Latest news with #IVM
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pa. Rep. aims to make highly debated COVID-19 drug available over-the-counter
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A Pennsylvania Representative is looking to make an anti-parasite medication into an over-the-counter drug. Ivermectin, also known by its brand names 'Soolanra,' 'Sklice' or 'Stromectol,' is sold as an anti-parasite drug that can treat infections caused by roundworms, threadworms and other parasites. Currently, a prescription is needed in order to obtain the drug, something that Rep. Jacob Banta (R-Erie) is looking to change. Banta argued in his new legislation that Ivermectin is a 'very safe drug that has been used by millions of people worldwide.' The drug won a Nobel Prize in 2015 for its role in treating parasitic diseases, however, Banta also noted that the drug has been explored to treat other illnesses such as COVID-19. According to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the use of Ivermectin has not been authorized or approved for the prevention of COVID-19 in humans or animals. The administration added that the currently available clinical trial data do not demonstrate that Ivermectin is effective against COVID-19 in humans. Banta's legislation noted that the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported Ivermectin is among several 'potential drugs explored for its therapeutic and preventative role' in COVID-19. However, in a study from 2024, the NIH noted that Ivermectin 'did not have an effect in reducing the risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19.' 'IVM (Ivermectin) did not increase the risk of PCR negative conversion, LOS, viral clearance, admission to ICU, symptoms resolved, discharge from hospital, hospitalization due to progression or SAEs,' The NIH study reads. 'Subgroup analysis based on different controls showed that IVM did not have an effect on reducing all-cause mortality rates in patients with COVID-19.' The bill argued that in India, Ivermectin prophylaxis was taken by 76 controls and 41 cases, with it being reported that the drug was associated with a 73% reduction of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers for the following month, however, it is unclear in the legislation where the statistics were reported from. 'Personally, I'd like to report that my Eighty-five-year-old Mother was admitted to the hospital with Covid symptoms and made a complete recovery in just four days of administering Ivermectin in 2020,' Banta wrote. The Representative ended his legislation by noting that Arkansas and Idaho have already passed legislation for over-the-counter Ivermectin sales. The bill was introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and has now been referred to the Health Committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hindu
03-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
IVF is expensive. Can recent cost-cutting technologies make a difference?
The year was 2004, the date was August 4, when our article, 'Inside the tube and closer to nature', was published as a letter to the editor, in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine, online. The founder-editor of the journal was the late Robert Edwards, Nobel prize winner in physiology and more famously known for being a pioneer in the field of IVF (in vitro fertilisation), credited for the birth of the world's first test tube baby. The article spoke of our experience with performing tubal procedures in IVF and their efficacy in successful pregnancy rates. The concept being: retrieval and transfer of the female oocytes into the ampullary portion of the fallopian tube, in its natural environment. Either these oocytes were loaded with sperms, or an intrauterine insemination was performed so that the sperms swam naturally towards their destination to fertilise with the oocyte. The concept of performing this was to reliably place gametes in their natural environment to enable fertilisation. Mimicking nature is the intention of IVF, be it temperature control or the well-fortified culture media used and their growth periodically monitored in CO2 incubators. Now, tubal procedures have become obsolete. Advances in cell culture methods and the expense of anaesthesia and it being a laparoscopic procedure, sealed their fate. Cutting costs in conventional IVF But then again, we feel the urge to cut costs in conventional IVF. This compels us to research techniques that could possibly reduce the number of injections that are taken by women, known as controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, to yield more than just a few mature follicles in their ovaries. When these follicles, which are monitored by ultrasounds on alternate days, reach a mature size, we surgically aspirate them to retrieve oocytes. The first method of cost cutting was to either perform a natural cycle IVF, or use minimal stimulation protocols with a combination of more tablets than injections. Depending on the individual's age, diagnosis and ovarian reserve, stimulation protocols are tailor-made for their needs. The other method, which is not new in the market is, invitro maturation of oocytes (IVM). In this method, we retrieve oocytes from follicles that are not fully mature (1.4 x 1.4 cm) and culture them in media, to which are added specific proportions of follicle-stimulating and luteinising hormones along with serum-derived protein and growth factors. This method cut short nearly half the cost of injections and also reduced risks of a potential complication called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. (OHSS). However, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine only recently, in 2021, declared it as non-experimental and its usage around the globe is much lower in comparison to conventional IVF. The reason being, lower success rates. Also, there is a learning curve in lab preparations for this process and it does remain challenging for regular use. New learnings The same year as IVM was gaining popularity as the new kid on the block, I was doing my Master's in clinical embryology (2004-2006) at the Jones Institute of Reproductive Medicine in Virginia, U.S.. For my final thesis, I decided to perform in vitro maturation on a select group of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) patients who were ideal, as they required more injections, and so were also at risk of OHSS. However, I soon realised the nuances of culturing immature oocytes outside of the body not only depended on stringent culture conditions but also the basic quality of oocytes. PCOS patients are a tricky group where quality is concerned. I had to abandon my research and convert it to a literature review instead. Recently, a U.S.-based biotechnology company that works in reproductive health Gameto, grabbed headlines, with the introduction of 'Fertilo', which utilised ovarian support cells derived from stem cells, to literally recreate the ovarian environment, in vitro. These ovarian support cells are derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (HIPSC) that overexpress a variety of transcription and growth factors. Not only that, they behave like the nourishing granulosa cells that respond to exogenous hormones and feed the oocyte in vivo. So instead of supplementing the hormones as discussed earlier, the ovarian stem cells formed the elixir in culture in which immature oocytes were incubated for 30 hours, following which a maturity check was performed and fertilisation was enabled by conventional methods such as IVF and ICSI. To test safety and efficacy, 20 patients were recruited. Once cleared, the remaining 20 patients were randomised to two groups, one using fertile and the other using conventional IVM. The success rates projected as maturation rate, ongoing pregnancies and live births is double in the Fertilo group in comparison to the IVM group. The bias in the study however, is that the population was less than 37 years old and also had normal ovarian reserves. The success of this remains to be seen in a variety of diagnoses like older women, PCOS patients, those with low ovarian reserves etc. In this subset of patients, the current refined stimulation protocols have actually yielded much better results than a decade ago, including a reduction in OHSS. Proceeding with caution There are many factors that need to be considered before plucking a gamete out of its natural environment and subjecting it to in vitro conditions. The oocyte maturation process requires an intact meiotic spindle, proper nuclear maturation whereby there is resumption of meiosis (cell reduction division) and cytoplasmic maturation that enables accumulation of growth factors, leading to normal fertilisation and growth in vitro. Apart from these processes, disruption of epigenetic events from maternally expressed genes could result in poor integrity of embryos post fertilisation. In conclusion, newer culture methods and research methodologies that cut costs and complications are most welcome; however, elaborate multicentre studies and a follow-up of the pregnancies and births are required to ensure that results are on par, or better than conventional and time-tested IVF methods. The real test of IVF is not merely pregnancy rates, but how well the babies are doing 20 years into the future. (Dr. Priya Selvaraj is Director, GG Hospital, Fertility Research and Women's Specialty Centre, Chennai. She can be reached at drpriya@
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US government hit with major setback after judge rules on contentious land management plan: 'You can't go in there and just do clear cuts'
Conservation groups in Southern Oregon are celebrating a win. A judge has approved a previous ruling against the Bureau of Land Management's plans for the region that would allow illegal logging in old-growth forests, according to Jefferson Public Radio. The Integrated Vegetation Management Plan proposed logging up to 4,000 acres of mature and old-growth forests per year. As KS Wild noted, conservation groups argued that the IVM project would also cut the public out of the planning process for where tree removal would take place and the sale of the timber. Old-growth forests offer a number of benefits to ecosystems. They're one of the few places where topsoil is created and not destroyed. They also retain carbon and nitrogen, improving air and water quality. The nonprofit KS Wild was one group fighting against the IVM project with community support since 2020. In April 2022, former President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for an inventory of mature and old-growth forests across the United States to support reforestation efforts. The Bureau of Land Management surveyed more than 600,000 old-growth forests and more than 1 million mature forests in Oregon alone. In June 2022, a group of conservation coalitions in Southern Oregon, led by KS Wild, notified the Bureau of Land Management that they intended to sue over the IVM project. Concerned neighbors submitted more than 800 comments to the BLM. Conservationists got their day in court in April 2024 when a magistrate judge ruled in their favor against the BLM. The ruling was approved in early April by a U.S. District Court judge. KS Wild conservation director George Sexton spoke to Jefferson Public Radio about the ruling, saying the BLM should focus less on timber production. "You can do small diameter fuels treatments," Sexton said. "You can do restoration thinning, but you can't go in there and just do clear cuts that are primarily designed to produce timber volume." KS Wild announced its win on Facebook. One user commented on the post that she's proud to support the organization. "Thank you for your vigilance, intelligence and talent in getting so much accomplished," she posted. KS Wild responded, thanking her for her support. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
WIRED
07-04-2025
- Health
- WIRED
An IVF Alternative Could Make Having Babies Less Onerous
Apr 7, 2025 8:16 AM Startup Gameto has developed a technique for maturing eggs outside the body that's showing promise at helping patients get pregnant with fewer hormone treatments. Photograph:More and more people are turning to in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to have babies. The process can be arduous, requiring injections of costly hormones twice a day for two weeks to mature eggs so that they can be retrieved from the body. New York startup Gameto is aiming to ease this burden for patients by maturing eggs outside the body instead. The company's method replaces 80 percent of the hormone injections needed for traditional IVF, shortening the length of a treatment cycle to a few days. It's showing promise at generating healthy embryos and pregnancies, according to new data released by the company. Maturing eggs in a lab instead of in the ovaries isn't a new idea. In vitro maturation, or IVM, emerged in the 1990s, but the technique isn't widely used because it has lower success rates than IVF. During IVM, eggs are extracted and grown in a special concoction of nutrients and growth factors. With Gameto's approach, eggs are ripened with ovarian 'support' cells derived from stem cells. In a preprint posted online, Gameto showed that its product, dubbed Fertilo, led to higher pregnancy rates than conventional IVM. In the first part of the study, an initial 20 patients received Fertilo to evaluate the safety of the technique. In the second part, 20 more patients were randomized to receive either Fertilio or IVM. Eggs matured with Fertilo were more likely to develop normally, with a 70 percent maturation rate compared to 52 percent using standard IVM. When these eggs were then fertilized with sperm, Fertilo resulted in more viable embryos and a higher pregnancy rate—44 percent of patients in the Fertilo group got pregnant after one treatment cycle, while 20 percent who underwent IVM did. To date, the study has led to 15 ongoing pregnancies, 13 from Fertilo treatment and two from IVM. One patient in the Fertilo group became pregnant naturally after egg retrieval and was not included in the final analysis. The study, which was carried out in Mexico and Peru, has not yet been peer-reviewed. 'The idea of Fertilo is to bring a patient-centric solution, one that is truly empowering and makes it a lot easier for people to build a family,' says Dina Radenkovic, Gameto's CEO and founder. Radenkovic actually tested Gameto's technology on her own eggs—not to get pregnant, but to see how well Fertilo did at maturing them. The ovaries naturally produce one mature egg a month until menopause. In an IVF cycle, patients self-inject high doses of hormones for 10 to 14 days to spur their ovaries into producing many of them. The shots cause mood swings, headaches, bloating, and, in rare cases, a painful and potentially serious condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. In the US, stimulation meds range between $4,000 and $7,000 per treatment cycle, which can amount to a third of the total cost of IVF. And many patients need a few cycles to get pregnant. With Gameto's method, patients take an initial two to three days of hormones, then undergo egg retrieval. The eggs are incubated with ovarian support cells for about 30 hours. Gameto has developed a way to engineer these specialized reproductive cells from stem cells. 'We're able to utilize these cells to recreate the ovary outside the body,' says Christian Kramme, Gameto's chief scientific officer. By reducing the amount of drugs and time to egg retrieval, Gameto is aiming to make it easier for patients to freeze their eggs and have babies. The approach has led to one live birth in Peru, announced in December. A second woman in Peru who received Fertilo is expected to give birth in late April or early May. What patients might really want to know, though, is how Fertilo stacks up against standard IVF. That question wasn't addressed in Gameto's study, and it's hard to make a head-to-head comparison. IVF success rates vary widely depending on the patient's age and their ovarian reserve, meaning the number and quality of eggs remaining in the ovaries. Live birth rates can be as high as 50 percent for patients under 35 years old, but that number declines with age. Gameto's study included patients under the age of 37 with a high ovarian reserve, which may in part explain the success rate. David Sable, a life sciences investor and former reproductive endocrinologist, says Gameto's technique looks promising, but it's hard to draw any definitive conclusions with such a small sample size. 'The question is, are they developing a better version of an inferior process, or are they developing something that really can compete with what we're doing now with IVF?' he says. Gameto will try to answer that question in a large Phase 3 trial it just launched in the US. In that trial, the company will study Fertilo's efficacy in several hundred patients. It's unlikely that Fertilo would be better than standard IVF—which uses the body's own ovaries as the ultimate incubator—but it might not have to be for some patients to see it as a viable alternative. Radenkovic says Gameto's approach might be especially attractive for younger patients looking to freeze their eggs. Patients hoping to have a baby immediately are more willing to deal with drug side effects and multiple doctor's appointments, she reasons. But those banking their eggs as an insurance policy for the future may be less willing to undergo a disruptive procedure with a lengthy hormone regimen. Patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, might also benefit from a less invasive version of IVF. People with PCOS tend to be more sensitive to IVF hormones and are at higher risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. Daniel Williams, medical director of the Reproductive Fertility Center in the Los Angeles area, says reducing the medications involved in IVF could bring costs down for patients. 'The reason you need alternatives is because cost is still a major barrier for fertility treatment,' he says. 'If you can find ways to decrease the cost, you open access to patients that may not be able to do it.' The Reproductive Fertility Center is one of Gameto's US trial sites. Fertilo has been approved for use in Australia, Japan, Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico, and Peru. Radenkovic says the company hasn't yet settled on pricing in those places, and ultimately, the final cost of the procedure will be set by fertility clinics. Gameto is expecting 20 more births this year from across Latin America and Australia as a result of Fertilo. If it's successful enough, the tech could eventually be more widely adopted. 'This could be the new and more modern way of doing fertility care,' Radenkovic says.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hilbert Group Announces Launch of Platform for Trading of Tokenized Equities and Popular Pre-IPO Shares Such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Antrophic
STOCKHOLM, SE / / February 7, 2025 / Hilbert Group (STO:HILB-B)(FRA:999) The new platform is announced in partnership with leading crypto companies CoinTelegraph, and Hilbert Group AB (Nasdaq:HILB B), together with its subsidiary and partners CoinTelegraph and and , are aiming to revolutionize Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization on-chain in a fully compliant fashion. What this means is that people will be able to buy and sell tokenized equities and popular pre-IPO stocks, such as SpaceX and OpenAI, using crypto - in a decentralized manner. This enables fractional ownership and increased liquidity for previously restricted investment opportunities. Hilbert Group introduces A360 (A as in asset) which is the world's first crypto protocol designed for fully compliant on-chain spot trading of real-world equities and pre-IPO shares. In short, A360 is bridging real-world assets to decentralized finance. The new platform's growth will be accelerated by 's large user base of 7 million visits per month. A link to the A360 website including the whitepaper, can be found here . A key building block in the platform is Galactica 's Identity Virtual Machine (IVM), a cutting edge Web3 identity and compliance framework that ensures end-to-end legal adherence without compromising security or privacy. In other words, Galactica's technology retains privacy while offering fully regulated on-chain transactions. Barnali Biswal, Hilbert Group CEO, comments "Tokenization of RWAs is the fastest growing area within crypto right now. It removes many of the inefficiencies around trading, settlement and audit etc. intrinsic to traditional finance rails. There is a reason Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, recently commented that tokenization could be 100x bigger than Bitcoin and why Boston Consulting Group estimates that the market value of tokenized assets could reach $16 trillion by 2030. We see many new potential revenue streams in these RWA solutions, bridging Web3 and Traditional Finance which is extremely exciting. We will provide more information about this project in the weeks to come." Mike Sarvodaya, Co-founder and CEO of Galactica comments: "We are absolutely thrilled to build this platform together with Hilbert Group and revolutionize how tokenized real-world assets will be transacted on-chain, in a regulatory compliant way". About is the world's largest independent crypto media company that covers a broad range of services, including news reporting, research, accelerator programs and event hosting in digital asset space. About: is a market infrastructure company in digital asset space with a lot of experience in the issuing and sales of cryptocurrencies via its launchpad function. The company's board includes some of the most well-known people in the crypto space globally. About: is a pioneering blockchain platform that has developed world leading technology in terms of digital identity, regulatory compliance, and privacy in decentralized finance/Web 3. About Us Hilbert group is a quantitative investment company specializing in algorithmic trading strategies in digital asset markets. Hilbert Group is a Swedish public company and is committed to providing operational infrastructure, risk management and corporate governance that meets the ever-increasing demands of institutional investors. Hilbert Group is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market (ticker HILB B) with Redeye AB as Certified Adviser. For more information, visit: Attachments Hilbert Group Announces Launch of Platform for Trading of Tokenized Equities and Popular Pre-IPO Shares Such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Antrophic SOURCE: Hilbert Group View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
