Danon Disease is a rare, life-threatening condition in which the body’s protein removal and recycling processes no longer work properly. The result is dysfunction of the heart, skeletal muscle, nervous system, eyes, and liver. The disease is more common in males and is thought to be inherited. Symptoms begin in early childhood or adolescence, and …
The Link Between Pollution and COVID-19 Deaths
Several months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many journalists began reporting on the fact that, due to reduced levels of transportation, lockdowns were leading to reduced air pollution. This news was celebrated, as we’ve known for decades that air pollution is detrimental to human health. However, there is also a troubling connection between air …
Advances in Drug Discovery for Central Nervous System Diseases
Discovering effective and safe new drugs depends on a detailed knowledge of disease mechanisms, as well as a successful progression from candidate identification to clinical trial design. This complicated, work-intensive path makes drug discovery hard, according to Valentin K. Gribkoff and Leonard K. Kaczmarek, authors of an article in Neuropharmacology entitled “The need for new …
Are Sports Bubbles Effective in the Fight Against COVID-19?
The word bubble has several meanings. Although it’s most commonly used to describe a sphere of liquid enclosing air or gas, it can also be used to describe an inflatable dome-shaped structure or an enclosure that protects patients from infection. Lately, bubble is also being used to describe an area in which competing sports teams reside in isolation in …
Resiliency in CRO Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A Conversation with QPS Holdings LLC Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ben Chien, PhD NOVEMBER 2020 As QPS Holdings LLC Chairman President, and CEO, Ben Chien, PhD, leads a large global organization with locations across the US, Europe, and Asia. Since its inception in 1995, the company has grown from a three-employee molecular bioanalysis …
What Field Researchers Can Teach Us About Quarantine and Isolation
As countries around the world move through various stages of quarantine and restrictions on public life, many people are finding themselves more isolated than they are accustomed to. Contact with someone who has the novel coronavirus can require a two-week quarantine, further restricting their movement and contact with others. For most people, this is an …
QPS COVID-19 Testing Capabilities
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a call to arms for many of the world’s biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Although progress has been made, these companies must continue to use their top scientists, creative thinking skills, and material sources to blunt and reverse the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. This is especially important …
Gene Therapy and Inherited Retinal Diseases
Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) can cause vision loss that ranges from mild to severe, and can even cause blindness. These diseases affect people of all ages, and different IRDs progress at different rates. They are degenerative and get worse over time. Common IRDs include: Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) Retinitis pigmentosa Choroideremia Stargardt disease Achromatopsia IRDs …
Oligonucleotides: Innovations in Antivirals for Novel Viruses
As scientists, doctors and researchers race to develop vaccines and therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2, several drugs have emerged as promising candidates. Oligonucleotide therapeutics are one such type of drug, according to Zamas Lam, Senior Vice President of Preclinical Development at QPS, and John Kolman, Vice President of Translational Medicine at QPS.
UK COVID-19 Challenge Trials to Infect Healthy Volunteers with Coronavirus
As communities strive to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the United Kingdom is funding research trials that will deliberately infect healthy young volunteers with the coronavirus. With these COVID-19 challenge trials, the government hopes to accelerate the development of safe, effective vaccines. However, the strategy is controversial. Researchers must weigh …
