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.ONCOLOGY
Getting it just right: The Goldilocks model of cancer
Medical Xpress
Sometimes, too much of a good thing can turn out to be bad. This is certainly the case for the excessive cell growth found in cancer. But when cancers try to grow too fast, this excessive speed can cause a type of cellular aging that actually results in arrested growth. Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have now discovered that a well-known signaling pathway helps cancers grow by blocking the pro-growth signals from a second major cancer pathway.
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Can algorithms nudge oncologists to have better conversations?
Cancer Health
Oncology clinicians may initiate structured “serious illness conversations” with people with high-risk cancers in order to guide treatment decisions. By helping cancer patients understand their prognosis, SICs can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and improve quality of life, research shows.
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Scientists discover roles for a cellular motor in cancer
Medical Xpress
Utah scientists have discovered new functions of a key cellular machine that regulates gene packaging and is mutated in 20% of human cancers. The study was published in print on Nov. 19 in the journal Molecular Cell.
Genes are segments of cellular DNA, and gene packaging is called chromatin. Genes are tightly packaged when they are not activated and then unpackaged by chromatin remodeling machines when genes need to be turned on.
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.GENOMICS
Study of 'exceptional responders' yields clues to cancer and potential treatments
National Institutes of Health
In a comprehensive analysis of patients with cancer who had exceptional responses to therapy, researchers have identified molecular changes in the patients’ tumors that may explain some of the exceptional responses. The results demonstrate that genomic characterizations of cancer can uncover genetic alterations that may contribute to unexpected and long-lasting responses to treatment, according to the researchers.
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A DNA-based nanogel for targeted chemotherapy
American Chemical Society via ScienceDaily
Current chemotherapy regimens slow cancer progression and save lives, but these powerful drugs affect both healthy and cancerous cells. Now, researchers have designed DNA-based nanogels that only break down and release their chemotherapeutic contents within cancer cells, minimizing the impacts on normal ones and potentially eliminating painful and uncomfortable side effects.
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Lack of awareness of the sensitivity of DNA data
Medical Xpress
In both ethical and scientific respects, Roma population groups are treated inappropriately in DNA databases and in genetic studies — potentially with consequences for investigations that draw on forensic genetic databases: this was the conclusion of Prof. Dr. Veronika Lipphardt and her colleague Dr. Mihai Surdu from the Chair of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Freiburg in two specialist publications which they have now released as preprints — one with the involvement of Heidelberg-based human geneticist Prof. Dr. Gudrun Rappold.
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.EMERGING MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES
CRISPR technique effectively destroys metastatic cancer cells in living animal
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
Scientists at Tel Aviv University report that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is effective in treating metastatic cancers, which they say marks a significant step on the way to finding a cure for cancer. The researchers developed a lipid nanoparticle-based delivery system that specifically targets cancer cells and destroys them by genetic manipulation.
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Report highlights how tracking technologies will become part of everyday medicine by 2025
Vicon, a world leader in motion capture for the life sciences industry, announces the launch of its latest vision paper highlighting some of the key trends and developments that will determine the future of motion capture technology in clinical settings within the next five years. The report highlights how the use of tracking technologies — like wearables — will become common within GP surgeries and other clinical settings by 2025.
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Turning the problem of cancer metastasis into an opportunity
The Harvard Gazette
When a patient with cancer is told the devastating news that their disease has spread, or metastasized, to a new part of their body, it has most often moved to their lungs. There are no treatments approved for lung metastasis, which is the leading cause of death from metastatic disease. That grim prognosis may soon be less grim thanks to a new technique developed by researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School for Engineering and Applied Sciences.
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.BIOTECH/DIAGNOSTICS/PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
The critical importance of patent protection for diagnostics in the COVID-19 era
Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of patent eligibility in the diagnostic industry like never before. From the beginning of the pandemic, testing has been at the forefront of response efforts all over the world. Testing that is accurate, quick and affordable is critical to limiting the spread of an infectious disease like COVID-19.
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.REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
Stem cell transplantation: Undesirable rejection mechanism identified
Medical University of Vienna via ScienceDaily
In the treatment of leukemia, stem cell transplantation subsequent to chemotherapy and radiation can often engender severe adverse inflammatory reactions — especially in the skin or in the gut, since these so-called barrier organs are more frequently affected. Up until now, the reason for this was unclear. A team of researchers has now identified an immune mechanism that is partially responsible for this.
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Unraveling a mystery surrounding embryonic cells
University of California - Riverside via ScienceDaily
Last year, researchers identified the early origins of neural crest cells — embryonic cells in vertebrates that travel throughout the body and generate many cell types — in chick embryos. Now the researchers have used a human model to figure out when neural crest cells acquire distinctive molecular and functional attributes.
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.MANAGED HEALTHCARE NEWS
What does it take to be a successful, reimbursable health promotion program?
Managed Healthcare Executive
Building relationships with state Medicaid agencies and local health plans is essential for sharing the value of evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention programs and obtaining reimbursement for those efforts, according to a new report from the National Council on Aging.
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.FDA: NEW TREATMENTS AND TECHNOLOGY
Eli Lilly arthritis drug gets FDA nod for emergency use with remdesivir to treat COVID-19
CNBC
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 19 approved the emergency use of Eli Lilly’s arthritis drug baricitinib, in combination with Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, to treat COVID-19 patients.
The approval was based on a review of the data from a clinical trial of hospitalized COVID-19 patients sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
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.ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATIONS
ACOs, population-based APMs most effective at lowering costs
RevCycleIntelligence
If CMS aims to lower healthcare costs and improve quality, then the agency should use more population-based alternative payment models, like accountable care organizations, according to a new analysis.
The analysis of the evaluations for more than a dozen CMS value-based initiatives over the past eight years showed that no other alternative payment model came close to the cost savings associated with ACO models.
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Medicaid expansion improves access to care, population health
HealthPayerIntelligence
States that did not opt into Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act experienced worse emergency access to acute care hospitals compared to states that did, according to recent study.
Overall, states that expanded Medicaid saw an increase in access to care. In 2007, 5.65% of the population did not have access to hospitals. By 2017, that number decreased to 5.35% in 2017.
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.NAMCP UPDATES
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| LivaNova PLC, a market-leading medical technology and innovation company, today announced the publication of a new study in the International Journal of Bipolar Disorders that showed adding Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy (VNS Therapy®) to treatment as usual (TAU) significantly improves outcomes in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression (TRBD). The study examined patients from a five-year prospective registry and found 63% of TRBD patients treated with adjunctive VNS Therapy in addition to TAU had a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, as measured by a 50% or greater reduction in the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), compared with 39% of patients in the TAU alone group. Click here to view the entire press release. Click here to view the entire press release.
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| Additionally, LivaNova PLC announced a publication in Contemporary Clinical Trials, which details the design for “A Prospective, Multi-center, Randomized Controlled Blinded Trial Demonstrating the Safety and Effectiveness of VNS Therapy® System as Adjunctive Therapy Versus a No Stimulation Control in Subjects With Treatment-Resistant Depression” or the RECOVER clinical study. RECOVER is currently under way as part of a Coverage with Evidence Development framework of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) National Coverage Determination process. Click here to view the entire press release.
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| In late 2018, the National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP) decided to create the Value Based Care Council (VBCC). The VBCC mission supports empowering medical directors with information and resources to assist them in making value based decisions that support achieving the Triple AIM of improved outcomes and the patient experience while reducing overall costs. The goal is to improve the integration of cost, quality, and access in the clinical decision making process so as to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of extracting value from the associated spend in order to optimize outcomes.
Pursuant to the above, and in response to an unmet need in the marketplace, the VBCC developed a short form in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency with which value propositions can be shared between industry and the medical leadership of various payers throughout the country. This same short form provides a concise and consistent manner with which value propositions can be shared and provides the ability to align expectations prior to actually conducting conversations or having a meeting regarding a product or service.
The Product Value Proposition Customer Engagement Short Form can be found on the NAMCP website (www.namcp.org) in the Value Based Care Council subsection of the Councils tab, under tools and resources. Please contact Will Williams at wwilliams@namcp.org with questions or for additional information.
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| Jazz Pharmaceuticals is excited to announce the approval of ZEPZELCA™ (lurbinectedin) for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. ZEPZELCA is a second-line therapy that has been studied in both platinum-sensitive and -resistant SCLC patients. Please click here for more information.
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| Takeda Pharmaceuticals is part of, "The Fight Is In Us", an initiative to maximize the individual and societal benefit of COVID-19 plasma. The campaign will focus on recruiting COVID-19 survivors to donate their plasma at licensed blood and plasma donor centers.- If you’ve recovered from #COVID19, your immune system has antibodies that could be used as a treatment. See if you can help others by donating plasma www.TheFightIsInUs.org. #TheFightIsInUS
- The antibodies that helped you or someone you know fight off COVID-19 may be able to help others. Visit www.TheFightIsInUs.org to see if you qualify to donate plasma. #TheFightIsInUs
You are a survivor, now you could be a hero. Plasma from recovered #COVID19 patients could play a key role in creating a potential therapy for coronavirus. Learn how you can donate at www.TheFightIsInUs.org #TheFightIsInUs
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| Biodesix, Inc., a leading diagnostic company in lung disease, recently announced a partnership with Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) to bring a COVID-19 Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) test to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval to support the escalating need for testing in the U.S. Two studies published this month, ahead of peer review, reported that ddPCR testing showed superior sensitivity and precision for clinical detection of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) compared to existing test methods that are performed using qPCR. Biodesix currently has a focus on lung disease and offers other diagnostic testing for lung cancer utilizing the ddPCR platform.Click here for more information.
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| "Modeling Cost-Effectiveness of On-Demand Treatment for Hereditary Angioedema Attack" was recently published in the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy's February 2020 issue. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare disease that causes painful and potentially fatal episodes of swelling (attacks). HAE attacks can be unpredictable and the need to treat sudden attacks promptly and effectively is critical to minimize risk of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. A cost-effectiveness model was evaluated that considers evaluation of on-demand medications, healthcare utilization and patient well-being. For access to the publication, please click here.
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| Biodesix, Inc. announced initiation of the next phase of their biomarker development program with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer Inc. The companies have completed initial discovery and development of a new proteomic test that identifies likely responders to the anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor (BAVENCIO®) (avelumab). Development efforts will now focus on transferring the test into Biodesix's CLIA lab in Boulder, CO for clinical phase test validation. The new test was developed through retrospective analysis of the circulating proteome of cancer patients treated with the investigational drug candidate, utilizing the proprietary Biodesix Diagnostic Cortex™ artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Click here to read the full press release.
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| The NAMCP Medical Directors Institute recently held the first meeting of its Executive Leadership Council (ELC) at the recent Fall Managed Care Forum. The NAMCP Medical Directors Institute decided in late 2018 to create the Value Based Care Council (VBCC) with a mission to empower medical directors with information and resources to assist them in making value based decisions that support achieving the Triple AIM of improved outcomes and the patient experience while reducing overall costs. Click here to view an overview of the genesis, formation, and work of NAMCP's Value Based Care Council. Please click here to view the press release.
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| LivaNova PLC (NASDAQ:LIVN), a market-leading medical technology and innovation company, today announced the first patient enrolled in "A Prospective, Multi-center, Randomized Controlled Blinded Trial Demonstrating the Safety and Effectiveness of VNS Therapy® System as Adjunctive Therapy Versus a No Stimulation Control in Subjects With Treatment-Resistant Depression" (RECOVER). The study will evaluate Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy (VNS Therapy) for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determination as part of its Coverage with Evidence Development Program. The first patient was enrolled by Dr. Azfar Malik in St. Louis. Click here to read the full press release.
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| Biodesix, Inc. this week highlighted findings from multiple studies demonstrating the significance and clinical utility of its VeriStrat® blood-based proteomic test as a predictive biomarker for patient survival outcomes and as a diagnostic tool to improve the clinical management of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This information is vital to implementing optimal treatment strategies for patients and supports disease state monitoring. To date, VeriStrat testing has helped more than 50,000 patients in determining the best treatment for their lung cancer. Click here to see the full press release. | |
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