Regulatory Affairs Syndicator

“Challenges and Promise of Cell-Based Therapies” is a one-day symposium to explore promising research in regenerative medicine using stem cells. The opening plenary session will feature an overview of hematopoietic stem cell therapy. This will be followed by four plenary sessions that will highlight cell-based therapies for the treatment of neurological, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases and disorders. It will close with a presentation on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the issues that need to be addressed to enable their potential use in cell-based therapies.

The age pool of corneas for transplant should be expanded to include
donors up to 75 years of age, based on findings from a study funded
by the National Eye Institute (NEI), one of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH). Corneal transplants using tissue from older donors
have similar rates of survival to those using tissue from younger
donors.

The first study to explore the use of automated external defibrillator
(AEDs) in the home has found that although the safe and easy-to-use
devices are effective for certain types of cardiac arrest, they
were underused. The Home Automated External Defibrillator Trial
(HAT), a randomized international clinical trial, was supported
by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the
National Institutes of Health.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on April 1,
2008, the latest recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence
(ACE) program. These grants will support studies covering a broad
range of autism research areas, including early brain development
and functioning, social interactions in infants, rare genetic variants
and mutations, associations between autism-related genes and physical
traits, possible environmental risk factors and biomarkers, and
a potential new medication treatment.

Treating children as early as age six or seven with stimulants
for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not likely
to increase risk of substance abuse as adults, according to two
studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

An international team that included scientists from the National
Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), today reported it has identified six more genetic
variants involved in type 2 diabetes, boosting to 16 the total
number of genetic risk factors associated with increased risk of
the disease.

People with schizophrenia
have higher rates of rare genetic deletions and duplications that
likely disrupt the developing brain, according to studies funded
in part by the National Institutes of Health.

NIH-sponsored researchers have discovered that women who have
polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are less likely to ovulate in
response to a promising new drug treatment for the condition if
they have a variation in a particular gene.

Scientists know more today than ever before about the microbes
that inhabit our mouths. They know so much, in fact, that gathering
all of the relevant bits of information into one place when designing
experiments can be a labor-intensive job in itself. Now, grantees
of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR),
part of the National Institutes of Health, and their international
colleagues intend to solve this problem with the launch of the
first comprehensive database of the oral microbiome, or the approximately
600 distinct microorganisms currently known to live in the mouth.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announces the appointments
to the NIH Council of Councils. The Council is made up of 27 members
selected from the NIH Institute and Center (IC) advisory councils
and advisory committees to the NIH Office of the Director. The
Council will advise the NIH Director on cutting-edge trans-NIH
priorities and matters related to the policies and activities of
the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives,
established by the NIH Reform Act 2006, and the Office of Portfolio
Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI).

Kidney disease is common, serious and treatable. Yet, most of
the 26 million Americans who have kidney problems still don’t know
it because they don’t have symptoms, hampering efforts to prevent
kidney failure. While World Kidney Day 2008 has passed and National
Kidney Month is well under way, here at the National Institute
of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National
Institutes of Health, we continue to hear from people about kidney
health.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part
of the National Institutes of Health, joins with native communities
in mourning those who have died from AIDS and salutes the individuals
who assist people living with HIV in these communities and who
provide the services needed to help prevent further infections.

As we commemorate World TB Day, we recognize the important strides
made in combating tuberculosis (TB) over the past several years,
and, simultaneously, are reminded of the substantial challenges
that lie ahead.

A traumatic event is much more likely to result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults who experienced trauma in childhood — but certain gene variations raise the risk considerably if the childhood trauma involved physical or sexual abuse, scientists have found. The research was conducted with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, and others.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the establishment
of the NIH Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities
(NICGHD), a new venue for research about the way populations are
impacted by diseases, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension.