Washington: In a new study, scientists have reported the development of an inexpensive and easy-to-use urine test ideally suited for areas like rural India, China and other areas of the world where poverty limits the availability of health care and where the epidemics of Type 2 diabetes is looming.

Jan Lankelma and colleagues point out that monitoring glucose levels is important. Although diabetes test strips seem inexpensive, the cost can be prohibitive in areas where people must choose between that and the essentials of life, such as food and shelter.

In addition, current handheld diabetes monitoring devices measure glucose levels in blood, which requires a pin-prick to a finger — something that could deter patients from taking the measurements.

To address these challenges, the researchers built a new type of glucose monitor — one that detects glucose levels in urine (which is easy to obtain) and is made from inexpensive materials, such as paper.

The device consists of three electrodes, a buffer solution, a piece of paper (or nitrocellulose) and a plastic dish.

The sample is injected onto the paper with a slightly modified medical syringe, and the solution moves along the paper by gravity and capillary action.

An enzyme called glucose oxidase is already on the paper, and it reacts with glucose in the sample to produce hydrogen peroxide, which is detected by the electrodes.

The system can be built quickly, is inexpensive and produces results similar to those from a more expensive, commercially available clinical instrument.

The authors of the study state that the device could be used not only in a clinical lab, but it could also be further developed for applications as diverse as analyzing food quality and environmental monitoring.

The study has been published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

ANI

Article source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/exclusive/new-paper-based-diabetes-test-for-developing-countries_17019.html

Cary, NC, May 19, 2012 –(PR.com)– Precision Walls, Inc. is pleased to announce that Matthew Christensen, CPA has been promoted from Corporate Controller to Vice-President of Finance. In his new position, Christensen will lead the company’s financial operations including accounting, financial reporting, and information technology. He will be responsible for all accounting, financial and information technology activities including: benchmarking, forecasting, cash management, risk mitigation, internal controls, billings, accounts receivable and accounts payable.

Christensen has 20 years of experience in construction, accounting and finance with KPMG, Centex Homes and KB Home. He also serves on the Board of Directors for three non-profit organizations: the local chapter of the Construction Finance Management Association, Diabetes Management Solutions and Ten Thousand Villages. Christensen, a Certified Public Accountant, holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and a Masters in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the proud father of three children: Soren, Carly and Tess.

About Precision Walls:
Precision Walls, Inc. is a family owned and operated specialty contractor headquartered in Cary, North Carolina with offices located in NC, SC and TN. Precision Walls started from its humble beginnings in 1964 to become one of the nation’s premier specialty contractors serving clients throughout the Southeastern United States. It is recognized by Engineering News-Record as one of the Top 10 walls and ceiling contractors in the United States.

As one of the nation’s premier wall and ceiling specialty contractors, Precision Walls has provided top quality service to our clients for over 40 years. We have one of the best Safety records in the industry. Precision Walls uses only the best products and materials available, performs installations second to none, and provides the highest level of customer service in the industry. Our passion is building strong customer relationships and being the partner that helps drive your job. Focused scheduling and accurate budgets enables us to save our customers time and money by completing projects within budget and on time.

Whether you are adding a door in your office or constructing a multi-story office building, Precision Walls has the solution. Our products and services include commercial drywall, acoustical ceilings, operable accordion partitions, temporary and demountable partitions, light gauge framing trusses and EIFS. Our professional staff and skilled trades men are involved in every aspect of the project from start to finish with an unparalleled commitment to safety, quality and service. When you do business with Precision Walls, you will experience true excellence without compromise. You have our word on it.

For more information on Precision Walls, please visit www.precisionwalls.com.

Article source: http://www.pr.com/press-release/414029

Contributed by Lynn Coppotelli and Doug Werner

During the last 30 years, childhood obesity has risen by 30 percent. Today 30 percent of children are classified as clinically obese and in the African American and Hispanic communities, almost 40 percent of children are overweight or obese. If this problem isn’t addressed, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives or will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma. (Source: www.letsmove.gov)

The Center for Disease Control reports about 17% of American under the age of 20 – or about 12.5 million people – are obese and at risk for Type 2 diabetes. Generally caused by a poor diet, lack of exercise and being overweight, the disease in difficult to manage in children. Experts unanimously report the best solution for the increase in juvenile diabetes is prevention.

Fitness expert Doug Werner, in his new book “Abbie Gets Fit,” shares his personal journey with his daughter as he helped her get fit. A veteran of two marathons and a lifetime of sports and physical activity, Werner helped his daughter get healthy.

“I have been in the fitness business for 35 years,” says Doug Werner, “but when it came to my own young daughter, Abbie, her de-conditioning kind of sneaked up on us.” When Abbie proudly showed Werner the results from her school’s fitness test, he gently told her she did not pass the test.

Werner was dismayed that his daughter failed the test. Not because she wasn’t a ’star’ athlete, but because he was worried about her health as a child and what it could mean for her adult life if she wasn’t physically fit. When Abbie asked her dad what she could do to pass the next assessment, he said they could take a walk!

And walk they did – every day for an hour come rain, shine, sleet or snow! Studies have shown walking is the safest, most effective, and least expensive way to get fit. “Abbie Gets Fit” takes us on Werner’s true life story as he and Abbie walk their way to fitness over a six month period and, in the process, forge an unforgettable daddy-daughter bond.

Motivational for adults and kids alike, “Abbie Gets Fit” explains why:

Article source: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/health_fitness/fitness/133142/father_helps_daughter’s_health

By Emily Mountney/Trentonian

Posted 5 hours ago

Instead of donating, people are stealing from donation bins located in Trenton.

An official with the Canadian Diabetes Association says problems at the drop box site include people dumping garbage and stealing from the bins.

That’s left organizers of the Clothesline program no other choice but to remove the boxes.

The boxes are supposed to be used by people wishing to make donations to the program.

The donations are recycled, in turn generating money for diabetes research.

The large, red bins have been located at Smylie’s grocery store for the past five years.

According to Clothesline operations manager Nancy Lawlor, there has been problems since the program was launched in Trenton.

“We’ve had problems with people using it as a dump site,” said Lawlor. “But now we have people digging through the bags and just helping themselves to whatever they want, and leaving things everywhere.”

She recently drove from Kingston to Trenton to check out the bins

“Items were spread out all over the place,” said Lawlor.

Lawlor said dozens of items end up being thrown away, resulting in lost revenue for the Canadian Diabetes Association.

“We are doing the best we can,” said Lawlor. “It’s just so upsetting that people would do that. They are stealing from a charity.”

The boxes will be removed from the site some time next week, but Lawlor said they have a solution for those who want to continue to donate.

Starting May 27, a truck will be at Smylie’s each Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to collect any donations.

“We know that a lot of people look for those boxes and donate there,” said Lawlor. “So we want to have an explanation for them as to why we removed the boxes, and also an alternative.”

Donors can also schedule a free household pick-up by calling the toll-free number at 1-800-505-5525.

According to the association, the Clothesline program diverts more than 46 million kilograms of clothing, small household and electronics items from landfills across Canada. That translates into a savings of 840 million kilowatts of energy and saving the equivalent of 8.2 million trees each year.

The programs helps more than 9 million Canadians living with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Advertisement

Article source: http://www.trentonian.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3565966

Humana has begun working with providers on several new, collaborative delivery system models that already have yielded successful results, the insurer told a Senate panel Wednesday.

Along with Humana, other witnesses provided the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee with steps they’ve taken to deliver better healthcare and lower costs, reported Kaiser Health News.

“We have a system-wide problem on our hands, and the solution must be system-wide, too,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who chaired the hearing. “We need to look for best practices across all sectors of our healthcare system to inform our understanding of what is working on the front lines of reform.”

Marcia James, Humana’s director of network relations and provider engagement, said the insurer is working toward aligning payment and care through its different accountable care organizations (ACO) and patient-centered medical homes (PCMH). “Humana’s experience has shown the importance of allowing for flexibility in payment redesign, based on the readiness of provider groups,” she explained. “Adoption of a one?size?fits?all approach will undermine the ongoing active collaborations to customize arrangements to meet the needs and capabilities of a wide range of provider groups.”

One initiative Humana has undertaken is an ACO with non-profit integrated delivery system Norton Healthcare System, which James said, demonstrates how “two partner organizations with different, but complimentary, expertise come together to serve individuals in a coordinated manner.” Humana evaluates participating providers based on certain quality measures, including diabetes measures, cancer screening, asthma care and cardiac care, and reimburses them based on improved outcomes and cost.

The ACO also establishes spending targets to reflect the expected costs of caring for the patients and participating providers that improve quality of care and slow spending growth receive a portion of any savings, FierceHealthPayer previously reported.

The Humana-Norton ACO already has improved quality, utilization and physician visits following hospitalization–9 percent decrease in unnecessary antibiotic treatment for adults with bronchitis, 6 percent improvement for diabetic testing and 8 percent improvement for cholesterol management in diabetics. And it has shown an almost 13 percent improvement in appropriate emergency room visits, as well as a 36 percent improvement in physician visits within seven days of discharge, James said.

Additionally, Humana has helped establish PCMHs in several states, serving more than 70,000 Medicare Advantage and 35,000 commercial members. In fact, Humana created one of the first PCMHs in the country in 2007 with Atlanta-based integrated delivery system WellStar. That arrangement resulted in a 6 percent improvement in diabetic and blood pressure management, as well as a 20 percent improvement in management of “bad” cholesterol levels.

The insurer’s current partnership with Cincinnati?based Queen City Physicians, which also focuses on integrated care delivery, strong data integration and care coordination, has shown similar positive results. Humana has seen a 34 percent decrease in emergency room visits, 10 percent improvement in diabetic management, 15 percent improvement in blood pressure control and 22 percent decrease in patients with uncontrolled blood pressure.

To learn more:
- read Humana’s statement
- check out the Senate hearing info
- see the Kaiser Health News article

Related Articles:
Humana (NYSE: HUM), Norton form ACO
Interview: Independence Blue Cross has big dreams for medical home model
Fierce QA: A look at Cigna’s ACO program
Medical home beats P4P in quality improvement
Guest commentary: WellPoint’s primary care-centered approach
6 best practices of patient-centered medical homes
Horizon Exclusive: Payer-provider collaboration is the fix for healthcare
Patient-centered medical homes are a long-term investment
Payer-provider data transparency key to ACO success

Article source: http://www.fiercehealthpayer.com/story/humanas-aco-pcmh-projects-yielding-positive-results/2012-05-17

Washington: In a new study, scientists have reported the development of an inexpensive and easy-to-use urine test ideally suited for areas like rural India, China and other areas of the world where poverty limits the availability of health care and where the epidemics of Type 2 diabetes is looming.

Jan Lankelma and colleagues point out that monitoring glucose levels is important. Although diabetes test strips seem inexpensive, the cost can be prohibitive in areas where people must choose between that and the essentials of life, such as food and shelter.

In addition, current handheld diabetes monitoring devices measure glucose levels in blood, which requires a pin-prick to a finger — something that could deter patients from taking the measurements.

To address these challenges, the researchers built a new type of glucose monitor — one that detects glucose levels in urine (which is easy to obtain) and is made from inexpensive materials, such as paper.

The device consists of three electrodes, a buffer solution, a piece of paper (or nitrocellulose) and a plastic dish.

The sample is injected onto the paper with a slightly modified medical syringe, and the solution moves along the paper by gravity and capillary action.

An enzyme called glucose oxidase is already on the paper, and it reacts with glucose in the sample to produce hydrogen peroxide, which is detected by the electrodes.

The system can be built quickly, is inexpensive and produces results similar to those from a more expensive, commercially available clinical instrument.

The authors of the study state that the device could be used not only in a clinical lab, but it could also be further developed for applications as diverse as analyzing food quality and environmental monitoring.

The study has been published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

ANI

Article source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/exclusive/new-paper-based-diabetes-test-for-india_17019.html

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An experimental new device called Diabetes Insulin Guidance System (DIGS) from Hygieia, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI) is being developed to automate insulin dosage titration in patients with type I and type II diabetes, based on measurements of blood glucose and analysis of patterns in the obtained data. The company hopes one day to provide patients with an automatically calculated insulin dosage adjustments between doctor visits, in hopes of improving their glycemic control.

The company’s clinical advisory board is packed with diabetes experts such as Martin Abrahamson, MD from Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, so they obviously know what they are doing. And the latest data seems to confirm that. A recent publication in Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics is quite positive for the technology, as it demonstrated DIGS’ potential to improve blood glucose control for insulin-using patients with type 2 or type 1 diabetes. Over the 12-week intervention period of the study, investigators observed:

• Out of a total of 1,734 individual dosage adjustments, the study team over-rode the DIGS-instructed dosage only twice.

• Mean HbA1c levels decreased from a baseline of 8.4%(±0.8) to 7.9%(±0.9); (p

• Average patient blood glucose levels improved progressively from a baseline of 174.2 mg/dL(±36.7) to 163.3mg/dL(±35.1); (p

• Glucose levels falling below the hypoglycemic threshold (glucose 65 mg/dL) during the 12-week active phase were significantly milder than the ones reported during the 4-week run-in period (P = 0.02).

Beth North, Hygieia, Inc.’s VP of Marketing provided us with more details about the system in the following statement:

Without getting stuck in the weeds of too much detail – here’s the logic of how DIGS works. Per our “patient-first” design approach, DIGS communicates with its user in a very simple and logical way. DIGS is about the size of a BlackBerry device and nothing attaches to the patient. The patient uses DIGS to measure their blood glucose, then DIGS recommends the amount of insulin to inject. DIGS is designed to make insulin therapy more effective. If DIGS sees glucose patterns are too high, it increases insulin dosage; if it sees lows, it reduces insulin dosage. The exact specifics of “how” it does this populate about 20,000 lines of code.

From all indications, when applied, these lines of code result in a good outcome. As mentioned in our press release DIGS generated 1734 individual insulin dosage adjustments during the IDC study and in all but two instances the study team gave the DIGS-generated dosage updates directly to the patients to use each week. And over the 12 weeks of the active phase, all the study participants benefited significantly.

As Rich Bergenstal, the PI for the published study said, “This demonstrates the possibility that DIGS could automate weekly dosage adjustment safely and effectively – something that none of our current tools is capable of achieving.”

DIGS is designed to extend the reach of the health care provider when they can’t be with their patients – between office visits. Because Hygieia’s unique approach is self-contained and handheld, DIGS is scalable and works in a way that makes it a feasible solution for thousands of health care professionals treating millions of insulin users (who mainly have type 2 diabetes). It is designed to make insulin therapy more effective and avoid adding burden to an already over-burdened system of diabetes health care delivery.

Hygieia company homepage…

Press release: First Automated Insulin Dosage Titration System Demonstrates Positive Results in Clinical Study, Says Hygieia, Inc…

Article source: http://medgadget.com/2012/05/hygieias-digs-automatic-insulin-titration-device-shows-promise-company-talks-to-medgadget.html

Innovation is a major imperative for companies and governments worldwide. But post-downturn we can?t solely rely on the tried-and-tested formula which has sustained innovation efforts in the West for decades: highly structured RD processes that result in expensive top-down projects. Instead, how can we do more for less, while serving broader markets?

One solution is for the West to look to places like India, Brazil and China for a new, flexible approach to innovation ? to the activities of individuals like Dr. Mohan, a resourceful innovator in Chennai, India, who has created a highly frugal and effective solution to a major public health problem. Or Harish Hande from Bangalore, India, whose Solar Electric Light Company (SELCO) offers affordable, sustainable lighting solutions for those who live outside the electricity grid.

Despite their remarkable work, such individuals are not an exception. Emerging markets are teeming with frugal and flexible innovators like these. In the nearly four years that my co-authors and I have been researching the phenomenon of jugaad (a Hindi term that roughly translates as ?overcoming harsh constraints by improvising an effective solution using limited resources?), we have encountered hundreds of entrepreneurs in resource-constrained circumstances worldwide who have innovated in areas as diverse as health care, education, financial services, energy and entertainment.

The self-expanding diabetes clinic

India has the dubious distinction of being the diabetes capital of the world. In many cases, rural patients don?t know what diabetes is, let alone that they may be suffering from it. Even when they do know, the lack of good rural health care means travelling to distant cities and taking time away from work to get the necessary medical attention. Given that 70% of India?s 1.2 billion people live in villages, this situation has all the makings of a public health disaster.

Enter Dr. Mohan, Director of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and Chairman of Dr. Mohan?s Diabetes Specialities Centre in Chennai, capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Deeply concerned about the consequences of a looming public health crisis, and aware of India?s socioeconomic realities, Mohan engaged in a frugal and flexible piece of thinking: what if physicians could remotely consult patients without either group having to travel?

After much trial and error, he brought to life a mobile clinic, housed in a satellite-enabled van, which visits some of the remotest parts of Tamil Nadu and links urban doctors to rural patients and community health workers. The van has telemedicine technologies to conduct diagnostic tests and transmit them via satellite even from areas too remote for internet connectivity. From their offices in Chennai, Dr. Mohan and colleagues can see and communicate remotely, in real time, with rural patients through video monitors, while tests such as retinal scans are transmitted within seconds for immediate evaluation.

To avoid straining the frugal business model, improvisations were made such as partnering with the Indian Space Research Organization to obtain free satellite communications for his telemedicine service, and recruiting young volunteers from small towns to run most of the operations in the mobile clinic. Already Dr. Mohan and colleagues have screened more than 50,000 people across over 40 villages in Tamil Nadu and provided treatment to thousands of patients.

Here comes the sun

Providing lighting to rural homes in India is also a challenge. Over 40% of India?s population live outside the electricity grid and many have to rely on kerosene lamps for lighting. Kerosene is expensive and not always available, and produces a poor quality of light and unhealthy fumes.

Harish Hande saw this problem as a potential opportunity for jugaad innovation. In 1995, he founded SELCO to provide affordable solar energy to India?s rural poor. To do so, he had to rethink how he financed his business, priced his services, and distributed and maintained his solution.

He started with $30 seed money. Banks were hesitant to lend and venture capitalists deemed his unproven business model too risky to invest in. So Hande bootstrapped SELCO: he used the $30 to buy his first solar home lighting system, which he then sold. With the revenues, he purchased additional systems, which he also sold, and so on.

As Hande penetrated deeper into rural areas, he learned that his potential customers ? many of whom earned $1 to $2 a day ? could not afford the up-front costs of buying and installing his solar lighting systems, and there was no economical way to maintain them across multiple villages. His solution was to create a rural network of small-scale entrepreneurs who own and maintain the solar panels and batteries, and rent them out to consumers on a pay-per-use basis.

This business model made SELCO?s solution affordable and accessible to scores of rural customers, including corner-shops, small-scale farmers and women working from home. It also created an incentive for local entrepreneurs to distribute and maintain the equipment over time. Within a few years, 125,000 households have already taken up the solar lighting system.

A universal solution to universal challenges

The fruits of jugaad innovation include the $2000 Tata Nano car, $50 Aakash tablet PC, 1 cent/minute mobile phone calls, £500 electrocardiography (ECG) machines (and $1 ECG scans), $25 water purifier, $70 fridge that runs on batteries, and so on.

In the course of our research we learned that the entrepreneurial spirit of jugaad is not limited to India. It is widely practised in Argentina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, and other emerging economies. Brazilians call it gambiarra; the Chinese, zizhu chuangxin; and the Kenyans, jua kali.

A resource-constrained and unpredictable environment makes frugal and flexible innovation necessary, even vital. Jugaad innovators have a mindset that encapsulates several attitudes and practices, including the ability to seek opportunity in adversity, do more with less, think and act flexibly, keep things simple, include the margin, and follow the heart. Specifically, jugaad entrepreneurs are resilient, frugal, adaptable, inclusive, empathetic and passionate. All these traits help them to compete and succeed in the complex world of emerging markets.

But the jugaad mindset, and the innovations that result from it, not only hold promise for the poor in emerging markets. Increasingly, such a frugal and flexible approach has relevance to Western economies that are reeling under the pressures of economic recession and  budget constraints.

Unsurprisingly, we have found that many Western firms, faced with resource constraints of their own, and recognising the limits of the expensive, rigid and insular structured approach to innovation, have begun to apply jugaad and its principles within their organisations. For example, GE has applied jugaad to develop radically affordable ECG machines not only for India and China, but also for the USA and Europe; other firms applying jugaad include 3M, GM, PepsiCo, PG and Renault-Nissan.

Yet, while jugaad offers an interesting and useful counterpoint to more structured approaches to innovation, it isn?t necessarily a substitute for the latter. Rather, jugaad can be an effective complement. For instance, as in the example of Dr Mohan, although his jugaad approach has been successful in delivering diabetes care in an affordable and effective way for some people, it has yet to achieve scale. Scaling the solution will probably require a more systematic application of resources around the basic model he has developed.

In summary, for firms and governments around the world struggling to deal with scarcity and complexity, our research suggests that jugaad and the emerging markets it comes from offer a solution not only in the developing world but also in the increasingly resource-constrained and complex West. Innovators like Dr. Mohan and Harish Hande, and their relentless pursuit of frugal and flexible solutions, could be just the thing the world needs to grow without depleting the planet?s resources.

Provided by

University of Cambridge

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Article source: http://phys.org/news/2012-05-frugal.html

Rachael Pearson, Ph.D. and her lovely daughter

Retinal degeneration is a leading cause of blindness. Patients with age related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetes-associated blindness have few treatment options as their vision slowly slips away. A possible solution could use photoreceptor cells transplanted into the degenerating retina to restore vision. But, until now, no evidence has existed that this approach could work.

In a study published in Nature, researchers at University College London (UCL) were able to transplant immature rod photoreceptor cells, those cells responsible for vision in poor light settings, from young mice into adult mice that lacked these crucial cells. In 4-6 weeks, these transplanted cells made the necessary brain connections required to transmit visual information. Through an impressive series of vision tests, including a dimly lit maze, the animals’ vision was significantly improved. This study indicates that a new type of therapeutic strategy may be successful in treating blindness. This group is now pursuing multiple strategies that can be translated into human therapies, including using stem cells.

Is photoreceptor transplantation the answer?

We spoke with the impressive Dr. Rachael Pearson, a neuroscientist at UCL and first author on the current study. A video of Rachael speaking about her research can be found here. She was kind enough to share with us her perspective on research, the peaks and valleys of doing a PhD, and how to address reviewer comments with a newborn.

Can you tell us a little about your background? How did you choose UCL for your PhD and then postdoc?

I grew up in the countryside East of England. My interest in neuroscience began when I attended Oxford University (Hertford College) to read Physiology. After deciding to study in London for my PhD, I chose UCL, which has an excellent reputation for neuroscience. I was lucky enough to have a choice of PhD positions and decided to carry out my research with Professor Peter Mobbs (now retired), looking at the role of neurotransmitters in early retinal development.

I must confess that my choice of PhD subject was perhaps less directed than it should have been, based on the still important factor that my potential supervisor seemed like a good guy to work for. Fortunately, not only is he a good guy, but I was very lucky to get two supervisors for the price of one. Professor David Attwell, FRS, an outstanding neuroscientist, shared labs with Professor Mobbs and provided additional mentorship.

I will confess to having the odd doubt about my desire to stay in science somewhere in that low point that hits so many of us somewhere in the middle of our PhDs. However, as also so often happens, things really took off in the final year and I decided to stay on for another year as a post-doc. This proved to be a good decision as I left with a clutch of first author papers in J. Neuroscience and Neuron. Although I would probably have been happy to move away from UCL at this point, an MRC-funded post-doctoral position came up with Professor Jane Sowden and Professor Robin Ali, looking at the potential for photoreceptor transplantation in the treatment of retinal degeneration. It interested me, in part, because they wanted someone with experience of the retina and development, but particularly because it offered me the chance to use my expertise in a highly translational project.

We published our first paper on this work in Nature in 2006, which left me in an excellent position from which to apply for a fellowship. I was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, which lasts 5 years in the first instance, in 2007. This is a fantastic scheme, giving you the security and time to begin building an independent career. My fellowship will end in 2013 (I have taken time out to have my two daughters).

How long did this study take?

The first paper (MacLaren Pearson et al., Nature, 2006) demonstrated proof of principle that photoreceptors could be transplanted into an adult, degenerating eye. It took another 5 years to improve the technique to a level sufficient to begin to test if these cells could actually restore vision in the recipient.

What do you think have been the key challenges for photoreceptor cell transplantation?

One of the first key steps was to realize that the developmental stage of the donor cell is critical to its ability to actually get into the recipient retina and turn into the right cell type (photoreceptor). Rather than transplanting stem cells or mature photoreceptors, they have to be at a particular stage of maturation, called a photoreceptor precursor. After that, it is essentially as simple as getting enough cells in. The amount of vision restored appears to be closely linked to the number of functioning photoreceptors you can transplant (that then correctly wire-up within the recipient retina).

What’s the next step in your studies?

Cones are definitely a priority. For this strategy to be taken forward clinically we will have to be able to transplant cones. We have demonstrated the first proof of principle for this (Lakowski et al., H.M.G., 2010) but as with rods in the beginning, the numbers we can transplant are very low so we now need to optimize things all over again for cones. Hopefully though, now that we have been through it once with rods, it won’t take us another 5 years!

There are several other challenges including generating equivalents of the precursor cell from stem cell populations (as it is ethically and practically difficult to get these cells from human donor sources) and determining if we can treat severely degenerate retinas.

Realistically, how far away is this therapy from clinical trials?

It’s really difficult to say, as there are many challenges ahead. I think we would hope to know within the next 5-10 years if this strategy is a realistic clinical possibility.

What’s next for you? Will you stay at UCL for the foreseeable future?

I am very much enjoying working at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and I am lucky to be part of a great team with Robin Ali and Jane Sowden. We are beginning to build a critical mass of expertise and I really think the programme is going places. Hopefully UCL agrees, as my fellowship ends next year!