US aims to remove VISA misconceptions to raise Indian student strength:

The US administration is working on multiple strategies that include efforts to erase existing “visa-related misconceptions” with a view to increase the strength of Indian students of higher learning in its soil.

US consul general in Kolkata Dean Thompson, said the US visa rules were one of the most misunderstood aspects. However the American center aims to address the misunderstandings in the interest of the people planning to fly to America for various purposes including pursuing higher education.

“Particularly, for the students planning to go to America for study purpose I would say American center shall do everything possible to address the doubts and misconceptions related to seeking US visa,” said Thompson interacting with the press at XLRI.

Thompson, who was here to take part in the Experience America festival, a daylong event organized by the American Center at Father Prabhu Hall in XLRI, to showcase the huge opportunities available in the US for all sections of the society, appeared overwhelmed by the response.

“The queries put forward by the participants mostly revolved around the field of higher education in the US and matters related to visa norms,” said Thomson adding that currently one lakh Indian students are pursing higher education in the US in different fields.

Responding to a specific question, Thompson said two incidents of violence against Indian students had taken place in the US in 2011 but the US government was concerned about such incidents. “I assure you particularly to the parents that such violent incidents cannot be tolerated in the US.”

For Americans, India is the third popular country in Asia and 14th in the world to visit for any given purposes. He said currently 2,300 American students are pursuing higher education in India.

The consul general, who arrived in the city on Thursday, visited Tata Steel, Timken and Tata Cummins during his two-day trip.

“Eastern part of the country, particularly Jharkhand, has enough possibilities in the field of mining, coal and energy,” said Thompson wrapping up his visit to the manufacturing companies. He said India and the US could come closure on variety of subjects and foster growth through mutual cooperation.

The American festival evoked good response with young students aspiring to fly down to US for higher studies later in their career take part in various categories of the events. American Center director Jeffrey K Reneau was also present. 

Reference:

The Times of India

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Posted in: Education abroad

Regulatory Affairs Executive - Experience: 0 - 2 years

Bliss GVS Pharma Ltd

Executive - Regulatory Affairs

Bliss Gvs Pharma Limited was incorporated on 11th December, 1984 as Public Limited Company. It is listed on Bombay and National Stock Exchange. The Manufacturing Plant is located at Palghar (approximately 90 kms from Bombay) in an industrial area which is well developed with all infra-structural facilities. The plant is 1.5 kms. From Palghar Railway Station on the Western Railway. The company's most unique product is 'Today' Vaginal Contraceptive, a safe female contraceptive aimed at furthering planned parenthood and is also an established method for preventing conception

Executive - Regulatory Affairs

Job Location:  Mumbai (Bombay)

Job Description:  - Prepare and Review Registration Dossiers for registration for submission across various health authorities like UK-MHRA
- Ensuring On time submissions of Registration Dossiers & Renewal of Marketing Authorizations & Approvals
- Act as the Single Point of Contact between the Business Development/Marketing team and the Regulatory Affairs Department
- Ensure high level of employee engagement for the RA team members at all times
- Assist Senior Management in Devising the Strategy for Regulatory Affairs & Compliance
- Responsible for implementing training plans for ensuring RA knowledge dissemination within the RA team as well as other departments like QA/QC
- Liaison with external agencies/service provides for reviewing quality of services provided like BA/BE studies,Clinical Trial

Functional Area:  Pharmaceuticals

Functional Role:  Drug Regulatory Officer

Thorough Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices across dosage forms like Solid, Semi-Solid & Sterile
Prior Experience in Regulatory Affairs focussing on Regulated Markets like EU
Exposure to communication/coordination with various agencies like UK-MHRA, MCC, TGA, ANVISA etc.
Proven Track Record of Managing the Product Registration/Marketing Authorization Lifecycle from Preparing Registration Dossiers, Answering Technical Queries to Pharmacovigilance Process
Should have exposure to GMP Audits from Various agencies like EU-GMP. UK-MHRA or ANVISA.

Candidate Requirement

B.Pharm/
Excellent Communication, Reasoning & Interpersonal Skills.
Ability to handle multiple projects/ deliverables at the same time.
Go Getter & Highly Motivated
Excellent People handling Skills
Thorough Knowledge of cGMP
Well versed with MS-Office.

Experience:  0 - 2 years

Qualification:  B.PHARMA(Pharmaceutics), B.Pharma (Hons)(Pharmacy)

Preferred Resume Format:  MS-Word

Compensation Details 

Salary:  1.50 Lakh to 3.00 Lakh (Indian Rupees) per annum

Bliss GVS Pharma Ltd
Devansh Khanna
102 Hyde Park, Saki Vihar Road,
Andheri (E)
Mumbai (Bombay), Maharashtra
India 400072
Phone: 02242160000
Website: http://www.blissgvs.com
How to apply:
http://js.careerage.com/adform_mail.php?k=435407446ad2c99973792b19d80fe341

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Posted in: Pharma Jobs

Do you have PhD in organic chemistry...Syngene has opening for you.

Research Investigator/Sr Research Investigator - Process Development

by Syngene in Bengaluru/Bangalore

Experience: 1 to 4 yrs.Posted on: 15 Jun

Job Description:

Qualification: PhD in Organic Chemistry.

Experience: 1 - 5yrs relevant Exp.

Role:

1. Responsibilities of the selected candidate will include the timely design of safe, expedient, and efficient chemical routes and processes for the synthesis of targeted pharmaceutical intermediates and drug candidates.

2. The candidate will also be responsible for the scale-up of these processes to kilo scale and for transitioning such processes to larger scale-up facilities such as pilot plants.

Salary:

Not Disclosed by Recruiter

Industry:

Pharma, Biotechnology, Clinical Research

Functional Area:

Medical, Healthcare, R&D, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology

Role Category:

R&D

Role:

Research Scientist

Keyskills:

Process development, Scale up

Desired Candidate Profile

Education:

(UG - Any Graduate - Any Specialization, Graduation Not Required) AND (PG - Any PG Course - Any Specialization, Post Graduation Not Required)

Skill Set: 

The candidate must possess a strong background in the theory and practice of classical and modern synthetic organic chemistry with a thorough understanding of modern synthetic methods and reaction mechanisms. The candidate is expected to possess excellent problem solving skills and should have a demonstrated ability to use critical analysis to develop creative and fundamentally sound solutions. Candidate must have expertise in the purification and characterization of organic compounds using chromatography and spectroscopic techniques including NMR, MS and IR spectroscopy. Good verbal and written communication skills and a desire to work in a collaborative team environment are required. In supervisory and/or project leader roles, the candidate must demonstrate the ability to provide direction, feedback, and assistance to others in an effective manner. Previous experience in process development will be an added advantage.

Contact Details:

Executive Name:

Rajesh Karri

Contact Company:

Syngene

Address:

28082808 BANGALORE,Karnataka,India 560001

Email Address:

bbrc@syngeneintl.com

Telephone:

08066334254

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Posted in: Pharma Jobs

Job Openings for Pharmacovigilance Scientist

Quantum Solutions India Job Openings for Pharmacovigilance Scientist:
Posted Date: 09 Jun 2012

How to Apply:
Interested and eligible candidate should need to, please write to us at hr@qsi.in quoting the relevant position code, until the job postsa re available on the website.

Employer Name: Quantum Solutions India
Employer Address: Quantum Solutions India DLF Building Tower D, 3rd Floor, Chandigarh Technology Park Chandigarh 160 101
Email: hr@qsi.in
URL: http://www.qsi.in/

Phone: NA

Required Skills: Fluency in written and spoken English, computer proficiency
Required Experience: Experience in the Pharmacovigilance industry would be an advantage. Good knowledge of medical terminology

Required Education: Master degree in Life Sciences (Pharmacy, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or Biophysics) or a degree in Medicine or Dentistry;
Job Location: Chandigarh, U.T., India.

How to Apply:

Interested and eligible candidate should need to, please write to us at hr@qsi.in quoting the relevant position code, until the job postsa re available on the website.

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Posted in: Pharma Jobs

Interview Call Letter-Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited

Interview Call Letter- July Batch For Medical Representative_WEST ZONE
by Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited in Mumbai, Jaipur, Raipur, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Pune
Experience: 0 to 1 yrs. Posted on: 11 Jun

JD:
Dear Candidate,
IRM LTD as a member of Cadila Group Companies has embarked upon major initiative by way of launching its Centre of Professional Excellence (CPEX) , which is India’s only Pharmaceutical Training Academy providing Professional Certification Course and Guarantee of Job to meet the manpower requirements for current as well as future expansion of the branded business of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

STIPEND:
During training period, you will be paid Rs. 6000.00 each month end towards Stipend and Conveyance Allowance (During Field Training).

EMPLOYMENT AND COMPENSATION:
• Salary: After certification you will be deployed by Cadila Pharmaceuticals on regular employment with CTC of Rs.1,10,000.00 (for non-metro cities) per annum or with CTC Rs. 1,30,000 (Metro cities) per annum.

• Daily Working Allowances: As Field Officer, you will also be eligible for Daily Allowances (DA) based upon the area covered. Cadila Pharmaceuticals pays average DA between Rs. 4000 to 4500 per month.

• Lucrative Incentives: Cadila Pharmaceuticals also encourages performing Field Officers by offering performance linked incentives. The scope of earning yearly incentives ranges between Rs. 20000 to 25000.

• Retention Bonus: Cadila Pharmaceuticals will pay you a retention bonus of Rs. 7000 at the time of Performance Appraisal of second year in your job.

Agreement: The candidate would be deployed by Cadila Pharmaceuticals on regular employment for an agreement of minimum 2 years.

Note: (Please read this members)

As you can understand, CPEX will incur certain cost while providing you this vocational training. After you are deployed on the job with Cadila Pharmaceuticals, we will recover a cost of Rs. 25000/- in 12 equal monthly installments from the salary.

Nature of Job: Medical Representative
Minimum Qualification: B. Pharma / D. Pharma / BBA / B. Sc / B. Com / BA
Age Criteria: Upto 25 Years
Job Location: Anywhere in India
Note: Bike / Two Wheeler are must for this position.

Contact Details
Executive Name:Ms. Vinita Sharma
Contact Company:Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited
Address: Cadila Corporate Campus Sarkhej - Dholka Road, Bhat, AHMEDABAD,Gujarat,India 382210
Email Address:vinita.sharma@cadilapharma.co.in,deshna.shah@cadilapharma.co.in
Telephone:9979863978

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Posted in: Pharma Jobs

Do you know what are top 10 Best-selling Cancer Drugs

Oncology drugs are hot. Scratch beneath the surface of most major drugmakers, and you'll find a host of them in various stages of development, as the upcoming American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting will attest. The usual reasons for growing drug demand apply: Rising healthcare spending in countries such as China; an expanding middle class better able to access healthcare in India and other emerging markets; and aging populations in big drug markets like the U.S. and Japan.

But cancer drugs have their own unique drivers. They treat deadly, frightening diseases, so patients demand them, even at nosebleed prices. Penny-pinching gatekeepers like the U.K.'s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence are more amenable to new drugs for patients with terminal illness, if not at pharma's asking price.

Many of the newer cancer drugs, recently approved and in development, are aimed at cancers with specific genetic variations, so the drugs can be targeted to patients who are most likely to benefit--and that likely benefit can command premium prices. Finally, biologic treatments for cancer don't face generic competition on schedule as traditional drugs do, so even older drugs such as Herceptin don't have to contend with low-cost knockoffs. U.S. provisions for biosimilar versions guarantee that will change--but it hasn't changed yet.

In fact, the three top-selling cancer drugs on our list--Rituxan, Avastin and Herceptin--were approved in 1997, 2004, and 1998, respectively. So, they've been long-term earners for their developer, Genentech, now Roche's ($RHHBY) U.S. unit. The newest drug on the list is Tarceva, another Genentech product, which won FDA approval in November 2004.

So, let's get down to the figures: These 10 treatments brought in U.S. sales last year ranging from $564 million to $3 billion, according to IMS Health numbers. Our Nesa Nourmohammadi gathered the data

Rituxan - $3 billion

Avastin - $2.66 billion

Herceptin - $1.66 billion

Gleevec - $1.51 billion

Eloxatin - $1.2 billion

Alimta - $1.04 billion

Erbitux - $703.3 million

Velcade - $692.7 million

Xeloda - $647.6 million

Tarceva - $564.2 million

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Posted in: My reviews

Can stress cause cold???

Previous research has shown that people who are under chronic stress are more likely to catch colds. Now, new research, has identified a mechanism that may help explain why stress increases your chances of getting sick.

The new research used data from two studies in which healthy volunteers were deliberately exposed to viruses that cause colds. After exposure, they were monitored for changes in the inflammatory response—a natural response that helps to fight infection but also plays a role in causing cold symptoms. The researchers were especially interested in a measure of how well immune cells respond to a signal that stops the inflammatory response. This measure is called glucocorticoid receptor resistance or GCR. When GCR is increased, people’s immune cells don’t respond as well as they should to glucocorticoid hormones, which turn off inflammation. Therefore, the inflammatory response may be stronger and last longer than usual.

In the first study, 276 participants were interviewed to find out whether they had experienced chronic stress (prolonged stressful life events) during the past year. Those who had experienced chronic stress had greater GCR, and those with greater GCR were more likely to develop colds after they were exposed to cold viruses.

In the second study, 79 participants were assessed for GCR before being exposed to the virus; after they were infected, they were monitored for the amount of cytokines (inflammation-inducing chemical messengers) they produced. Cytokines cause most cold symptoms. The researchers found that participants with higher GCR before exposure to the virus produced more cytokines after infection.

The results of the two studies, considered together, indicate that the effects of chronic stress on the body’s ability to regulate inflammation can make people more susceptible to colds. They also show that GCR is involved in this relationship.

The researchers who conducted these studies explained that their findings may not just be relevant to colds. The inflammatory response plays an important role in a range of diseases, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disorders. Therefore, the effects seen in these studies may have broad implications for understanding how stress affects health.

References

• Cohen S, Janicki-Deverts D, Doyle WJ, et al. Chronic stress, glucocorticoid receptor resistance, inflammation, and disease risk. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

  2012

  ; Epub ahead of print.

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Posted in: My reviews

The Orphan Drug Award 2010 was won by Firazyr.

Orphan Drug Award:

The Orphan Drug Award was introduced as a dedicated category at the previous UK Prix Galien in 2008, following a special award for orphan products in 2006. The term ‘orphan condition’ is used to describe conditions that affect a very small number of patients in a given population - many of which are either untreatable or treated very inadequately. It is estimated that there are 6000 orphan diseases – which, in total, affect about 30 million EU citizens. 

Parliamentary Sponsor, Lord Walton of Detchant – a Crossbench Life Peer and  former Prix Galien judge – said the decision to give a new award for orphan drug discovery was “far-sighted” and commended the industry on its developments in this important area of medicine. “In many branches of medicine, there are many diseases formerly unresponsive to any pharmaceutical intervention which are now known to be due to single gene disorders. Many of these are rare, and as drugs begin to emerge capable of circumventing the genetic defect, the costs of development may be huge, but because of the rarity of the relevant conditions, the income derived from marketing such remedies may be relatively limited,” he said. “This is a huge dilemma for the industry to face. It is good to know that there have been several outstanding submissions in the orphan drug category this year.”

Professor Sir Michael Rawlins concurred. “For orphan diseases that are potentially treatable with medicines, pharmaceutical manufacturers face a number of hurdles, including concerns about the size of the market and difficulties – because of the small numbers of patients – in their development. The judging panel was delighted by how many companies are now working in these areas – and with the extremely high calibre of the entries to this category.”

Winner: Firazyr^® (Shire Pharmaceuticals)

The Orphan Drug Award 2010 was won by Shire Pharmaceuticals for its hereditary angioedema (HAE) treatment, Firazyr. HAE is a rare condition characterised by recurrent episodes of oedema formation in the soft tissues of the extremities, face, genitals as well as in the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and larynx.  These attacks are often painful, disfiguring and debilitating.   And involvement of the larynx can be lethal.

The exact prevalence of hereditary angioedema is uncertain – but estimates suggest that 1:10,000 to 1:50,000 persons are affected.  Hereditary angioedema is an autosomal dominant disease caused by the absence or dysfunction of C1-esterase inhibitor.  While the exact trigger for attacks of hereditary angioedema is unknown, it follows activation of the complement cascade with increased local production of bradykinin.   Firazyr selectively – and competitively – inhibits the action of bradykinin – thus halting oedema formation and rapidly alleviating symptoms. In clinical trials, Firazyr significantly reduced the duration of HAE attacks.   In 90% of patients only one injection was required to achieve effective control of the HAE attack.

“Apart from its novel mechanism of action and clear evidence of its clinical effectiveness, the jury were also extremely impressed by the clinical development programme of Firazyr,” said Professor Sir Michael. “Attacks of hereditary angioedema occur spontaneously and without warning.  Patients tend to seek help from their nearest Accident and Emergency Department or Emergency Room.  Organising clinical trials under such circumstances is what might be called ‘a challenge’! That Shire managed to undertake the clinical development of this product in such an unpromising environment – is hugely to their credit.”

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Posted in: My reviews

Do you know Transdermal patch (Neupro) approved for Parkinsonism?????

Belgian drug maker, UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neupro® (rotigotine transdermal system) for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of advanced stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and as a treatment for moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Neupro® was previously approved by the FDA for the signs and symptoms of early stage idiopathic PD.

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Posted in: Drug delivery,My reviews,Pharma news

Hello M.Pharm Aspirant...Are you writing SAAT-2012 for M.Pharm admission????

SAAT-2012:

Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University Admission Test (SAAT) - a National Level Entrance Test will be conducted by Siksha 'O' Anusandhan - Deemed to be University every year for admission to various undergraduate and postgraduate programs of the University.

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Posted in: Exams

Myths about Antibiotics use !!!!!!!!

What are antibiotics?

Antibiotics are strong medicines used to treat infections, including life-threatening contagious diseases. But antibiotics can cause more harm than good when they aren't used the right way. You can protect yourself and your family by knowing when you should use antibiotics and when you should not.

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Posted in: My reviews,Pharma news

What I need to do to get education loan????

On an average 80% of the students need financial support in pursuing education in abroad. In this process applying for bank loans is quite common. It is very essential to explore various bank loans and required documents for education loans.

Most of the commercial banks are offering education loan to fulfil the student’s dreams of getting graduation in abroad.

(1) What is the eligibility to secure a loan?

To be eligible for loan approval you need to be Indian Citizen and you would have secured an admission in any of bank’s approved courses.

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Posted in: Career paths,My reviews

Technical upgradation in Indian Drug patent office...

Major technological up gradation is being planned in the patent office to enhance the quality of its services, according to the new controller general of patents who took charge last week in Mumbai. The patents office informed that the main aim behind initiating this drive is to upgrade the present system so as to bring in better quality while granting patents in the country.

It is understood that the patent office has decided to develop a better information system in the office which is aimed at developing and improving the interface between the government and the stake holders which includes both the general public as well as the agents at large. They also are in process to set up information cells at the patent office with data base that is segregated sector wise for better and easy access to all patent information.

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Posted in: Patents

Indian Pharmacist and changes from past to modern age!!!!

Changing role of pharmacists: Indian scenario

The Indian pharmaceutical sector has come a long way from being an almost non-existent industry before 1970 to a prominent provider of healthcare products now, meeting almost 95 per cent of the country's pharma needs.

The industry today is in the forefront of India’s science-based industries, with wide ranging capabilities in the complex field of drug manufacturing and technology. It ranks very high in the third world in terms of technology, quality and range of medicines manufactured. From simple headache pills to sophisticated antibiotics and complex cardiac compounds, almost every type of medicine is now made indigenously. 

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Posted in: My reviews

Do you know about Astrazenica filing a case against FDA??

What is Seroquel?

Seroquel (quetiapine) is a psychotropic medication that is used to treat schizophrenia in adults and children who are at least 13 years old.

Is it a mark of desperation? UK-based pharma company AstraZeneca has resorted to suing the US Food and Drug Administration in a bid to stop it from approving generic competition to Seroquel, the company’s blockbuster anti-depressant, before December 2012. The core patent for Seroquel IR expired in September last year, and its paediatric patent runs out this month, although Seroquel XR (the later version) still has protection till 2017.

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Posted in: My reviews

Is your facebook profile affecting job application???

I found this interesting story on yesterday while browsing for some scientific literature. Hope this could helpful to you readers..

Can a person's Facebook profile reveal what kind of employee he or she might be? The answer is yes, and with unnerving accuracy, according to a new paper published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

And if you are smugly thinking to yourself, "I've carefully wiped my Facebook page of any incriminating photos, comments and wall posts," - well, it turns out you may still not have hidden your true nature from future employers: On a rating scale that examines key personality attributes that indicate future job success, you might get rated high in conscientiousness and possibly low on extroversion.

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Posted in: My reviews

Do you know about new safety warnings of statin drugs??

What are statins?

Statins block the enzyme in the liver that is responsible for making cholesterol. This enzyme is called hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase). Scientifically, statins are referred to as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

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Posted in: My reviews,Pharma news

Targeted glucose control with TAK-875

TAK-875, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, improves blood sugar control and is equally effective as glimepiride, but has a significantly lower risk of creating a dangerous drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, according to a new study.

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Posted in: My reviews,Pre-Clinical

Facts you should know about cancer, aging and Telomeres.....

What is Chromosome?

A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein that is found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions. The word ''chromosome'' comes from the Greek (''chroma'', color) and (''soma'', body) due to their property of being very strongly stained by particular dyes.

Telomeres prevent chromosome endings from fraying and sticking to each other which could prevent genetic information scrambling and causes death and cancer. 

Yet, each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When they get too short, the cell no longer can divide and becomes inactive or "senescent" or dies. This process is associated with aging, cancer and a higher risk of death. So telomeres also have been compared with a bomb fuse.

Without telomeres, chromosome ends could fuse together and degrade the cell's genetic blueprint, making the cell malfunction, become cancerous or die. Because broken DNA is dangerous, a cell has the ability to sense and repair chromosome damage. Without telomeres, the ends of chromosomes would look like broken DNA, and the cell would try to fix something that wasn't broken. That also would make them stop dividing and eventually die.

Like the rest of a chromosome and its genes, telomeres are sequences of DNA - chains of chemical code. Like other DNA, they are made of four nucleic acid bases: G for guanine, A for adenine, T for thymine and C for cytosine.

Telomeres are made of repeating sequences of TTAGGG on one strand of DNA bound to AATCCC on the other strand. Thus, one section of telomere is a "repeat" made of six "base pairs."

In human blood cells, the length of telomeres ranges from 8,000 base pairs at birth to 3,000 base pairs as people age and as low as 1,500 in elderly people. (An entire chromosome has about 150 million base pairs.) Each time a cell divides, an average person loses 30 to 200 base pairs from the ends of that cell's telomeres.

Cells normally can divide only about 50 to 70 times, with telomeres getting progressively shorter until the cells become senescent, die or sustain genetic damage that can cause cancer.

Telomeres do not shorten with age in tissues such as heart muscle in which cells do not continually divide.

What role do telomeres play in cancer?

As a cell begins to become cancerous, it divides more often, and its telomeres become very short. If its telomeres get too short, the cell may die. It can escape this fate by becoming a cancer cell and activating an enzyme called telomerase, which prevents the telomeres from getting even shorter.

Studies have found shortened telomeres in many cancers, including pancreatic, bone, prostate, bladder, lung, kidney, and head and neck.

Measuring telomerase may be a new way to detect cancer. If scientists can learn how to stop telomerase, they might be able to fight cancer by making cancer cells age and die. In one experiment, researchers blocked telomerase activity in human breast and prostate cancer cells growing in the laboratory, prompting the tumor cells to die. But there are risks. Blocking telomerase could impair fertility, wound healing, and production of blood cells and immune system cells.

What about telomeres and aging?

Geneticist Richard Cawthon and colleagues at the University of Utah found shorter telomeres are associated with shorter lives. Among people older than 60, those with shorter telomeres were three times more likely to die from heart disease and eight times more likely to die from infectious disease.

Dr. Richard Cawthon

While telomere shortening has been linked to the aging process, it is not yet known whether shorter telomeres are just a sign of aging - like gray hair - or actually contribute to aging.

If telomerase makes cancer cells immortal, could it prevent normal cells from aging? Could we extend lifespan by preserving or restoring the length of telomeres with telomerase? If so, does that raise a risk the telomerase also will cause cancer?

Scientists are not yet sure. But they have been able to use telomerase to make human cells keep dividing far beyond their normal limit in laboratory experiments, and the cells do not become cancerous.

If telomerase could be used routinely to "immortalize" human cells, it would be theoretically possible to mass produce any human cell for transplantation, including insulin-producing cells to cure diabetes patients, muscle cells for muscular dystrophy, cartilage cells for people with certain kinds of arthritis, and skin cells for people with severe burns and wounds. Efforts to test new drugs and gene therapies also would be helped by an unlimited supply of normal human cells grown in the laboratory.

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Posted in: Molecular biology,My reviews

Controlled release formulations info free download

Hello readers, controlled release is an efficient form of technique which could useful in drug delivery and biomedical applications along with other applications. Here I would like to describe about brief info regarding controlled release formulations and the link to download of the white paper...Good reading.

Why controlled release required?

The idea of controlled release medication appeared  in order to maintain the gradual release of medication over the period of time.

What are different types of controlled release formulations?

We can classify controlled release formulations in various ways but here I would like to mention the basic classification of formulations.

(1) Slow or sustained controlled release

These formulations control the drug availability by releasing it over an extended period of time.

(2) Triggered release

These formulations are tailored towards drug release in response to environmental stimuli. These formulations allows the selection of medical condition, time and site of delivery.

So what are advantages of Controlled Release Formulations?

(1) As the formulation is given at a constant period of time, dosage efficiency can be achieved by this drug delivery.

(2) Maintenance of constant drug release prevents the drug associated side affects like dose toxicity and ineffective dosage delivery at targeted site. This provides the defined therapeutic benefit of medication.

(3) Providing of constant drug concentration reduces the drug dosage frequency by patient. This improves the patient compliance and medication adherence to the treatment and improves the patient quality of life.

(4) This constant uniform drug release requires less overall active ingredients as the drug availability is more. It is a cost-effective way of formulation.

(5) It also reduces the loss of adjuvants during the manufacturing of formulation.

(6) Controlled release formulations prevents the drug incompatibility as well due it's controlled release of substances.

What factors determines the controlled release technology applications?

• Physical and chemical property of active ingredient.
• Route of drug delivery.
• Market sector and final use of the formulation.

What are different types of controlled release systems:

Reservoir Systems.

Matrix Systems.

Reservoir Systems:

These are based on the confinement of an active agent within a porous or nonporous barrier or shell that protects it temporarily or permanently from the external environment.The core materials of the microcapsules can be solid, liquid or gas. A common method to obtain reservoir-type carriers for controlled release is micro-encapsulation. Encapsulated substances include compounds of varied natures such as drugs, pigments, nutrients, fragrances, anti-microbial compounds, etc.

The main advantage of micro-encapsulation is the separation of the active agent from the medium of storage. This ensures good compatibility and stability of the compounds prior to use, thereby avoiding undesired reactions and facilitating handling which, in turn, increases the lifetime of the product.

Matrix Systems:

The agents are dispersed or dissolved homogeneously throughout a material which is processed into the desired shape and geometry. The geometry of the carrier, the type of material and the concentration of the active agent affect the release rate.

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?2fhnrfp36d5iyey

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Posted in: My reviews,Pharmaceutics