Commentary:The Primatene Mist Controversy Still Swirls

The Primatene Mist controversy is far from over.People are genuinely suffering from the withdrawal of this effective respiratory band-aid from the market by the FDA at the end of 2011.What is clear is that no one knows just when a reformulated product will be available.It apparently must be subjected to the full FDA approval process,including patient trials.That could take years.What is more,you're starting from a baseline of professional reservations about the product to begin with.Allergists point out that Primatene only treats symptoms of a potentially life-threatening disease.They do not regard it as a sufficient approach to dealing with asthma.Such a complex and dangerous ailment requires a personal,formal treatment plan drawn up and supervised by medical professionals.Inhaling Primatene often masks the real problem of chronically inflamed lungs which are sustaining damage over time from the underlying condition,bronchial asthma.That is why the National Institutes of Health doesn't recommend use of Primatene.It is considered to be an easy way out that has serious long term consequences for the patient's health.That being said,the lack of adequate health care for the poor and underserved,including those in rural areas,has been once again pointed up by the withdrawal of Primatene,a medication which is really only appropriate for those with occasional,mild asthma.It also illustrates a degree of bungling and foot-dragging on the part of both regulators and industry,who failed to come up with an entirely satisfactory substitute propellant in time.Some interesting articles by other authors on this topic have been posted below.Rest assured,this blog will stay on this very important case.

Fighting Disease:A Corporate/Academic Partnership

The University of Maryland Institute for Genome Sciences and OpGen,Incorporated are to collaborate on a microbial database.To the untrained eye,OpGen's maps of genomic sequences look like colorful bar codes.To scientists,however,the maps enable rapid,accurate assembly and analysis of DNA sequence data of the whole genome.The OpGen maps advance the understanding of clinically relevant disease microorganisms.
OpGen and the University of Maryland Institute for Genomic Sciences have announced their collaboration in developing a database of high quality,finished and annotated microbial sequences.IGS will provide clinically characterized microbial samples and sequencing data,especially from the National Institutes of Health microbial genomic studies.OpGen will contribute the optical maps and sequence finishing technology.
This database will serve as an extraordinary set of reference organism templates to be used by the large number of resequencing efforts worldwide,said IGS director Claire Fraser-Liggett,PhD,who is also a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.Such databases inform microbiology research and clinical diagnostics,providing insight into microbial genome architecture in a more complete and accurate way.
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NIH Needs Health Scientists

The National Institutes of Health are hiring several health scientist administrators and scientists.They want exceptionally talented,knowledgeable and motivated individuals for their dynamic organization.
Health Scientist Administrators(Program Officer and Scientific Review Officer)are needed for specialties ranging from Alcoholism to Economics,Genetics,Gerontology,Psychology,Sociology and more.Positions will be advertised until August 20.For information,visit www.jobs.nih.gov/hsa
Scientists(Biologist and Chemist) are needed for specialties ranging from Bioinformatics,Histology and Immunology to Microscopy.Positions will be advertised until August 13.For information,visit www.jobs.nih.gov/biologist and www.jobs.nih.gov/chemist
An excellent Federal Government Benefits Package and opportunities for professional development are offered.Discover a career at NIH:It's about life.

From Lab To L.A.:Keck School Uses NIH Award

USC's Keck School of Medicine will be putting a 58 million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health to good use in the communities of the Los Angeles Basin.The Clinical and Translational Science Award supports and promotes scientific discoveries and their health care applications in the real world.The Keck School will focus the award on the health problems of people in the densely populated urban environment of the Los Angeles Basin.The Clinical and Translational Science Institute already exists at Keck,presided over by Dr.Thomas A. Buchanan,Associate Dean for Clinical Research at Keck.USC competed with 38 other institutions for one of the nine awards.
Clinical and translational research connects basic scientists to clinical and community researchers and practitioners with the goal of accelerating the translation of lab discoveries into practical help for citizens.It can take up to 20 years for such discoveries to make their way into communities without the benefit of the perspective of clinical and translational research..Some of the many problems Keck and its several partners in academia,government and other realms are addressing include:
1.Relationship between childhood obesity and leukemia;
2.Disparities in health outcomes between sickle cell disease patients in L.A. and those elsewhere;and
3.Relationship between air pollution and the prevalence of chronic disease in urban communities.
Besides other professional schools at USC,among Keck's research partners are Kaiser Permanente of Southern California,the L.A. County health system and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Not Your Grandfather's Dentistry

Dentistry today has gone far beyond pulling teeth and filling cavities,as important as these basic procedures are.One example of this is the amount of research being done at USC's Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry.The school recently advanced its ranking on the funding list of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research,one of the National Institutes of Health.The dental school's research funding rose from 3.2 million in 2008 to nearly 5 million in 2009,moving its rank up to third among private dental schools.
The USC dental research faculty is working on such areas as dental disease diagnosis from saliva,stem cell utilization in wound healing,and creating a comprehensive craniofacial genetics database,among other projects.Dr.Yang Chai is Associate Dean of Research at the school and Director of the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology.Dr.Chai attributed the ranking advance to a team effort by the creative and ingenious research faculty.This increase in federal funding in a difficult and highly competitive economic environment tells you about the quality of research the USC dental school is conducting,Dr.Chai observed.

Danaher To Acquire Genetix

Washington,D.C.-based Danaher is continuing to augment its medical holdings.Now the firm is planning to acquire British lab equipment maker Genetix Group,PLC for 102 million dollars.Genetix has a specialty in imagery products that support drug,biologics and diagnostics development.The acquisition should be completed in Q1 of 2010,pending routine approvals.
Danaher also has extensive interests in dental imaging and instruments.Its board of directors has just appointed Dr.Elias A. Zerhouni,M.D. to the board.Dr.Zerhouni is an expert in medical research,radiology and bioengineering.The board feels that Dr.Zerhouni,who has been associated with Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health,will be an insightful and valuable contributor,especially given Danaher's growing presence in medical technologies.He is a graduate of the University of Algiers.