Conversations with Giants in Medicine - Dr. Eugene Braunwald

In a new video installment of Conversations with Giants in Medicine, interviewer Ushma Neil with the Journal of Clinical Investigation speaks with Dr. Eugene Braunwald from Harvard Medical School about his life and career. Dr. Braunwald, who has often been called the "Father of Modern Cardiology," spent an "idylic childhood" in Austria until the arrival of the Nazis and the outbreak of World War II forced his family to flee first to London, and then to America with "only the shirts on their backs." Despite this experience, he notes that he doesn't consider himself to be a child of the Holocaust. "I came close to a cliff," he says. "But never went over the cliff."

In New York, Dr. Braunwald attended Brooklyn Tech, where he initially leaned towards engineering but at the last minute decided to pursue medicine. He explains the shift:

"I think there was a push and a pull. I think the push was that there were a lot of courses in shop, and drafting which I was not really very good at. I did well in mathematics and physics but not in the manual courses which of course weren't really necessary for engineering but that's the way the school was designed. So I became uncomfortable about that. And then I thought that [engineering] was quite impersonal. And so those are the two things that [drove me to medicine]."

"But when I went to medical school," he continues, "I had an early interest in cardiology because cardiologists were either electricians or plumbers - either electrical engineers or mechanical engineers. So cardiology is the closest thing in medicine to engineering."

Dr. Braunwald goes on to discuss how he came to land as the Chairman of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

John Bonfiglio, president and CEO of Orgenics Inc., explains lantibiotics and probiotics

In a recent video, Orgenics Inc.’s President and CEO John Bonfiglio explains various biotech products and projects that his company is undertaking.

He says he joined Orgenics over a year and a half ago because he saw the company as a “rough gem” in the world of biotech.

He states,

“Here’s a company that had a pipeline full of very exciting and interesting products—potentially blockbuster products—in the area of antibiotics and probiotics. I felt that my expertise in the areas of developing drugs and in marketing products would lend itself to this company in a great fashion and produce a great deal of value for shareholders and potential customers.”

Bonfiglio lists off lantibiotics—a class of antibiotics for the use of resistant forms of diseases—and probiotics as two projects that Orgenics is working on. He says that the company is developing lantibiotics for use against antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, for example, alongside Intexon Corp., which is owned by Randal J. Kirk.

“The technology that we’re using will help us produce large quantities of these lantibiotics, which can be used to treat diseases in many different countries around the world and many different disease states,” he says.

Bonfiglio explains that “probiotics are defined as giving a dose of a living organism to a person in a quantity that will allow it to elicit some sort of beneficial effect.” He says that Orgenics has developed Probior 3, which is a mixture of three different strains of bacteria that are specifically designed to work on the mouth instead of the stomach. He states that the probiotic area has a huge opportunity in developing countries where people do not have access to toothbrushes or tooth paste, and not everyone brushes their teeth.

He explains the concept behind this probiotic:

“The idea behind this is that in any human there is about 850 different species of bacteria. A lot of them are very bad players that can cause gum disease and tooth decay. The reason why they don’t cause more damage is because there are beneficial bacteria that actually help to keep those bacteria in check. The idea behind Probior 3 is to actually overwhelm the mouth with these beneficial bacteria and displace the bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gum disease overtime.”

Bonfiglio says that the probiotics can be easily distributed worldwide, and that the lantibiotics and probiotics are being sold in the United States as a food supplement to whiten teeth and improve breath and general oral health.

Watch the full video below.

Bonfiglio worked as the president, CEO and director for Transdel Pharmaceuticals Inc. He also worked as the president and CEO of Argos Therapeutics in Durham, NC, as well as the CEO of The Immune Response Corporation in Carlsbad, Calif. He was also the CEO of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals and held senior management positions with Cypress Biosciences, Baxter Healthcare and Allergan Inc.

Journal of Clinical Investigation: A Conversation with Paul Marks by Ushma Neil

Paul Marks is recognized as a leader in the cancer field and as a world-class scientist, clinician, and administrator. He served as president and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) between 1980 and 1999 after serving as the dean (1970–1973) and vice president for Medical Sciences (1973–1980) of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S).

Marks led the discovery, testing, and recent approval of SAHA (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid), the treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. SAHA and other histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are now undergoing trials for a broad array of cancers.

The Journal of Clinical Investigation is a top-tier venue for critical advances in biomedical research. The JCI has a 2011 Impact Factor of 13.069 and a 5-year Impact Factor of 15.430, placing it second in the category of Medicine, Research and Experimental. This along with free access to all of its research articles makes the JCI a prestigious, high-impact venue for authors seeking the broadest audience for their most important work.

The journal is headed by Editor in Chief Dr. Howard Rockman and an Editorial Board of peer scientists at Duke University Medical Center, the University of North Carolina, Duke-NUS, and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute whose depth and experience ensure fair and competent peer review.

Ushma S. Neill obtained her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University studying pulmonary mechanics and used her Marshall Sherfield Postdoctoral Fellowship at Imperial College, London, to study vascular permeability. After 2 years as an editor at Nature Medicine, she joined the JCI in March 2003 as Executive Editor. In May 2012, Ushma became Director of the Office of the President of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Journal of Clinical Investigation: A Conversation with Francis Collins by Ushma Neil

Ushma Neil of the Journal of Clinical Investigation continues her Conversations with Giants in Medicine with Francis Collins, a scientist who needs little introduction to the biomedical community. After getting his PhD in Physical Chemistry at Yale, and his medical degree at the University of North Carolina, Collins zeroed in on genetics as his area of concentration, and is noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes, and later his leadership of the International Human Genome Project, which culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human genome. Since August 2009, Collins has served as the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world.

The Journal of Clinical Investigation is a top-tier venue for critical advances in biomedical research. The JCI has a 2011 Impact Factor of 13.069 and a 5-year Impact Factor of 15.430, placing it second in the category of Medicine, Research and Experimental. This along with free access to all of its research articles makes the JCI a prestigious, high-impact venue for authors seeking the broadest audience for their most important work.

The journal is headed by Editor in Chief Dr. Howard Rockman and an Editorial Board of peer scientists at Duke University Medical Center, the University of North Carolina, Duke-NUS, and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute whose depth and experience ensure fair and competent peer review.

Ushma S. Neill obtained her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University studying pulmonary mechanics and used her Marshall Sherfield Postdoctoral Fellowship at Imperial College, London, to study vascular permeability. After 2 years as an editor at Nature Medicine, she joined the JCI in March 2003 as Executive Editor. In May 2012, Ushma became Director of the Office of the President of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Fibrocell CEO David Pernock on Fibroblasts and LAVIV; Other Projects in the Works

Fibrocell Science, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: FCSC) is a biotechnology company focused on developing autologous cell therapies for aesthetic, medical and scientific applications. Fibrocell Science is committed to advancing the scientific, medical and commercial potential of autologous skin and tissue, as well its innovative cellular processing technology and manufacturing excellence.

The company makes LAVIV (azficel-T), a groundbreaking new way to rejuvenate skin. LAVIV is the first and only FDA-approved treatment that uses a patient’s own collagen-producing cells (fibroblasts) to improve the look of smile lines. LAVIV is available exclusively through Fibrocell-trained, board-certified dermatologists and plastic surgeons. An ever growing list of practicing dermatologists and surgeons is available at MyLaviv.com. 

In a recent video interview, Fibrocell CEO David Pernock explains more about what a fibroblast is and how the company's process works: 

“The fibroblasts that we have reside directly under the dermis of the skin and what they're responsible for is the production of collagen and other growth factors, which help to support the skin." He explains that when we age, our number of fibroblasts diminishes. As a result, the skin looks thinner and wrinkles appear.

He continues,

"What we do, through a revolutionary process - actually the first and only of its kind in the world - is to take a small sample of skin from a patient, separate the fibroblast cell, [and] reproduce hundreds of millions of fibroblast cells directly from the patient for reintroduction underneath the skin." 

View the full video below.

See Wikipedia.com for more information on fibroblasts. 

Fibrocell is currently working on other applications for LAVIV, including acne scarring, restrictive burn scars, and vocal cord scarring. The company also has several additional projects in the works, including a personalized skin care cream as a complimentary sale to LAVIV as well as a stem cell program with UCLA and Mit. The company has announced an exclusive license with UCLA on Dermal Cell Research, and a research collaboration with MIT. 

For more information on Fibrocell, see the company's August 2012 Investor Presentation below. 

Fibrocell science investor-presentation-august_2012 from UpGraded Strategies

Fibrocell Science Inc. Initiates Private Stock Sale, Partners with Intrexon Corp. - $FCSC

Fibrocell Science Inc. (OTC: FCSC) has initiated a private stock sale in order to raise $45 million. The sale is restricted to institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals. The company has also formed a partnership with Intrexon Corp., a Blacksburg, Virginia-based synthetic biology company, to further develop its laViv cell therapy technology.

The Exton, Pa., company said the private stock sale involves a select group of institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals, including NRM VII Holdings, a Third Security affiliated fund.

Fibrocell’s laViv launched in 2011 to remove wrinkles. It extracts and multiplies a patient’s collagen-producing cells, then re-injects those cells into the patient. To date, laViv is the only FDA-approved cell therapy technology in aesthetic dermatology. Read more here. 

In a video about laViv’s FDA approval, CEO of Fibrocell Science Inc. David Pernock says,

“Our FDA approval meant the world to our company. What we’re able to do with this support … is offer people a very natural way to correct their nasolabial folds - smile line wrinkles - and not use any synthetic products or mass-produced products—ours is 100 percent made for the patient, specifically for you. It’s a big deal for the company and a big deal for the patients.”

See the full video below.

Interview with Expert in Receptor Biology Dr. Robert Lefkowitz and Nobel Prize Winners Dr. Joseph Goldstein and Dr. Michael Brow

Expert in Receptor Biology Dr. Robert Lefkowitz joined JCI's Executive Editor Dr. Ushma Neill  in our studio for a conversation with Geneticists Dr. Joseph Goldstein and Dr. Michael Brown, as part of the Conversations with Giants in Medicine video series. Those videos, produced in collaboration with the Journal of Clinical Investigation and hosted on their Web TV, show interviews with Nobel Prize winners and renown scientists.

Robert Lefkowitz is known for his seminal discoveries in understanding G protein-coupled receptor function. He's a Professor of Medicine at Duke University and received the National Medal of Science in 2007.

Joseph Goldstein and Michael Brown won the Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine in 1985 for describing the regulation of cholesterol metabolism. Their findings led to a better understanding of the mechanism of action of statin drugs, the cholesterol-lowering compounds used by 16 million Americans. It is the most prescribed medications in the United States.

Goldstein is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and The Rockefeller University, and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Brown serves on the Prix Galien USA Committee, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in his field.

In this interview, they talk about their careers and how they found their scientific inspiration. The discussion also focuses on the topic of mentoring and being a celebrity and the scientific world.

PWC Report Shows Decrease in Life Sciences Venture Capital Funding; Still Cause for Hope

A recent report released by PwC’s Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences Industry Group indicates that life sciences venture capital funding has shrunk for the fourth straight quarter.

On medcitynews.com, contributor Arundhati Parmar writes that “the decline was 39 percent in amount invested and 22 percent in number of deals in the second quarter from the same quarter in 2011. Total money invested in the sector that includes biotechnology and medical devices was $1.4 billion in the second quarter and the number of deals fell to 174. What’s more, the results show a four quarter slide.”

He continues,

“Both biotech and medical device venture funding took a hit. A total of 84 deals brought in $800 million for the medical device industry, but the numbers represent drops of 11 percent in deal volume and 17 percent in amount invested year over year. Biotech took a much bigger hit with a 52 percent decline in funding to $697 million and a 30 percent drop in number of deals to 90 deals in the second quarter.” Read more at medcitynews.com.

However, there is still cause for hope. As global managing partner of the venture capital practice at PwC US Tracy T. Lefteroff explained,

“The pace of venture-backed exits we saw for life sciences companies during 2011 should encourage investors. If M&A activity picks up during the second half of this year, investors should continue to see a clearer path to returns, which potentially could attract more money to be invested in this sector.

“Additionally, the new Jobs Act could spur more confidential IPO filings, creating the opportunity for more exits. This act makes it easier for start-ups with under $1 billion in annual revenue to go public by relaxing Sarbanes-Oxley requirements for five years.”

He continued,

“Finally, the recently passed user fee legislation contains some incentives for companies to develop breakthrough therapies for infectious and rare diseases. These include extended market exclusivity for qualified infectious disease products and expedited FDA review for therapies that address unmet medical needs to treat rare and life-threatening diseases and conditions. Such incentives could pique the interest of investors in companies developing innovative products that might have a shorter path to market.”

Read the full report here.