Follow the Money
The dollar amount that we are projected to spend for translational regenerative medicine by the end of 2012.
In a new report, London-based Visiongain predicts that the regenerative medicine market will multiply in size from 2012 to 2022. Sounds about right!
Support BRA Day!
October 17, 2012, marks the first annual Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day.
Seven out of 10 women treated for breast cancer are not told about their reconstruction options. To help better inform these women, the US and 20 other countries will join together on October 17. BRA Day USA is part of an ongoing campaign to promote education, awareness, and access regarding breast reconstruction following breast cancer surgery. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The Plastic Surgery Foundation.
Learn more at www.bradayusa.org/
Power of Two
October is breast cancer awareness month, and while many advocacy groups are focusing on educating women about their reconstructive options, triple negative breast cancer survivors Elizabeth Sargent and Melanie A. Nix banded together to help women cope with their breast cancer diagnosis. Their Web site—breastcancercomfortsite.com—coaches women through diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. The site is a virtual road map for managing treatment and the “new” normal as survivors. “We view the site as a resource for women and find value in offering some ‘nontraditional’ ways to approach treatment and healing like encouraging pity parties as well as survival parties, and developing your own personal incentive plan for rewarding yourself as you progress through treatment,” Nix says. Check out the site, breastcancercomfortsite.com, and let your patients know about it.
You Gotta Have Heart
Plastic surgeons are conducting more regenerative medicine trials than other specialists, but there is movement across disciplines. At Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, stem cell researchers just received a $1.3 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine to continue their study of an experimental stem cell therapy for heart attack patients. Earlier this year, their data showed the therapy helped damaged hearts regenerate muscle. The new research will focus on understanding the cellular mechanisms behind these results.
In another experiment, a team of researchers from the University of Sheffield coaxed early stem cells into specialized ear cells that helped the gerbils to hear.
Read more: tinyurl.com/945x8kn
