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Showing posts with label Patient. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patient. Show all posts

OptiScan Biomedical Enrolls First Patient in Pivotal U.S. Clinical Study of OptiScanner® 5000

HAYWARD, Calif., April 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- OptiScan Biomedical Corporation, a developer of innovative continuous monitoring systems for use in the intensive care unit (ICU), today announced the enrollment of the first patient in a pivotal, multi-center Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study of the OptiScanner® 5000.  The OptiScanner 5000 is the company's first-of-its-kind automated, bedside glucose monitoring system that provides physicians with critical information to manage patient glucose levels in the ICU. 

The pivotal trial, known as the MANAGE IDE Study (Manual vs. Automated moNitoring Accuracy of GlucosE IDE), is expected to enroll 200 patients at up to 10 sites, most of which will be located in the U.S.  The study's initial three clinical sites include: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO; Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA; and Saint Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City, MO.  If successful, the MANAGE IDE study will serve as the basis for an application for approval in the U.S.

The OptiScanner 5000 represents a significant advancement in the delivery of care to ICU patients by automating the measurement of patients' plasma glucose, as opposed to current manual measurement of glucose in whole blood.  It is estimated that approximately 20 percent of ICU patients have pre-existing diabetes and an additional 40 to 60 percent of ICU patients suffer from "stress hyperglycemia" or a temporary elevation of glucose levels, with all of these patients requiring accurate glucose monitoring to maintain glycemic control. 

"The initiation of this pivotal study of the OptiScanner 5000 represents a key milestone for OptiScan as we continue our efforts to bring the paradigm-shifting potential of this platform to critically ill patients and those ICU physicians responsible for their care," said Peter Rule, chairman and chief executive officer of OptiScan Biomedical. "There is an acute need for breakthrough technologies that enable the automated, real-time monitoring of blood glucose in ICU patients in order to combat both the hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia that further complicate their already challenging health conditions.  Our extensive clinical research to date demonstrates the OptiScanner 5000's ability to safely and effectively meet these needs and we are eager to see the MANAGE IDE trial further corroborate those findings."

This pivotal MANAGE IDE study follows OptiScan's previously completed MANAGE I and MANAGE II trials, which were conducted at two world class European research centers and evaluated the OptiScanner 5000 in very sick ICU patients.  Taken together, these studies represent the most comprehensive clinical validation program conducted to date with a continuous blood monitoring platform in the critical care setting.  Results from these studies demonstrated the ability of the OptiScanner 5000 to combine accurate blood glucose measurement with the convenience of continuous, real-time bedside monitoring.

Based on previous studies, the OptiScanner 5000 has received CE Mark certification for use in the European Union, allowing it to be sold and marketed in the 30 countries that make up the European Economic Area (EEA).  OptiScan has initiated commercial efforts in the EU in 2014.

About the OptiScanner® 5000

The OptiScanner® 5000 is a first-of-its-kind automated, bedside glucose monitoring system that provides physicians with information on glucose levels in the ICU. Through automated monitoring of a patient's glucose values in plasma (as opposed to whole blood), the OptiScanner has alarms to alert clinicians to the existence of hyperglycemia (values that are too high) and hypoglycemia (values that are too low).  It is estimated that between 60-80% of all ICU patients suffer from elevated glucose values, requiring insulin delivery and frequent glucose monitoring. 

About OptiScan Biomedical

OptiScan Biomedical is the world leader in developing innovative continuous monitoring systems for use in hospital intensive care units (ICU).  The company has developed the OptiScanner® 5000, a first-of-its-kind automated, bedside glucose monitoring system that provides accurate, automated monitoring of patients' glucose levels measured in plasma, as opposed to whole blood.  The system prominently displays glucose level trend data updated every 15 minutes to help manage patients' glucose levels within an optimum target range. 

The company is currently developing a next-generation OptiScanner product.  The OptiScanner 6000 will expand the glucose monitoring capability of the platform technology to include monitoring of two leading measures of cardiac output and oxygenation (hemoglobin and ScvO2) in the same single blood sample, thereby providing additional information about the condition of a critically ill patient.

For more information visit: www.optiscancorp.com

Vida Strategic Partners (On behalf of OptiScan)

Patrick Nugent, Chief Financial Officer   

SOURCE OptiScan Biomedical Corporation

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Patient Advocates And Social Workers Will Be Trained On Intricacies Of Affordable Care Act With CSL Behring Grant

CSL Behring logo. (PRNewsFoto/CSL Behring)jwplayer.key="2kY/GKwZ2uQZmDlQ9VYArfZt2b4+KhHX3+DM4zisgtE=";KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Navigating the complexities of the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) can be challenging, particularly where patients with chronic medical disorders such as hemophilia and von Willebrand disease are concerned. CSL Behring is awarding a Local Empowerment for Advocacy Development (LEAD) grant to help bleeding disorder patients develop a clearer understanding of ACA and potential areas of concern.

The grant will enable Hemophilia of Indiana to help close the information gap by providing training for National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) chapter staff and hemophilia treatment center (HTC) social workers in five states – Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. The training will address the following areas:

Issues related to the implementation of the ACA as they pertain to people with bleeding disorders. How to assist those with specific chronic health conditions and help to ensure their needs are fully met under the ACA's 10 "essential health benefits." How to examine whether a person's insurance coverage, particularly coverage provided through new exchanges, provides a sufficient array of providers (including HTCs) and defined standards that meet those that patients had obtained prior to the passage of ACA.After completing the training, it is expected that HTC and NHF staff will have greater understanding of specific issues around ACA implementation that impact the quality of healthcare insurance coverage of people with bleeding disorders. Staff will also be better equipped to monitor ACA implementation to identify areas of specific concern for people with bleeding disorders.

In addition, HTC social workers will be more knowledgeable about the ACA and will be able to answer consumers' questions in an accurate and timely manner. Lastly, the participants will be trained to develop action steps and an advocacy plan for consumers to guide their efforts to secure desired insurance coverage, particularly with regard to plans that provide the best coverage for clotting factor. The training will be held in August in Indianapolis.

Dennis Jackman, CSL Behring's senior vice president for global healthcare policy and external affairs, said selecting the best coverage for clotting factor can be particularly challenging. "The implementation of ACA could pose a substantial shift in how people are insured. Individuals in the states will have many different plans, some that are part of a state exchange, others that are part of a federal exchange, and still more plans that are a combination of the two, depending on the state. Our goal is to help assure that patients and their caregivers have as much information as possible to assist them in making decisions that are in their best interests."

Scott Ehnes, executive director of Hemophilia of Indiana, said the grant from CSL Behring is essential to the success of the project. "As the details of this complex healthcare insurance reform initiative become clear, the LEAD grant will enable us to conduct training that addresses areas of concern that are identified as the ACA is implemented, such as issues around the healthcare exchanges."

CSL Behring also awarded a LEAD grant to facilitate the formation of the Texas Bleeding Disorders Coalition, comprised of three existing patient groups: Texas Central Hemophilia Association, the Lone Star Chapter of NHF, and the El Paso Chapter of NHF. Jackman emphasized the importance of speaking with one voice on behalf of bleeding disorder patients in Texas. "We are happy to support this effort, which will hopefully enable them to expand on their already successful advocacy efforts."

A third LEAD grant is being awarded to the Louisiana Hemophilia Foundation to establish a dynamic advocacy program that enables the members of Louisiana's bleeding disorders community to take a more active role in advocating for access to care. 

CSL Behring has awarded 51 LEAD grants to patient advocacy organizations totaling more than $630,000 since the program was established in 2008. Proposals are being accepted for the next grant cycle. The deadline for submitting a proposal is April 30, 2014.

About CSL Behring

CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide.

CSL Behring therapies are used around the world to treat coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema and inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders in certain markets. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in the newborn.

CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a global biopharmaceutical company and a member of the CSL Group of companies. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cslbehring.com/.

Contact:
Chris Florentz, CSL Behring                                                   
610-878-4316                                                  
Christopher.Florentz@cslbehring.com

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SOURCE CSL Behring

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From DNA To Diagnosis: USTAR Center For Genetic Discovery To Integrate Genome Data Into Patient Care

University of Utah Health Sciences Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah)jwplayer.key="2kY/GKwZ2uQZmDlQ9VYArfZt2b4+KhHX3+DM4zisgtE=";SALT LAKE CITY, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The USTAR Center for Genetic Discovery is partnering with California based Omicia, Inc, to make analyzing a patient's genome as routine as performing a blood test. The center, co-directed by Mark Yandell, Ph.D., and Gabor Marth, D.Sc., was launched this month with $6 million from the University of Utah and the state-funded Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative.

Compared to 10 years ago, sequencing the human genome has plummeted in cost by 1 million-fold and can be completed in a fraction of the time. Yet there are still barriers preventing DNA sequence information from routinely being incorporated into patient care.

"Current systems are not prepared for the increasing amounts of data we will be seeing within the next few years," said Marth, a computer scientist who was instrumental in the success of high profile projects such as the Human Genome Project, HapMap Project, and 1,000 Genomes Project. He relocated to the University of Utah from Boston College to apply his skills in a medical setting.

"At some point all of humanity will be sequenced, and potentially more than one genome per individual," he continued. Marth and Yandell will lead efforts to tame the big data to come not only from personal genomes, but also tumor genomes and "metagenomes" from infectious disease agents such as viruses and bacteria.

Knowing the DNA sequence of a cancer patient's tumor, for example, may reveal a personalized treatment plan for combating the disease. Pinpointing tiny sequence variations in personal genomes will expose inherited diseases that, in some cases, may be life-threatening.

"What we want to be able to do is help the kid who is born with a hard-to-diagnose genetic disorder," said Yandell. "Our genome interpretation tools will be able to identify that disorder and guide treatment."

Together with Omicia, Inc., the USTAR Center for Genetic Discovery is building a web accessible informatics platform, called Opal, to distill genome data to clinically relevant findings. Opal is powered by VAAST, a proven disease gene finder algorithm invented by Yandell. Launched less than two years ago, VAAST has successfully identified causes of inherited diseases, including hard-to-diagnose rare diseases, and is used at 251 institutions worldwide.

The USTAR Center for Genetic Discovery eventually anticipates commercializing its full suite of software tools, and becoming a top genomic health data service provider for medical centers nationwide.

Listen to an interview with Gabor Marth.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

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SOURCE University of Utah Health Sciences

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Cannabis Science (CBIS) Collaborates with Patients Out of Time, Inc., a Global Patient Advocacy Organization Dedicated to Educating Health Professionals and the Public about Therapeutic Cannabis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASD OTC: CBIS) Cannabis Science, Inc., a U.S. Company specializing in cannabis-based pharmaceutical development and related consulting operations, provides development consultation and financial support to Patients Out of Time, Inc., the premiere non-profit organization devoted to helping educate the public and healthcare professionals about the safety and effectiveness of medical cannabis. Cannabis Science is pleased to facilitate the critical work of this unique non-profit organization's ongoing conferences, events, workshops and global distribution of leading edge educational content and online resources.

CBIS's support includes supporting Patients Out of Time's marquee conference in Portland, Oregon in May 2014, entitled "The Eighth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics", and future conferences, helping to expand the organization's conferences from biennial to annual, for which participants or learners may earn ACCME (fully recognized continuing education) credits.

Patients Out of Time is a patient advocacy organization dedicated to educating health professionals and the public about therapeutic uses of cannabis. Incorporated in 1995, the organization is closely associated with leading research scientists on a global basis, medical and nursing professionals, and the four remaining patient participants in the federal government's Investigational New Drug (IND) program for cannabis.

"Attending Patients Out of Time's 2010 Conference led to my departure from the financial industry and my ongoing work in the medical cannabis industry.  I feel both lucky and blessed for that experience, as it taught me one of the most important lessons:  this industry is about patients and their health, not about getting high.  I like to say that it is not an accident that the first word in the organization's name is 'Patients'.   We look forward to the Portland conference in May, a conference that has become internationally renowned and a source of great pride for all involved," stated Robert Kane, Director and CFO of Cannabis Science.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.

Cannabis Science, Inc., takes advantage of its unique understanding of metabolic processes to provide novel treatment approaches to a number of illnesses for which current treatments and understanding remain unsatisfactory. Cannabinoids have an extensive history dating back thousands of years, and currently there are a growing number of peer-reviewed scientific publications that document the underlying biochemical pathways that cannabinoids modulate. The Company works with leading experts in drug development, medicinal characterization, and clinical research to develop, produce, and commercialize novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment for illnesses caused by infections as well as for age-related illness. Our initial focus is on skin cancers and neurological conditions.

Forward Looking Statements

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing words such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc., does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

Cannabis Science, Inc.

Dr. Dorothy Bray, CEO & Director
dorothy.bray@cannabisscience.com
Tel: 1.888.777.0658
www.cannabisscience.com
info@cannabisscience.com

Investment Inquiries
Robert Kane, CFO & Director
robert.kane@cannabisscience.com
561.420.4824

SOURCE Cannabis Science, Inc.

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