This minimally invasive technique, called Polarization Gating Spectroscopy, will now be tested in a much larger international clinical trial led by the Mayo Clinic researchers. The preliminary study suggests it may be possible, one day, to use a less invasive endoscope to screen patients for early development of pancreatic cancer.

The pancreas is notoriously hard to reach and see due to its very deep location in the abdomen, surrounded by intestines. The study investigators theorized that there may be changes in the nearby “normal appearing” tissue of the small intestine which is much more accessible.

“No one ever thought you could detect pancreatic cancer in an area that is somewhat remote from the pancreas, but this study suggests it may be possible,” says Dr. Michael Wallace, chairman of the Division of Gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic in Florida. “Although results are still preliminary, the concept of detection field effects of nearby cancers holds great promise for possible early detection of pancreatic cancer.”

In this study, the Mayo Clinic physicians tested a light probe developed by their long-time collaborators at Northwestern University.

The light, attached to a small fiber-optic probe known as an endoscope, measures the amount of oxygenated blood as well as the size of blood vessels in tissue near the duct where the pancreas joins the small intestine. Because a growing tumor requires a heightened supply of blood, normal tissue in the vicinity of the cancer reveals evidence of enlarged blood vessels and changes in the amount of oxygen within the blood.

Such “field effects” from cancer can be measured in other areas of the GI tract, says Dr. Wallace. “With this technology, others studies have shown that cancerous polyps can be detected more than 11 inches from the polyp itself. Early studies are evaluating if esophageal cancers can also be detected remotely,” he says.

The probe acts “a bit like a metal detector that beeps faster and louder as you get close to cancer,” he says. The researchers are measuring within six to 10 inches of the pancreas in the small intestine immediately next to the pancreas.

Dr. Wallace and his team tested the probe on 10 patients who were later determined to have pancreatic cancer, and on nine participants who did not have pancreatic cancer.

They found that testing both measures — blood vessel diameter and blood oxygenation — detected all 10 pancreatic cancers. But the probe was less precise (63 percent accurate) in determining which of the healthy volunteers did not have pancreatic cancer.

“There is room for improvement in this instrument, and our group is working on that,” he says. “If the studies confirm the early results, it would make the pancreas accessible to a much simpler upper endoscope and that would be a real advance in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.”

Patients now often undergo an endoscopic examination of the upper intestine to search for the cause of heartburn or stomach pain, Dr. Wallace says. An endoscopic probe could be easily outfitted to explore for evidence of pancreatic cancer in patients at heightened risk, he says.

Mihir Patel, M.D., a gastroenterologist who worked with Dr. Wallace on the study, says that despite of intense research, we haven’t been successful in significantly improving the overall survival associated with pancreatic cancer in the past several decades. That’s because we haven’t been able to detect the cancer early enough. Developing a technique to screen the patients and detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage would be a potential breakthrough. In preliminary data, this technology has shown to hold similar potential.

Ann Decker, Executive Director, Indian River State College (IRSC) Foundation; Dr. Edwin Massey, President, IRSC; Dean Hart, Chief Commercial Officer, NanoInk; Dr. Kevin Cooper, Director of Advanced Technology, IRSC; Jason Fromer, Global Business Development Executive, NanoProfessor,

NanoProfessor® has partnered with Indian River State College (IRSC) in Fort Pierce, Fla. in the naming of the NanoProfessor Advanced Materials Lab within the newly opened Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Indian River State College will be the first college in the Southeastern U.S. to offer students access to the instrumentation and curriculum provided by the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program.

“We are committed to offering Indian River State College students an education that prepares them for hi-tech jobs in the fields of nanotechnology, alternative energy, photonics, nanomaterials, electronics, and more,” said Dr. Edwin Massey, President of IRSC. “In accordance with that commitment, we have partnered with NanoProfessor in the NanoProfessor Advanced Materials Lab. Within this lab, IRSC students will have access to state-of-the-art instruments and an advanced curriculum that has traditionally only been available to graduate students at research universities.”

“We are pleased to be associated with the wonderful work being done at Indian River State College through our partnership in naming the NanoProfessor Advanced Materials Lab,” said Dean Hart, Chief Commercial Officer of NanoInk. “The Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is an incredible example of the commitment IRSC has made in preparing a hi-tech workforce for Florida’s Research Coast. Companies will no doubt take notice that IRSC is providing the type of talented human capital needed to grow successful hi-tech businesses in Florida.”

The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program provides IRSC students with access to instrumentation, curriculum, and hands-on labs to expand their knowledge, skills, and real-world experience needed to work in the growing nanotechnology industry. In conducting lab experiments, students learn the fundamentals for building custom-engineered nanoscale structures while working with state-of-the-art  equipment including NanoInk’s NLP 2000 Desktop NanoFabrication System, an atomic force microscope, a nanoparticle characterization instrument, an advanced fluorescence microscope, and various chemical and biological materials used today within current and emerging nanotechnology applications.

At the dedication of the NanoProfessor Advanced Materials Lab, Dean Hart presented Dr. Edwin Massey a unique, framed image of the smallest IRSC logo in existence. Consisting of 6,500 20-nanometer dots, the actual logo was printed with NanoInk’s proprietary Dip Pen Nanolithography® and only measures 10 x 10 microns. The framed image of the micron-sized IRSC logo will hang in the NanoProfessor Advanced Materials Lab and includes a plaque stating that approximately 17,000 copies of the actual printed IRSC logo could be placed on the head of a pin, helping students and visitors to the lab better understand the incredibly small size of nanotechnology.

The Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the IRSC Main Campus in Fort Pierce is a multi-purpose, energy-efficient building containing technologically advanced laboratories designed to develop the skills necessary for hi-tech employment or entrepreneurship. The 65,000-square-foot building was constructed to Silver LEED standards of environmental design with recycled materials.

Lyden possesses an extensive background in biostatistical analysis in pharmaceutical, biotechnical and medical device clinical research. Prior to founding BioStat International, Inc., Lyden served as the Manager of Clinical and Statistical Affairs at Bausch and Lomb Pharmaceutical Division.

“It can be challenging to get young people interested in biostatistics.” said Lyden. “Biostatistics can be a very rewarding career and it is the goal of this panel to impart students contemplating a future in biostatistics with career possibilities, industry challenges and rewards that exist in our field.”

The discussion panel occurred on the first day of the SIBS six-week learning program. Undergraduate students from across the nation interested in pursuing a graduate program in Biostatistics enroll in the program to learn more about graduate studies and gain insight from biostatistics experts. Participants have access to the university’s computing systems and libraries and will also receive hands-on training from top biostaticians, clinicians and epidemiologists.

Following the discussion panel, the students were invited to a reception with the SIBS staff to kick off the six-week program. Upon completion of the program, students may transfer 3 college credits to their home institution.

Assistant Professor Dimitrios Vavylonis and graduate student Tyler Drake joined a University of Miami research team led by Associate Professor Fulvia Verde to learn that protein Cdc42 begins the ballet of proteins that change cell polarity, by oscillating throughout the cellular membrane of new cells. By changing polarity, Cdc42 regulates shape, structure and function in yeast cells. This oscillatory mechanism may be a general strategy among all self-organizing biological systems, not just simple yeast.

Researchers used fluorescent markers to tag each of the many proteins involved, observing the protein oscillate, switching sides about every five minutes. The fluctuations provide an adaptable mechanism for cells to control their size and structure in the fast-changing environment within.

The findings demonstrate just part of the complex process of cell growth and differentiation, but mark how advanced the science of biophysics has become. Only recently has the clear imaging and monitoring of protein activity become possible at the minute sizes and shortened time scales of individual cell maturation.

With the award, the Miller School’s Developmental Center for AIDS Research (D-CFAR) is transitioning to a full CFAR after proving its ability to operate at the highest scientific level and will receive a significant increase in NIH funding – nearly $7 million over five years – to enhance existing research and nurture new research in HIV/AIDS.

“The grant recognizes that the work we are doing at the Miller School and across the University is contributing significantly to understanding how the virus creates havoc on the immune system and the sanctuaries where it chooses to hide – which is essential for developing a cure that has eluded us for so long,’’ said Savita Pahwa, M.D., director of the Miami CFAR, and professor of microbiology and immunology, pediatrics and medicine. “The designation also means, as a University, we are being counted on to make even greater strides toward the control and eradication of HIV/AIDS, and that’s what we’re prepared to do.”

Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Miller School, said Miller School researchers have earned the designation by putting UM on the map as the premier AIDS research center in the world. “They have been at the forefront of the battle against HIV/AIDS for decades and have developed or contributed to some of the most significant scientific, clinical and behavioral approaches to fighting the disease,” Goldschmidt said. “With a CFAR, we are being given a great opportunity to push the envelope even further toward a cure.”

Florida remains home to one of the nation’s largest and most diverse populations of HIV-infected people. The Miller School’s commitment and contributions to HIV/AIDS research and treatment date back to 1981, soon after a mysterious immune disorder was diagnosed in homosexual men. UM doctors were the first to recognize that the disorder also was affecting heterosexuals, including Haitians who were erroneously thought to be infected through IV drug use or homosexual sex. UM researchers were among the first to describe pediatric HIV infection and the transmission of HIV from pregnant mothers to their babies. They also investigated and pioneered the use of AZT, led studies that showed a combination of antiretroviral drugs improved health and survival, and provided major insights into the relationship between drug use and HIV infection.

Like the D-CFAR, the Miami CFAR is specifically designed to provide scientific leadership and infrastructure that, in partnership with the community, advances innovative multidisciplinary HIV/AIDS research in basic, clinical, epidemiological, behavioral/social sciences and translational research to prevent, treat and cure HIV/AIDS.

Among its scientific areas of research are drug use and HIV prevention, HIV in women, therapeutics and prevention, vaccines and immunology, and AIDS malignancies. A critical part of the CFAR mission is to facilitate recruitment of expert faculty in different areas of AIDS research, enable UM researchers to move to the next level, and give young investigators opportunities and mentorship to enter the arena of HIV research and become competitive in obtaining federal funds.

“We are talking about how to broaden the umbrella of AIDS research and the growth and evolution of young scientists,” Pahwa said. “It’s an opportunity to build onto what we’ve already built and make it better.’’

The University’s application to transition its D-CFAR to a full-fledged CFAR was rated “exceptional” by the NIH, garnering high ratings for the institution’s support of HIV/AIDS initiatives, the diversity of the population it serves, the five established core areas—administrative, developmental, clinical sciences, laboratory sciences, and behavioral/social sciences and community outreach—and the University’s support for the AIDS Malignancies Scientific Working Group.

The NIH also was impressed that the “strong” faculty members who led the D-CFAR’s cores will continue leading their sections. Pahwa will continue as leader of the administrative core, with valuable input from co-directors Margaret Fischl, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the AIDS Clinical Research Unit, and Mario Stevenson, Ph.D., an internationally known HIV/AIDS researcher who was named chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine in 2010.

Pahwa also will continue to lead the laboratory sciences core, while Gwendolyn Scott, M.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology, who pioneered the use of AZT to prevent perinatal infection, will continue to lead the developmental core.

Fischl, an original investigator of AZT and lead author of the study that led to its FDA approval, will continue to lead the clinical core, and Guillermo “Willy” Prado, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology and public health, will lead the behavioral/social sciences and community outreach core.

“The success we have achieved is a reflection of the hard work and standards of excellence in the leadership – from directors, co-directors and investigators assigned to the cores, and administrative staff, as this program requires teamwork and initiative,’’ Pahwa said, noting that several new members will join the team in the new funding cycle.

As was the case with the D-CFAR, the Miami CFAR will be funded for five years and reviewed after that time.

More than 300 people from across Florida attended. 100 more participated as vendors, biotech company reps, and volunteers. This year’s Gallery of Biotech companies included AxoGen, Applied Food Technologies, Nanotherapeutics, eTech, Pasteuria Bioscience, Tucker-Davis Technologies and RTI Biologics. There was tremendous give-and-take all day long on products, services and the state of the industry. There was a first-time exhibit of Art Inspired by Science.

“This really is a broad-based, multi-disciplinary team effort,” Kenny said. “We’ve assembled a team of first-class scientists at Scripps Florida with all the experience necessary to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of tobacco abuse.”

Others involved in the study are Michael Cameron, Theodore Kamenecka, and Patricia McDonald of The Translational Research Institute on the Scripps Florida campus.

Tobacco smoking is a global scourge, killing more than 5 million people each year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It is estimated that if current trends continue, by 2020 smoking will become the largest single health problem worldwide. The World Bank estimates that in high-income countries, smoking-related healthcare accounts for between 6 and 15 percent of all healthcare costs, some $160 billion annually.

Nicotine addiction is notoriously hard to break. Even with the most effective smoking-cessation agents available, more than 80 percent of smokers who quit or attempt to quit will relapse.

To combat these dismal statistics, the study is focused on an entirely new mechanism to help smokers break the habit.

That mechanism is a receptor for a specific neuropeptide (short chain of amino acids found in nerve tissue) that, when blocked, significantly decreases the desire for nicotine in animal models.

The neuropeptide, known as hypocretin-1 or orexin A, initiates a key signaling cascade that maintains tobacco addiction in human smokers. In a 2008 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Kenny and colleagues showed that blocking hypocretin-1 receptors not only decreased nicotine use in animal models, but also abolished the stimulatory effects of nicotine on brain reward circuitries. These results demonstrated that hypocretin-1 plays a major role in driving the desire for more nicotine.

These findings also highlighted the importance of hypocretin-1 receptors in a region of the brain called the insula, a walnut size part of the frontal lobe. While all mammals have insula regions that sense the body’s internal physiological state and direct responses to maintain homeostasis, this region has also been implicated in cravings. In one study, it was reported that smokers who sustained damage to the insula lost the desire to smoke, an insight that revealed the insula as key for sustaining the tobacco habit in smokers.

Notes from the Field: Multistate Outbreak of Postprocedural Fungal Endophthalmitis Associated with a Single Compounding Pharmacy — United States, March–April 2012

Biovest based its decision to pursue EU marketing approval on pre-filing clinical advisory meetings with EU-member national regulatory agencies. Under the EMA centralized procedure, Biovest will simultaneously seek approval for BiovaxID for all EU-member countries.

Samuel S. Duffey, Esq., Biovest’s President & CEO, stated, “Biovest’s EU regulatory strategy focused on conducting pre-filing clinical meetings with national regulatory agencies to obtain scientific advice regarding our BiovaxID clinical data and to facilitate a more predictable marketing approval process in the European Union. Today’s announcement confirms that pre-filing meetings have been conducted in Europe, and the Company intends to file a marketing application with the EMA. This is a major regulatory milestone, and it builds on Biovest’s recently announced plans to seek marketing approval in Canada following a pre-filing meeting with Health Canada. We next look forward to meetings with the FDA to define the path to U.S. registration as well.” Bi0vest is a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.