GPs asked to review 1.5 million patients most at risk from coronavirus – Pulse

GPs should review 1.5 million patients identified by NHS England as the most vulnerable to the coronavirus (Covid-19).

NHS England will send a standard letter to these patients asking them to stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for at least 12 weeks.

GPs will be able to access a report on which patients will be contacted with specific advice from today - with NHS England directing GPs to review the list and provide additional support to patients.

The patients, who are at'thehighest risk of severe illness that would require hospitalisation from coronavirus', include those who have had an organ transplant; people with specific cancers; people with severe respiratory conditions; people with rare diseases; people onimmunosuppression therapies; and pregnant women with significant heart disease.

NHS England said in a letter to GPs: 'We ask that you review this report for accuracy and, where any of these patients have dementia, a learning disability or autism, that you provide appropriate additional support to them to ensure they continue receiving access to care.'

GPs can identify the patients contacted by NHS England through an 'at high risk' indicator code that has been applied to each patient record by the practice's clinical system supplier.

'Your supplier will inform you of the code they have used, which should be treated as temporary until a definitive list of Covid-19 "at risk" SNOMED codes is released,' NHS England said.

'Your GP System supplier will also provide a report that will list those patients that have been centrally identified as being at high risk. You should have this by 23 March.'

But NHS England said central datasets were 'not sophisticated enough to identify all categories of patients who should be included in the vulnerable groups list' and it was therefore calling on GPs and specialist consultants to help identify patients who may have been missed.

The letter said: 'We appreciate this is a complex task requiring difficult judgements, and we ask for your help, as the GP central to the care of these patients, in achieving this.'

In a separate letter, England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty asked GPs to add to the list of most vulnerable patients using their 'clinical judgement'.

The letter said: 'You may know of specific additional patients in your practice who you think are particularly high risk.

'On the other hand there are a limited number of people that we can shield effectively or for whom this highly socially isolating measure would be proportionate on health grounds; many patients who fulfil the criteria may after discussion with you prefer not to be placed under such strict isolation for what will be a prolonged period.'

1. Solid organ transplant recipients

2. People with specific cancers

People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer

People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment

People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer

People having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors.

People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs.

3. People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD

4. People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell disease)

5. People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection

6. People who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired

Source:NHS England

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GPs asked to review 1.5 million patients most at risk from coronavirus - Pulse

Why soap can kill coronavirus and how its discovery changed human history – The Irish Times

It probably began with an accident thousands of years ago. According to one legend, rain washed the fat and ash from frequent animal sacrifices into a nearby river, where they formed a lather with a remarkable ability to clean skin and clothes. Perhaps the inspiration had a vegetal origin in the frothy solutions produced by boiling or mashing certain plants. However it happened, the ancient discovery of soap altered human history. Although our ancestors could not have foreseen it, soap would ultimately become one of our most effective defenses against invisible pathogens.

People typically think of soap as gentle and soothing, but from the perspective of microorganisms, it is often extremely destructive. A drop of ordinary soap diluted in water is sufficient to rupture and kill many types of bacteria and viruses, including the new coronavirus that is currently circling the globe. The secret to soaps impressive might is its hybrid structure.

Soap is made of pin-shaped molecules, each of which has a hydrophilic head ? it readily bonds with water ? and a hydrophobic tail, which shuns water and prefers to link up with oils and fats. These molecules, when suspended in water, alternately float about as solitary units, interact with other molecules in the solution and assemble themselves into little bubbles called micelles, with heads pointing outward and tails tucked inside.

Some bacteria and viruses have lipid membranes that resemble double-layered micelles with two bands of hydrophobic tails sandwiched between two rings of hydrophilic heads. These membranes are studded with important proteins that allow viruses to infect cells and perform vital tasks that keep bacteria alive. Pathogens wrapped in lipid membranes include coronaviruses, HIV, the viruses that cause hepatitis B and C, herpes, Ebola, Zika, dengue, and numerous bacteria that attack the intestines and respiratory tract.

When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. The hydrophobic tails of the free-floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge themselves into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses, prying them apart.

They act like crowbars and destabilize the whole system, said professor Pall Thordarson, acting head of chemistry at the University of New South Wales. Essential proteins spill from the ruptured membranes into the surrounding water, killing the bacteria and rendering the viruses useless.

In tandem, some soap molecules disrupt the chemical bonds that allow bacteria, viruses and grime to stick to surfaces, lifting them off the skin. Micelles can also form around particles of dirt and fragments of viruses and bacteria, suspending them in floating cages. When you rinse your hands, all the microorganisms that have been damaged, trapped and killed by soap molecules are washed away.

On the whole, hand sanitisers are not as reliable as soap. Sanitisers with at least 60 per cent ethanol do act similarly, defeating bacteria and viruses by destabilising their lipid membranes. But they cannot easily remove microorganisms from the skin. There are also viruses that do not depend on lipid membranes to infect cells, as well as bacteria that protect their delicate membranes with sturdy shields of protein and sugar. Examples include bacteria that can cause meningitis, pneumonia, diarrhea and skin infections, as well as the hepatitis A virus, poliovirus, rhinoviruses and adenoviruses (frequent causes of the common cold).

These more resilient microbes are generally less susceptible to the chemical onslaught of ethanol and soap. But vigorous scrubbing with soap and water can still expunge these microbes from the skin, which is partly why hand-washing is more effective than sanitiser. Alcohol-based sanitiser is a good backup when soap and water are not accessible.

In an age of robotic surgery and gene therapy, it is all the more wondrous that a bit of soap in water, an ancient and fundamentally unaltered recipe, remains one of our most valuable medical interventions. Throughout the course of a day, we pick up all sorts of viruses and microorganisms from the objects and people in the environment. When we absentmindedly touch our eyes, nose and mouth a habit, one study suggests, that recurs as often as every 2 1/2 minutes we offer potentially dangerous microbes a portal to our internal organs.

As a foundation of everyday hygiene, hand-washing was broadly adopted relatively recently. In the 1840s Dr Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician, discovered that if doctors washed their hands, far fewer women died after childbirth. At the time, microbes were not widely recognised as vectors of disease, and many doctors ridiculed the notion that a lack of personal cleanliness could be responsible for their patients deaths. Ostracised by his colleagues, Semmelweis was eventually committed to an asylum, where he was severely beaten by guards and died from infected wounds.

Florence Nightingale, the English nurse and statistician, also promoted handwashing in the mid-1800s, but it was not until the 1980s that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the worlds first nationally endorsed hand hygiene guidelines.

Washing with soap and water is one of the key public health practices that can significantly slow the rate of a pandemic and limit the number of infections, preventing a disastrous overburdening of hospitals and clinics. But the technique works only if everyone washes their hands frequently and thoroughly: Work up a good lather, scrub your palms and the back of your hands, interlace your fingers, rub your fingertips against your palms, and twist a soapy fist around your thumbs.

Or as the Canadian health officer Bonnie Henry said recently, Wash your hands like youve been chopping jalapenos and you need to change your contacts. Even people who are relatively young and healthy should regularly wash their hands, especially during a pandemic, because they can spread the disease to those who are more vulnerable.

Soap is more than a personal protectant; when used properly, it becomes part of a communal safety net. At the molecular level, soap works by breaking things apart, but at the level of society, it helps hold everything together. Remember this the next time you have the impulse to bypass the sink: Other peoples lives are in your hands. New York Times

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Why soap can kill coronavirus and how its discovery changed human history - The Irish Times

Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market worth USD 278.98 Billion by 2026; Increasing Demand for Pharmaceutical Products Will Aid…

Pune, March 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global contract development and manufacturing organization market size is projected to reach USD 278.98 billion by the end of 2026. Mergers and acquisitions are a growing trend among major companies across the world. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled "Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Service {By CMO (API, Finished Product {Solid Dosage Forms, Injectables, and Others}, and Packaging)} {By CRO (Discovery, Preclinical, Clinical Trial, and Laboratory Services)} and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026," the market was worth USD 130.80 billion in 2018 and will exhibit a CAGR of 10.0% during the forecast period, 2019-2026.

For more information in the analysis of this report, visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/contract-development-and-manufacturing-organization-cdmo-outsourcing-market-102502

Report Overview:

The contract development and manufacturing organization market is segmented on the basis of factors such as service and geographies. The report provides forecast values for the market for the period of 2019-2026. The factual figures have been obtained through trusted sources. Moreover, these predictions are made on the basis of extensive research analysis methods, coupled with the opinions of experienced market research professionals. The report highlights the latest product launches and labels major innovations in the market. In addition to this, it states the impact of these products on the growth of the market. The competitive landscape has been discussed in detail and predictions are made with respect to leading companies and products in the coming years.

Product Overview:

A contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) helps healthcare companies for the development of drugs. It is involved in the overall process, right from the clinical trials till the commercialization and distribution of the drugs. The complexities in therapies and lack of in-house manufacturing capabilities will have a positive impact on the growth of the market in the coming years. The high investment in CDMOs will bode well for the overall market in the coming years. Moreover, the increasing number of strategic mergers and collaborations will contribute to the growth of the market. The use of advanced technologies in drug development processes will emerge in favor of the companies operating in the market.

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Recipharm AB Introduces New Fully Integrated Service Platform

Accounting to the huge potential held by CDMOs, several companies are looking to invest more in the development of newer products. The huge investments have yielded a few exceptional products in recent years. In May 2019, Recipharm AB announced the launch of a fully integrated service platform for inhalation products. This will include the early stages of the products including the pre-clinical trials to the commercialization of the products. Recipharm's latest product will generate huge sales and subsequently high revenues for the company. This will not just benefit the company, but will have a positive impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years.

Asia Pacific to Register Highest CAGR; Increasing Company Collaborations Will Aid Growth of the Regional Market

The report analyses the ongoing CDMO market trends across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these regions, the market in Asia Pacific will register the highest CAGR in the coming years driven by the increasing number of company collaborations and mergers in several countries across the world. The market in North America is projected to emerge dominant in the coming years, owing to the presence of several well-established companies. As of 2018, the market in North America was worth USD 48.72 billion in 2018 and this value is projected to increase further in the coming years.

List of key companies profiled in theCDMO Market Research Report are report:

Industry Developments:

February 2019: Jubilant Biosys collaborated with Sanofi to develop small molecule inhibitors for in the CNS therapeutic area.

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Detailed Table of Content:

1. Introduction 1.1. Research Scope 1.2. Market Segmentation 1.3. Research Methodology 1.4. Definitions and Assumptions2. Executive Summary3. Market Dynamics 3.1. Market Trends 3.2. Market Drivers 3.3. Market Restraints 3.4. Market Opportunities4. Key Insights 4.1. Key Industry Developments (Mergers, Acquisitions, & Partnerships,) 4.2. The Regulatory Scenario for key countries/Regions 4.3. Key Market Trends 4.4. Key Services Mapping by Leading Players5. Global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 5.1. Key Findings / Summary 5.2. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Service 5.2.1. CMO 5.2.1.1. API Manufacturing 5.2.1.2. Finished Product Manufacturing 5.2.1.2.1. Solid Dosage Forms 5.2.1.2.2. Injectables 5.2.1.2.3. Others (Semisolids/liquids, Powder) 5.2.1.3. Packaging 5.2.2. CRO 5.2.2.1. Discovery 5.2.2.2. Preclinical 5.2.2.3. Clinical 5.2.2.4. Laboratory Services5.3. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region 5.3.1. North America 5.3.2. Europe 5.3.3. Asia Pacific 5.3.4. Rest of the World

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Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market worth USD 278.98 Billion by 2026; Increasing Demand for Pharmaceutical Products Will Aid...

Coronavirus weekend update: Plans outlined to prepare hospitals for surge in patients – Mountain View Voice

Santa Clara County is working with local hospitals to prepare for an expected surge in coronavirus patients, county Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center CEO Paul Lorenz said at a press conference on Sunday.

Lorenz said there are approximately 2,500 hospital beds in the county. Roughly 400 of the beds are dedicated to pediatric care and 350 are for critical care, 75% to 80% of which are currently occupied. Approximately 290 additional beds can be converted to an "ICU level of care," he said.

"If in fact the demand goes beyond our capacity, we are working with the county emergency operations center to come up with a communitywide search plan," he said. "That plan would include looking at all 2,100 adult beds that we can equip and staff for critically ill patients."

Lorenz added that "less acute patients" could then be taken to alternative facilities in the county to free up room at hospitals.

The county is also looking to hire more health care workers and is bringing retired employees back into the workforce. The county can reach out to the state and federal governments for additional staff should that be necessary, Lorenz said.

"We need to have the surge capacity in place as quickly as possible," he said. "We are moving as rapidly as we can. ... All of the hospitals in this county have prepared their own surge capacity plans, and that allows those facilities to ramp up their own facilities beyond what they're currently staffed at.

"I think the most important variable in all of this is to maintain our health care workforce and to grow that workforce ... and the ability for us to equip those hospital beds with ventilators and other necessary equipment. We are also moving very rapidly with the county EOC, the state and the federal government to make sure we have those items in place as quickly as possible."

He said the community has been "really helpful" in following the directions of local health officials, adding that local emergency rooms are now seeing a "much lower volume." Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 is being asked to call their health care provider or 211 before going to urgent care or an emergency room.

"We were not expecting to have the results so quickly of the emergency rooms not being crowded because people are actually taking those steps, and that's really critical," Chavez said. "We want to make sure we have beds for people who are in the highest need."

Chavez provided another piece of good news: Community members have donated thousands of masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment for health care workers amid a national shortage of such items. The Valley Medical Center Foundation is continuing to collect monetary donations online and protective equipment, which can be dropped off beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, March 23, at the foundation's office on the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus, 2400 Clove Drive in San Jose.

Masks and gloves that aren't hospital grade are also needed for local food bank workers, she noted.

Chavez also encouraged those who are healthy and want to volunteer to deliver meals to sign up at siliconvalleystrong.org.

Access a recording of the press conference here.

Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County reported two more deaths and 39 new infections as a result of the coronavirus on Sunday afternoon, bringing the total number of cases to 302.

Chavez said in a press conference Sunday that the ninth and 10th recorded deaths in the county were women in their 60s and 40s, respectively. Both women died Saturday, March 21. The woman in her 40s was hospitalized Monday, March 16, according to the county. Further information was not provided.

Officials also announced in a press release Sunday that Santa Clara County Director of Communications and Public Affairs Maria Leticia Gmez has tested positive for COVID-19.

She became ill on March 13 and received her positive test result on Sunday, March 22.

Gmez agreed to share her health status publicly, according to the press release. She has been isolated at home since March 13.

"The county has instructed all employees, including those who have been in contact with Ms. Gmez, that they should not go to work if they show any symptoms of illness," the county said. "We are also notifying all members of the county workforce with whom Ms. Gmez may have had contact while contagious that they may have been exposed."

Of Santa Clara County's COVID-19 cases, 108 people are hospitalized; 77 are presumed to have been community transmitted; 75 are close contacts of known cases; 22 are associated with international travel; and 10 people have died, according to the county's public health department.

On Saturday, the county reported 67 new cases of coronavirus, which marked the biggest jump in cases in one day for the county.

"This increased case count is not unexpected given community transmission, an increase in provider reporting, and growing testing capacity through the commercial market," according to a county press release.

San Mateo County

As of Sunday morning, March 22, San Mateo County announced seven new COVID-19 cases, bringing its county total to 117, and one death.

Parking restrictions near Windy Hill Preserve

Portola Valley Town Manager Jeremy Dennis issued an emergency order on Sunday that prohibits parking adjacent to the entrances to Windy Hill Preserve's trails on Portola and Alpine roads and Willowbrook Drive, according to a Sunday afternoon email sent out to residents by Mayor Jeff Aalfs.

"Our experiences (including reports from many of you) over the last two days at Windy Hill indicate that not only are some of the trails incompatible with social distancing, the use of our streets for parking and trail entry is creating unsafe conditions as well," Aalfs wrote.

The order will be enforced beginning Monday, March 23, "until the County Order is lifted," he said. There will be increased signage in the affected areas.

Windy Hill, a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District preserve, is among several local spots that have seen an uptick in visitors in recent days. The National Park Service announced in a tweet Saturday night that it would close multiple gates at Point Reyes National Seashore beginning Sunday, March 22, "after unprecedented visitation."

The open space district reaffirmed Friday, March 20, that its preserves and trails are open to the public with new health and safety measures in place, including: restrooms are closed; areas with high use will be intermittently closed without notice to promote safe social distancing; group gathering areas are closed; and group activities are suspended.

Aalfs noted in his email that town staff "has been in touch with San Mateo and Santa Clara County officials, MROSD officials, the Sheriff's Office, and others in discussion about the use of open space facilities during the current shelter in place crisis," but did not specify whether further measures are being considered at this time.

SAFE farmers market

For three weeks beginning Thursday, March 26, the SAFE (Sanitary Allocation of Food Essentials) Portola Valley Farmers Market will operate from 2 to 6 p.m. at the site of the usual Thursday farmers market, 765 Portola Road, according to an email from the town Sunday.

The market will be pre-order only with drive-thru pickup. Food will be prepacked, and households will be limited to five bags per order. The deadline for all orders will be 7 p.m. the Wednesday before the market, and products for the following week's market will become available online at noon every Friday.

The market will also offer special delivery for residents of the Sequoias retirement community and those in vulnerable populations.

For more information or to pre-order, visit the SAFE Portola Valley Market website.

Menlo Park-based lab to process coronavirus tests from new Hayward center

A partnership with a Menlo Park genetics laboratory firm will allow Hayward to open a dedicated center offering free COVID-19 coronavirus testing on Monday, March 23.

The COVID-19 testing center at the city's fire station at 28270 Huntwood Ave. can handle up to 370 tests a day, "But we don't expect it to get that high," said city spokesman Chuck Finnie.

Tests are intended for those displaying symptoms, first responders, and health care workers with recent suspected exposures to the novel coronavirus.

The intent is "to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, provide quicker answers for recently exposed first responders and health care workers, and to enhance the region's capacity to suppress new transmissions through isolation after testing," the city said in an announcement Sunday.

"We don't want the wondering and the worried to come they need to stay home," Finnie said. "We want sick people to come."

He added, "It's not a test people are going to want to take unless they have to. It's not pleasant."

The test involves swabbing of nasal cavities and the back of the throat.

Hayward Fire Department firefighter-paramedics will staff the center, with assistance from ambulance company emergency-medical technicians.

"No referral from a medical doctor is required to be screened," the city said.

The center will operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and is free and open to "anyone regardless of where they live or immigration status," according to the announcement.

"We know it's going to be chaotic on the first day," Finnie said.

People will first undergo a two-part screening for illness, which includes fever, cough and/or shortness of breath, and/or other respiratory symptoms.

At an initial drive-up station, people will be asked about symptoms, then either be cleared to leave or sent to a walk-up tent to be screened for illness.

The city has appropriated funding for the center with the hope of reimbursement from county and state public health agencies.

The center is made possible through a city partnership with Menlo Park-based Avellino Lab USA Inc., a company that specializes in "gene therapy and molecular diagnostics with a focus in precision medicine for eye care."

The laboratory will analyze the tests and "Results can be available in as little as six hours or the next day in most cases."

Finnie said Avellino is a civic-minded company that is supplying the tests "at a very, very good price" and is also looking for similar partnerships with other jurisdictions to open additional centers.

He said officials from Fremont were assessing the Hayward center on Sunday.

Menlo fire begins pandemic response unit

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District now has a Pandemic Emergency Response Unit staffed by a two-person team. The unit is tasked with taking calls of suspected COVID-19 cases, according to a press release issued Saturday.

The district recently received seven calls of suspected COVID-19 in one day and expects to see that number go up.

Staff assigned to the unit will utilize the "highest level of Emergency Medical Services" and personal protective equipment. The district said they will aim to minimize contact with whoever may have COVID-19 while on a call to decrease possible exposure to the disease.

They will also be responsible for decontaminating each scene they visit and fire apparatus used on the call to prevent traces of the virus on equipment, clothing and/or the apparatus as outlined by district guidelines.

"We believe that by raising the bar on our personal protective clothing and by putting this new special response unit in place, we can slow or help to hopefully more effectively stop its spread," Chief Harold Schapelhouman said in the press release.

Some fire district personnel have volunteered to serve on the unit, he said.

"The number of our off-duty firefighters grew again today, as yet another Menlo Park Firefighter, the seventh, was home sick and scheduled for testing.

"At some point, we know one of our firefighters will contract COVID-19," Schapelhouman added, "most are not in the risk categories and all are extremely healthy and fit based upon the daily expectations of our profession, but our collective goal is to delay, or stop, spread for as long as possible."

Increasing health care capacity

To create more space at hospitals, Santa Clara County has teamed up with the U.S. Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response to establish a temporary Federal Medical Station at the Santa Clara Convention Center to accommodate up to 250 people, according to a statement issued Saturday. The station will be managed by the federal office to serve patients in need of short-term, subacute care and do not have COVID-19. It will be equipped with beds, supplies and medicines, according to the county.

The station, being developed with federal, state and local agencies, is expected to help make more acute hospital beds available.

Chavez said Sunday that the county is considering other sites besides the convention center for coronavirus response efforts but didn't offer any specific details.

The state can also increase capacity at clinics, mobile health care units and adult day care facilities as part of its COVID-19 response under an executive order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday. In addition, local governments are allowed to work with retired employees in addressing the public health crisis. The order also "reinforces the importance of the delivery of food, medicine and emergency supplies," according to a press release from the governor's office. To read a copy of the order, visit gov.ca.gov.

Reporting violations and fraud

On Saturday, Santa Clara County announced an updated resource for the public to report nonessential businesses they see operating in violation of the shelter-at-home order, which was issued on Tuesday and will last through April 7.

The public can notify the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office of such breaches at a new phone number, 408-792-2300. Callers can leave a voicemail in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice is encouraging people to report suspected fraud schemes related to the coronavirus by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721 or by sending an email to disaster@leo.gov. So far there have been reports of individuals and businesses selling fake cures for COVID-19 online; phishing emails from entities posing as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; malicious websites and apps that appear to share virus-related information to gain and lock access to devices until payment is received; and people seeking donations for illegitimate or nonexistent charities, according to the department.

Shelter at home orders

Last week started off with the announcement of a shelter-at-home order for most of the Bay Area and ended with a similar mandate extending throughout the state, actions taken in response to the growing coronavirus crisis.

On Monday, March 16, public health leaders from six Bay Area counties joined together to announce the shelter-at-home order for their respective jurisdictions. The measure limits the public to essential activities, such as health care operations; businesses that provide food, shelter and social services; and other necessities.

The state followed suit through its own order announced Thursday night by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who pointed to more than 1,030 confirmed cases and 18 deaths across California as factors in the decision.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula's response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.

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Coronavirus weekend update: Plans outlined to prepare hospitals for surge in patients - Mountain View Voice

The Answer to the Coronavirus Is More Abortion? – Townhall

The Abortion Lobby has taken political operative Rahm Emanuels infamous advice to heart: You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before. In some unprecedented power grabs, abortion advocates are using the crisis of the coronavirus to infiltrate the medical profession and taxpayer resources with political overreach that attempts to make the business of abortion the one thing in America that doesnt come to a halt.

Overreach #1: Pretending that abortion is healthcare, an essential service. The abortion industry has argued that in light of the need to prioritize essential and nonessential care for Covid-19 sufferers and the public at large, abortion must be considered a vital procedure.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists made a public statement calling for uninterrupted abortions as an essential component of comprehensive health care. It was a view that the abortionists lobby, the National Abortion Federation, shared in spades, saying, During this public health crisis, pregnancy care, including abortion care, remains an essential health service Abortion is provided for almost one in five pregnancies in the United States, as part of the continuum of pregnancy care. A continuum that ends in death, if the abolitionist gets a fee.

Some states initially determined that abortion needed to be prioritized, such as in Massachusetts and New York, but that is changing in some locations.

In Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost ordered abortion vendors to stop the abortion surgeries though in the same timeframe The Womens Med Center of Dayton and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio told the Dayton Daily News that they will remain open.

Meera Shah, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood in the New York City suburbs of Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland told Buzzfeed that they wouldnt close, saying, Pregnancy-related care, especially abortion care, is essential and life-affirming.

Seriously? Far from an essential service, abortion is not a treatment curing pregnancy. Prioritizing ending life in the name of a life-ending virus is heartless in the extreme.

Overreach #2:Trying to coerce more healthcare workers to end life. ACOG advises, Community-based and hospital-based clinicians should consider collaboration to ensure abortion access is not compromised during this time."

Talking with the Huffington Post, the Very Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, president of the National Abortion Federation, echoed the desire to address what the abortion-supporting think tank the Guttmacher Institute calls a shortage of clinicians who can provide sexual and reproductive health services.

One or two people unable to show up can make the difference between a clinic being able to function or not, she said, arguing for more physicians to join in a business that ends life to replace any abortionists who cant work.

This pitch comes as abortionist shortages exist nationwide not because of a virus, but because real healthcare professionals dont want to kill preborn babies through abortion.

Overreach #3: Urging Americans to stock up on birth control so that when the quarantine is over, we dont welcome new life. Planned Parenthood lectures Americans about not using their alone time to result in a Coronavirus Baby Boom. Dont worry, says the Associated Press, Family planning providers around the country are taking steps to help prevent a boom in pregnancies due to coronavirus self-isolation.

We remain committed to delivering compassionate, non-judgmental reproductive and sexual health care to all who need it while we take proactive measures to stay as far ahead of COVID-19 as possible," said Meagan Gallagher, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, to the AP.

But its pretty judgmental to lecture people that new life will be unwelcome.

Overreach #4:Insinuating that without human organs from aborted infants, there will be a delay in treatment for coronavirus sufferers.

This kind of heartlessness strikes at the fear that treatment could be delayed without opening up another profit center for abortion vendors the sale of human remains, the broken bodies of aborted infants. The Washington Post, in a recent report, noted the complaints of a researcher who wanted infant remains, despite the fact that many cell lines are available for use and that successful treatments have come from ADULT stem cells, not aborted fetal cells.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute notes that fetal cells have not been used to create vaccines, such as needed today for Covid-19. Consider that the historical fact is that fresh aborted fetal tissue has never been used in vaccine production. The original Salk and Sabin polio vaccines used monkey tissue to grow virus. While there are a couple of historical cell lines that were grown from abortions in the 1960s, kept in cell culture, and used for some vaccines, even these cell lines are obsolete and no longer used for most vaccines today.

Overreach #5: Pressuring the FDAto reduce the medical standards for distributing life-ending abortion drugs, so that they can be handed out in ways known to harm women. Abortion drugs given to women later in pregnancy or experiencing an ectopic pregnancy have resulted in womens deaths, leading to regulations from the FDA that include a physical examination for womens safety.

But that hasnt stopped abortion vendors from trying to sell the pills on-line or pushing for reduced safety standards so they can make a buck faster.

Leading abortionist Dr. Daniel Grossman called telemedicine the perfect solution for women looking to terminate early pregnancies, according to Mother Jones unless you care about complications to hurting women, that is.

Overreach #6: Attempting to infiltrate the Covid-19 aid package with healthcare dollars that could be used for abortions. Faced with a nation fearing disastrous consequences from the coronavirus, what did abortion extremists in the U.S. House of Representatives do? Add healthcare dollars that could be used to pay for abortions. But President Trump and pro-life allies were able to win Hyde Amendment protections to keep the package focused on disaster relief not taxpayer funded abortion.

Overreach #7:Pretending that the pro-life policies of the Trump administration have harmed current life-saving efforts. The Guttmacher Institute, in detailing their complaints of the Covid-19 response, listed a number of policies, from limiting taxpayer funds from paying for abortions around the world (the Mexico City Policy) to changes in the Title X program that wont allow abortion vendors to market their services to women looking for family planning services. What do those things have to do with Covid-19? Nothing, but that doesnt stop the complaints.

In a recent fundraising appeal, Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) asked for donation as they told supporters, We are working tirelessly to ensure that everyone gets the care they need, and to advocate for policies that protect and expand our health and rights. A strange appeal at a time in which the life-saving care that people should be donating to for their actual health is taking place everywhere but in abortion facilities. But in a business marked by crass opportunism, what more do you expect.

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The Answer to the Coronavirus Is More Abortion? - Townhall

A New NK Cell-based Immunotherapy For Cancer Treatment – Health News Today

The immunotherapy uses the bodys immune cells or immune cells of a matched donor for the treatment of cancer and for some patients it yields good results in clinical trials.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that the effectiveness of immunotherapy depends on the age of immune cells. The natural killer (NK) cells, in their early development, are more effective and could be developed from human pluripotent stem cells without utilizing the cells from a matched donor or patient.

Detailed findings of this study are published in the journal Developmental Cell.

Research leader Christopher M. Sturgeon found that the effectiveness of natural killer cells is highly consistent and would not need cells from the patient or the donor. Researchers are working to increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy for cancer patients and revealed that these natural killer cells could be manufactured from the existing cell under strict guidelines and could be easily available for the patients whenever they need them.

Also read- Horrors of Coronavirus Pandemic Continue Killing 10,000 People Worldwide

Adult versions of natural killer cells originate from bone marrow and are used in investigational therapies while earlier natural killer cells form in the yolk sac of the early embryos of mammals. These earlier versions of NK cells are short-lived immune cells and can originate from human pluripotent stem cells for therapeutic purposes because these stem cells tend to produce different types of cells including NK cells.

Producing such cells from stem cells removes the time to utilize patients or donors cells and make it easily available for cancer patients.

Sturgeon found that in the early stage of embryo development, there is no bone marrow but still there is the production of blood. To keep the embryo alive, there is a brief supply of blood by the yolk sac until bone marrow starts the production of blood. These early blood cells seem to be capable of producing natural killer cells that adult blood cells cant produce.

Researchers tempted induced pluripotent stem cells of human and mouse to form specific natural killer cells and showed that these early versions of natural killer cells are better than adults ones in releasing anti-tumor chemicals through a process called degranulation.

The research team adds that adult version of natural killer cells provokes harmful inflammation by releasing different chemicals but unfortunately these chemicals are not helpful against cancer.

Also read- Loss of Smell (anosmia) is the New Sign of COVID-19, Doctors Say

In the past work by other research groups, the origin of natural killer cells was a question mark. These groups suggested that early versions of natural killer cells are more helpful against cancer but how and why they were effective was unknown.

But now the origin of these unique natural killer cells is known. Natural killer cells could be originated from existing pluripotent stem cells and unlike T cell therapies, NK cells dont harm healthy cells of body tissues. In case, if NK cells cause harm they do not stay longer in the body.

Sturgeon was interested to know the reason for their presence in the early embryo and assumed that during rapid cell division in the early embryo NK cells supervise the protection against infection or cancer. This study opens doors to manufacture early versions of NK cells from human pluripotent stem cells for clinical trials.

Original post:
A New NK Cell-based Immunotherapy For Cancer Treatment - Health News Today

Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Growth by Top Companies, Trends by Types and Application, Forecast to 2026 – Bandera County Courier

Verified Market Research recently published a research report titled, Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Study Report 2020. The research report is created based on historical and forecast data derived from researchers using primary and secondary methods. The Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment market is one of the fastest-growing markets and is expected to witness substantial growth in the forecast years. Reader are provided easy access to thorough analysis on the various aspects such as opportunities and restraints affecting the market. The report clearly explains the trajectory this market will take in the forecast years.

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Tags: Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Size, Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Trends, Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Forecast, Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Growth, Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Analysis

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Stem Cell Alopecia Treatment Market Growth by Top Companies, Trends by Types and Application, Forecast to 2026 - Bandera County Courier

AlloVir expands its research collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine | – University Business

AlloVir, a late-clinical stage T-cell immunotherapy company, today announced the expansion of its research and development collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine to include the discovery and development of allogeneic, off-the-shelf, virus specific T-cell therapies to combat SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. With AlloVirs proprietary technology, in addition to targeting SARS-CoV-2, the investigational virus specific T-cell therapy may also address other coronavirus (CoV) strains including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and also the endemic CoVs that commonly afflict immunocompromised patients. AlloVir aims to develop a therapy for CoVs that can be used as a stand-alone treatment or incorporated into the companys multi-respiratory virus investigational therapy, ALVR106, which is designed to address other devastating and life-threatening community-acquired respiratory viruses.

Given the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and risks to immunocompromised patients now and in the future, we believe it is our responsibility to leverage our scientific expertise and allocate resources for an allogeneic, off-the-shelf, coronavirus-specific T-cell program, said Ann Leen, Ph.D., AlloVir Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer, and Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Together with Baylor College of Medicine we have already advanced two highly innovative allogeneic, off-the-shelf, multi-virus specific T-cell investigational immunotherapies. We believe we can apply this same approach to develop a cell therapy to treat and prevent coronavirus infections and diseases in immunocompromised patients.

AlloVir and Baylor College of Medicine are leading the way in the clinical development of novel immunotherapies designed to restore natural T-cell immunity to fight off viral infections and diseases in immunocompromised patients, including recipients of stem cell and solid organ transplants, said Michael Dilling, Executive Director of Baylor Licensing Group within Baylor College of Medicine Ventures. Expanding upon this collaboration and technology platform to treat and possibly prevent other emerging life-threatening community-acquired virus infections and diseases is a natural extension of our partnership.

About AlloVirs Approach:

T cells are vital to the immune systems ability to detect and kill virus-infected cells. In healthy individuals, virus-specific T cells form a critical component of the bodys natural defense system and provide protection against thousands of disease-causing viruses.

However, these viruses can go unchecked in immunocompromised patients, such as those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), solid organ transplantation, and cancer treatment; in patients with HIV infection; and in the elderly. Typically, when viruses attack immunocompromised patients, standard of care therapies do not address the underlying problem of a weakened immune system and, therefore, many patients suffer with life-threatening outcomes such as multi-organ damage and failure, and even death.

AlloVir uses natural immune stimulant proteins called cytokines combined with non-harmful fragments of the virus to activate and expand naturally occurring cells against target viruses. These cells are then provided to immunocompromised patients in order to restore natural T-cell immunity to prevent and/or treat associated viral infections and diseases. AlloVir has developed a proprietary manufacturing process that allows for a bank of virus-specific T cells to be developed from a small number of carefully chosen, healthy, virus-immune, third-party donors. AlloVirs virus-specific T-cells therapies do not require exact immunological matching to patients, allowing hundreds of patients to be treated with virus-specific T-cells manufactured from a single donor. AlloVirs therapies can be stored in a frozen state and thus supplied rapidly and globally as an off-the-shelf therapy for patients suffering from, or at risk for, one or more viral infections and diseases.

About AlloVir

AlloVir, formerly ViraCyte, is an ElevateBio portfolio company that was founded in 2013 and is the leader in the development of novel cell therapies with a focus on restoring natural immunity against life-threatening viral diseases in patients with severely weakened immune systems. The companys technology platforms deliver commercially scalable solutions by leveraging off-the-shelf, allogeneic, multi-virus specific T cells targeting devastating viral pathogens for immunocompromised patients under viral attack. AlloVirs technology and manufacturing process enables the potential for the treatment and prevention of a spectrum of devastating viruses with each single allogeneic cell therapy.The company is advancing multiple mid- and late-stage clinical trials across its product portfolio.

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AlloVir expands its research collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine | - University Business

Cancer Care and COVID-19 in Seattle, the First US Epicenter – Medscape

Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.

Two months after the first patient with COVID-19 was identified in China, the first case was reported in the United States in the Seattle, Washington, metropolitan area.

Seattle rapidly became the first US epicenter for COVID-19, and local experts are now offering their expertise and advice on how to provide optimal cancer care during the pandemic in a special feature published online March 20 in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

"We began implementing measures in early March, including infection control and screening of visitors, staff, and patients at the door," said lead author Masumi Ueda, MD, who holds positions at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the University of Washington, and the Fred Hutchinson Research Center.

"A lot of changes have been implemented, and it changes on a daily basis. We are responding to the growing rate of COVID-19 infection in the community," she told Medscape Medical News.

Ueda notes that as a result of the quick implementation of new procedures, so far, very few cancer patients at their facilities have been infected by the virus. "It has not hit our cancer population hard, which is a good thing," she said.

In sharing their experience, the authors emphasize the importance of keeping channels of communication open between all stakeholders administrators and staff, patients, caregivers, and the general public. They also recommend that each facility create an "incident command structure" that can provide early coordination of institution-wide efforts and that can rapidly respond to changing information.

Ueda noted that their command structure was set up very early on, "so we could get communication set up and start building an infrastructure for response."

Several areas of care that required new strategies were addressed, both to protect patients and to work around staff shortages caused by possible exposure and/or school closings, as well as projected shortages of supplies and hospital resources.

First and foremost was to identify patients and visitors who had respiratory symptoms and to provide them with masks. Although this is always routine practice during the respiratory virus season, screening has now been initiated at entry points throughout the system.

"We were lucky in Seattle and Washington state in that the University of Washington virology lab developed PCR [polymerase chain reaction] testing early on for COVID-19, which subsequently got FDA approval," said Ueda. "So we were able to have local testing and didn't have to rely on the state lab. Testing has also been rapidly scaled up."

Initiating a comprehensive policy for testing staff, tracking results and exposures for persons under investigation, and defining when it is possible to return to work are essential elements for maintaining a stable workforce. In addition, reinforcing a strict "stay at home when ill" policy and providing access to testing for symptomatic staff have been key to limiting exposures.

"What is unique to our region is that we had testing early on, and we are turning it around in 24 hours," she pointed out. "This is important for staff to be able to return to work."

Currently, staff, patients, and visitors are being tested only if they show the cardinal symptoms associated with COVID-19: fever, shortness of breath, and cough, although muscle aches have recently been added to their testing protocol.

"I think if we had unlimited capacity, we might consider testing people who are asymptomatic," Ueda noted, "although if you don't have symptoms, you may not have the viral load needed for an accurate test."

Educational materials explaining infection control were also needed for patients and families, along with signs and a website to provide COVID-19 education. These were quickly developed.

In addition, a telephone triage line was established for patients with mild symptoms in order to minimize exposures in clinics and to lessen the number of patients presenting at emergency departments.

Because theirs is a referral center, many cancer patients come from out of town, and so there is concern about exposing nonlocal patients to COVID-19 as the virus spreads in the Seattle area. In addition, staffing shortages due to factors such as illness, exposure, and school closures are anticipated.

To address these problems, an initial priority was to establish a "multilayer" coverage system for the clinics in the event thatpractitioners had to be quarantined on short notice, the authors explain.

One decision was to reschedule all wellness visits for current patients or to use telemedicine. Capacity for that option expanded quickly, which was greatly helped by the recent decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to lift Medicare restrictions on the use of certain telemedicine services.

Another approach is to defer all consultations for second opinions for patients who were already undergoing treatment and to increase clinic hours of operations and capabilities for acute evaluations. This helps reserve emergency departments and hospital resources for patients who require higher-level care, the authors comment.

Treatment decisions were more challenging to make, the authors note.

One decision was that, despite the risk for COVID-19 for patients with solid tumors, adjuvant therapy with curative intent should proceed, they note. Similarly, patients with metastatic disease might lose the window of opportunity for treatment if it is delayed.

Treatment for aggressive hematologic malignancies is usually urgent, and stem cell transplant and cellular immunotherapies that provide curative treatmentscannot be delayed in many cases.

Enrollment in clinical trials will most likely be limited to those trials that are most likely to benefit the patient.

Ueda noted that, because their patients come from all over the country, they are now conducting consultations for stem cell transplant by telephone so that nonlocal patients do not have to travel to Seattle. "If there is some way we can delay the treatment, we have taken that approach," Ueda told Medscape Medical News. "If we can divert a patient to an area that is not as heavily affected, that's another option we are taking."

Although cancer surgery is not considered elective, surgical intervention needs to be prioritized, the authors comment. In the Seattle system, there is currently a 2-week ban on elective surgery in the healthcare system, owing to limited availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), staffing, and beds.

The oncology teams are currently reviewing treatment regimens to determine which treatments might lessen immunosuppression and which treatment options can be moved from the inpatient to the outpatient setting or can be delayed.

For hospitalized patients, several issues are being addressed. The priority is to prepare for an upcoming shortage of beds and resources because of the surge of patients with COVID-19 that is predicted.

For both clinic and hospitalized patients, shortages of blood products have necessitated stricter adherence to thresholds for transfusion, and consideration is being given to lowering those thresholds.

Another important problem is the need to conserve PPE, which includes masks, gowns, gloves, and other products. The Seattle teams have implemented solutions such as favoring handwashing with soap and water over the use of hand gel for standard-precaution rooms, limiting the number of personnel entering patient rooms (so as to use less PPE), and reducing nursing procedures that require PPE, such as measuring urine output, unless they are necessary.

In addition, a no-visitor policy has been adopted in inpatient units to conserve PPE, with the exception of end-of-life situations.

The future trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic is uncertain, Ueda commented.

She emphasized that "we must continue to prepare for its widespread impact. The unknown is what we are looking at. We are expecting it to evolve, and the number of infections cannot go down."

Ueda and coauthors end their article on a positive note. "To many of us, this has become the health care challenge of our generation, one that modern cancer therapy has never had to face. We will prevail, and when the pandemic ends, we will all be proud of what we did for our patients and each other in this critical moment for humanity."

J Natl Compr Canc Netw. Published online March20, 2020. Full text

For more from Medscape Oncology, follow us on Twitter: @MedscapeOnc.

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Cancer Care and COVID-19 in Seattle, the First US Epicenter - Medscape

Global Autologous Cell Therapy Market 2020-2024 | Evolving Opportunities with Bayer AG and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. | Technavio – Yahoo…

The global autologous cell therapy market is poised to grow by USD 1.97 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 22% during the forecast period. Request free sample pages

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Technavio has published a latest market research report titled Global Autologous Cell Therapy Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Autologous Cell Therapy Market Analysis Report by Therapy (Autologous stem cell therapy and Autologous cellular immunotherapies), Application (Oncology, Musculoskeletal disorders, and Dermatology), Geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and MEA), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024".

https://www.technavio.com/report/autologous-cell-therapy-market-industry-analysis

The market is driven by the increasing demand for effective drugs for cardiac and degenerative disorders. In addition, the limitations in traditional organ transplantations are fueling the demand for stem cell therapies. All these factors are anticipated to boost the growth of the autologous cell therapy market.

The demand for effective drugs for cardiac and degenerative disorders has been increasing across the world. In addition, the discovery of possible cardiac autologous cells has enabled vendors to develop novel drugs for the treatment of various cardiac diseases. For instance, Mesoblast is developing MPC-150-IM. It is a Phase III candidate for the treatment of advanced and end-stage chronic heart failure. Similarly, Shire has been developing autologous stem cell therapies for chronic myocardial ischemia. These products are expected to be launched during the forecast period and will have a positive impact on the growth of the global autologous cell therapy market.

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Major Five Autologous Cell Therapy Market Companies:

Bayer AG

Bayer AG operates its business through segments such as Pharmaceuticals, Crop Science, Consumer Health, and Animal Health. The company offers induced pluripotent stem cells. They are developed by reprogramming mature body cells to behave like embryonic stem cells that are injected to restore diseased tissue in patients.

Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. operates its business through an unified business segment. NurOwn is the key offering of the company. It is a cell therapy platform, which develops mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of human diseases such as immune and inflammatory diseases.

Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd.

Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. operates its business through segments such as Innovative Pharmaceuticals, Generic, Vaccine, and OTC Related. Heartcel is the key offering of the company. It is an immune-modulatory progenitor cell therapeutic agent, which is used for ischemic heart failure.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corp.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corp. operates its business through segments such as Imaging solutions, Healthcare and material solutions, and Document solutions. The company uses induced pluripotent stem cells to derive differentiated cells, which are used in researching various diseases and conditions.

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Holostem Terapie Avanzate Srl

Holostem Terapie Avanzate Srl operates its business through an unified business segment. Holoclar is the key offering of the company. It is an advanced therapy medicinal product containing stem cells indicated to repair the cornea after injury.

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Autologous Cell Therapy Market Therapy Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

Autologous Cell Therapy Market Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

Autologous Cell Therapy Market Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

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Related Reports on Healthcare Include:

Global Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics Market Global cancer stem cell therapy market by type (allogeneic stem cell transplant and autologous stem cell transplant) and geography (Asia, Europe, North America, and ROW).

Global Mantle Cell Lymphoma Therapeutics Market Global mantle cell lymphoma therapeutics market by product (combination therapy and monotherapy) and geography (Asia, Europe, North America, and ROW).

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