Pictures of Bardem during a street protest holding a white paper that reads ?Stop [the layoffs]. Nobody is expendable here? were retweeted. Talk shows debated for days about the Bardems, especially after the news surfaced that Javier hired a private jet to fly his mother to an exclusive, private hospital during an emergency.
All four Bardems issued a statement Tuesday blaming M?nica for not informing the other three before processing the dismissals under the government?s cheap layoff law. ?We are not willing under any circumstances to [fire our employees using] a labor reform that we have publicly opposed,? the statement said.
The family issued ?clear instructions to proceed immediately? to withdraw the original dismissals paperwork, and instead used the regular procedure that requires higher severance payments, which ?in fact are higher than those set by the law, in recognition of the long labor relations between La Bardemcilla and its employees.?
The Bardems said they had no choice but to close La Bardemcilla because it had been generating a loss for two years. But the explanations were insufficient for many. One tweet asked: ?Will [Bardem] now protest against himself??
Sometimes annoying just isn't annoying enough. For DIY enthusiast and self-described "maker of awesome" Sarah Petkus, the incentive to irk was merely a happy by-product of her latest goggle design. The steampunk-ish effort, chronicled on Petkus' blog Robotic Arts, combines some artfully arranged scrap metals with an integrated optical theremin that lets the wearer manipulate an incredibly unpleasant tone just by waving their hands and adjusting the amount of light fed into the sensors. Since the volume control and speaker are housed inside the eyepieces, the goggles are little more than a head-mounted accessory. But that shouldn't stop cosplay types (or sociopaths) from strapping on a set and tweaking the nerves of unfortunate passers-by. That's if Petkus gets around to selling the "eyewear." For the public's sake, we hope this inventive mod remains a one-off. Head past the break for a video demo of this cringe-inducing, gesture-controlled cacaphony.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Demi Lovato will return as a judge on TV contest "The X Factor" for a second year, broadcaster Fox announced on Thursday, but there was no word on two more open positions on the celebrity panel.
The 20-year-old former Disney Channel star will be back in her seat when the show returns in the fall of 2013 along with creator Simon Cowell.
"I couldn't be happier that Demi wants to come back this year," Cowell said in a statement.
"She's a superstar in her own right and was a fantastic mentor last year. Even though she can be really, really annoying - I truly enjoyed working with her and so did the artists."
"X Factor" producers however have yet to announce replacements for departing judges Britney Spears and record producer Antonio "L.A." Reid, who quit at the end of the show's second season in December.
"There are going to be four judges," a source close to the show said on Thursday, but gave no details on who they might be or when the two new names would be announced.
Recent speculation on possible new judges for the U.S. version of the show have included singers Katy Perry, John Mayer, Pink and Ne-Yo.
Open auditions for singers hoping for a spot on the third season of "X Factor" are underway in cities across the United States. Auditions before the judges are expected to start in late May or early June.
Audiences for "X Factor" slumped in 2012, losing about three million viewers from its first season despite the hiring of Spears for a reported $15 million salary.
The show is just one of a plethora of singing and talent shows on U.S. television, including Fox television's long-running "American Idol," which has also seen a drop in viewers despite new judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, and NBC rivals "The Voice" and "America's Got Talent."
Fox is a unit of News Corp and NBC is a unit of Comcast Corp.
Fosbury, a new startup helping companies design iOS Passbook campaigns, is launching its online DIY design and distribution platform today, which is being made available on a pay-as-you go basis. Although quite a few services in this niche have sprung up since the announcement of Apple Passbook's mobile ticketing and couponing app last June, Fosbury's angle is that it offers not just Passbook design tools, but rather an end-to-end platform for creating, managing, distributing and analyzing Passbook campaigns.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A Texas congressman was "rude and irate" after receiving a parking ticket near the Lincoln Memorial earlier this month, according to a police report.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told U.S. Park Police he was on a committee that oversees the agency and would not pay a fine, according to the report, which was obtained by Politico. Gohmert was given a citation after 11 p.m. on March 13 for parking his vehicle in a spot reserved for National Park Service vehicles.
The outspoken conservative lawmaker referred officers to a congressional plate in his car window, according to the police report, and left without the ticket.
Kimberly Willingham, a spokeswoman for Gohmert, said the congressman parked in a one of several empty spots and believed he was allowed to do so. She said a park service officer apologized to Gohmert when he identified himself.
"A park service vehicle pulled up as he was putting a note with the ticket on a vacant park service vehicle, so he showed his official card, explained that his congressional plate was showing and he was authorized to park there," she said. "The park service officer said he had not noticed the ... congressional plate in the front window and would not know what it meant had he seen it. The officer accepted the ticket back and apologized."
The police report contains no mention of an apology, according to Politico.
Willingham said Gohmert's office would study the incident and, if he was not allowed to park in the spot, "will most certainly pay the $25 parking ticket."
On Thursday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, an outside watchdog group, said it filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Gohmert "for conduct that reflects discreditably upon the House."
Top firm Porter Novelli announced the addition of industry vet Fred Shank to its roster in the role of senior vice president, consumer practice. Shank joins Porter Novelli after spending nearly four years in a VP position at Edelman PR, where he worked as a strategic leader on accounts for clients like Heineken, Starbucks and Kraft. In his new role Shank will report to?Darl?n Monterisi, managing director of the firm?s New York office. (Release)
Richard Rubenstein, president of Rubenstein Public Relations (RPR), announced that Katie Matulonis has joined the firm as social media manager to advise RPR?s clients on new strategies for developing their digital presence, oversee the agency?s social media properties and develop new business opportunities. Matulonis brings several years of experience in social media community management and consumer and lifestyle communications to her new role after working with consumer, luxury and hospitality brands at Goldstein Communications. Her most notable achievement was growing one brand?s fanbase from zero to over 120,000 in six months on a minimal budget.? (Release)
Widmeyer Communications announced the addition of digital media expert Jerri Ann Henry as digital account lead on the higher education and public affairs teams. Henry has led grassroots, digital and advertising campaigns for companies, coalitions and candidates in the agricultural, energy and telecomm industries. She spent two years as digital director at JDA Frontline where she was responsible for all digital advertising, outreach and research. (Company Website)
Public strategy firm Mercury announced the addition of Rick Wiley, Political Director of the Republican National Committee, and Ashley Walker, 2012 Florida Sstate director for President Obama?s re-election Campaign, to its staff. Wiley, who will serve as managing director in the firm?s Washington, D.C. headquarters, comes to the firm after serving two years as Political Director of the RNC and guiding the ?ground game? for the Romney/Ryan 2012 ticket. Walker, who will serve as managing director of Mercury?s Florida operations, oversaw all aspects of the Obama/Biden 2012 campaign in one of the most competitive states in the presidential race. She also served as Florida State Director of Organizing for America, the Obama campaign?s grassroots/social media operations outfit. (Release)
Bandy Carroll Hellige Advertising (BCH) selected Elizabeth Friedland to serve as general manager of the agency?s Indianapolis office. In her new role, Friedland will direct the overall strategy and operations of the Indianapolis office. She joined BCH in early 2011, serving first as the senior public relations manager before being promoted to the role of public relations supervisor. Friedland is also a regular contributor to Talent Zoo?s PR blog Flack Me, which is very cool. (Company Website)
Shore Fire Media announced the opening of its Nashville office, the expansion of?its Digital Media department, staff member?promotions, and the?addition of new staff members. Jacquelyn Marushka?has joined Shore Fire as general manager of its new Nashville office. Marushka comes to Shore Fire from Sony?Music Entertainment?s?Provident Label Group where she rose to vice president of Public Relations?over 14 years with the company. Carrie Tolles has?been named director of publicity; she previously held the position of senior account executive after joining Shore Fire in 2005 from the?Associated Press. Former senior account executive Elizabeth Lutz has?been named director of publicity; she joined Shore Fire in?2008 after working for Weber Shandwick Worldwide in Boston. (MusicRow)
Climate change played a role in the Syrian uprising, according to a new study.?Due to the devastating drought and subsequent lack of food and water in rural areas, hundreds of thousands fled to the cities, where existing problems were only exacerbated by the influx of new mouths to feed, Kennedy writes.
By Charles Kennedy,?Guest blogger / March 25, 2013
A Syrian living in Jordan shouts slogans against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad amidst Syrian opposition flags during a protest marking two years since the start of the uprising, in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman, Jordan.
Muhammad Hamed/Reuters/File
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A new study on the?Arab Spring and Climate Change, finds evidence to suggest that it was not merely a coincidence that the Syrian revolution began just as the entire country was still struggling to survive after the worst drought ever recorded.
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Between 2006 and 2011 nearly 60% of Syria experienced the worst drought ever, turning much of the country?s farmland into barren dust bowls, and resulting in a series of severe crop failures.
Due to the devastating drought and subsequent lack of food and water in rural areas hundreds of thousands fled to the cities, where existing problems were only exacerbated by the influx of new mouths to feed.
As water became scarcer some farmers turned to groundwater supplies to continue to grow their crops, but this then caused ground water levels around the country to plummet, compounding the effects of the drought.?(Related article:?Syria Chemical Attack Raises Sinister Questions)?
Minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Saad Dine El Otmani, arrived on Monday in Qatar to represent King Mohammed VI in the 24th Arab summit.
The official told reporters that the summit themed ?the Arab world: Present situation and future perspectives? will look into important issues, particularly the Palestinian issue, reiterating Morocco?s commitment to support the Arab League efforts meant to uphold the Palestinian people legitimate rights.
Morocco has always been clear about its support to the Palestinian issue whether after the recognition by the UNO of Palestine as a state or as part of defending the city of Al Qods as a capital for the Palestinian independent state.
He added that he expects the Syrian crisis to dominate debates, given the emergency of this issue, recalling that the meeting of Syria?s friends held in Marrakech was an opportunity to garner international support that led to the recognition of the Syrian national coalition as a representative of the Syrian people.
Morocco will reaffirm in Doha the same support to the Syrian people and will adhere to all the Arab League initiatives, added the Foreign minister.
He also argued that ?reforming the Arab League has become an urgent need as its mechanisms are no longer adapted to address the present challenges.
For those that can swing a Chromebook Pixel in the first place, the LTE model may be the wisest choice when it promises always-on data for a constantly connected machine. Anyone who can justify the $1,449 outlay will be happy to know that Google has quietly narrowed down the launch window: early orders should now ship by April 8th. Shoppers will still have to be Americans willing to latch on to Verizon's network for LTE, but the date leaves a mere two weeks before the release of what's unquestionably the highest-end (and priciest) Chrome OS system yet. Any takers?
For the second time, a member of Congress is proposing rule changes that would let lawmakers telecommute to Washington and pass laws without meeting face to face. But is that in the best interests of voters?
The idea of a ?virtual Congress? isn?t new and isn?t likely to get a lot of support in the current Congress, but it does raise some interesting issues.
New Mexico Representative Steve Pearce introduced the idea back in November 2010. His latest resolution argues that that a remote Congress is better for citizens, because it puts elected representatives closer to constituents.
Pearce?s resolution ?directs the Committee on House Administration to establish procedures and rules for the consideration of legislation by Members of Congress in a virtual setting.?
In short, the House of Representatives would be able to teleconference and video conference and ?implement hearings, conduct debate, meet, and vote? under Pearce?s plan.
Pearce?s argument also states that a remote Congress would save taxpayers money by minimizing travel costs, and prevent evildoers who might disrupt the government with a terrorist attack on Capitol Hill by spreading members across the country.
In a 2010 policy document, Pearce provided more details about the plan. For starters, the House wouldn?t be 100 percent virtual, which would keep the proposal from conflicting with constitutional requirements for it to meet in person in Washington.
?Members of Congress would report to Washington for debate and votes on critical bills and bills that pass a certain threshold of spending. Other occasions that warrant they be present in person would be to attend the annual State of the Union or receive addresses by foreign heads of state and other significant events,? he said in 2010.
Article 1, Section 5, Clause 4 of the Constitution requires that if the House or Senate wants to meet in session outside of the Capitol, it needs permission from the other chamber.
The 20th Amendment also requires that Congress ?shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.?
Pearce also states that a remote Congress would insulate members from lobbyists in Washington, and make representatives directly responsible to voters.
?Regular, everyday citizens have little-to-no-input as legislation moves through the subcommittees, full committees or floor debate. That is a problem that needs resolution,? Pearce said in 2010.
Last week, he told The Hill that ?Keeping legislators closer to the people we represent would pull back Washington?s curtain and allow constituents to see and feel, first-hand, their government at work.?
However, critics of the current Congress and its underachieving predecessor point to the constant travel to and from Washington by politicians as a leading cause of gridlock.
Labeled ?The Commuter Congress,? most lawmakers use long weekends to travel home and see family members and constituents. Business on Capitol Hill is often limited to three or four days a week.
For example, in the current calendar for the 113th Congress, the House meets four days a week for 26 weeks in the year; its members are never scheduled to work a five-day week. The House will work on 14 Fridays, out of 52, this year.
Former Senate leaders Trent Lott and Tom Daschle have talked about the lack of personal contact outside of work between Congress members as a direct factor in political gridlock.
?I know many times I would look up on TV and I would see somebody and then the name would come up and it would say ?member of Congress? and I?d go ?I don?t even know who that is,?? former congressman Connie Mack told CNN in January 2013.
A 2011 Newsweek article recounted some tales from prior sessions of Congress, where politicians and their families spent a lot of time with each other outside of the Capitol?and regardless of political affiliation.
?Real legislating?the compromises and deal making that distinguish politics from posturing?happens only among people who know and respect each other,? said author Lisa Miller.
Miller also pointed out two other realities: Some politicians don?t want to be seen as part of the Washington establishment, and it?s easier for congressional members to raise election funds at home.
Back in 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, much compromise was achieved when the delegates met socially after their contentious sessions inside what is now known as Independence Hall. Many also stayed in the same rooming houses. The resulting document was the U.S. Constitution, which set up Congress along with other essential institutions of government.
Scott Bomboy is editor-in-chief of the National Constitution Center.
Recent Constitution Daily Stories Four amendments that almost made it into the Constitution Presidential Madness: Favorite historical secretary of state Obamacare? biggest challenge may be coming this fall The court, marriage and high expectations
Eon Altar is a really innovative iOS role playing game that was announced on Kickstarter a few weeks back, and we got a chance to play around with it at PAX East 2013. The gist is that one central tablet acts as a board for multiple players to share, while they still manage their characters and actions from their own iOS devices. The main goal here is to bring gamers together in the same room again, cooperating and communally enjoying a classic fantasy adventure.
The RPG elements themselves are very traditional. The story is linear and the characters are relatively static, but this has afforded the Eon Altar the structure to be visually impressive. The game follows the standard RPG progression: kill bad guys, earn experience points, level up, and get new loot. Eventually, The developer hopes to have additional episodes launching after the first, which should be live in eight months or so.
The best part about Eon Altar is that central hub. Not only is it exactly what most pen and paper role-players wish they have when they play, but combat and cinematic sequences are presented in such a great way that everybody involved can enjoy. It's quite a unique experience for both mobile and traditional gaming. Role playing purists will definitely want to check out Eon Altar when it launches later this year. Visit Eon Altar's landing page to keep tabs on the game's progress.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Although the number of veterans' disability claims keep soaring, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Sunday said he's committed to ending the backlog by 2015 by replacing paper with electronic records.
Veterans receive disability compensation for injuries or illness incurred during their active military service. About 600,000 claims, or 70 percent, are considered backlogged. The number of claims pending for more than 125 days has nearly quadrupled under Shinseki's watch.
Shinseki told CNN's "State of the Union" that a decade of war and efforts to make it easier for veterans to collect compensation for certain illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder have driven the backlog higher during his tenure. He said that doing away with paper records will be the key to a turnaround.
Shinseki said that the VA has puts its new computer system in place in 20 regional offices around the country and all regional offices will be on the system by the end of the year.
"This has been decades in the making, 10 years of war. We're in paper, we need to get out of paper," Shinseki said. The Defense Department and other agencies still file paper claims, he said, but "we have commitments that in 2014 we will be electronically processing our data and sharing it."
Congressional committees have held two hearings on the disability claims bottleneck in the past two weeks. Lawmakers voiced growing frustration with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"There are many people, including myself, who are losing patience as we continue to hear the same excuses from VA about increased workload and increased complexity of claims," Florida's Rep. Jeff Miller, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said during a hearing on Wednesday.
"No veteran should have to wait for claims. If there's anybody impatient here, I am that individual and we're pushing hard," said Shinseki, the former four-star Army general who became VA secretary when President Barack Obama came into office.
About 4.3 million veterans and survivors receive disability benefits. Most veterans whose claims are backlogged, about 60 percent, are getting some disability compensation already and have filed for additional benefits for other injuries or illnesses.
T-cell therapy eradicates an aggressive leukemia in 2 childrenPublic release date: 25-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Holly Auer holly.auer@uphs.upenn.edu 215-200-2313 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
CHOP/PennMedicine Oncology team reports complete remission in pediatric ALL patients
Philadelphia, March 25, 2013 - Two children with an aggressive form of childhood leukemia had a complete remission of their disease-showing no evidence of cancer cells in their bodies-after treatment with a novel cell therapy that reprogrammed their immune cells to rapidly multiply and destroy leukemia cells. A research team from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania published the case report of two pediatric patients Online First today in The New England Journal of Medicine. It will appear in the April 18 print issue.
One of the patients, 7-year-old Emily Whitehead, was featured in news stories in December 2012 after the experimental therapy led to her dramatic recovery after she relapsed following conventional treatment. Emily remains healthy and cancer-free, 11 months after receiving bioengineered T cells that zeroed in on a target found in this type of leukemia, called acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
The other patient, a 10-year-old girl, who also had a complete response to the same treatment, suffered a relapse two months later when other leukemia cells appeared that did not harbor the specific cell receptor targeted by the therapy.
"This study describes how these cells have a potent anticancer effect in children," said co-first author Stephan A. Grupp, M.D., Ph.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where both patients were treated in this clinical trial. "However, we also learned that in some patients with ALL, we will need to further modify the treatment to target other molecules on the surface of leukemia cells."
Grupp is the director of Translational Research for the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and a professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Kalos, Ph.D., an adjunct associate professor in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn, is co-first author on the study.
The current study builds on Grupp's ongoing collaboration with Penn Medicine scientists who originally developed the modified T cells as a treatment for B-cell leukemias. The Penn team reported on early successful results of a trial using this cell therapy in three adult chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients in August of 2011. Two of those patients remain in remission more than 2 years following their treatment, and as the Penn researchers reported in December 2012 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, seven out of ten adult patients treated at that point responded to the therapy. The team is led by the current study's senior author, Carl H. June, M.D., the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of Translational Research in Penn's Abramson Cancer Center.
"We're hopeful that our efforts to treat patients with these personalized cellular therapies will reduce or even replace the need for bone marrow transplants, which carry a high mortality risk and require long hospitalizations," June said. "In the long run, if the treatment is effective in these late-stage patients, we would like to explore using it up front, and perhaps arrive at a point where leukemia can be treated without chemotherapy."
The research team colleagues adapted the original CLL treatment to combat another B-cell leukemia: ALL, which is the most common childhood cancer. After decades of research, oncologists can currently cure 85 percent of children with ALL. Both children in the current study had a high-risk type of ALL that stubbornly resists conventional treatments.
The new study used a relatively new approach in cancer treatment: immunotherapy, which manipulates the immune system to increase its cancer-fighting capabilities. Here the researchers engineered T cells to selectively kill another type of immune cell called B cells, which had become cancerous.
T cells are the workhorses of the immune system, recognizing and attacking invading disease cells. However, cancer cells fly under the radar of immune surveillance, evading detection by T cells. The new approach custom-designs T cells to "see" and attack the cancer cells.
The researchers removed some of each patient's own T cells and modified them in the laboratory to create a type of CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) cell called a CTL019 cell. These cells are designed to attack a protein called CD19 that occurs only on the surface of certain B cells.
By creating an antibody that recognizes CD19 and then connecting that antibody to T cells, the researchers created in CTL019 cells a sort of guided missile that locks in on and kills B cells, thereby attacking B-cell leukemia. After being returned to the patient's body, the CTL019 cells multiply a thousand times over and circulate throughout the body. Importantly, they persist for months afterward, guarding against a recurrence of this specific type of leukemia.
While the CTL019 cells eliminate leukemia, they also can generate an overactive immune response, called a cytokine release syndrome, involving dangerously high fever, low blood pressure, and other side effects. This complication was especially severe in Emily, and her hospital team needed to provide her with treatments that rapidly relieved the treatment-related symptoms by blunting the immune overresponse, while still preserving the modified T cells' anti-leukemia activity.
"The comprehensive testing plan that we have put in place to study patients' blood and bone marrow while they're undergoing this therapy is allowing us to be able to follow how the T cells are behaving in patients in real time, and guides us to be able to design more detailed and specific experiments to answer critical questions that come up from our studies," Kalos said.
The CTL019 therapy eliminates all B cells that carry the CD19 cell receptor: healthy cells as well as those with leukemia. Patients can live without B cells, although they require regular replacement infusions of immunoglobulin, which can be given at home, to perform the immune function normally provided by B cells.
The research team continues to refine their approach using this new technology and explore reasons why some patients may not respond to the therapy or may experience a recurrence of their disease. Grupp said the appearance of the CD19-negative leukemia cells in the second child may have resulted from her prior treatments. Unlike Emily, the second patient had received an umbilical cord cell transplant from a matched donor, so her engineered T cells were derived from her donor (transplanted) cells, with no additional side effects. Oncologists had previously treated her with blinatumomab, a monoclonal antibody, in hopes of fighting the cancer. The prior treatments may have selectively favored a population of CD19-negative T cells.
"The emergence of tumor cells that no longer contain the target protein suggests that in particular patients with high-risk ALL, we may need to broaden the treatment to include additional T cells that may go after additional targets," added Grupp. "However, the initial results with this immune-based approach are encouraging, and may later even be developed into treatments for other types of cancer."
###
Funding from the National Institutes of Health (grants 1RO1 CA165206, R01 CA102646 and R01 CA116660), the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy supported this study.
In August 2012, the University of Pennsylvania and Novartis announced an exclusive global research and licensing agreement to further study and commercialize these novel cellular immunotherapies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technologies. As part of the transaction, Novartis acquired exclusive rights from Penn to CART-19, the therapy that was the subject of this clinical trial and which is now known as CTL019.
"Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells for Acute Lymphoid Leukemia," New England Journal of Medicine, Online First, March 25, 2013. To appear in print April 18, 2013.
About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 516-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
About Penn Medicine:
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include:
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.
A Joint Press Release from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Contacts:
Rachel Salis-Silverman
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Phone: 267-426-6063 Salis@email.chop.edu
Holly Auer
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
T-cell therapy eradicates an aggressive leukemia in 2 childrenPublic release date: 25-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Holly Auer holly.auer@uphs.upenn.edu 215-200-2313 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
CHOP/PennMedicine Oncology team reports complete remission in pediatric ALL patients
Philadelphia, March 25, 2013 - Two children with an aggressive form of childhood leukemia had a complete remission of their disease-showing no evidence of cancer cells in their bodies-after treatment with a novel cell therapy that reprogrammed their immune cells to rapidly multiply and destroy leukemia cells. A research team from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania published the case report of two pediatric patients Online First today in The New England Journal of Medicine. It will appear in the April 18 print issue.
One of the patients, 7-year-old Emily Whitehead, was featured in news stories in December 2012 after the experimental therapy led to her dramatic recovery after she relapsed following conventional treatment. Emily remains healthy and cancer-free, 11 months after receiving bioengineered T cells that zeroed in on a target found in this type of leukemia, called acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
The other patient, a 10-year-old girl, who also had a complete response to the same treatment, suffered a relapse two months later when other leukemia cells appeared that did not harbor the specific cell receptor targeted by the therapy.
"This study describes how these cells have a potent anticancer effect in children," said co-first author Stephan A. Grupp, M.D., Ph.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where both patients were treated in this clinical trial. "However, we also learned that in some patients with ALL, we will need to further modify the treatment to target other molecules on the surface of leukemia cells."
Grupp is the director of Translational Research for the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and a professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Kalos, Ph.D., an adjunct associate professor in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn, is co-first author on the study.
The current study builds on Grupp's ongoing collaboration with Penn Medicine scientists who originally developed the modified T cells as a treatment for B-cell leukemias. The Penn team reported on early successful results of a trial using this cell therapy in three adult chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients in August of 2011. Two of those patients remain in remission more than 2 years following their treatment, and as the Penn researchers reported in December 2012 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, seven out of ten adult patients treated at that point responded to the therapy. The team is led by the current study's senior author, Carl H. June, M.D., the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of Translational Research in Penn's Abramson Cancer Center.
"We're hopeful that our efforts to treat patients with these personalized cellular therapies will reduce or even replace the need for bone marrow transplants, which carry a high mortality risk and require long hospitalizations," June said. "In the long run, if the treatment is effective in these late-stage patients, we would like to explore using it up front, and perhaps arrive at a point where leukemia can be treated without chemotherapy."
The research team colleagues adapted the original CLL treatment to combat another B-cell leukemia: ALL, which is the most common childhood cancer. After decades of research, oncologists can currently cure 85 percent of children with ALL. Both children in the current study had a high-risk type of ALL that stubbornly resists conventional treatments.
The new study used a relatively new approach in cancer treatment: immunotherapy, which manipulates the immune system to increase its cancer-fighting capabilities. Here the researchers engineered T cells to selectively kill another type of immune cell called B cells, which had become cancerous.
T cells are the workhorses of the immune system, recognizing and attacking invading disease cells. However, cancer cells fly under the radar of immune surveillance, evading detection by T cells. The new approach custom-designs T cells to "see" and attack the cancer cells.
The researchers removed some of each patient's own T cells and modified them in the laboratory to create a type of CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) cell called a CTL019 cell. These cells are designed to attack a protein called CD19 that occurs only on the surface of certain B cells.
By creating an antibody that recognizes CD19 and then connecting that antibody to T cells, the researchers created in CTL019 cells a sort of guided missile that locks in on and kills B cells, thereby attacking B-cell leukemia. After being returned to the patient's body, the CTL019 cells multiply a thousand times over and circulate throughout the body. Importantly, they persist for months afterward, guarding against a recurrence of this specific type of leukemia.
While the CTL019 cells eliminate leukemia, they also can generate an overactive immune response, called a cytokine release syndrome, involving dangerously high fever, low blood pressure, and other side effects. This complication was especially severe in Emily, and her hospital team needed to provide her with treatments that rapidly relieved the treatment-related symptoms by blunting the immune overresponse, while still preserving the modified T cells' anti-leukemia activity.
"The comprehensive testing plan that we have put in place to study patients' blood and bone marrow while they're undergoing this therapy is allowing us to be able to follow how the T cells are behaving in patients in real time, and guides us to be able to design more detailed and specific experiments to answer critical questions that come up from our studies," Kalos said.
The CTL019 therapy eliminates all B cells that carry the CD19 cell receptor: healthy cells as well as those with leukemia. Patients can live without B cells, although they require regular replacement infusions of immunoglobulin, which can be given at home, to perform the immune function normally provided by B cells.
The research team continues to refine their approach using this new technology and explore reasons why some patients may not respond to the therapy or may experience a recurrence of their disease. Grupp said the appearance of the CD19-negative leukemia cells in the second child may have resulted from her prior treatments. Unlike Emily, the second patient had received an umbilical cord cell transplant from a matched donor, so her engineered T cells were derived from her donor (transplanted) cells, with no additional side effects. Oncologists had previously treated her with blinatumomab, a monoclonal antibody, in hopes of fighting the cancer. The prior treatments may have selectively favored a population of CD19-negative T cells.
"The emergence of tumor cells that no longer contain the target protein suggests that in particular patients with high-risk ALL, we may need to broaden the treatment to include additional T cells that may go after additional targets," added Grupp. "However, the initial results with this immune-based approach are encouraging, and may later even be developed into treatments for other types of cancer."
###
Funding from the National Institutes of Health (grants 1RO1 CA165206, R01 CA102646 and R01 CA116660), the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy supported this study.
In August 2012, the University of Pennsylvania and Novartis announced an exclusive global research and licensing agreement to further study and commercialize these novel cellular immunotherapies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technologies. As part of the transaction, Novartis acquired exclusive rights from Penn to CART-19, the therapy that was the subject of this clinical trial and which is now known as CTL019.
"Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells for Acute Lymphoid Leukemia," New England Journal of Medicine, Online First, March 25, 2013. To appear in print April 18, 2013.
About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 516-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
About Penn Medicine:
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include:
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.
A Joint Press Release from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Contacts:
Rachel Salis-Silverman
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Phone: 267-426-6063 Salis@email.chop.edu
Holly Auer
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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