Stem Cell Clinic

Brooks Koepka not in the field at the WGC-HSBC Champions, status of his knee injury remains unclear – Golf Digest

Its unclear the extent of Brooks Koepkas knee injury, but its severe enough to keep him out of another PGA Tour event he originally had planned to play. The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world was not listed among those who will be competing at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China next week when the initial field was released on Friday.

Granted, it was a longshot that Koepka would make another flight back to Asia for the tournament after aggravating his left knee while slipping on wet concrete during the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges two weeks ago in South Korea. Doctors advised Koepka to return to the United States for further testing, so he withdrew from the CJ Cup after the second round and flew home to Florida. At that time, he also announced that he would miss this weeks Zozo Championship but left the WGC-HSBC up in the air.

Koepka underwent stem-cell treatment in August to repair a partially torn patella tendon in the left knee after finishing tied for third at the Tour Championship. He returned to compete in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, missing the cut after rounds of 70-71, and said prior to the CJ Cup, where he was the defending champion, that the knee felt good, although more stem-cell treatment might be in the offing.

RELATED: Brooks Koepka reveals painful treatment on knee'I was screaming'

Suffice to say, Koepkas status moving forward is a curiosity among many people not just part of the four-time major winners inner circle. None more so, perhaps, then U.S. Presidents Cup team captain Tiger Woods. Koepka was an automatic qualifier for the American team that will compete in December at Royal Melbourne. When asked prior to the Zozo Championship about Koepka, Woods said hed been in contact with him and was hopeful that hed be able to return in time to compete in Australia.

Were just waiting to see what the surgeons say and see what his protocols will be going forward. Thats something hell keep me abreast of going forward, Woods said. Hes getting other opinions about where his knee is and what his options are. I went through the same thing with my knee and my back. You want as many opinions as you can before you decide which road you want to go down.

Earlier in the week, Koepkas management team told multiple media outlets it had no more information about the injury.

Suffice it to say, Woods knows from bad knees after coming off surgery on his own left knee in August as well. Given that there are still more than six weeks until the competition, Woods sounded content to wait to see what might happen with time.

Theres no hurry, you are part of the team, Woods said he told Koepka. Now you have to figure out whats best for your career and your knee. If you decide you can play, great. If you cant, I totally understand and well cross that bridge when it comes.

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Brooks Koepka not in the field at the WGC-HSBC Champions, status of his knee injury remains unclear - Golf Digest

Mapi Announces First Patient Enrolled in the Phase III Clinical Trial of GA Depot for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS) – BioSpace

NESS ZIONA, Israel, Oct. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mapi Pharma Ltd. announced today that the first patient has been enrolled in its Phase III study with GA Depot for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). Glatiramer acetate, the active material of Copaxone, or its generic forms, is the most common treatment for RMS in the US. GA Depot is a long-acting depot formulation injection of glatiramer acetate administered once every four weeks, compared with the daily or thrice weekly regimen used with Copaxone or its generic forms. In first year of the ongoing Phase II trial for RRMS, 84.6% of the per protocol patient population treated with GA Depot achieved NEDA-3 (No Evidence of Disease Activity, a composite parameter that combines no relapses, no new MRI or enhanced lesions and no confirmed disability progressions). The most advanced patients in that trial have started their sixth year of treatment. Three-year Phase II results were recently presented in September 2019 in the late breaking news session of ECTRIMS 2019 conference at Stockholm.

"Treating RMS is of great importance and there is a significant unmet need for a product such as a long acting Glatiramer Acetate, which has disease modifying potential, and appears safe and well tolerated. The ability to achieve reliable dosing by means of a once monthly dose schedule is expected to ensure adherence to the treatment. We hope the efficacy that was demonstrated in the Phase II study can be confirmed in the on-going Phase III, said the studys Principal Investigator Aaron Miller, MD Medical Director, Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

Ehud Marom, CEO and Chairman of Mapi Pharma Ltd., commented, "Our goal is to develop and launch the best drug for MS, and we believe that GA Depot has a compelling profile, combining the safety of Copaxone with better efficacy and the potential for improved compliance. We believe that a product with these attributes will convince doctors, payers and MS patients to select it as a first choice treatment for RMS. Our GA Depot development program is part of Mapis broader strategy to introduce long acting depot injections and other new drugs that provide improved treatment for MS patients.

Mylan President, Rajiv Malik, added, Were pleased to partner with Mapi on this important product for MS patients and look forward to advancing to the Phase III clinical trials. We continue to be encouraged by the success of the scientific program to date and remain committed to bring GA Depot to market at the earliest opportunity.

Phase III Trial DesignThe prospective, multinational, multicenter, randomized, Phase III, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo controlled study is designed to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of GA Depot in subjects with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). A total of 960 subjects are planned to be randomized into this study to receive treatment with GA Depot or with matching placebo. During the placebo-controlled period (the first 52 weeks of the study immediately after randomization), subjects will receive either 40mg of GA Depot or matching placebo, via intramuscular injection (IM), once every 4 weeks for a total of 13 doses. Subjects who complete the initial placebo-controlled period will be given the option to continue into the open label period for an additional 52 weeks, in which all subjects will receive 40mg of GA Depot IM once every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint is annualized relapse rate (ARR) derived from the total number of confirmed relapses.

Link to Phase III in clinicaltrials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04121221

AboutGA DepotGA Depot is a long acting injection version of the approved Glatiramer Acetate (GA, commercially available as Copaxone), designed to be administered as an intramuscular injection once every four weeks. GA Depot is intended to be used for treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS), and is currently evaluated in a multinational Phase III clinical study. GA Depot is also currently being tested in Phase II for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

AboutMapi PharmaMapi is aclinical stagepharmaceutical company, engaged in the development of highbarrier-to-entry and highadded-value life cycle management (LCM) products that target large markets and generic drugs that include complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations. The GA Depotinjection, administeredonce every four weeks, isthe first in a series of depot long-acting injections in the companys pipeline,for the treatment of MS. The product isa LCM version of Copaxone, which requires injectionsdaily or everyotherday. Mapi Pharma partnered with Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ: MYL) for GA Depot in an agreement under which Mylan was granted an exclusive license to commercialize the GA Depot injection product for relapsing multiple sclerosis.Mapi is built on strong chemical and pharmaceutical R&D capabilities, a deep understanding of the global market and ofregulatory needs. Mapi is headquartered in Israel, withR&D facilities in Israel and China,an API production facility in theNeot-HovavEco Industrial Parkand an aseptic manufacturing and Fill & Finish for injectable Finished Dosage Form facility in Jerusalem. Mapi has a strong IP position, filing numerous patent applications for APIs and formulations. Mapi Pharma was founded by Ehud Marom who serves as Chairman & CEO of Mapi Pharma and Stem Cell Medicine and as the Chairman of Pharma Two B. For more information, please visit:www.mapi-pharma.com.

Contacts:Alex MogleVice President, Corporate DevelopmentMapi Pharma+972 52 6080297alex@mapi-pharma.com

Bob YedidManaging DirectorLifeSci Advisors, LLC646-597-6979bob@LifeSciAdvisors.com

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Mapi Announces First Patient Enrolled in the Phase III Clinical Trial of GA Depot for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS) - BioSpace

Baby dies from AML, the same cancer his identical twin has – TODAY

Nicole Duhaney couldnt believe her luck when she learned she was having identical twins.

I felt like had won the lottery, Duhaney, 21, told TODAY Parents. "It was the happiest surprise."

After being pregnant for what felt like an eternity, Duhaney and her boyfriend, Niles Liburd, finally welcomed sons Emre pronounced Em-ree" and Elijah on Dec. 23, 2018.

Our life seemed perfect, the mom from Huddersfield, England, said.

But just three weeks later, Elijah developed a lump on his cheek, and both babies developed colds they couldnt seem to kick. Suddenly, they were projectile vomiting.

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At just 4 months old, Emre and Elijah were both diagnosed with childhood acute myeloid leukemia. The disease, also known as AML, is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes a large number of abnormal white blood cells, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Myeloid leukemia is the second most common pediatric blood cancer, but it's still relatively rare. In the United States there are roughly 500 children a year between the ages of 0 and 14 that are diagnosed with AML, according to Dr. Richard Aplenc, a physician-scientist within the Division of Oncology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Aplenc said it is not surprising that Emre and Elijah were diagnosed at the same time.

"If the twins are identical, then they share the same placenta and the same blood supply, so that leukemic cell goes to the other twin," Aplenc explained. "We know that if leukemia is diagnosed before a year or so, there is 100 percent chance that the other twin will develop it."

Tragically, 10-month-old Elijah passed away at home in Tuesday. Doctors allowed Emre, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, to leave the hospital so he could say goodbye to his brother.

The love they had for each other was just unbreakable, Duhaney noted. "They didn't like to be separated."

She recalled how Elijah pulled his brother in for a kiss after a recent stem cell transplant.

Elijah was beautiful. Every person he met, he touched their heart," Duhaney said. There were times when I cried and he rubbed my tears away. I wish God took me instead of him.

As Duhaney and Liburd, 26, make funeral arrangements a GoFundMe has been set up to help the couple with expenses they are finding comfort in knowing Elijah took his final breaths at home.

He spent six months of his life in a hospital, Duhaney told TODAY Parents. His final night he was where he wanted to be, with the people who loved him him the most.

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Baby dies from AML, the same cancer his identical twin has - TODAY

Heartbreaking story of leukaemia ‘guinea pig’ children confined to isolation rooms – Mirror Online

Every day ended the same way. Alan Corley kissed his father good night through a pane of glass, then retreated to his hospital bed clinging to his Mr Happy toy for comfort.

Diagnosed with leukaemia when he was five years old, Alan was confined to a cell like isolation room at Westminster Childrens Hospital as the slightest cold or infection could prove fatal.

Dad Andy even had to put on a gown, face mask, and rubber gloves before he could enter. Alans one other friend was the little boy in the next isolation room. That boy was Anthony Nolan.

Despite a global hunt for a bone marrow donor to cure Anthonys rare genetic condition, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, he died on October 21, 1979. He was seven-years-old.

His mum Shirleys tireless efforts to save him led to the creation of the bone marrow donor register and the Anthony Nolan charity.

It has since found matching donors for more than 16,000 people in need of a stem cell transplant, many of them kids with leukaemia like Alan.

Neither Alan or Anthony were expected to survive, yet Alan was lucky.

After being a guinea pig for high doses of chemo and radiotherapy he recovered. Alan, 46, from Barrow in Suffolk, says: I recently realised what a key figure Anthony was in my life.

I spent six months in that hospital and much of that time, he was the only person I could see. We would talk and play card games like Twist through the glass. When I was well enough to move to my local hospital, Anthony was alive.

I went back to Westminster a few months later for bone marrow tests. I went to see Anthony, but he wasnt there. He had passed away.

That happened all the time. My dad would see children running around the ward one day, the next he would see a four-foot body bag in the hall.

Alan was diagnosed with leukaemia after struggling to shake off flu in September 1978 and being sent for blood tests. It was 18 months before he was well enough to return to school.

He was admitted to the hospital in St Albans, where his family then lived and given a lifesaving blood transfusion before being transferred to Westminster.

Doctors feared the worst when chemotherapy and radiation treatment failed.

Alan says: One morning my dad came down and saw I was out of isolation. The doctors said, We dont think he will be here by the end of the week, so we have allowed him out to play with the rest of the children. That evening all my family came, preparing to say goodbye.

However, the doctors decided to give me a second round of treatment, much more aggressive than the first. I was given horrific volumes of chemotherapy to see if my body could take it. We were guinea pigs on that ward, because we had no other hope.

Thankfully it worked, so Alan did not need a transplant. A few months after Alan was diagnosed, his younger sister Angela was born and found to be a match. Had his treatment been unsuccessful she would have been his bone marrow donor.

By the time Alan arrived on the ward, Anthony had been in and out of Westminster Childrens Hospital for six years.

His mum had brought him to England from Australia in the hope of finding a bone marrow donor to cure his otherwise fatal blood disease.

At the time there was no donor register and Britain was in the midst of a recession. NHS cutbacks meant the search soon ground to a halt, leaving Shirley to find funds and volunteers to collect and test samples to see if potential donors were a match.

Shirleys pioneering work, charted in her book A Kiss Through Glass, led to the creation of the first bone marrow donor register in 1974.

Alan says: My dad and Shirley spent a lot of time with each other. Theyd go for a drink occasionally trying to get a bit of normality and hit the refresh button ready to be back next day.

But there were some good times. My dad made pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Shirley asked if he would make some for Anthony, then the nurses asked him to make some more.

So my dad used the tiny stove in my room to make pancakes for the entire ward, including the nurses.

Comic actor Roy Kinnear, best known for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the hit show That Was The Week That Was, regularly visited the ward where his daughter Karina was being treated for cerebral palsy and delighted the children with his jokes.

Forty years later Alan still has his treasured Mr Happy toy which kept him company in his isolation room.

He also has two miracle daughters, Francesca, 20, and Philippa, 17, despite being told the radiation he was blasted with would leave him infertile. Both are ardent Anthony Nolan supporters.

Andy suffers with severe back pain as chemicals injected into his spine caused several vertebrae to crumble. Hes also battled high blood pressure .

Despite this, he hopes to climb to Everest Base Camp in April next year with his brother-in-law and father-in-law and has been training with gruelling treks.

Alan, a manager at Royal Mail, says: Everything we went through has helped so many children. Im lucky to be here and I just want to make the most of my life. That is why I hope to climb Everest to raise money and awareness for Anthony Nolan.

Many know of the charity and its vital work, but dont understand where it came from. They dont remember the little boy who went through so much.

Anthonys life may have been short, but had incredible impact. Thousands have been given a second chance of life. What a legacy.

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Heartbreaking story of leukaemia 'guinea pig' children confined to isolation rooms - Mirror Online