The world’s first trial in regenerative medicine will be aimed at treating a form of age-related macular degeneration with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Unlike with stem cells from human embryos, there are no ethical issues involved with this type of cell.

 

The clinical trials will take place in Japan. Japan’s Ministry of Health has signed off on the project put forward by the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation – a Kobe hospital centre – following approval from a commission of experts in June.

 

The researchers intend to use cells taken from the patient’s body to grow retinal cells and then implant them back into the patient. The cells, which will be returned to a near embryonic state, will be able to recover their immaturity and their ability to differentiate themselves in response to their surrounding environment.

 

This method for reprogramming adult cells to stem cells – a crucial step for regenerative medicine – was developed by the Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka and British researcher John Gurdon. This discovery earned them the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In Japan, work involving iPSCs is a research priority receiving highly significant funding from the government.

Source:

http://www.lapresse.ca/sciences/genetique/201307/19/01-4672327-medecine-regenerative-debut-des-premiers-essais-cliniques-mondiaux-sur-lhomme.php

Health Canada warns against the risks of retinal detachment associated with oral fluoroquinolones.

 

Five oral fluoroquinolones are available in Canada: ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin. These are large-spectrum antibiotics prescribed to treat infections caused by sensitive strains of microorganisms.

 

A pharmacoepidemiological study published in 2012 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) identified 445 cases of retinal detachment associated with oral fluoroquinolones in a cohort of 989,591 patients in British Columbia, who consulted an ophthalmologist between January 2000 and December 2007.

 

For its part, Health Canada had only a single reported incident of suspected retinal detachment associated with this type of antibiotic as of December 31, 2012. The difficulty in establishing solid evidence establishing a link between retinal detachment and fluoroquinolones could account for this low level of reported cases.

 

Health Canada invites health-care professionals to be watchful and encourages them to report any adverse reactions suspected of being associated with these antibiotics.

As the result of a licensing agreement with the Canadian Olympic Committee, Oakley Canada will be the official supplier of high-performance eyewear to Canada’s Olympic team from 2013 to 2016.

 

The agreement will cover the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, in Russia, the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, and the Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games, in Brazil. This fall, Oakley will launch a unique Canadian Olympic Team eyewear collection featuring the same advanced technologies that the Olympic athletes will have.

 

The proceeds from the sales of these officially licensed eyewear products will directly support the training and development of Canadian Olympic and high-performance athletes.

 

“I’m so excited that Oakley is joining forces with the Canadian Olympic Team,” enthused

four-time Olympic medallist and Chair of the COC’s Athletes’ Commission, Adam van Koeverden. “Oakley has been one of my greatest sponsors and supporters on and off the water for over a decade, and I think it’s an amazing opportunity for our athletes. In my opinion, Oakley makes the best eyewear on the planet, and like our world-class athletes, they are just as focused on being number one…”

 

Source:

http://olympic.ca/press/new-vision-for-canadian-olympic-team-with-oakley/

 

 

Mimetogen, a Montréal pharmaceutical company, has granted Bausch + Lomb an option to license MIM-D3, a treatment for dry-eye syndrome.

 

Without revealing the exact amount, Mimetogen’s CFO, François Mongrain, did state that the agreement would give the firm access to “millions of dollars,” that will be invested in the upcoming steps involved in bringing MIM-D3 to market.

 

The next step is a Phase-III study with 400 individuals at an estimated cost of $15 million. If the results are positive, Bausch + Lomb will have the option of acquiring an exclusive license to distribute the product worldwide. Bausch + Lomb will underwrite all the costs associated with the Phase-III study as well as all those associated with filing licensing submissions with regulatory authorities, in addition to paying development milestones and royalties to Mimetogen.

 

Mimetogen is a Montréal firm founded on the work of Uri Saragov, a researcher affiliated with McGill University who, in the early 2000s, created a class of molecules capable of mimicking the action of the nerve growth factor (NGF).

 

Source:

http://affaires.lapresse.ca/economie/quebec/201307/19/01-4672253-bausch-lomb-mise-sur-un-produit-mis-au-point-au-quebec.php

Essilor International announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire the 51% stake in Transitions Optical owned by PPG. The French giant already had a 49% stake in Transitions.

 

Under the agreement, Essilor will also acquire Intercast, a sun lens manufacturer based in Parma, Italy. The transaction, which is expected to close during the first half of 2014, will cost Essilor $1.73 billion, as well as a deferred payment of $125 million dollars over five years.  

 

Essilor and PPG have jointly developed Transitions Optical since it was founded 23 years ago. “We look forward to a continued strong relationship with PPG as they will be providing ongoing research and development services and optical dyes to Transitions Optical under multi-year agreements with Essilor,” said President of Transitions Optical, Dave Cole.

 

Hubert Sagnières, Essilor’s Chairman and CEO, said that the acquisition of Transitions Optical is fully aligned with Essilor’s strategy. The integration process should be smooth due to the strong ties already existing between the two entities. “It will enable us to boost expansion in the photochromic segment, which is growing twice as fast as the optical industry, notably in Asia, Latin America and Europe.”

 

Sources : http://www.essilor.com/en/Press/News/Documents/2013/CP_ACCORD%20TOI%2029%20juillet_A.pdf

http://www.bfmtv.com/economie/essilor-acquiert-transitions-optical-leader-mondial-verres-photochromiques-569392.html