4th Annual Frontiers of Clinical Investigation Symposium - Metabolism
The UCSD Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI) and Nature Medicine would like to invite you to attend the 4th Annual Frontiers of Clinical Investigation Symposium on October 8-10, 2009. The theme for the meeting is "Metabolism 2009." For more information visit the CTRI website.
Complex Surgery, One Small Incision — California First
Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center have performed the next in a series of groundbreaking single-incision surgeries. Through one small port in the navel, surgeons removed a kidney and ureter and reconstructed a patient’s bladder as part of an innovative cancer surgery. This is the first time this minimally invasive procedure has been performed in the western United States.
Cultivating New Opportunities: Short-Term Strategies for Long-Term Growth
The arrival of a new federal administration, coupled with an unprecedented economic environment, requires that life science firms focus on strategies to remain stable yet poised for growth. Foley's 2009 Life Sciences Conference will explore new legal and regulatory issues, creative financing strategies, and business opportunities for the life sciences community.
Joshua Boger, Ph.D., founder and retired-CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and immediate-past-chairman of BIO's Board of Directors is the keynote speaker of the conference on September 30, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. For more information on the event, visit the firm’s website or contact Meg Ryan at mryan@foley.com or 312.832.5778.
UC San Diego Medical Center Receives Gold Achievement Award from American Heart Association
UC San Diego Medical Center has been recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) with a Gold Performance Achievement Award for success in using evidence-based guidelines to provide the best possible care to cardiac patients. The AHA’s “Get With The Guidelines” program is a hospital-based quality-improvement initiative designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients following the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations.
Scripps Team Shows Gene Influence in Brain Structure
Using advanced brain imaging and genomics technologies, an international team of researchers co-led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has shown for the first time that natural variations in a specific gene influence brain structure. By establishing this link, the researchers have opened the door to a range of potential research efforts that could reveal gene variations responsible for a number of neurological conditions such as autism.
The work was reported in an advance, online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of August 17, 2009.
Venter Team Builds Bacteria by Modifying Chromosomes
Genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter and his colleagues said they were able to develop a functional type of bacteria by modifying the bacterial chromosomes to prevent them from being attacked by restriction enzymes -- proteins that chop up the DNA of foreign organisms and thwarted previous efforts of Venter's team to create a synthetic life. "It's a step closer to the manufacture of bacteria that could be used in biotechnology for the benefit of humankind," a molecular genetics professor said.